UCLA vies for top Olympic honors

Monday, July 22, 1996

Students, alumni compete under many different flagsBy Rob
Kariakin

Summer Bruin Contributor

Now that the pomp and circumstance of Friday’s opening ceremony
are behind us, the real event can start. That’s right, the quest
for international bragging rights is now in full swing.

But wait, you say, I thought the purpose of the games was to
promote a spirit of brotherhood and goodwill among nations? Sure,
and the Dream Team was put together to assuage the United States’
guilt over keeping all of those wonderful players to itself.

Get real. What truly drives these games is the desire of each
and every nation to deliver a supreme ass-whoopin’ to all the
others. And whichever nation can do so the most is the winner.

Ladies and gentlemen, the medal count has begun.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the United States
is the overwhelming favorite to finish on top (Thank you Mikhail
Gorbachev!). What might be surprising is that one of the greatest
challengers for the crown may not be a country at all. It just
might be UCLA.

Through these first 76 years of the school’s existence, 208 UCLA
students and alumni have taken part in the Summer Games. Competing
for six different nations, these Bruins have amassed an impressive
record, earning 67 gold, 31 silver and 28 bronze medals between
them.

What’s more, the medal winning pace has actually accelerated in
recent years. Forty-four of those gold medals were won in just the
last three Olympics.

It should go without saying that UCLA was the most successful
college at Barcelona, Seoul and Los Angeles. What does need saying
is that the Bruins have actually fared better than many large
countries over that same span. In 1992 UCLA athletes finished with
eight gold medals which would have ranked them ninth overall among
the competing nations in the gold medal count.

In 1988 Bruin Olympians would have finished fourth, their 17
golds putting them five ahead of No. 5 South Korea. Four years
earlier they did even better here in Los Angeles. Without the
boycotting Soviet Bloc nations, UCLA athletes won 19 golds ­
good enough for a third place finish ahead of such nations as West
Germany and China.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. This
year 45 Bruins have made their way to Atlanta with their hearts set
on gold.

For the first time, UCLA students and alumni will represent
Australia, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Antigua/Barbuda, Jordan, Ghana
and Sweden (the previous countries were Canada, China, Egypt,
Greece, West Germany, and of course the United States).

Some Bruins to watch:

Mike Powell. The world-record holder in the long jump. At the
1991 World Championships he broke a 23-year-old record many had
thought unbeatable and robbed Carl Lewis of an almost certain
victory. Here’s to saying he shuts the old man up again.

Lisa Fernandez. Perhaps the greatest softball player ever, she
leads a U.S. team that has gone 110-1 in international competition
since 1986. The team also includes fellow Bruin alumni Dot
Richardson and Sheila Cornel as well as incoming freshman Christa
Williams.

Despite only losing one match in the last 10 years, the team was
picked by Sports Illustrated (SI) to finish third behind Canada and
Australia. What is SI smoking?

Ato Boldon. So he’s not running for the United States. Who
cares? The Trinidadian is already one of the favorites in the
100-meter and one of the top 200-meter performers in the world, and
he’s only 22. Don’t look back, Michael Johnson, someone may be
gaining on you.

Reggie Miller. Okay, so you probably already knew this one, but
did you notice who started the first game against Argentina?

Troy Glaus. As the starting third baseman, the junior figures to
provide some pop in the middle of the line-up for a U.S. team
ticketed for a medal. Last season he batted .352 and finished
second in the Pacific 10 with 16 home runs and has committed only
one error in his last 19 games for U.S. baseball. Classmate Jim
Parque is not only the sole left-handed pitcher on the team, he is
also the youngest at 20. His 3.26 ERA on the squad’s pre-Olympic
tour is second on the team, and he has 26 strikeouts in only 19 1/3
innings of work.

John Godina. He will be the first American to compete in both
the shot put and the discus since Bud Houser in 1924. Houser won
gold in both events; Godina may well do the same. He finished
second in the discus at the United States Olympic Trials and is the
gold medal favorite in the shot put.

Karch Kiraly. The "Michael Jordan of volleyball." He already has
two gold medals as a member of the U.S. indoor volleyball team in
1984 and 1988. Now he and AVP Tour teammate and fellow Bruin Kent
Steffes go for the inaugural crown in beach volleyball. Should they
unexpectedly fail, chances are a Bruin would still bring home the
gold; four of the six members of the men’s team are UCLA alumni, as
are two of the women. Call it a hunch, but this one’s a lock.

Will all of these present and former Bruins strike gold in
Atlanta? Who knows? But there are plenty of others at the Games to
pick up the slack should they fail.

What, did you think it was just a coincidence that the first two
rings in the Olympic symbol are blue and gold? Hardly.

Daily Bruin File Photo

Lisa Fernandez, who is shown pitching for UCLA, hopes to medal
as a third baseman on the U.S. softball team