Alright John, the Romanian team despite the fall by Aminar and competing with just six gymnasts after the injury to Anna Maria Bacan
Still off to a strong start. We'll be back with more from the world champion Romanian team and just a reminder later on you will see
World all-around champion Liliya Podkopayeva and three-time gold medalist Svetlana Boginskaya both still to come
Don't forget we still have plenty of action for you this afternoon
Including the Olympic debut of the US women's basketball team and more first-round action from boxing all of that after this
At the 17th Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway two and a half years ago one man more than any other
Elevated himself to the status of international icon
Norway's Johan Olaf Koss won three gold medals in speed skating and was hailed as the hero of Lillehammer
Since the games Koss has been just as visible using his celebrity to further charitable causes as Maryann Graboi reports
At the last Olympic Games
Johan Olaf Koss's love affair was with an entire country this time around he's here to lend moral support to his girlfriend
Australian swimmer Samantha Riley the two Olympians met at an awards banquet in Los Angeles early last year
Now they're commuting from different sides of the globe to see each other from Oslo to Brisbane and back at Lillehammer
Norway's native son raised a three-speed skating gold medal. I was the lucky one in it was such a great feeling
I think I've never been so happy in my life because was admired not only for his Olympic triumph
But its desire to help the helpless the children of war-torn nations
I was thinking about the children. I was remembering and children who really needed something
I was thinking my next race was for them. I wanted to skate for them
I wanted to do a gold medal for them and then donate my earnings from it because I felt this is I mean what I can give
His concern for kids started with a trip to Africa just before the Lillehammer games. He's been back several times since
Cost donated his $35,000 in gold medal bonus money to Norwegian Olympic Aid
Which raised 15 million to help victims of war in Sarajevo
Did you feel especially lucky especially blessed because you could use the platform of your gold medals to reach out and help children
Yeah, that's actually something I feel very strongly about
You have a platform and you stand on the podium you are on a platform because people listen also
You have an opportunity to say something and if you want to use that opportunity
You can tell something special and I wanted to use it because that was my special story
Now cost has spearheaded Olympic Aid Atlanta
It's a joint initiative of the Atlantic Committee for the Olympic Games and UNICEF
The goal is to raise 21 million dollars for children in 14 war-torn countries around the world
Each day of these centennial games, especially designed t-shirts inspired by past Olympians will be auctioned
The 8 million Olympic Aid Atlanta has raised so far is already at work
During the games we will reach 3 million children in Afghanistan. This is only one place
We will also do the same thing in all these 13 other areas
We will do vaccination, we will work on education and we will work on consoling and recreation for traumatized children
Cost's dream is to have Olympic Aid as a permanent part of the Olympic Games
I know now at the moment that there are children knowing about Atlanta not because of the Olympics
Because they got the vaccination because they got the soccer ball
I was allowed for them to be a star. I was allowed for them to give something back
And I think that's the greatest gift I got through the Olympics
A medical student in Oslo, Cost says that as a doctor he will be further able to help children of war
And he will be cheering tonight for Samantha Riley who is among the favorites in the 100 meter breaststroke final
Along with 14 year old Amanda Beard and South Africa's Penny Haynes who set a world record in her heat earlier today
Up next, more Olympic Gymnastics. The women's team competition rolls on right after this
Welcome back everyone. We will be returning you to the Georgia Dome in just a moment
For an athlete there are few rewards greater than a successful Olympic Games
But for one American athlete who was at the Games in Barcelona 4 years ago
The joy of winning a medal was tempered by the grief of an overwhelming loss
The philosophy of judo proposes that training should produce a mind and body in a state of harmony and balance
Jason Morris, an American judoka, once achieved such a balance
A two time Olympian, Morris was living a dream, a dream he shared with his father Bernie
It was a total team effort. I did the physical part, he did the mental part
At the 92 Barcelona Games, Morris surprised the judo community
An unlikely semi-finalist, he won his match, perfectly executing this throw
Assuring himself of at least the silver medal
Years of training, a dream come true for both father and son
Him and I had achieved the goal that we've been looking to achieve since I was 8 years old
So that was the happiest 9 days of my life
Those 9 days in Barcelona were capped by a celebratory dinner
It would be the last time Jason saw his father alive
I got to celebrate some with my father and then I flew back from Barcelona
