Aug. 12, 2008

BEIJING - Day 4 of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing featured a seventh all-time medal for Natalie Coughlin as incoming freshman Sara Isakovic won the 200-meter freestyle semifinal for Slovenia, the U.S. women's field hockey team had its second straight tie and the U.S. men's basketball and softball teams won their games convincingly.

California alumna Coughlin took gold in the 100-meter backstroke with an American-record time of 58.96 Monday night to become the first woman to repeat as the 100-meter backstroke champion since the event was added to the Summer Games in 1924 (full story here).

"It was a very strong morning for the entire (U.S.) team," Coughlin said. "For me personally, the 100 back has been progressing faster than any other female event. For me to win gold in such a strong event, I'm very proud."

Coughlin added a fourth-place finish with a time of 2:11.84 in the 200 individual medley to set up her run for an eighth medal all-time in the final, which takes place at 8:09 p.m. PT Tues.

Incoming Cal freshman Isakovic won the semifinal of the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:56.50, finishing ahead of second-place Katie Hoff of the U.S. by more than half a second to advance to the final, which takes place Tuesday at 7:11 p.m. PT.

In other swimming action, 2005-08 Cal swimmer Dominik Meichtry finished the 200-freestyle final with a time of 1:46.96, good for sixth place. The Swiss competitor then tied Italian Christian Galenda for 16th place in the heats of the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.55. That would have necessitated a swim-off between Meichtry and Galenda to determine which athlete advanced to the 100-freestyle semifinals. However, former Bear Milorad Cavic, swimming for Serbia, gave up his spot in the 100-freestyle semifinal round to focus on the 100 butterfly, allowing both Meichtry and Galenda to advance. Cavic had placed sixth overall in 48.15 in the 100-free heats to qualify for the semifinals.

Duje Draganja, another former Cal swimmer, fell short of advancing in the 100 freestyle with a 34th-place finish (49.49). The 2004 silver medalist in the 50 freestyle will next turn his attention to that event, with heats starting Aug. 14 at 3:30 a.m. PT.

In the heats for the 200 breaststroke, Henrique Barbosa of Brazil touched the wall at 2:12.99 for a 30th-place finish. Martti Aljand of Estonia finished 46th with a time of 2:16.52 and Miguel Molina of the Philippines was 47th in 2:16.94. Molina will continue competition with the 200 individual medley heats beginning 5:17 a.m. PT on Wednedsay.

USA Softball won its first match of preliminaries with an Olympic record for a single game, blanking Venezuela, 11-0, with 2006 Cal grad Vicky Galindo entering the game in the fifth inning. Galindo flied out in her only at-bat.

In men's basketball, Jason Kidd contributed two steals, three assists and four rebounds in almost 15 minutes of action as Team USA defeated Angola, 97-76. The USA is tied with Spain at the top of Group B and will next face Greece, which defeated the U.S. team in the 2006 World Championship semis, at 5 a.m. PT Thursday.

Shellie Onstead and the U.S. women's field hockey team had its second tie in as many matches, ending its battle with Japan knotted at 1-1. The result puts the team currently fourth in Group B. Onstead, serving as an assistant coach, will prepare her team for its next match against Germany Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PT.