Michigan in the Olympics
2012 - London
Michael Phelps
The University of Michigan was represented by 23 athletes at the London Olympic games, competing in eight sports for eight national teams.
Michael Phelps did not attempt defending all eight gold medals from 2008 in Beijing. Phelps, who was a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan while training for the 2008 games, competed in only seven events in London, and was not the odds-on favorite in all of them. Phelps won the 200m freestyle at the U.S. trials but elected to forego the event in London. He needed just three medals to become the top all-time Olympic medals winner.
He met the challenge with three medals to spare, garnering two gold and two silver in individual events and two gold in relays.
Peter Vanderkaay (U-M 2002-2006) made his third Olympic team by winning the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. trials. That was his only individual event in London as he finished fourth in the 1,500 meters and just missed the finals in the 200-meter freestyle at the US trials. In London he finished second in the fastest heat, behind eventual gold medalist Sun Yang of China, and took the bronze medal in the finals.
Peter Vanderkaay; Connor Jaeger and PVK after 1500 finals; Connor Jaeger
Current U-M swimmer Connor Jaeger took over Vanderkaay's spot in the 1,500 meter race. He earned a trip to London with a time of 14:52.42, .32 seconds behind winner Andrew Gemmel. In Olympic competiton he placed third in his preliminary heat andsixth in the final, the top American finisher.
Charlie Houchin (U-M 2007-2010) and Davis Tarwater (U-M 2003-2006) both qualified for 4x200 meter freestyle relay. Hourchin qualified by placing 6th in the finals. Tarwater finished 7th, but made the team when first place finisher Michael Phelps decided not to compete in the 200-meter race in London. In the qualifying round in London Houchin swam the first leg and Tarwater the third in an easy win for the US. Neither swam in the finals, which the US team of Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer, Rickey Berens and Michael Phelps won more than three seconds.
Tyler Clary (U-M 2008-2010) insured the 200-meter butterfly would be an all-Michigan event for the U.S. Michael Phelps won the trials by a comfortable margin while Clary held off Bobby Bolleir and U-M teammate Davis Tarwater to claim second place. Clary also made the team in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing second behind Ryan Lochte.
In London, Phelps could only manage a silver the 200 butterfly, but did tie the record for most medals. Clary finished in fifth place. Clary pulled a bit of an upset in taking the gold medal in the 200 meter backstroke, using a strong finish to edge Irie of Japan and defending gold medalist Lochte.
Tyler Clary, Davis Tarwater, Derya Buyukuncu
Derya Buyukunccu was a late qualifier for Turkey in the 200-meter backstroke, making him the first U-M athlete to compete in six Olympic games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012).
Anders Lie Neilsen, who would enroll at U-M in 2013, swam on Denmark's 800-meter freestyle realy team.
Track and Field
Nick Willis with Beijing
bronze medal that
was later upgraded
to silver.
For the third consecutive Olympics U-M had multiple representatives in the men's 1500-meter race and an entry in the women's 1500 for the first time since 1972. Beijing silver medalist Nick Willis ran for New Zealand a for a third time and Nate Brannen made his second appearance for Canada.
Willis, who trained with former U-M coach Ron Warhurst at the Running Institute in Ann Arbor, was one of the first four athletes selected for New Zealand's team. He prepped for the London games with a 7th place finish in the Prefontaine Classic in a field that included most of the world's top milers.
Nate Brannen won the Canadian trials with a time of 3:49.22 and had earlier made the Olympic qualifying time with a 3:34.22 at the Victoria Tack Classic. He also finished second in the 800-meter race at the Canadian trials but did not make the Olympic qualifying time. Ciaran O'Lionaird of County Cork, who lettered at U-M in 2008-2009 before transferring to Florida State, also qualified for the 1500 meter race, running for Ireland.
