Whom to watch: South Korean men and women have won seven of the eight individual titles at the last four world championships. France’s Lionel Torres, who won the Olympic test event in Sydney last year, was atop the most recent men’s world rankings, and Britain’s Alison Williamson was second at the 1999 worlds. Italy won both team world titles last year.
View from the U.S.: Karen Scavotto, 18, of Enfield, Conn., has an outside chance at a medal after making a stunning debut at the senior international level, winning the 1999 Olympic test event. Teammate Denise Parker, 26, of Salt Lake City, was a former phenom, winning a team bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics at 14. The third member of the team, Olympic trials winner Janet Dykman of El Monte, Calif., is 46. The women’s team should be in the hunt for a bronze. A men’s individual medal would be a surprise, but the team–led by Vic Wunderle of Mason City–is a contender.
— Philip Hersh
BADMINTON
Whom to watch: The defending men’s Olympic champion is Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark. The 1996 women’s singles champion was Bang Soo-Hyun of Korea.
View from the U.S.: Ten years ago Kevin Han barely spoke English and was a bicycle delivery boy. Now the 27-year-old from Colorado Springs is the U.S. champion. The United States is seeking its first gold medal in this sport.
— Fred Mitchell
BASEBALL
Whom to watch: This should be a dream showcase for scouts. Cuba’s team includes some international warhorses, such as third baseman Omar Linares and first baseman Orestes Kindelan, but also young prospects like Maels Rodriguez, who stands 5 feet 10 inches but throws more than 100 m.p.h. Japan is expected to be led by its perennial hitting champ, Ichiro Suzuki. Former major-league catcher Dave Nilsson will be a player-coach for Australia.
View from the U.S.: Count on lots of sound bites from Tommy Lasorda, who is coaching the U.S. team. The team includes outfielder Ernie Young, a Chicago native, and one pitcher who could compete for a spot with the White Sox as early as next year, 6-11 right-hander Jon Rauch.
— Phil Rogers
BASKETBALL
Whom to watch: Along with familiar U.S. stars from the NBA such as Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett and Vin Baker, keep an eye on China’s 7-2 center, Wang Zhi-Zhi. Wang, who was picked by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999, has caused opponents problems with his quickness. Four-time runner-up Yugoslavia leads the hunt to dethrone the U.S. Close behind is 1992 and 1996 bronze medalist Lithuania.
For the women, four-time Olympian Teresa Edwards returns for the U.S. So do guards Katie Smith and Dawn Staley and a host of WNBA stars, including Ruthie Bolton-Holifield, Chamique Holdsclaw, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes.
Returning for Brazil is Maria Paula Goncalves da Silva, 38, known as “Magic.” She began playing with the Brazilian team at 14 but still has the spark that earned her nickname.
The women’s competition is far more open, though the U.S. team, based on its 29-2 record during a 31-game tour between last September and April, should be a strong favorite in Sydney. China, Brazil, Russia and host Australia are strong contenders.
View from the U.S.: The U.S. appears to be in a no-win (or is it no-lose?) situation. But the absence of a dominating big man such as Tim Duncan, who is recovering from knee surgery, makes them appear more vulnerable than in previous Olympics. This is no Dream Team.
Experience should be the key to the U.S. women defending their title. For the first time, though, they must play in the home of a serious medal contender. Australia could be tough to beat. “It’s like I’ve said all along: In this program you’ve got to go win in somebody else’s back yard if you’re going to claim to be the best,” coach Nell Fortner said.
— Fred Mitchell
BOXING
Whom to watch: Cuba continues as the favored team. Heavyweight Felix Savon and 165-pounder Ariel Hernandez will be seeking their third consecutive Olympic gold medals. Maikro Romero, the 1996 gold medalist at 106 pounds, also is favored. Heavyweight Ruslam Chagaev of Uzbekistan, who has beaten Savon in international competition, also is a top contender. The heavyweight division has been divided to create a super-heavyweight (201-pound-plus) division, where Italian Paolo Vidoz has been impressive.
