Olympic Movements       

 Female Athletes Continue to Impact the World through Olympic Competition    

             
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA.  The 2000 Olympic Games proved to be another milestone for the awareness and respect of women's sports.  While the games produced some exciting winners disappointments loomed for the women's soccer, water polo, and gymnastics teams - not to mention Marion Jones and her challenging quest for five! All in all the games proved to be another pivotal turn for the emergence of women in the Olympic Games.  Here's a synapse of our women's accomplishments.

Women's Basketball Brings Home the Gold
The U.S. Women's National Team successfully defended its Olympic title with a huge victory over host Australia 76-54 in the gold medal.  According to Nell Fortner, the game was one of the best of the year. The U.S. relied on a balanced attack from Lisa Leslie, Natalie Williams, Sheryl Swoopes, and Yolanda Griffith .  Leslie and Williams collected 15 points each and 9 rebounds, while Swoopes contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds and Griffith had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Leslie, Swoopes, Nikki McCray, Ruthie Bolton-Holifield, Dawn Staley and Teresa Edwards were members of the U.S. team that won gold in Atlanta in 1996.   The Sydney games marked the fifth and final Olympics for Edwards, who has four gold medals and one bronze.

Edwards, 36, capped her career with a grand total of 1,996 points for USA Basketball and is the USA's all-time Olympic career leader for games played (32), assists (143) and steals (59).   The U.S. women have now collected four gold medals, one silver (1976) and one bronze (1992) in their six Olympic appearances.

Softball Team's Come from Behind Wins are Good Enough for Gold
Completing a three-game sweep of the teams that had defeated them during the round-robin competition, the U.S. Olympic Softball Team defended its gold medal Tuesday night by beating Japan 2-1 in eight innings. The game-winning run came on a dropped fly ball hit by Laura Berg , but it was effective.  Berg lifted a shot to deep left field that was dropped when defender Shiori Koseki fell backward, allowing Jennifer McFalls, to score from second.  McFalls, pinch-running for Stacey Nuveman, who started the inning with a walk, was moved into scoring position when Dr. Dot Richardson, also drew a walk.

Nuveman was so excited when she saw Koseki fall, that she grabbed Lisa Fernandez and said, 'We've won! We've won!'"  Fernandez, scattered three hits, walked two and struck out eight for the victory.  Fernandez' counterpart, Japan's starting pitcher, Mariko Masubuchi, retired the first 11 batters she faced before issuing a two-out walk to Fernandez in the fourth. In the following inning the U.S. pieced together the game-tying run, and Masubuchi was relieved in the sixth inning by Juri Takayama, who got the loss.

Japan had two other scoring opportunities, working a runner to third base in the second and fifth innings, but both times the U.S. defense emerged unscathed.  The loss was the first of the Olympics for Japan, which went 7-0 in round-robin competition and then defeated Australia in the opening game of the medal round to advance straight to the gold-medal game. It's second-place finish gives Japan its first Olympic medal in softball.

The United States, beaten by Japan, China and Australia in the round robin, worked its way from the fourth and final medal round slot to retain its gold medal. Team USA finishes the Olympics with an overall record of 6-3.

Women's Soccer Team Earns Heartbreaking Silver Medal
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team lost to Norway in the 2000 gold medal match, 3-2 in overtime, after Dagny Mellgren tallied in the first 15-minute overtime. The loss marked just the second time the U.S. women have been defeated in Olympic or Women's World Cup play, with both defeats coming at the hand of Norway.

The U.S. completely dominated possession throughout the first half and took an early lead thanks to a Tiffeny Milbrett strike in the fifth minute. Milbrett volleyed the ball home from close range after striking partner Mia Hamm rounded Norwegian captain Goeril Kringen and cut the ball back across the goal.  A Hege Riise corner in the 44th minute provided the perfect opportunity for Gro Espeseth to even the score with a powerful header.

The second half was again dominated by the United States, and they had several clear chances, but Norway defended bravely. Amazingly, with 11 minutes to play Gulbrandsen met a long cross to put Norway into a 2-1 lead.   Even more amazingly, as the match went into injury time, the United States managed to grab an equalizer from Tiffeny Milbrett, her second of the game, to put the match into extra time. Milbrett's tying goal came when she outleaped defender Goeril Kringen to knock home Mia Hamm's long cross from the right wing.

However, the glory was short-lived for the U.S., who saw Mellgren latch on to a long pass and hit her shot into the bottom corner to gain a dramatic win. Mellgren's 102nd-minute winner came after the ball deflected off U.S. defender Joy Fawcett's head as they played a long ball from Hege Riise. The ball hit Mellgren's shoulder and landed at her feet before she pushed it to the left of goalkeeper Siri Mullinix from seven yards.

Volleyball Team Falls Short of Medal
The USA Women's volleyball team ended its fantastic run at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a 18-25, 22-25, 21-25 loss to No. 3 Brazil Saturday in the bronze-medal match.

"Despite the loss I am very proud of the tournament this team had," USA head coach Mick Haley said. "I am very pleased with this team, their fighting spirit, their never-die attitude and they have come together as a wonderful example of a team."  In what was probably her final match in a USA uniform, Tara Cross-Battle led the Americans with 13 kills and two blocks. Danielle Scott added seven kills and four blocks.