He stayed for the closing ceremonies
I got a call from my coach Jim Herbeck that he had a massive heart attack while he was still in Spain
And from that moment on until today, it's been a huge healing process, a huge learning process
It's been pretty much a roller coaster ride since then
Shortly after his father's death and despite his grief
Jason attended a reception for US Olympians with President Bush at the White House
If I had missed out on that because he died, I know he would have been upset
And I hope that he can still see me now somewhere
That he knows that I went forward to do certain things like that despite that I didn't want to
Four years after Bernie's death, his son is still grieving
People know me and realize how much my father was to me
And the team that we were, not only just in judo but in life, period
Trying to regain that harmony and balance of mind and body, Jason Morris is here in Atlanta
Readying himself to compete in his third Olympic Games, but this time he's alone
He'll always be in my memories but I'm really here for me because I want to come experience it one more time
And no matter what happens here in the Games, I'm going to leave here with a good feeling
Jason Morris competes Tuesday at the Georgia World Congress Center
We'll send you back to the Georgia Dome
More team gymnastics coming up from Atlanta right after this
Alright John Tesh, thank you very much
Welcome back to our Olympic studios everyone
I'm Greg Gumbel and in a moment much anticipated by the entire studio crew
Ahmad Rashad joins us to go the rest of the afternoon, welcome
Thank you, nice to be here with you
You've been spending a lot of time with the dream team
But we have the women's dream team as well, how do you see them?
Greg, I think there's more pressure on this team here at the Olympics than any other team here
Because if they don't win the gold medal I don't think it'll be a success in their minds
Now while the women's team are not as heavily favored as their male counterparts, they are hungrier
They're denied the gold in Barcelona, they seek redemption here at the Centennial Olympic Games as well as a good time
I'm never going to be satisfied with losing
Nothing is about I or what I can do, it's always about what we can do as a team
I just want it all, I want to win the gold medal
To me that's everything
I don't think any group of girls are going to get together as long as we have
Busted and go through all we've gone through and expect anything less
Close your eyes then you'll find your mom when you're shooting from the hole
For these young women, the road to basketball respectability, the road to Olympic redemption has brought them to Atlanta
And in their minds and hearts they can only end in one way, gold
Fourteen months of endless training, endless travel, a life sometimes glamorous, often tedious, always exhausting
I'm tired of training now, I'm ready to play and I'm ready to just go out there and kick somebody's butt
We've been in a lot of tough situations in the travel, this has been a difficult time yet you know who you can count on when they stick it through
And basically that's been everybody and that's unusual on a team with so many women
That was the idea all along, to get a team together long enough to get to know one another, to gel, to play up to potential
But Leslie and her teammates have been over a year of practice and preparation
Women's basketball teams finally on the verge of truly busting out in America and they have reveled in their role as ambassadors and role models
I will plan to dunk for our country
Lisa Leslie is a model from Southern California, Ruthie Bolton a gospel singer from Mississippi
Guard Don Staley, tough from the streets of Philly and Rebecca Lobo was a 1995 College Player of the Year
This team is a class act and they were rewarded with a high profile in the opening ceremonies
Theresa Edwards took the competitors over
While her teammate and fellow Georgian, Katrina McClain helped carry the Olympic flag
For McClain the moment was sweet, she sacrificed a $300,000 offer to play in Europe in order to play for Team USA
I just gave up a whole lot and it's just a big sacrifice
For a week now they've been hanging with the men's dream team, gotten a taste of the glamorous life
But unlike the men they are not a dead solid lock to win it all
When you guys are 52 and 0 right now, you know, who expects you to lose when you get to the Olympics
But I think the thing is, is that all of us know that the teams we're going to play in Atlanta are very capable of beating us
Team USA has been given the time and support necessary to reclaim the gold
Now the pressure is on to finish the job
I don't care what I have to do, who I have to hurt, as long as I get it, you know, I want it
A great group of ladies, they've spent the longest training camp that I've ever heard of
It's been 19 months, they've played 52 games, but here's a little known fact
Ruthie Bolton has 19 brothers and sisters, 67 nieces and nephews
And there's a real chance that during that 19 months they didn't even know she was gone
19 brothers and sisters, you'd better be as quick at the dinner table as you are on the basketball court
That's right, now you know, Greg, if the women win here in Atlanta, it should really help promote their new professional league