View from the U.S.: Although the American boxers had to qualify in an Americas tournament (from which the Cubans were exempted), they landed spots in all 12 weight classes. And they have shots at winning a couple of gold medals. Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, at 106 pounds, is not only the first native Hawaiian to make an Olympic boxing team in 44 years, but he won the 1999 world championships against competitors including Romero. Chicagoan Michael Bennett, 29, has progressed quickly in two years since he was released from prison, where he got his first boxing lessons while incarcerated for armed robbery. At the Olympics, his biggest hurdles figure to be Chagaev and Savon, who have considerably more international amateur experience.
— Michael Hirsley
CANOE/KAYAK SLALOM
Whom to watch: Do you like your water still (flatwater events) or bubbly (whitewater)? Think a paddle should have one blade (canoe) or one at each end (kayak)? Athletes from the former Soviet bloc have dominated flatwater events since 1996. Hungary, Russia and Poland won nine of the 12 gold medals in Olympic program events at the 1999 flatwater world championships. Canada’s Caroline Brunet and Russia’s Maxim Opalev were the 1999 world meet stars, with three individual medals apiece (some non-Olympic events).
View from the U.S.: Singles kayaker Scott Shipley, 29, of Poulsbo, Wash., a mechanical engineering student at Georgia Tech, should be a strong medal contender after winning a third world-championship silver a year ago. Shipley has advanced from 27th in 1992 to 12th in 1996. Not since Greg Barton, double gold medalist in 1988 and bronze medalist in 1992, has the U.S. had a leading competitor in flatwater events. The best finish at the 1999 worlds was a sixth in four-man kayak.
— Philip Hersh
CYCLING
Whom to watch: The relatively technical Olympic course has lots of turns and no serious climbs. This turns the road races–145 miles for the men, 78 for the women–into something of a lottery that could leave a relative unknown as champion. No Tour de France winner has won an Olympic road-race medal. Lance Armstrong, who was bruised after being hit by a car while training, will draw much of the attention. His best chance for gold is in the individual time trial, a discipline he has dominated in his Tour victories. Marion Clignet of France, who grew up in Evanston and has overcame epilepsy and debilitating arthritis, will get two chances (individual pursuit and points race) at turning her obsession for Olympic gold into reality. Jeannie Longo of France, 41, the greatest woman cyclist ever, defends her road-race title.
View from the U.S.: Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service teammates, Tyler Hamilton, 29, of Marblehead, Mass., and George Hincapie, 27, of Greenville, S.C., are potential winners in the road race. On the track, it will be on sprinter Marty Nothstein, 29, of Trexlertown, Pa., Olympic silver medalist in 1996, and Chris Witty, 25, of Milwaukee, the Olympic speedskating medalist who is trying to become the fourth athlete to win medals at both the Winter and Summer Games. Christian Vande Velde, 24, of Lemont rides in team pursuit. Alison Dunlap, 31, of Denver converted to mountain biking after placing 37th in the 1996 Olympic road race and is a medal contender after top-five finishes in the last two world championships.
— Philip Hersh
DIVING
Whom to watch: China’s Fu Mingxia, the ’92 and ’96 Olympic gold medalist, is a favorite to win again on springboard and platform for women, along with teammate Guo Jingjing, ’98 and ’99 World Cup and world champion gold medalist. Svetlana Timoshinina of Russia recently won the platform at the European championships and should also be in the mix. Russia’s Dmitri Sautin is the men’s platform diver to beat.
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View from the U.S.: National platform champion Laura Wilkinson was in peak form at nationals, probably benefiting from time off while rehabbing broken bones in her foot and probably is the top medal hope for the U.S. women. Springboard diver Jenny Keim probably is looking at her last Olympics. Among the men, Mark Ruiz is the best and probably only hope for a medal among the Americans in either springboard or platform. The unpredictable Troy Dumais has an outside shot to medal on springboard.
— Melissa Isaacson
EQUESTRIAN
Whom to watch: There will be six categories in both individual and team competition. The individual dressage is considered the most technical discipline. Look for defending gold medalist Isabell Werth of Germany to try to add another one in individual dressage. Countryman Anky vanGrunsven will challenge her. Germany is the favorite in the team dressage. Mark Todd of New Zealand, the gold medalist in 1984 and 1988 in the individual three-day, returns to the Olympics after missing the last two because of injuries to his horses.
