Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000
Bown bombs away
A week after one Hawaii Olympic kayaker was handed a second Olympic event, another has been told he will also paddle two races next week at the Sydney International Regatta Centre on the Penrith Lakes. Partner back,
Newton adds K-2
to his scheduleBy Pat Bigold
Star-BulletinThree-time Olympian Peter Newton, the U.S. sprint capatin, will add the K-2 500-meter event to his schedule. He was originally going to compete only in the K-4 1,000-meter boat.
Newton will team with recently reinstated Cuban refugee Angel Perez in the K-2, replacing the team of John Mooney and Stein Jorgensen.
It will be the third Olympic K-2 race for the 30-year-old former Pac-Five soccer player. He hopes this one will be the charm.
Kathy Colin, who originally qualified only for the K-2 with Tamara Jenkins, also took on the K-1 last week when it was yielded by Jenkins before a race-off for the berth. Both boats race 500 meters.
Reminded that Hawaii has not had a medal since 1988, Newton said, "We'll have to work on that."
Newton and the kayakers yesterday began a five-day stay at the Olympic Village before they head back to Lake Penrith to get ready for their medal run.
He said the last few weeks of not knowing whether or not Perez, who led Cuba to a kayak semifinal in 1992, would be eligible were difficult.
"It was pretty stressful not knowing from one day to the next,"said Newton.
"I think we have a better chance now than without him. He's our best guy and he makes the team boats go very well."
But there is yet another question to be answered.
"We are running a different boat now and we haven't raced that combination yet," said Newton.
What he means is that head coach Jerzy Dziadkowiec has done some shuffling in Newton's K-4.
Newton moves from the third to the second seat, while Perez moves into the third seat. Philippe Bocarra is now in the back, replacing Mooney.
Jorgensen is in the front.
Perez was reinstated a few days ago after being rejected by the International Olympic Committee and the International Court of Sport. He had even packed his bags for home.
"It wasn't looking good but it turned out OK," said Newton. "We're relieved
now but it's been a tough week. We had some worry about the South Africans but we were the boat that qualified and were invited to participate."
Newton was referring to the fact that South Africa wanted the U.S. Olympic berth if Perez was ineligble. Perez paddled in the boat that qualifed the U.S. for Sydney.
Hungary and Germany are favored for the top two medals in the K-4 but Newton said it's wide open after that.
"It will be a close race," he said.
Newton said the weather has been warm and the winds have been down.
"The weather is perfect right now, and I hope it stays this way," he said.
Newton begins competition on Tuesday and Colin next Wednesday.
Colin's first sports love was actually gymnastics, which she began at age five and continued through age 12 when she injured her knee.
She had two surgeries to repair the damage.
It was while she was recovering that she was introduced to kayaking, as well as outrigger canoe paddling.
TONG COMPETES TODAY: Amy Tong, Hawaii's 78-kilogram judo player who competes today, said she found out exactly how much a medal can mean to an athlete.
Tong said she met swimmers Brooke Bennett (gold in 400-meter freestyle) and Ed Moses (silver in 100-meter breast stroke) after they won their medals.
They were at the bus stop outside the village, talking excitedly, and showing off their medals. Tong got to touch the hardware.
"They were like, 'We don't want to take them off,'" said Tong. "They even went through the village metal detector and set it off because they wouldn't take them off their necks. So the security person had to use the wand on them."
AUSSIE ALOHA SPIRIT: Waipahu light flyweight Brian Viloria has been spending much of his time between fights marveling at the Australian swim successes and enjoying the Aussie hospitality.
"The people down here have been so nice," said Viloria. "It reminds me of Hawaii. I wouldn't mind coming here on vacation."
Viloria said he has some reminders of Hawaii in his room at Olympic Village.
"I have a kukui nut lei around my bed," he said.
On the streets, Viloria has worn a macadamia nut bracelet, beads, surfer
shorts, and sometimes an aloha shirt.
Among Viloria's comments in yesterday's Star-Bulletin about Friday's
opponent, France's Brahim Asloum, he is quoted as saying of Asloum, "He has a
real tough defense."
What Viloria actually said was, "He has a real passive defense."
Viloria defeated Asloum in the world amateur championships last year in a
close fight.
In case you didn't notice it, one of the eight athletes gilded head-to-toe
in Sports Illustrated's Sept. 11 issue was Australian triathlete Michellie
Jones. That would seem to add to the magnitude of former Hawaii resident
Brigitte McMahon's upset for the gold medal in the women's triathlon last
Friday.
Water polo utility player Sean Kern, who begins competing this weekend, said
he has met and had his picture taken with a lot of famous athletes the past
several days. He's made the acquaintance of Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles,
Todd Martin, the Williams sisters, and members of the U.S. men's basketball
team.
But he said posing with "The Greatest," Muhammad Ali, in the Olympic
Village stands out.
" I was walking to get some food and saw that there were all these security
around," said Kern. "I thought it might be Chelsea Clinton. But there was
Muhammad Ali leaning against a car. I stood in line and he handed his bouncer
my camera and I had my picture taken with him."
Kern said he understands why the U.S. men's basketball team doesn't stay in
the village.
"They'd be mobbed," he said.
SOFTBALL
Australia fell to 3-1 after losing, 1-0, to Japan (4-0) yesterday. Former
University of Hawaii pitcher Brooke Wilkens did not pitch for the Aussies in
the loss.
Canada (1-3) was ripped, 7-1, by Italy (1-3). Former Hawaii Pacific
University infielder Kritsy Odamura did not come to bat for Canada.
Today When to watch
KHNL (Channel 13/Cable 8) 4-9 p.m. -- Men's and women's swimming, men's gymnastics, women's basketball 9:35-11:05 p.m. -- Women's volleyball, cycling
Hawaii's Olympians
Competing today, times HST
Athletes listed are either current or former Hawaii residents, or current or former University of Hawaii/UH-Hilo athletes.
Sydney 2000 Olympics