In London, Willis won his first round heat, placed fourth in the fastest semi-final and finished ninth in the finals. Brannen finished third in the opening round heat and was running well in his sem-final when he clippped the heel of a runner, fell, and got spiked. He finished the race, but was out the runnning. O'Lionaird did not advance.
Left: Nate Brannen winning the 1500-meter race at Canadian trials
Nicole Sifuentes placed 3rd at the Canadian trials to win an Olympic berth
Geena Gall (at left) and U.S. 800-meter qualifiers celebrate at U.S. trials
Right: Ciaran O'Lionarid of Ireland ran for U-M 2007-2009
Nlcole (Edwards) Sifuentes (U-M 2005-2008) met the Olympic qualifying time with a 4:04.74 at the USATF meet in San Diego in (U-M's Anna (Willard) Pierce in second place also made the "A" time). At the Canadian trials she needed only a third place finish to earn a trip to London. Running a tactical race, Sifuentes, got what she needed, finishing in third place, .48 seconds behind the winner in a relatively slow time of 4:13.94. Sifuentes, who trained with U-M coach Mike McGuire, was U-M's first 1500-meter runner since Francie Kraker ran for the U.S. in the inaugural women's race in 1972. Sifuentes placed fourth in her Olympic first round heat and ninth in the semi-final heat
Geena Gall, NCAA 800-meter champion in 2008 and 2009, finished second in the U.S. trials and made the Olympic qualifying mark with a time 1:59.24. Gall was U-M's first 800-meter competitor since Kraker in 1968. She finished ninth in her semi-final heat in Lonon.
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, a four-time NCAA champion in the 50 and 100-meter hurdles in 2008 and 2009, elected to go across the pond to gain an Olympic berth. The Ypsilanti native's mother is British and her father Nigerian and under IOC standards that made her eligible to compete for Britain. Porter recorded some of the the fastest times in the world that year, but her spot on the British team caused some controversy in England. After finishing second in the European championships she was asked "so do you feel British now?" Tiffany's response was "I've always felt that I was British, American and Nigerian." Having her husband in London on the U.S. team may have helped her weather the controversy. Porter finished third in her round one heat and fourth in the semi-final with a 12.79 in both races.
Tiffany Porter at the European Championships in Istanbul in March, 2012
Jeff Porter diving to a third place finish at the U.S. trials.
Jeff Porter (UM 2004-2007) won the NCAA Indoor 60-meter indoor hurdles in 2007. Coming into the U.S. trials Porter was considered to be in the middle of the pack of a strong field of hurdlers. With a personal best of 13:26, he was a longshot to make the team. Porter ran a 13.19 in the semi-finals and then, with a dive across the finish line, posted a 13.08 to capture third place. Racing in London under conditions that produced relatively slow times across the field, Porter placed third in his first round in 13:53 and fifth the semi-final heat in 13:41.
Uhunoma Osazuwa, a third-year doctoral student in College of Pharmacy, competed in the heptathlon for Nigeria. Born in California to Nigerian immigrant parents, Osazuwa competed for Syracuse, 2007-2010, where she was a Big East Champion and NCAA All-American in the heptathlon. She did not place in London, failing to complete the javelin and 800 meters.
Rowing
U-M had two participants in both women's and men's rowing. Janine Hanson (U-M 2003-2006) made the Canadian team for the second time, competing in the women's eight. Sarah Trowbridge (U-M 2003-2007) had been competing with the U.S. National Team for four years. Sarah and her doubles partner Margot Shumwway (an Ohio State grad) thought their Olympic dreams might be over after a third place finish in U.S. trials that Spring. The two top double teams, however, decided to combine and compete as a quad, opening the door for Trowbridge and Shumway. A gold medal performance at the final Olympic Qualifying Regatta at Lucerne on May 23rd guaranteed their ticket to London.
Hanson became the first U-M medalist in women's rowing. The Canadian eight won its opening heat and finshed second to the US in the finals. Trowbridge and Shumway finished third in their first round heat and second in the repechage to make the finals. They finished 6th place, 25 sceonds off the winning time.
