A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

TRAMPS LIKE US: Back to the Bird's Nest, where Amy has an update on the track:

Well, it's been kind of a mixed bag for Team USA over at the Bird's Nest. Our sprinters have done well but my overly optimistic hope of a surge of US runners dominating or at least medaling in the distance events has proven... a little wrong. But! It's not over yet!

The Good:
Shalane Flanagan's bronze in the 10,000 meters despite food poisoning a few days before. Fantastic and gutty. Also, her post-race interview on NBC was just so cute.

Nick Symmonds ran a gutty front-runner pre-esque (Prefontaine for the non track nerds and yes, I know Pre didn't really run the 800 but still...) 800 semifinal to easily qualify for the finals. For a late kicker this showed some versatility and guts. Eugene is proud of him already.

The Bad:
Bernard Lagat getting boxed in during the semis of the 1500 and failing to make the finals. He was boxed in by competitors and his time wasn't enough and so, the US' hopes for a gold there were crushed.

The Disappointing:
Kara Goucher's 10th place finish in the 10k. She described it as disappointing herself but its made her hungry for the 5k, so let's hope she goes for it there.

Lopez Lomong not making it to the 1500 finals. He ran well, but I just wanted to see some kind of miracle or surprise out of him. But, he'll be back!

The Tragic:
Deena Kastor breaking her foot 16 minutes into the marathon. With the way that race unfolded I really believe she could have medaled. And she broke my heart. Can you imagine running 150 miles per week for months and months only to have it crushed (literally) at mile 5? I can't imagine. Of course Deena handled it with grace and class. I literally gasped when she dropped out of the race causing my entire family to make fun of me for being so interested in "watching paint dry in Beijing."

The Still To Come:

• Nick Symmonds runs in the 800 final-- we'll see.
• The men's 5000-- I think Lagat's stronger in this event and will want to redeem himself, I hope. Matt Tegencamp also did well by winning his semi heat today and could take a medal.
• Women's 1500- Rowbury could make it happen, she looked loose and strong during prelims.
• The women's 5000-- Shalane and Kara will be back along with Jen Rhines and I think at least one American woman will medal. My bet's on Goucher-- she looked the freshest during prelims.
• Men's Marathon-- I'm still holding out for Ryan Hall. It could happen. You never know.

updated: Those who've been following this morning's relay results know that we have even more to discuss. In addition, the US women's basketball team beat Russia this morning to advance to the gold medal game; Becky Hammon went 1-6 (including 0-4 from beyond the arc) for the South Ossetia Strikers, totalling 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal in twenty-four okay-maybe-not-traitorous minutes. (And, um, how did we lose softball?)