Swimming relays are sans Phelps

Sat., Aug. 21, 2004

Gannett News Service

The final day of swimming competition will be without the final installment of Michael Phelps intrigue. Phelps pulled the plug on his Olympic experience with five golds and two bronze, turning over his butterfly spot in the 4x100-meter medley relay to Ian Crocker. With or without Phelps, no one should be able to keep up with Team USA. The American women, led by Natalie Coughlin and Amanda Beard, also will be favored, but they’ll have to withstand tough challenges from Australia and China. Track and field: The women sprinters take center stage Saturday with semifinals and finals in the 100 meters. Top American hopes LaTasha Colander and Lauryn Williams will challenge Christine Arron of France and Ivet Lalova of Bulgaria. Women’s heptathlon and discus medals will also be up for grabs. Qualifying is on tap for the men’s 100 and 400 and women’s pole vault.

Men’s basketball: As if the United States hasn’t been tested enough, now comes its toughest opponent in Pool B. Lithuania is 3-0, with victories of 22 points over Greece and eight over Puerto Rico.

Tennis: Justine Henin-Hardenne and Amelie Mauresmo play today for the women’s gold, and Taylor Dent of the U.S. tries to claim the men’s bronze.

Soccer: The feel good story of the Games continues as Iraq’s soccer team battles Australia in the quarterfinals.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.

Swimming relays are sans Phelps

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

EWU adds two guards in portal, taking slow approach to team building: 'We're not in a position where we are scrambling'

Gonzaga baseball heads into final stretch with eye on West Coast Conference title

Washington State baseball looks to clinch conference tournament berth in final Mountain West series