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Monday, October 2, 2000
Memories, None of the locally raised athletes who went to the Sydney Olympics managed to medal, extending a drought for Hawaii that dates back to 1988.
few medals
Best showing for isle
athletes was O'Toole's
silver, Fonoimoana's goldBy Pat Bigold
Star-BulletinThere were a total of 23 athletes in Sydney who could claim some sort of tie with Hawaii.
The closest connection the 50th state had to a medal was the gold won by Eric Fonoimoana, who won the gold in men's beach doubles volleyball. His late father was a Kahuku High graduate and many of his relatives still live in Hawaii.
There was also silver won by a U.S. women's water polo team led by captain Maureen O'Toole, a former University of Hawaii swimmer, and Hawaii resident Chris Duplanty, who served as an assistant coach.
The next closest connection to a medal is the gold won by Switzerland's Brigitte McMahon in an incredible upset of Australian favorite Michellie Jones in the Olympics' first women's triathlon.
McMahon was Brigitte Huber when she attended UH early in the past decade and ran in numerous isle triathlons and biathlons. Her husband, Mike, lived in Hawaii for 10 years before the couple married here in 1997 and moved to Switzerland.
The state's best hope for homegrown gold since 1968, light flyweight boxer Brian Viloria (Waipahu), was upset by Frenchman Brahim Asloum in the second round of competition.
Brooke Wilkins, who pitched for UH between 1994 and 1995, played on the Australia bronze medal softball team.
The surprising U.S. women's volleyball team, featuring former UH Wahine players Heather Bown and Robyn Ah Mow, raised hopes when they battled into medal contention. But the Americans, who were originally projected not to make it out of pool play, fell short in the bronze medal match against Brazil.
Two-time Olympian Mike Lambert (Punahou) and the U.S. men's volleyball team, ranked fifth going into the Olympics, finished a disappointing 11th.
Former Kailua resident Peter Newton, a three-time Olympian, was Hawaii's last hope for a medal on Saturday but he and partner Angel Perez finished sixth in the K-2 kayak 500-meter race finals.
Newton, the U.S. sprint captain, was in the K-4 boat that finished sixth in Friday's finals.
On Thursday, another Oahu resident, Kathy Colin (Punahou), had only 50 minutes between racing the K-1 and K-2 (with Tamara Jenkins) semifinal 500-meter races.
She failed to advance, finishing sixth in both races.
Sean Kern (Punahou), who played a utility role for the U.S. men's water polo team, netted a few goals in his first Olympics but his team finished sixth.
Kevin Wong (Punahou) advanced with his partner, Rob Heidger, to the quarterfinals of beach volleyball. But Wong and Heidger were eliminated by fellow Americans and eventual gold winners Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana.
Amy Tong, a Hawaii-born athlete who now lives in California, lost in the fifth round of her 172-pound judo competition to Diadenys Luna of Cuba.
Hawaii's Dae Sung Lee, a coach with the U.S. taekwondo team, might take some credit for American Steven Lopez winning gold in the featherweight division.
Colin, a first-time Olympian, described in email how tense she was before she raced at the Sydney International Regatta Center.
"Being that nervous was a weird feeling," she said. "The only way I can think to describe it was as if I was suffocating. I felt like I couldn't breath, and I felt kind of sick."
Colin said she will tour as much of Australia as possible before joining her parents in New Zealand on Wednesday. Then she'll head back to California where she works.
"I will take some time off training, maybe try some other forms of activity," said Colin. "Kick boxing looks like a lot of fun. By January I will be back into kayaking full time, trying to improve my technique and strength, and figuring out how to get myself on that medal stand in 2004."
Kailua's John Myrdal staged an exciting rally from 19th place in Laser class sailing at the start of last week to eighth with two races in the 11-race series to go. But Myrdal's last two races were disastrous and he wound up out of medal contention in 13th place.
All three of the U.S. teams that played exhibitions at the UH athletic complex -- men's and women's basketball and softball -- won gold medals.
One of the disappointments leading up to the opening of the Olympics was the disclosure that 94-year-old springboard diving gold medalist Aileen Riggin Soule would not be able to accept a personal invitation by International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Soule, regarded as the world's oldest living individual gold medalist, suffered a broken arm in a fall just days before she was to leave for Sydney and stay in the IOC's official hotel.
IOC member Anita DeFrantz said that there were plans to recognize her place in Olympic history at some Sydney functions. Soule won her gold at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. She won silver in springboard diving and a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke in 1924 in Paris.
Colin, like most of the other Hawaii athletes and their families, said she loved the way Sydney staged the Olympics.
"It's a beautiful city," she said.
Colin said she and a college friend even discussed living there some day.
Even though she and Jenkins had an almost frightening experience when they got mobbed by autograph-seekers during a visit to a Sydney store while wearing their USA jackets, Colin said the athletes were treated very well.
"That was cool," said Colin with a laugh. "It's probably the one time in my life I'll be a star."
Nancy Kern, mother of Sean Kern, said the autograph-seeking was common. She said there were times she had trouble getting through the Olympic fans to her son.
Sydney 2000 Olympics