From Left: Janine Hanson; Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge after their win in the Olympic Qualifying race in Lucerne, Tom Peszek, Ken Jurkowski
Tom Peszek rowed with U-M Men's Rowing Club and had been with the U.S. national team for three year. He teamed with Silas Stafford in the men's pairs in London. Earlier in the year Peszek and Stafford were the last rowers cut from "eights" training camp and immediately decided to try for the pairs Olympic spot. They placed eighth overall, fourth in the first round heat, third in the round one repechage, fourth in semi-finals and second in the "B" finals..
Ken Jurkowski a former volunteer with the U-M Rowing Club made his second Olympic appearance in the single sculls event. He finished third in the opening round heat, and fifth in the quarter-final heat for 24th place overall.
Betsey Armstrong
Water Polo
Betsey Armstrong (U-M 2002-2005) won a silver medal as goalie for the U.S. team in Beijing. She kept the U.S. team alive in 2012 with 13 saves in a marathon win over Canada in 2011 Pan American games. The U.S. overcame a three-goal half-time deficit to force overtime and Armstrong blocked a penalty shot in the final seconds to secure the Olympic qualifying win. The U.S was the only country to have won a medal in all three Olympic water polo competitions, but had never won the gold--twice losing gold medal games in the final seconds. Armstrong hoped the win over Canada would remove any doubts that the U.S. couldn't win the big ones.
The US won its first gold medal with a record of five wins and one tie in the Olympic Pool in the Stratford section of London. Armstrong posted the best record among finalist goalies, giving up just 48 goals. Spain tied the US team 9-9 in the preliminary, but in the final round Armstrong held them to five goals to eight by the Americans.
Gymnastics
After producing seven Olympic men's gymnasts for Canada under Newt Loken, U-M qualified its first U.S. Olympian and a Bangladeshi as well. 2011 NCAA All-Around champion Sam Mikulak won a bronze medal in the U.S. nationals and won the all-around competition on the first day at the Olympic trials. A severe ankle sprain suffered when he landed short on his vault in the all-around threatened to derail his Olympic hopes when he had to scratch in all events except the pommel horse on the second day of the trials. The top two finishers in the trials, Danell Leyva and John Orozco, automatically qualified for the U.S team with the remaining three to be selected by officials based on performances in the nationals and Olympic trials and other factors. When Mikulak's name was the third called by officials on the day after the competition ended, his Olympic dream was restored.
Mikulak helped the US to a fifth place finish in the team competition in London. In individual events, his best finishes were a fifth in the vault and twelth in floor exercise..
Sam Mikulak on pommel horse at U.S. trials, Syque Caesar
competed for Bangladesh
Syque Caesar, son of immigrants from Bangladesh, was part of U-M's national championship team in 2011 and made a splash in international competition by winning a gold medal in parallel bars at the 2011 Central Asian Artistic Gymnastic Championships--Bangladesh's first gold medal in international competition. After completing his U-M career in the Spring of 2012 Ceasar received an invitation to represent Bangladesh in London. Bangladesh is the most populous nation not to have won an Olympic medal. Caesar was sanguine about his chances to change that, but proud to represent his family's ancestral homeland. As he told the BBC, "I just want to go out there and hit my routines. As long as I do my best, then I'll be very happy."
He did not win an Olympic medal for Bangladesh, but made a resepctable showing, placing 29th in floor exeercise, 27th in paralell bars and 50th in horizontal bar.
Women's Basketball
Krista Phillips (UM-2007-2010) scored another first for U-M when she made the Canadian women's basketball team. Phillips was U-M's all-time leader in games played and ranked 19th in career scoring and 8th in rebounds. She played professional ball for the Dangdengon Rannal team in Australia in 2011/12 and had been on the Canadian national team for five years. Phillips scored 9 points and had a game-high 9 rebounds in Canada's 71-63 win over Japan that secured the last available Olympic spot at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
In its first Olympic appearance in 12 years, the Canadian team posted a 2-4 record, with wins over Great Britain and Brazil. Phillips saw action in all six games, scoring 24 points.
