Olympics Update: Longhorn Athletes Rack Up Medals

By Jack McBee in Special, Sports on August 3, 2012 at 10:49 am | No Comments

As the first week of the 2012 London Olympic Games comes to a close, Longhorn athletes have earned five medals so far—with more sure to come.

Here’s an overview of how the Longhorns in London performed during the first week, plus where they’re headed next. With 12 of the 21 UT Olympians competing in track and field events, which begin today, the Games are just heating up.

This Week’s Highlights

Ricky Berens (Men’s Swimming), BBA ’10, won silver in the 4×100 freestyle relay and his second career gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay. He also contributed to Michael Phelps’ impressive Olympic legacy. Last Tuesday, when the American 4×200 freestyle relay team won its second consecutive gold, Berens added another gold to his tally—and Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time with his 19th Olympic medal. As Berens told NBC, “Every time a commentator remarks on that feat, I’m a part of that. To be [able] to share that glory—I’m a part of something special.”

Jimmy Feigen (Men’s Swimming) won silver in 4x100m freestyle relay.

Brendan Hansen (Men’s Swimming) won bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

Christian Schurr (Men’s Swimming) is the lone male swimmer representing Mexico in the Olympics. He recorded a time of 2:14:16 in the 200m breaststroke— earning him 4th in his heat and 26th overall.

Kathleen Hersey (Women’s Swimming) placed 4th in the 200m butterfly, a mere .3 seconds away from beating Japan’s Natsumi Hoshi for 3rd place.

Troy Dumais (Men’s Diving) won bronze in the 3m synchronized springboard event.

In the quest for what would be Team USA’s first Olympic gold medal, Destinee Hooker (Women’s Volleyball) is a force to be reckoned with. In Team USA’s most recent match against China, Hooker led all scorers with a total of 22 points on 17 kills, 3 blocks, and 2 service aces. Team USA defeated China in a perfect 3 sets, moving their record in preliminary play to 3-0. Hooker and her team finish the preliminary round with a pair of games against Serbia today and Turkey on Aug. 5.

Update: Hooker led her team to a 3-0 sweep of Serbia today. She had 12 kills and 19 points. One Team USA Women’s Volleyball match remains: Sunday vs. Turkey at 2 p.m. Central Time.

Fan favorite Kevin Durant (Men’s Basketball) continues to help his team ascend toward the podium. In yesterday’s resounding victory over Nigeria, in which Team USA set Olympic records for most points scored in a game (156) and most 3-pointers made in a game (29), Durant logged 14 points, shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point distance.

Who’s Up Next

Sanya Richards-Ross (Women’s Track & Field) is no stranger to winning. Though Richards-Ross is well-accustomed to competing in both the 400m individual and 4x400m relay events, where she earned all three of her previous Olympic medals, she describes her first Olympic entry into the 200m race as “icing on the cake.” Richards-Ross will compete in the 400m individual, 4×400 relay, and 200m individual races—but it will take her best effort if she is to become only the third female athlete of all time to win gold in both the 400m and the 200m.

Update: Richards-Ross won her first-round heat in the 400m, moving on to tomorrow’s semifinals.

The majority of Longhorn Olympians will compete in track and field events starting today. Competitors include Dylan Armstrong (Canada); Samyr Laine (Haiti); Raasin McIntosh (Liberia); Allison Peter (Virgin Islands); Christy Udoh (Nigeria); Melaine Walker (Jamaica); Michelle Carter, Marquise Goodwin, Trey Hardee, Bianca Knight, Leo Manzano, and Sanya Richards-Ross (USA).

Photo courtesy welshgovernment on Flickr.

Tags: Longhorns in London, medals, Olympics