Athens Games end on golden note
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The final days of the Athens Games were golden for an LDS athlete, who grappled his way to the top of the Olympic medal podium.
Wrestler and lifelong Church member Cael Sanderson won the gold medal Aug. 28 when he defeated South Korea's Eui Jae Moon in the finals of the 185-pound freestyle wrestling competition.
"This is the toughest tournament in the world," Brother Sanderson told the Deseret Morning News. "It feels good. It was hard. I didn't wrestle perfect, but a win's a win, and I'll take this one."
The Utah native became an Olympic champion after winning four consecutive NCAA championships at Iowa State, where he went undefeated in 159 straight matches. The 25-year-old wrestler is the second Church member to wear Olympic wrestling gold. Rulon Gardner of Wyoming won a Greco Roman wrestling Olympic championship at the Sydney Games in 2000, and this year settled for bronze in Athens. (See Aug. 21 Church News, p. 4.)
Brother Sanderson's path atop the medal podium was blocked by several tough wrestlers — including Cuba's Yoel Romero, who had beaten him in two bouts at earlier competitions. This time Brother Sanderson claimed victory, defeating Romero 3-1 in the Olympic semi-finals.
LDS centerfielder Laura Berg added a third gold medal to her impressive collection when the U.S. women's softball team stormed undefeated through the Olympic tournament. The American women gave up only one run during the competition. She was joined on the team by Church member/utility player Tairia Mims Flowers.
The centerfielder also competed in the Atlanta Games in 1996 and the 2000 Sydney Games. The U.S. squad won both tournaments.
Several other LDS Olympians wrapped up their respective competitions in the Games' final days.
California's Ryan Millar, a former BYU athlete, helped the U.S. men's volleyball team reach the medal round before finishing fourth. The American team was defeated by eventual gold medal winner Brazil in the tournament semi-finals, then lost in the bronze medal match to Russia.
Diver Rachelle Kunkel of Utah was the top American performer in the women's 3-meter springboard and finished a respectable ninth in the Olympic competition. She competed for BYU and now lives in Southern California where she works as a labor and delivery nurse. A pair of LDS New Zealanders also competed in Athens.
Paora Winitan, a returned missionary and member of the Hastings New Zealand Stake, played for the Kiwi's men's basketball team that finished sixth in their group with a 1-5 record.
His compatriot and fellow Church member, Jody Tini, competed on the New Zealand's women's basketball team. Sister Tini and her teammates finished fifth in group play, winning two games and dropping five.
The focus in Athens now turns to the 2004 Paralympics, which begin Sept. 11. Several LDS disabled athletes are expected to compete. A few will be profiled in future Church News issues.
