TOP 10 OLYMPIC MOMENTS

Watching the closing ceremony was like the feeling I had when my parents left Augusta when they visited a couple weeks ago: you don't want them to go but you know it's for the best. Well, after 16 days of competition in more than 30 sports, the Olympic Games have come to a close for another 2 years (4 years if you don't like the Winter like I do). I loved every minute of these games, almost too much. I stayed up until 3am every night watching whatever I could, from rowing, water polo, handball, table tennis, fencing, trampoline, weightlifting and yes, even racewalking. But alas, they must go, because staying up until 3am was beginning to hurt my productivity. I overslept my 10am too many times and failed to work out multiple times. I woke up tired too often and missed out on many a good movies on the tube.

But if you know me, I love a good list. So in an effort to honor the wonderful Olympic Games in Beijing, I am giving you MY top ten moments from the Olympic Games. (FYI...I would love to post the video right here on the blog but well, you know NBC is crazy about that stuff. So just go nbcolympics.com to relive the moments)

10. The "Redeem Team"
It's what the USA needed. We needed to reclaim our throne as the best basketball team in the world. And we did it the right way this time. We did with a team of unselfish players who committed to this team for 3 years. Practiced together. Traveled together. Hung out with each other. And it showed off on the court. The team played their butts off every game, all the way into the final game when they really had to play their best. Kudos to Jerry Colangelo, Coach K and all that put this team together. This is how it should be done every four years.

9. Dara Torres
She defied what many thought: you can't swim competitively at 40 years old. Well, she did, and at the age of 41. Torres is a testament to what hard work and dedication can do. Even after missing the Athens Olympics and giving birth, she fought her way back and made the US team. But that wasn't it. She raced to a silver medal in the 50 free, coming just one-hundredth of a second away from a gold medal. Not to mention 40 minutes after that silver medal swim, she almost chased down a gold for her 4 x 100 medley relay. And she did all this without a single steroid. Mad props.

8. Bryan Clay
Don't know who he is? Well, you should since he now holds the title of the "World's Greatest Athlete". Clay won the decathlon in dominating fashion and though the event is not the most TV friendly, it is the most grueling and most rewarding when finished, win or lose. Clay grabbed the lead early by winning the 100m. After that, he never gave it up. Clay won wire-to-wire, and placed 1st or 2nd in 5 of the ten events. He actually finished last in his heat in the final event, the 1500m run but it didn't matter. He had already built up an insurmountable lead. A silver medal in Athens. A gold medal in Beijing. First gold in the decathlon since Dan O'Brien in 1996. Nice to have it back in the USA.

7. Beach Volleyball
We all know about May-Treanor and Walsh. They were favored to win and they did. But watching them mow down every opponent was fun to watch. Every team was gunning for them and they didn't blink. But the better story may be on the men's side where Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser took home the gold. They lost, yes lost, their first match to the 23rd ranked team from Latvia. There were only 24 teams in the draw! But they won when it mattered, including the third set of a great championship match, giving the Americans the sweep on the beach. And all for a team that got together just 3 short years ago.

6. Alexander Artemev's Pommel Horse Routine
I'm not the biggest gymnastics fan, hence why Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luikin did not make my list, though both had great Olympics. But when it comes to big moments, the biggest one for me was watching Artemev do his pommel horse routine in the team competition. Before he went, the US was in bronze medal position, a position they weren't supposed to be in after injuries to both Hamm bros. But there they were. And with one more event to go, all they needed were three solid pommel horse routines. First was Raj Bhavsar, an alternate who got his chance when Paul Hamm dropped out. Well, Raj dropped the ball and put fell off. Next, Kevin Tan went up and lo and behold, he cracks under the pressure with a less than mediocre performance. So it's all to second-alternate Artemev to put up a big score to give the Americans the bronze. The guy who wasn't on the team until Morgan Hamm dropped out just 3 days before the Games began. The guy who fell off the pommel horse during the Trials. All knew he was capable of a big routine but had been inconsistent. But on this morning, Artemev was brilliant. With flares I haven't seen in a long time, Artemev shined and the bronze went to the underestimated American team. (Note: In the individual competition, Artemev fell on the pommel horse.)