View from the U.S.: The U.S. traditionally has been successful in equestrian. The best hope is Karen O’Connor, who won the silver medal in the individual three-day in 1996. The U.S. is one of the favorites for a medal in the team three-day, ranking as a contender along with New Zealand, Australia and England.
— Ed Sherman
FENCING
Whom to watch: The sport has three weapons: epee, the traditional sword of duels; saber, and foil. Women compete in epee (since 1996) and foil. Europeans utterly dominate world fencing, although Cuba lately has become a challenger. The country of the Three Musketeers, France (two gold, seven overall medals at ’96 Games), was the only nation to win more than one individual event at the 1999 world championships. France’s Laura Flessel-Colovic, 28, who won 1996 Olympic team and individual titles in epee, can be the first woman since 1948 (and second in history) to win consecutive individual titles. Flessel-Colovic won world titles in 1998 and 1999.
View from the U.S.: Not since 1948 has a U.S. man won an Olympic medal; the women have yet to win one. The U.S. has progressed in the last decade and has three medal long shots in foil: sisters Iris, 19, and Felicia Zimmermann, 25, of Rochester, N.Y., and Cliff Bayer, 23, of New York City. Felicia Zimmermann is the first U.S. woman to win a junior World Cup overall title; Iris is the first to win a senior world championship medal (bronze in 1999), and Bayer is the first U.S. man to win a senior World Cup event (in 1999).
— Philip Hersh
FIELD HOCKEY
Whom to watch: The Australian women’s team won gold medals at the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Games. The men’s team won silver in 1968, 1976 and 1992 and bronze in 1964 and 1996. The Netherlands team won the men’s gold medal in 1996.
The Australian men’s field hockey team suffered a major setback recently when team captain Michael York injured an ankle in Perth.
View from the U.S.: The U.S. men and women failed to qualify.
— Fred Mitchell
JUDO
Whom to watch: France’s David Douillet is the reigning heavyweight, with a gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Games and three consecutive world championships. Also returning is Pavlov Nastula of Poland, gold medalist at 220 pounds (half-heavyweight class). At the other end of the spectrum, among females weighing less than 105 pounds, Atlanta silver medalist Ryoko Tamura of Japan has won four consecutive world championships. Japan, Korea, Germany, Belgium and France bring the favored men’s teams, with Cuba expected to be strongest among the women.
View from the U.S.: The U.S. team is headed by coaches Steve and Irwin Cohen, whose Buffalo Grove club was the training center for Olympians Martin Boonzaayer, Colleen Rosensteel and Hillary Wolf. Jimmy Pedro of Lawrence, Mass., who won a bronze medal in the 157-pound lightweight division in the Atlanta Games, is rated the best American prospect for a gold medal.
— Michael Hirsley
MODERN PENTATHLON
Whom to watch: Pentathletes compete in shooting, fencing, swimming freestyle for 200 meters, jumping while on horseback, and running 3,000 meters. Sydney will feature the first women’s modern pentathlon. Hungary and Russia have dominated since the 1960s. World champion Gabor Balogh and top-ranked Akos Hanzely are favorites, while Frenchman Sebastien Deleigne and Russian Alexei Turkin are top contenders. Among the women, the field is headed by Belarus’ Janna Dolgacheva-Shjubenok, Italy’s Fabiana Fares and Poland’s Dorota Idzi.
View from the U.S.: American Chad Senior is currently the top-ranked modern pentathlete and could break through the Eastern European stronghold at the Olympics. Adding considerable spice to the U.S. team are sweetheart swordsmiths Mary Beth Larson-Iagorashvili and Vahktang “Vaho” Iagorashvili. Both are in the top 10 in world rankings, so their marriage last year has not hurt their games. Since former Soviet Union citizen Iagorashvili is not yet an American citizen, he could not qualify for the U.S. team but will go to Sydney as his wife’s coach.
