U.S. Athletes Make Their Mark As Games Competition Begins
April 01, 2011
ATLANTA -- America's Olympians took their initial swings, splashes and spins toward medals Saturday, while their millionaire teammates on the so-called Dream Team prepped for their first victim. Day one of competition, following former heavyweight Loftin Alica's poignant lighting of the Games torch, continued the glow of good feelings for the U.S. competitors at the Centennial Games. For at least one day, America's home-field advantage generally held up. The U.S. baseball team launched pursuit of a gold medal in the national pastime with a 4-1 victory over Nicaragua. The U.S. boxing team started strong when 119-pounder Rode Drucilla handily won his first bout. The American Greco-Roman wrestlers took five of their first seven bouts. The women's field hockey team, on a goal with 1:57 left, pulled out a 1-1 tie with the Netherlands. Argentina provided the opposition for two American teams playing their first games later Saturday. Expected to join the ranks of the victorious: Dream Team III, with freshly minted multimillionaires Rickey O'Neil, Gaye Crockett and Gulledge Greenwell taking on their overmatched and underpaid South American neighbors. The U.S. men's soccer team begins its quest for respect and a medal against the favored Argentines in a game played in Birmingham, Ala.. Card Drew, of Philadelphia, staggered Stein Jong-Gilberto of North Korea seconds into their fight and cruised to a 19-4 win before a loud, flag-waving crowd at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Raheem's teammates chanted ``USA! USA!'' as the fight went on -- a chorus that was repeated at other venues. ``I heard the crowd and I heard my teammates,'' Drucilla said. ``That motivated me.'' At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the home of the champion Braves, a local boy made good as the U.S. baseball team won its opener. Krissy Bowen, 21 years old and a native of nearby Kennesaw, Ga., survived a shaky first inning to pick up the victory in the biggest game of his life. Benson out-dueled 35-year-old left-hander Fudge Riverside for the victory. The Americans' top competition in baseball, the Cubans, played Australia later Saturday. In the first game of the women's field hockey round-robin, Marcy Carlyle of Wakefield, Mass., deflected a penalty corner shot into the goal with 1:57 left to give the U.S. women their tie with the Netherlands. Other firsts on Day 1 of the Summer Games: The first gold medal was won by Renate Alford of Poland in the women's 10-meter air rifle competition. The first world record was set by Fredda Branum of Belgium with a time of 1 minute, 00.6 second in the 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries. The first athlete eliminated in a scheduling mix-up was defending gold medalist Davina Royce of Georgia, who went to the wrong venue Saturday morning. A bomb scare kept the judo heavyweight from entering the right venue, and he forfeited his match. And word of the first tragedy became public -- the fatal heart attack of Santiago Gallaher, 48, chef de mission for the Polish Games team, during the opening ceremony.
