I LOVE the olympics, that’s not even an understatement, and yes the caps are necessary. Every four years I get super excited to watch all the athletes perform and try and bring home gold for America. I may or may not have cried before watching the opening and closing ceremonies and anytime an American is on top of the podium and the national anthem plays. It’s just such an incredible sight to watch, even if it is on the tv. I can only imagine how those athletes must feel standing on that podium knowing that everything they’ve ever dreamed about has just come true.
My all-time favorite Olympic sport is wrestling (obviously), but I also love watching gymnastics and diving. It’s on my bucket list to attend an Olympic games and I hope to see both gymnastics and diving but most importantly ALL of the wrestling. ;)
As you many know, I am a born and raised Iowan (the best wrestling state there is…), now living in Minneapolis. I stay true to my Iowa roots, nothing will ever make me cheer for the Gophers over the Hawkeyes, ever. So I thought I would share videos of some pretty amazing Iowa Olympians.
Dan Gable is arguably one of the best athletes to come from Iowa, and definitely one of the best wrestlers of all time. Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, he is a 2x NCAA Champ who only lost one match in High School (Waterloo West High) and one match in College (Iowa State). He won gold in the 1972 Olypmic games and began coaching in 1976 at the University of Iowa. In his coaching career he held a record of 355-21-5 which included 16 NCAA titles and 21 straight Big Ten titles. He was also the Head Olympic coach for the 1980, 1984, and 2000 games. Below is video of his 1972 Olypmic gold medal win.
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Shawn Johnson is probably one of the more wildly known Iowa athletes, especially for our current generation. She hails from Iowa’s capitol, Des Moines and began her gymnastics career at the age of 3. In the 2008 olympics she took gold on the Balance Beam, and silver on Floor and All-Around; as well as the US team silver. Her parents insisted on a balanced life so she attended school and only trained 25 hours a week, as opposed to the usual 40 hours of week and home schooling of most elite gymnasts. After her Olympic victories she went on to win season 6 of Dancing with the Stars. Below is the video of her gold medal winning Balance Beam routine.
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Lolo Jones is currently the American record holder for the 60m hurdles and also hails from Des Moines, Iowa. She is one of the 4, 2012 Olympic Athletes from Iowa. She was favored to win the 100m hurdle in the 2008 Olympic Games but tripped on the 9th of 10 hurdles and lost her stride. Below is a P&G “Raising an Olympian” spotlight on Lolo and her mother. Bring home the gold for us this year Lolo!
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Go here to find the 2012 Olympic Athletes from your state.
What is your favorite Olympic Sport and who is your favorite olympic athlete?
Happy Cheering,
Jennifer