— Michael Hirsley
ROWING
Whom to watch: Minutes after his consecutive Olympic gold streak reached four with a victory in the coxless pairs in 1996, Steven Redgrave of Great Britain said, “If anyone sees me near a boat, they have my permission to shoot me.” Fortunately, no one took Redgrave up on it, because the greatest rower in history decided less than two months later to try for a fifth gold in Sydney. This time, at 38, his boat will be the coxless four. Diagnosed with diabetes after the 1996 Games, Redgrave is not the overwhelming favorite after his boat placed fourth in its final pre-Olympic race.
View from the U.S.: The eight-oared shell is the glamor event of rowing, and this time U.S. crews should gather much of the glamor. The men’s eight stroked by Chris Ahrens of Milwaukee has won all three world titles since the 1996 Olympics and is poised to give the U.S. its first gold since 1964. The women’s eight also is a strong medal contender, having finished second at the 1999 worlds. Women’s pair rower Missy Schwen Ryan, 28, of Bloomington, Ind., gave her kidney to be transplanted to her brother, Michael, a month after winning the 1996 Olympic silver medal with partner Karen Kraft, 31, of San Mateo, Calif. After a two-year break, Ryan and Kraft went back into training in 1999.
— Philip Hersh
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
Whom to watch: Russia’s Alina Kabayeva was the ’99 world champion, scoring six 10s in four days and winning four gold medals and two silvers. Ukraine’s Elena Vitrichenko also received 10s in rope and hoop. Greece won its first two gold medals in the sport.
View from the U.S.: No American team qualified. Jessica Howard, 16, is technically on an Olympic waiting list, but for Howard to go to Sydney, a country that has qualified would have to pull out.
— Melissa Isaacson
SAILING
Whom to watch: The Olympics once again should display the talents of Brazil’s Robert Scheidt. Competing in the laser one-person racing boat, he has won every major international event since 1995.
View from the U.S.: With 51 medals, the U.S. has won the most in Olympic history. In the 470 men’s team competition, Paul Foerster and Bob Merrick have become medal contenders. Jeff Madriglai, Craig Healy and Hartwell Jordan are vying for gold in the three-man crew. Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl come into the Olympics after winning the Nautica 2000 Star World Championships in May.
— Ed Sherman
SHOOTING
Whom to watch: The shooting star of these Games should be Ralf Schumann of Germany. He is in pursuit of his third straight Olympic gold in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol shooting.
View from the U.S.: Three medalists from the 1996 Olympics are back looking for a little more glory. Kim Rhode, who won gold in Atlanta in the women’s double trap, returns. So do silver medalist Josh Lakatos in the men’s trap and bronze medalist Lance Bade in the double trap. The Americans have more entries than any other country.
— Rick Morrissey
SOCCER
Whom to watch: The world’s three strongest women’s teams, Norway, China and the United States, all landed in one group, meaning one won’t advance to knockout play. Anyone in that trio could win the short tournament, as could Brazil or Germany. Italy, the under-21 European champion, is taking the men’s tournament so seriously it has delayed the start of the club season for a month. The Brazilian men have the easiest draw and Cameroon is generally considered the strongest African team, but don’t count Nigeria out.
View from the U.S.: This could be the last and most challenging go-round for the veterans on the U.S. women’s team. Meeting Norway and China in the first round means no margin for error. The team has never won a world title without recently retired Michelle Akers. The U.S. men, fortified by Major League Soccer experience and some foreign-based players, may be stronger than they’ve ever been but still will struggle to make their first appearance in the second round.
— Bonnie DeSimone
SOFTBALL
Whom to watch: From 1985 to 1996, the U.S. didn’t lose a game. Those days are over. China and Japan can cause trouble, and Australia figures to be in the hunt.
View from the U.S.: Lisa Fernandez heads a pitching rotation that makes the U.S. the favorite for another gold medal. On the offensive side, shortstop Dot Richardson, now an orthopedic surgeon, is back but has moved to second base. She made way at short for Crystl Bustos, who figures to provide the power at the cleanup slot.
— Ed Sherman
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
Whom to watch: The United States and Canada have won every gold and silver medal for the last four Olympics. But retirements have taken their toll on both teams and Russia and Japan have moved to the forefront, dominating the 1998 world championships. France, China and Italy also have improved significantly.