Which starts play next summer on NBC
Now when we return, the US women's basketball team taking on Cuba right after this
Welcome back, we'll get back to gymnastics shortly, but first an update on American swimmer Amy Van Dyken
Who collapsed poolside last night after her race
Dan Hicks is at the Olympic pool with more
Thanks, Ahmaud, Amy Van Dyken had just completed the first of her three individual swims
This came in the women's 100 meter freestyle, the incident happening shortly after Van Dyken finished fourth
She collapsed on the pool deck for several anxious moments here at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center
Earlier this morning we asked her coach John T. Skinner about her condition
In the race she pushed herself extremely hard and funny enough she's one of her weaknesses, she doesn't have great leg power
And she put herself in a race turn over with her arms and forced her legs to kick a lot harder than Bobby she had been through ever
She'd never swum in a race with that kind of frequency and I think it wasn't until she got on deck and she started to kind of get back
The kids get out and they're almost disoriented sometimes, they push themselves so hard that their legs just cramped up on her and she just couldn't walk so she just went down
Both of her quadriceps just cramped up big time
The biggest fear we had is that the stress from that would get her into an asthma attack which is not very good at all
That can have really hard consequences, but other than that once we got them rubbed out, once we got the stress calmed down she's fine
She's going to be a little sore today from the effect of the cramping, but she should be fine for the next event
I'm now joined by Rowdy Gaines and Summer Sanders and the big question concerning Amy Van Dyken, can she rebound for her next two individual swims after the cramping last night?
Well she's going to have to, she has the 4x100 free relay tomorrow, she's going to have to get them rubbed out, use those trainers, get support from her teammates and get back into it
Well let's talk about the finals tonight of day two of swimming and on the men's side Tom Dolan, Rowdy of the United States seems to have positioned himself perfectly for a shot at Olympic gold in the 400 IM
Boy he looked like he was on cruise control this morning, I fully expect him to win the gold medal tonight, but watch out for this US men's 800 freestyle relay, they're seated first going into the final and they've got a shot at gold
Alright on the women's side, very exciting day, in the preliminaries this morning, we're in the 100 meter breaststroke, Penny Haynes of South Africa set a new world record, but Amanda Beard of the United States is right behind her
Amanda Beard looked really strong, I talked to Richard Quick, the US coach, and he said I only saw four strokes in her entire 100 meters and she was actually working, she has the best 15 meter finish out there, Penny Haynes is going to be tough to beat, but Amanda Beard will be right there
The Americans very successful on the first day of the swimming finals here at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center and we expect more of the same as day two of the finals commences tonight
Well at least Amy Van Dyken a day to recover before her next competition, but surprisingly the Chinese that came in with a lot of favorites yesterday, three out of four although they did win a gold medal, and today 0 for 4 in the finals
The US women are in a much better position, and the men are in terrific shape as Dan and company just related with Tom Dolan and Eric Namesnick, the favorites now in the men's 400 IM and Amanda Beard doing well, it's been a decent day all the way around
Time to get you back to more gymnastics now out at the Georgia Dome, let's rejoin John Tesh
Welcome back to the International Broadcast Center and some news of the day now, softball is making its Olympic debut with these games and this is no beer league today, the US playing Puerto Rico and Michelle Granger tossed a two hit shutout and dominated the Puerto Rican hitters, striking out 10 mostly with the help of a 70 mile an hour fastball
US shortstop Dot Richardson, a legend in this sport, here's a reason why, she supplied the biggest hit, solo home run to center field in the sixth inning, and then the 10 run mercy rule was invoked, game over, US 10, Puerto Rico nothing
Now earlier today you saw Greco-Roman wrestler Dennis Hall's semifinal match, after winning twice in overtime yesterday Hall again winning in overtime, this time defeating China's Jung Satien, and you can see Hall's gold medal match tonight on NBC's continuing coverage of the Olympic Games
Well hers was one of the most memorable stories from the Barcelona games four years ago, Silken Lawman won a rowing bronze medal only two months after suffering a fractured leg, today at Lake Lanier Lawman, a Canadian, racing with her parents watching closely, lost her heat
But she will have a chance to race in a repage, a replichage to advance to the semifinal in single skulls, and at the Wolf Creek Shooting Complex today, Americans Josh Lakatos and Lance Bade, friends and teammates, battled for silver in a shootout, Lakatos won, Bade took the bronze, replichage is what I meant to say
Really, but you know the 70 miles per hour fastball?