Paralymics
Former engineering student Jerome Singleton was set to face South Africa's Oscar "The Blade Runner" Pistorius in a much anticipated rematch of the 100-meter race in Beijing. Pistorius won the gold medal from Beijing, but Singleton broke through at the January 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand. Entering that meet, Pistorius had not lost a 100-meter race since 2004. His streak ended in Christchurch, however, and Jerome Singleton could claim the title of "World's Fastest Amputee."
In the end, the showdown didn't materialize. Jonnie Peacock of Great Britain won the 100 meters, with Pistorius fourth and Singleton sixth. Pistorius won the silver medal in the 200 meter run while Singleton placed sixth. South Africa won the 4x100 relay with Pistorius running the anchor leg. Singleton led off for the US but the team was disqualified.
Coaches
Five current or former Wolverine swimming coaches were in London working for four different countries. Current U-M head coach Mike Bottom was head coach for the Croatian team which included Milorad Cavic, silver medalist in the 50-meter freestyle in Beijing who swam for Bottom at the University of California. U-M assistant coaches Dr. Josh White and Mark Hill coached Barbados and Ireland respectively. Former coaches Bob Bowman and Jon Urbanchek served as special assistant coaches for the United States team.
Mike Bottom, Dr. Josh White, Mark Hill, Bob Bowman
Jon Urbanchek, Steve Fraser, Ron Warhurst, Mike McGuire
Steve Fraser, who was a two-time wrestling All-American for U-M and won an Olympic gold medal in 1984, coached the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team for the third time.
Five U-M coaches traveled to London in unofficial capacities as coaches/trainers for U-M Olympians. Former track and cross country coach Ron Warhurst was Nick Willis' personal coach and women's cross country coach Mike McGruire had been training Canadian 1500-meter runner Nicole Sifuentes. Gymnastics head coach Kurt Golder and assistant coach Geoff Corrigan assisted Sam Mikulak and Syque Caesar. Women's track volunteer assistant coach Arnett Chisholm, who had been coaching U-M sprinters and hurdlers for 21 years, worked with both of the Porters in London.
Kurt Golder, Geoff Corrigan, Arnett Chisholm
The U-M Results - 2012 - London
| Peter Vanderkaay (U.S.) | ||
| 400m freestyle | 3rd, bronze, (3:44.69) | |
| Michael Phelps (U.S.) | ||
| 200m ind. medley | gold, 1st (1:54.27) | |
| 400m ind. medley | 4th, (4:09.28) | |
| 200m freestyle | (qualified for event but did not compete) | |
| 100m butterfly | gold, 1st, (51.21) | |
| 200m butterfly | silver, 2nd (1:53.01) | |
| 4x100m free. relay | silver, 2nd (3:10.38) | |
| 4x200m free. relay | gold, 1st (6:59.70) | |
| 4x100m medley relay | gold, 1st (3:29.35) | |
| Tyler Clary (U.S.) | ||
| 200m butterfly | 5th, (1:55.06) | |
| 200m backstroke | gold 1st (1:53.41) | |
| Charley Houchin (U.S.) | ||
| 4x200m relay | gold (1st in prelim heat, 7.06.75) | |
| Davis Tarwater (U.S.) | ||
| 4x200m relay | gold (1st in prelim heat, 7.06.75) | |
| Connor Jaeger (U.S.) | ||
| 1,500m freestyle | 6th (14.52.99) | |
| Derya Buyukuncu (Turkey) | ||