5. The Opening Ceremony
I mean, have you seen anything like that? The drummers, the LED screen, the choreography, etc.. The list goes on and on. It had it all. And in HD, it was mesmerizing. It had the pageantry of every other opening ceremony but what set it apart was the technology and the small details. The Birds Nest is an amazing venue and those screen on the top rim of it is just amazing. The screen on the bottom was amazing as well. Having 2008 drummers or fighters was a great touch as well. And the theme of every act was not only meaningful but understood even without the constant thoughts from Matt Lauer (OU alum) and Bob Costas. But my favorite moment was the idea to have that drawing be walked on by every athlete. What an amazing idea! and to have that drawing travel the world, in another example of how the world cam together, is just brilliant. The torch lighting was good as well, though not the best, but hard to argue it's not in the top 5. Still the best opening ceremony overall though.

4. Phelps Beats Cavic
Not gonna lie, I thought he had lost. He was too far to out-touch Cavic, wasn't he? Guess not. In Michael Phelps-fashion, he somehow touched the wall first and even took a half-stroke to do it. The pictures and even video don't even do it justice. It was just an amazing race and amazing finish. It gave Phelps gold number 7, keeping his dream alive of winning the most golds ever in one olympiad. The race did show that Phelps is not invincible though. It just showed that he is one-hundredth of a second better. But that was enough.

3. Usain Bolt
I've never seen anything like it. A 100m run that just wasn't even close. People have broken that world record before but even when they do, the race seems close. This one never was. The aptly-named Bolt did just that: bolt off the blocks and never looked back. He ran faster than any man ever has and before he crossed the line, he even had time to celebrate. 9.69 could have been 9.59 maybe. We'll never know but who cares? It was sheer dominance and speed. So what does he do for an encore? How about beating the 200m world record time as well. That race wasn't close either. Add in another world record time in the 4 x 100 relay and no doubt, this guy has cemented his name as one of the best. Watch that 100m run and it just takes your breath away. Who knew any person could run that fast. It's just scary. I hope he comes back in 2012.

2. Lezak Comeback
It was over. Phelps' dream would come to a premature end. That is...unless Jason Lezak chases down one of the fastest swimmers in the world. The cocky French had it in the bag and their best swimmer in the pool, anchoring their squad. Jason Lezak, an Olympic veteran, knew what was up against him and knew what the gold meant for Phelps too. With all that into consideration, somehow Lezak came back. Inch by inch, he crept up alongside his French competitor. Next thing you know, they were right next to each other just feet away the wall. In the end, it was Lezak. It was the United States. It was gold. It was magical. I don't think I've ever screamed for a swimming event ever but you better believe I did then. If you weren't, you're not American. That was a comeback for the ages. Jason Lezak is the man. Case closed.

1. USA Men's Volleyball Team
A lot of people will probably be very surprised to see this be my number one moment but you have to think about it. Before the team played their first game, their coach went through what no person should ever have to go through. 12 hours after the Olympic cauldron was lit, violence hit Beijing. It wasn't terrorism thankfully, but it was a random act of violence. Two Americans stabbed by a rogue Chinese man who committed suicide after the attack. One man died, a woman hospitalized. They were simply touring a famous Chinese landmark, no one even knowing they were Americans. And while this was a sad story already, it was made worse when we all found out the people attacked were the family of US Men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. The man, McCutcheon's father-in-law. The woman, his mother-in-law. His wife was there to see it all but was unharmed. He would miss his team's first two matches of the Olympics to be with his wife and family. Many thought he would not come back and could understand why. But he knew that volleyball would be a way to get away from the anger and grief. And also, winning a gold medal would be the best way to celebrate the life of his father-in-law. After the attacks, the US team had now even more motivation to win the gold. And when their coach returned for their third match, it showed. With their head coach by their side, the US team took on every challenge and made it to the semifinals to take on a tough Russian team. In a match that I watched live starting at 1am, the US jumped ahead 2 sets to none. But Russia stormed back in sets 3 and 4, sending the match to a decisive fifth set. One set to decide who would play for a gold medal. And with their coach and his family in their minds, the US gathered up enough energy and strength to win the fifth set 15 to 13. Their next test would be the top team in Brazil. They dropped the first set but the team came back and won the next three. Coach McCutcheon had his gold and I found my top moment. It may have been the most dramatic or exciting. But it was the most inspiring and rewarding moment and I'll take those any day.


Well done China. London, you have a lot to live up to. Or should I say Vancouver in 2010.