I didn't make it up
I could hit that
Finally, a musical interlude, Georgia is the subject of several memorable songs, and Elton John, who's lived here part time for years, has this contribution
You can go from snow to sunshine If you board a southbound train You get used to taking orders But it's sometimes kind of rough I got everything that a man can need But it still ain't quite enough
Talking about a heart, Georgia Take me to your southlands Sometimes, dear, my life is rolling on
Oh, Georgia Take me to your heartlands I need to see them one more time before I'm gone
Oh, Georgia Take me to your southlands I sometimes feel the life that passed me by
Oh, Georgia Lead me through your heartlands I need to see them one more time before I die
I need to see them one more time before I die
The world record holder seeks a first Olympic medal
Amanda Beard, the 14-year-old breaststroker
She'd like to become the youngest American to win an individual swimming event
And Jeannie Golay, America's best hope for a medal, hits the road with her bike
The Women's Road Race, all tonight on Olympic Prime Time at 7 p.m. Eastern
As you said, Greg, that is all coming up tonight
Now for the latest from the swimming venue
Let's join Dan Hicks, Rowdy Gaines, and Summer Sanders
All right, thanks, Ahmaud, and what a stellar lineup we have tonight
Will the American men reclaim supremacy in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay?
We will find out tonight
Franziska Van Omsic has wealth and fame
But her final chance for an individual gold comes in the women's 200-meter freestyle
Sylvia Pol won Costa Rica's first-ever Olympic medal
Her sister Claudia goes for the second tonight
And two first-time Olympians will carry American hopes
Christina Teuscher and her United States teammate Trina Jackson
Medals could be in their future as well
Eric Namesnick claims silver in Barcelona
Now he goes for the gold, but he's been overshadowed by his teammate from the University of Michigan
The world record holder, his training partner Tom Dolan
He could be America's first gold medalist in Atlanta
Penny Haynes goes for South Africa's first Olympic gold in 44 years in the 100-meter breaststroke
She's the world record holder
But the sweetheart of the American team, 14-year-old Amanda Beard, could present a very fierce challenge
And we welcome you to the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center
We are set what could be a great night of swimming
Rowdy Gaines, Tom Dolan on paper, the best chance for American gold in swimming
What makes it so unique, if he does win this event, he will assume the role as world's greatest all-around swimmer
Now if he starts it off, the American men's 800 free relay could win it in the 800 free relay
What about the women's events, the 100-meter breaststroke and the 200 free?
What makes tonight so exciting is the fact that we have two world record holders in each of these events
Franziska Von Almsich, Penny Haynes, great races, fast times
The Americans captured three medals in day one of swimming
They could hope for gold tonight for the very first time
Let's send you back to Greg Gumbel in our broadcast center
Alright folks, thank you, a reminder, tomorrow on the morning show beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time
Janet Evans, the greatest women's distance swimmer ever, seeks a fifth Olympic gold medal
And the fastest swimmers in the world, America's Gary Hall Jr. versus the defending world and Olympic champion, Russia's Alexander Popov
And from Lake Lanier, the men's and women's eights, all tomorrow on our Olympic morning show
This has been a most interesting day, wouldn't you say?
You know what, the Olympic spirit is just a beautiful thing
And being here with you this afternoon, it's a beautiful thing too
It's nice to see you so full of spirit, you know that?
Our coverage of the Centennial Olympic Games continues in one hour at 7 p.m. Eastern time
American gymnast Dominique Mochiano and Shannon Miller headline the show
For a mod and for all of us here at NBC, I'm Greg Gumbel
Our coverage continues in 60 minutes