Olympic streak remains golden

Millions of viewers tuned in and watched Michael Phelps continue his historic Olympic run in the 4x200 freestyle, as the Americans claimed another swimming gold, and shattered the world record in doing so. But some may not have seen or forgot the qualifying round of the event. In the 4x200 qualifying round, the team consisted of Trojans Erik Vendt and Klete Keller, where they established then an Olympic record time and the U.S. team advanced to the finals. Neither man swam in the finals, but both also received gold medals for their team participation.

Their efforts kept a Trojan Olympic streak alive, as USC athletes have now captured gold in every Olympiad (where the U.S participated) since 1912. The Trojans made their first Olympic appearance in 1904, and since then, 385 athletes with USC affiliation have competed, which is more than any other University. The current count is 114 golds, 67 silvers, and 57 bronzes.

It’s early, and the streak was never in doubt, unless the world could possibly find a way to upend and upset Lady Trojan Lisa Leslie and the U.S Women’s hoops squad. Potential gold medals can also be achieved in track and field and water polo. Rebecca Soni, already a bronze winner in Beijing, has an opportunity to claim a gold medal tonight, after setting a new Olympic record in the qualifying heat of the 200-meter breaststroke.