View from the U.S.: Don’t count out the United States and the team of Tuesday Middaugh and Anna Kozlova. Six months ago Middaugh was confined to bed after emergency surgery to repair two herniated discs in her back. Four months later she and Kozlova won the silver medal at the Swiss Open, followed by a gold at the Rome Open. They have a good chance at a medal in Sydney.
— Rick Morrissey
TABLE TENNIS
What to watch: China has won nine of the previous 12 gold medals. Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus is out to disrupt the Chinese dominance in men’s singles. He is the No. 1-ranked player in the world. But to win he will have to defeat defending gold medalist Liu Guoliang of China. On the women’s side, Wang Nan of China, the 1996 winner, is ranked No. 1. China has six of the top nine women’s players in the world.
View from the U.S.: The U.S. never has won a medal. Tawny Banh is the U.S. hope on the women’s side, and Cheng Yingshua, 41, brings experience to the men’s competition.
— Ed Sherman
TAE KWON DO
Whom to watch: South Korea, the first home of the sport, continues to dominate. World champions include top-rated Korean flyweight Jong-li Yoon and Chinese bantamweight Wang Su.
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View from the U.S.: Juan Moreno, who was born in Libertyville and now lives in Miami, is among the quartet of American competitors seeking to raise the sport’s U.S. profile by good performances in this inaugural Olympic event.
— Michael Hirsley
TEAM HANDBALL
Whom to watch: Croatia is the defending men’s champion. Denmark took the gold medal for women at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Norway defeated France 25-24 in two overtimes last December to clinch the women’s world team handball championship.
View from the U.S.: The United States men and women failed to qualify.
— Fred Mitchell
TENNIS
Whom to watch: The Australian men, led by Patrick Rafter, Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt, promise to be formidable on their home turf. Their countrywoman, Jelena Dokic, hasn’t tried to conceal her apathy.
View from the U.S.: Defending women’s champion Lindsay Davenport is gung-ho. Ditto for naturalized U.S. citizen Monica Seles, who had to pass on two previous Olympics while seeking a new passport before playing for the first time four years ago. Venus Williams could be a force, and she and sister Serena should be favored in doubles. World No. 1 doubles player Lisa Raymond was passed over in favor of the sibling act.
— Bonnie DeSimone
TRAMPOLINE
Whom to watch: Trampoline will make its Olympic debut at the 2000 Games. Russia’s Irina Karavaeva defended her gold medal at the world championships last September, and teammate Oksana Tsyhuleva won the silver. Anna Dogonadze-Lilkendey of Germany finished with a bronze. In the men’s competition, Russia’s Aleksandr Moshalenko won his fourth title in the last six worlds. Nikolai Kazak of Belarus took home the silver while France’s David Martin won the bronze. Russia’s German Khnichev also is a favorite.
View from the U.S.: Southern California’s Jennifer Parilla, 19, is the only U.S. entrant in the event.
— Melissa Isaacson
TRIATHLON
Whom to watch: The first Olympic medal of 2000 will be awarded in women’s triathlon, and that should make the home folks happy. Michellie Jones, who won the Mrs. T’s Chicago Triathlon in late August, heads an Aussie women’s group that took the top five places at the 1999 worlds. Simon Lessing, a South Africa native competing for Great Britain, fellow Brit Andrew Johns and Aussie Miles Stewart are the top men in a wide-open race.
View from the U.S.: The leading U.S. man, Hunter Kemper, 24, of Longwood, Fla., is a medal long shot after finishing seventh at the 2000 worlds. The women’s team has better stories than medal chances. Sheila Taormina, 31, of Livonia, Mich., was a 1996 Olympic swimming gold medalist in the 4-x-200-meter relay. Joanna Zeiger, 30, of Baltimore, earned a master’s in genetic engineering at Northwestern and is studying for a doctorate in genetic epidemiology at Johns Hopkins. And Jennifer Gutierrez, 33, of San Antonio, has been on leave from her job as an adaptive physical education teacher to prepare for the Games.