Opposite hitter Sarah Noriega gave the credit to Brazil. "I have to congratulate Brazil, they never allowed us to get into any kind of rhythm," she said. "I don't think it was until the end of the third set that we got any kind of flow. I definitely think we played our best in this tournament, and for that I am proud."

Marion Jones Becomes the 1st Woman to Win 5 Track & Field Medals in any Olympics
Although she fell short of her ambitious goal of five gold medals at the 2000 Olympic, Marion Jones became the first woman ever to win five track and field medals in an Olympics.  The World's Fastest Woman had to settle for three gold medals and two bronze medals after her U.S. team finished a disappointing third, behind the Bahamas and Jamaica, in the 4x100-meter relay. But Marion finished her first Olympiad on a high note, running a spectacular third leg to lead the U.S. to a come-from-behind victory in the 4x400-meter relay.  Marion's third gold medal followed her commanding victories in the 100 and the 200. She took a bronze medal in the long jump.

The U.S. women had never won a 4x400-meter final on foreign soil before Jones, Hennigan, Colander-Richardson and Jearl Miles-Clark combined for the gold medal. American women had won four consecutive gold medals in the 4x100 until Saturday's third-place showing.  About 90 minutes before the 4x400 race at Olympic Stadium, Marion helped the U.S. women avert a disastrous, no-medal finish in the 4x100. Given the team's lack of chemistry, two bad baton exchanges and injuries to star sprinters Inger Miller and Gail Devers , the U.S. actually was fortunate to get a bronze medal.

Because of the injuries and Marion's busy Olympics schedule, the 4x100 team only practiced together for two days.  The team's lack of cohesion proved costly for Marion, who dreamed of five gold medals in Sydney but settled for three.   Still many believe that these Olympics may be remembered as The Games of Marion Jones for her athleticism, composure and class as well as her determination in overcoming the adversity of husband's C.J. Hunter's drug controversy and a grueling five-events-in-nine-days schedule to become the first woman to win five track and field medals in an Olympiad.

Dragila Wins First-Ever Women's Pole Vault American beats local favorite for the gold
For the first time in Olympic Games history, the women's pole vault was contested, and the first gold medal now belongs to an American.  Stacy Dragila came into the competition as the world record-holder and came out a gold medallist.

On a cool, windy night in Sydney, that reached the low 60s in the evening session, Dragila was locked in a battle with Tatiana Grigorieva of Australia. Both cleared 4.55 meters, then Dragila cleared 4.6. Grigorieva made one attempt at 4.6 and missed, and then passed to the next height of 4.65 to try for the win. She missed both attempts, leaving Dragila with the gold medal.

"This is a dream come true for me," she said. "To win the gold medal takes precedence over anything I've accomplished. It wasn't one of my better competitions. I had to battle through it. I had to keep my head on my shoulders. The competition was thrilling and I knew I had to dig a little deeper to finish what I came to do. If I had to chose between winning the gold and setting the world record, there's no question - I wouldn't trade the gold any day."    U.S. teammate Kellie Suttle finished in 11th, clearing 4.0 meters. "I think in the next five to six years you'll see women jump five meters," Dragila said. "If I'm happy, I'll be there."

20-Year-Old Venus Williams Wins Olympic Gold
Venus Williams won the Olympic gold medal in women's singles with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Elena Dementieva of Russia in the gold medal match. Williams is the third different American to win Olympic gold in women's singles in the last three Olympiads, joining 1996 champion Lindsay Davenport and 1992 champion Jennifer Capriati.  Williams excitedly accepted the gold medal from IOC Vice President Anita DeFrantz.

The Olympic gold medal is the latest in a series of major titles for the 20-year-old, who learned to play tennis on the cracked inner-city cement courts of Compton, Calif.  In July, Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title to become the first African-American woman to win the women's singles title at the All-England Club since Althea Gibson in 1958. After winning singles titles at WTA Tour events in Stanford, Calif., San Diego, Calif., and New Haven, Conn., she won the singles title at the US Open. Her win over Dementieva was her 32 consecutive singles match victory.

"I think her belief in herself is at an all-time high," said U.S. Olympic women's tennis coach Billie Jean King. "I think she is becoming clearer and clearer what her weapons are, what makes her who she is. She's learning how to win."  Accepting the bronze medal was Williams' teammate Monica Seles .  Seles earned the bronze medal by virtue of her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jelena Dokic of Australia.

DeRiel Earns 1st Silver in Modern Pentathlon for Women
The event held for the first time for women proved to be a US success. Emily deRiel of Havertown, Pa., claimed a silver medal for the United States in the first Olympic women's modern pentathlon.  DeRiel was in first place going into the final event, a 3,000-meter run inside Olympic Park's baseball stadium. As leader, under the unique modern pentathlon format, she began the run with a head start over the other competitors.  England's Stephanie Cook overcame a 49-second gap to overtake deRiel in the last 300 meters and claim the gold medal.

DeRiel, a Yale graduate who also attended Oxford, began the day by winning the shooting competition. Shooting was the first of the five events, followed by round-robin fencing competition among all 24 competitors, a 200-meter freestyle swim, a 12-jump equestrian event and a three-kilometer run.

[For more information contact the United States Olympic Committee or visit the website at usoc.org or olympics.com]