| 200m backstroke | finished fist in his heat at 2:01.68 but did not advance to semifinals | |
| Anders Lie Neilsen (Denmark) | ||
| 4x200m freestyle relay | finished seventh in qualifying heat, did not advance. | |
| Betsey Armstrong (U.S.) | ||
| water polo - goalkeeper | gold, 1st place Preliminary - Group A v. Hungary, W, 14-13 (6 saves) v. Spain, T, 9-9 (9 saves) v. China, W, 7-8 (6 saves) Quarterfinals v. Italy, W 9-3 (13 saves) Semifinals Australia, W. 11-9 OT, (10 saves) Finals v. Spain, W, 8- 5 (6 saves) |
|
| Nick Willis (New Zealand) | ||
| track - 1500m | 9th in finals (3:36.94) 3rd in heat 2 of semifinals (3:34:70) 1st in prelim heat 3 (3:40.93) |
|
| Nate Brannen (Canada) | ||
| track - 1500m | 12th in heat 2 semifinals (3:39.26) 5th in prelim heat 2 (3:39.95) | |
| Jeff Porter (U.S.) | ||
| track 110m hurdles | 5th in semifinals (14.41) 3rd in prelim heat 4 (13.53) | |
| Ciaran O'Lionaird (Ireland) | ||
| track 1,500 meters | 13th in prelim heat 5 (3:48.35) | |
| Tiffany Ofili Porter (reat Britain) | ||
| track - 100m high hurdles |
4th in heat 2 semifinals (12.79) 3rd in heat of 1st round (12.79) |
|
| Geena Gall (U.S.) | ||
| track - 800m | 8th in semifinals heat 3 (2:05.76) 4th in heat 4 of first round (2:03.65) |
|
| Nicole Edwards Sifuentes (Canada) | ||
| track - 1500m | 11th in heat 2 of semifinals (4:06.33) 7th in heat 3 of first round (4:07.65) |
|
| Uhunoma Isazuwa (Nigeria) | ||
| track heptathlon |
110m hurdles, :13.48 (1,056 pts) high jump, 1.77m (941 pts) shot put, 12.77m (712 pts) long jump, 5.74m (922 pts) javelin, did not start 800m run, did not stat Total: Did not Finish |
|
| Sarah Trowbridge (U.S.) | ||
| rowing - double sculls | 6th (7:10.54) | |
| Janine Hanson (Canada) | ||
| rowing - eight | silver, 2nd (6:12.06) | |
| Tom Peszek (U.S.) | ||
| rowing - men's pair | 4th in heat (6:26.59) (did not advance) | |
| Ken Jurkowski (U.S.) | ||
| rowing - single sculls | 24th | |
| San Mikulak (U.S.) | ||
| gymnastics -- all-around |
5th in vault in individual event finals Qualifying round Subdivison 2 -- 4th in vault (16.300) to advance to individual event finals; 12th in floor exercise (15.366), 13th in parallel bars (15.316), 20th on pommel horse (14.333) and 43rd on high bar (14;333). Team USA placed first to qualify for the team finals. |
|
| Syque Caesar (Bangladesh) | ||
| gymnastics -- all-around | Qualifying round Subdivision 2 -- 27th in parallel bars, 29th in floor exercise, 50th on high bar (did not qualify for individual event competition) | |
| Krista Phillips (Canada) | ||
| Women's Basketball | Preliminary Group B 1st game: v Russia, L, 53-58, (4 pts, 3 reb) 2nd game: v. Gt Britain, W, 73-65 (6 pts, 4 reb) 3rd game: v. France, L, 60-64 (4 pts, 7 reb) |
|
| Jerome Singleton -- Paralympics Track | ||
| 100 meters | 5th | |
| 4x100 relay | 6th | |
| Steve Fraser | ||
| Greco-Roman Wrestling, head coach | ||
| Mike Bottom | ||
| Swimming Coach for Serbia | ||
| Dr. Josh White (U-M assistant coach) | ||
| Swimming Coach for Barbados | ||
| Mark Hill (U-M volunteer assistant coach) | ||
| Swimming Coach for Ireland | ||
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