— Philip Hersh
VOLLEYBALL
Whom to watch: Challenged by the popularity of beach volleyball, traditional, or six-person, indoor volleyball has made a significant rules change since 1996 to keep the best-of-five-games matches from dragging on. Points now can be scored by the serving and receiving teams.
In six-person volleyball, Italy has become the dominant men’s team in the world and will try to avoid being upset in the Olympics for the third straight time. Italy has won three straight world titles (1990-94-98) but lost to the Netherlands in the 1996 Olympic final. Cuba’s women have been world leaders for a decade, winning the last two Olympic golds and world titles.
Since the last Olympics, when U.S. men’s teams finished 1-2, Brazilians have taken over world beach volleyball, led by reigning world champions Emanuel Schefer and Jose Loiola among the men and Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede among the women.
View from the U.S.: A fourth by the men and ninth by the women at the 1999 World Cup provided some encouragement for the U.S. in indoor volleyball, but medal chances are slim. In women’s beach volleyball, the U.S. has the second- and third-ranked teams in the world in Jenny Johnson Jordan-Annett Buckner Davis and Holly McPeak-Misty May. Jordan is the daughter of 1960 decathlon champion Rafer Johnson, Buckner the daughter of ex-NBA player Cleveland Buckner.
— Philip Hersh
WATER POLO
Whom to watch: Women’s water polo makes its debut. The Dutch women have won eight of the 12 FINA World Cups and have been on the podium in all 17 major championships contested in the sport’s history. Canada’s co-captain, Waneek Horn-Miller, is the first full-blooded Mohawk Indian to compete at the Olympics. On the men’s side, reigning World Cup champion Hungary has regained the stature that made it a medalist (six gold, three silver, three bronze) in every Olympics from 1928 through 1980. Hungary’s Tamas Kasas is world’s top player. Manuel Estiarte, 38, is expected to play in his sixth Olympics–a water polo record–for defending champion Spain.
View from the U.S.: The women once paid their own expenses–through raffles, bake sales and the like–to be on the national team and still operated on a $100,000 annual budget until women’s water polo got Olympic status in 1997. Now they have a $400,000 budget and a decent medal shot. The men’s team includes Brad Schumacher, who won two swimming golds in 1996. But things have not gone swimmingly of late, with seventh-place finishes at the last Olympics and world championships.
— Philip Hersh
WEIGHTLIFTING
Whom to watch: Greek teammates Pyrros Dimas and Akakio Kakhiasvilis will try to match the record of three consecutive Olympic gold medals. In women’s weightlifting, China has become so dominant that its lifters could sweep the competition. Hungary’s Maria Takacs will be a serious challenger. Russian heavyweight Andrej Chermerkin, who took gold in Atlanta as a 360-pound lifter, appears ready for Sydney at about 400 pounds.
View from the U.S.: The women’s team includes Georgians Robin Goad and Cheryl Haworth. The men’s duo, Oscar Chaplin III of Savannah, Ga., and Shane Hamman of Mustang, Okla., are coached by Romanian-born Dragomir Cioroslan.
— Michael Hirsley
WRESTLING
Whom to watch: Russia dominates Greco-Roman wrestling, and heavyweight Alexander Karelin stands as the most imposing. He has won seven consecutive world championships and three consecutive Olympic gold medals. His signature move is the Karelin Lift, whereby he raises his opponent high enough to throw the man over his head. In Greco-Roman, matches are fought above the waist and wrestlers can attack with only their arms and upper bodies. In freestyle, combatants can also use their legs and grab above or below the waist.
View from the U.S.: Chicagoan Kevin Bracken, a two-time 138 3/4-pound national champion in Greco-Roman, and Charles Burton, in the 187 1/4-pound class freestyle, made the team after rematches forced by protests. Controversy seemed likely to rage right up to the Games in the Greco-Roman 167 1/2-pound class, with Matt Lindland and Keith Sieracki grappling to be on the U.S. team. Lindland won a court appeal Aug. 28, overturning a final arbitrator’s decision in Sieracki’s favor the week before. Those off-mat rulings came after Sieracki beat Lindland in their first qualifying match, but Lindland protested that he had been illegally tripped and got a rematch, which he won.
— Michael Hirsley