It was an impressive weekend in the pool for Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff as both captured world records at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

You know it’s going to be an exciting meet when Phelps and Ryan Lochte jump in the pool. The two friends and rivals continued to push each other to new heights this weekend in the 400 IM and were neck and neck for the majority of the race. In the last 20 meters Phelps pulled away from Lochte to set a new world record with a finish of 4:05.25.  Lochte came in less than a second later with a finish of 4:06.08.  Both times beat Phelps’ previous world mark of 4:06.22.  I have no doubt that the two competitors will be eager to go stroke for stroke again in August at the Beijing Games. It will be an exciting event that I will be sure to watch in a few short months.

Katie Hoff also broke a record on Sunday in the 400 IM with a finish of 4:31.12.  Her time beats the previous world mark of 4:31.46 set March 22 by Stephanie Rice of Australia.

It should be a great year for the U.S. Olympic Swim Team!

On August 22 in Beijing, China for the 2008 Olympic Games someone will be crowned the title known as the World's Greatest Athlete.

Traditionally, the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" has been given to the man who wins the decathlon. This began when King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe, "You, sir, are the World's Greatest Athlete" after Thorpe won the decathlon at the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. The current holder of the "title" is Czech National Roman Sebrle, who has held the title five of the past seven years as well as the highest score ever.

The word decathlon is of Greek origin (deka c-main +athlon c-main).

The contest is a menu of athletic events, testing an individual’s speed,strength, skill, endurance, and perseverance; it includes five events on each of two successive days. The first day is one of speedy movement, explosive power, and jumping ability; the second emphasizes technique and endurance.

Day 1

• 100 Meters

• Long Jump

• Shot Put

• High Jump

• 400 Meters

Day 2

• 100 Meter Hurdles

• Discuss

• Pole Vault

• Javelin

• 1500 Meters

USA Decathlon Olympic Trials Day 1: Sunday 6/29/2008

Bryan Clay clings to a 20-point margin over Trey Hardee after the first day of he US Olympic Trials Decathlon in Eugene. The Helsinki World champion’s total of 4476 was just a breath ahead of his 24-year-old rival at 4454, as five-time US champion (and Paris World champion) Tom Pappas was close by in third with 4405.

Bryan Clay set the tone of the competition quickly by sprinting the 100 metres in 10.39 (against a 0.4 wind), which was a decathlon PB. Trey Hardee followed Clay across the finish in 10.43, not far off his own best of 10.35.

After five events, Clay has 4,476 points and a 22-point lead over Trey Hardee.Tom Pappas, who was raised in Glendale and attended nearby Lane Community College, launched a monster throw of 56 feet 7½ inches in the shot put. He is third with 4,405 points.

Oregon sophomore Ashton Eaton used the day's best 400 meters time of 47.07 seconds to pull into fifth place. The overflow Hayward Field crowd of 20,733 clearly was playing favorites. This was obvious early

in the day during the long jump, the competition's second event. That was before many of the fans arrived, but the ones there would rhythmically clap before each attempt by Pappas and Eaton.

"Those guys, they get on the runway and everybody in the stands is clapping for them," Clay said. "It would be like me having a meet back home in Hawaii. I don't think they're going to do any better than they were ready to do. But when you're at home and you're doing stuff in front of your home crowd it just makes things a little easier."

It's shaping up as a very interesting conclusion, beginning at 11:30 a.m. today with the 110-meter high hurdles. Pappas is a five-time U.S. champion. He's been around the block. Hardee set the 2006 NCAA decathlon record. And who knows what to expect from Eaton, a relative novice, who came from behind to win this year's NCAA decathlon.

"I think because my training was going so well I expected to come out and not necessarily blow away the field, but I was expecting to do certain things in certain events," Clay said. "I really wasn't mentally prepared to have to fight for every single centimeter and every single hundredth of a second, and that's what I ended up having to do."

Today's decathlon events are the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500.

Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic champion and one of the best pitchers in the world, wasn’t good enough to beat out Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott to make the U.S. National Team’s final Olympic roster as the team readies for Beijing.

Fernandez admitted she was having a tough time getting her skills back, but was confident she could still play at a high level.

"I think I still have it," she said. "I think the advantage I have is my experience. I have the heart."

And she does. I’ve followed Fernandez’s career dating back to 1994 during her days at UCLA, where she led the Bruins to two NCAA championships. I watched her win a gold medal in the first Olympic Games that included the sport of softball. Every girl on my softball team had the Lisa Fernandez Louisville Slugger bat.

The truth is her vast amounts of experience and heart weren’t enough to earn her a spot in the Olympic rotation. When I interviewed Fernandez at the 2007 World Cup of Softball and asked her if she was planning on mounting a comeback, I believed she had a good chance of making it. Not only did she dominate opponents in the batter’s box with world-class style, but was a skilled third baseman and very strong hitter. 

However, head coach Mike Candrea didn’t think Fernandez got back to her usual dominating self after taking three years off to start a family.

"I was really hoping she would get close to where she was in 2004," said Candrea. " I wanted her to go out on top."

So while 37-year-old Fernandez has been left off the Olympic roster, she has been named a replacement player in the event someone gets injured. I don't think Candrea made a mistake but I sincerely wish that the Olympic roster allowed for one more player. I believe she is still the greatest softball player to ever play the game and appreciate the tremendous role she played in advancing the sport and giving female athletes someone to look up to.

Do you think Lisa Fernandez should have been included on the Olympic roster because of her versatility and experience—or does Team USA have the most solid squad possible now? 

The 2008 USA Softball Olympic team roster:

Monica Abbott, Salinas, Calif. (University of Tennessee ’07)

Laura Berg, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (Graduate ’98)

Crystl Bustos, Canyon Country, Calif. (Palm Beach C.C.)

Andrea Duran, Selma, Calif. (UCLA ’06)

Jennie Finch, La Mirada, Calif. (Arizona ’02)

Tairia Flowers, Tucson, Ariz. (UCLA ’04)

Vicky Galindo, Union City, Calif. (Cal ’05)

Lovieanne Jung, Fountain Valley, Calif. (Arizona ’03)

Kelly Kretschman, Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. (Alabama ’01)

Lauren Lappin, Anaheim, Calif. (Stanford ’06)

Caitlin Lowe, Tustin, Calif. (Arizona ’07)

Jessica Mendoza, Camarillo, Calif. (Stanford ’02)

Stacey Nuveman, La Verne, Calif. (UCLA ’02)

Cat Osterman, Houston, Texas (Texas ’07)

Natasha Watley, Irvine, CA. (UCLA ’05)