PROVO -- Nine BYU athletes and coaches will temporarily trade in their Cougar blue for opportunity to appear in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Cougar athletes are no strangers to the Olympic games. Over the years BYU has sent athletes to the Olympics 148 different times, totaling nearly 100 different individuals.
In Beijing, five former and current BYU student-athletes will contend for a coveted Olympic medal, while four others plan to contribute to the games in other capacities. Two former BYU track and field athletes and three men's volleyball players will make an appearance in this year's summer games.
The BYU Olympians include former track and field stars Josh McAdams and Niklas Arrhenius. McAdams, the 2006 NCAA National Champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, will represent the United States as he contends for a medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. McAdams qualified for Beijing with a third-place finish at the Olympic Trials earlier this summer with a time of 8:21.99. That is the 23rd-fastest time in the world this season. Arrhenius, who is also an NCAA National Champion, was selected to represent Sweden in the discus. He threw a season-high 63.74 meters this year and is the top-ranked discus thrower in Sweden.
Former BYU men's volleyball standouts Ryan Millar and Rich Lambourne will make an appearance in Beijing as members of the USA men's volleyball team. This will mark Millar's third Olympic appearance. While at BYU Millar earned first-team All-America honors three times and helped the Cougars claim the 1999 NCAA national title. Lambourne, also a member of the 1999 National Championship team, will make his Olympic debut in Beijing as Millar's teammate.
Two previous BYU coaches will help lead the USA men's volleyball team in Olympic competition. Hugh McCutcheon will serve as the team's head coach. McCutcheon was assistant coach and recruiter for the BYU men's volleyball team from 1995-2001. During that time the Cougars captured two NCAA men's volleyball championships (1999 and 2001). Though this will mark McCutcheon's first time as head coach in the Olympics, he served as an assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Carl McGown, former BYU men's head volleyball coach, will assist McCutcheon and serve as the scout for team USA McGown retired from BYU in 2002 after 14 seasons as head coach. During his tenure McGown led the Cougars to top-five finishes in the national rankings in seven of his last 10 seasons, including two NCAA National Championships. McGown has coached in five Olympic Games.
Another Cougar making his men's volleyball Olympic debut is Venezuelan-native Joel Silva, who is currently a major contributor to the BYU team and will be competing for his home country. During the 2007-08 season Silva ranked among the nation's top 20 in digs and digs per game. Teams USA and Venezuela will actually go head-to-head in the first match of the Olympics. The match will take place on Aug. 10 at 12:30 p.m. (Beijing time).
Keith Russell, BYU's head diving coach, will be a part of the competition but in a completely different capacity. He has been selected by the Olympic Committee to be the official USA diving judge. Russell himself dove for team U.S.A., in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, in both 10-meter platform and 3-meter events. He also has coached two BYU athletes who went on to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. One of the most successful coaches to ever come to BYU, Russell has been name conference Diving Coach of the Year 15 times.
Two-time Olympian and BYU men's cross country coach Ed Eyestone will also be making an appearance in Beijing. This time, though, Eyestone will not be competing. NBC has selected Eyestone to be a network analyst for several races throughout the course of the games. He will be providing color commentary for the men's and women's 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, the men's and women's 20 K walk and the men's 50 K walk, in addition to covering the marathon. Eyestone ran the marathon in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games and is a five-time U.S. road racer of the year. Eyestone was a 10-time All-American at BYU as an athlete and has led the Cougars to seven Mountain West Conference Championship titles since becoming head coach in 2000.
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2008 Olympic Schedule (Beijing time):
U.S.A. Men's Volleyball Schedule
Aug. 10 at 12:30 p.m. USA vs. Venezuela
Aug. 12 at 12:30 p.m. USA vs. Italy
Aug. 14 at 10 p.m. USA vs. Bulgaria
Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. USA vs. China
Aug. 18 at 10 p.m. USA vs. Japan
Venezuela Men's Volleyball Schedule
August 10 at 12:30 p.m. Venezuela vs. USA
August 12 at 10 p.m. Venezuela vs. China
August 14 at 10 a.m. Venezuela vs. Italy
August 16 at 12:30 p.m. Venezuela vs. Poland
August 16 at 10 p.m. Venezuela vs. Japan
August 18 at 10 a.m. Venezuela vs. Bulgaria
Men's Volleyball Finals
Aug. 20 Quarterfinals
Aug. 22 Semifinals
August 24 at 10 a.m. Bronze Medal Match
August 24 at 12 p.m. Gold Medal Match
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Track and Field
Aug. 15 at 10:45p.m. Women's 10,000m (Final)
Aug. 16 at 9 a.m. Men's 20km Walk (Final)
Aug. 16 at 9:20 a.m. Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Round One)
Aug. 17 at 10:45p.m. Men's 10,000m (Final)
Aug. 17 at 7:30 a.m. Women's Marathon (Final)
Aug. 18 at 9:10 p.m. Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Final)
Aug. 19 at 7:35p.m. Women's 5000m (Round One)
Aug. 20 at 8:15p.m. Men's 5000m (Round One)
Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. Women's 20km Walk (Final)
Aug. 22 at 8:40p.m. Women's 5000m (Final)
Aug. 22 at 7:30a.m. Men's 50km Walk (Final)
Aug. 23 at 8:10p.m. Men's 5000m (Final)
Aug. 24 at 7:30 a.m. Men's Marathon (Final)
Men's and Women's Diving
Competition runs Aug. 10-Aug. 13, and Aug. 15- Aug. 23.