With a dozen Princetonians competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics under the flags of four countries, there's more than a bit of Orange and Black in Athens.
None of the Princeton athletes will appear on the front of a Wheaties box soon – most are competing in low profile sports.
Still, one Tiger made a name for himself internationally, while three others ended up on the medal stand.
Here's a rundown of the Princeton results.
Fencing — Men
Soren Thompson '05 made history on Aug. 17, finishing seventh in the men's epee competition, the best Olympic showing by an American man in that event since 1956.
Along the way, Thompson shocked the world's number one ranked epee fencer, Alfredo Rota of Italy, in the Round of 16. Thompson jumped to a 5-0 lead against the heavily favored Italian and held on for a 15-13 victory.
The performance came after 15 months of nearly around-the-clock training; he postponed his senior year to prepare.
"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to reach my lifelong goal of making the Olympic team," Thompson told The Daily Princetonian in April.
During his sabbatical, the San Diego native traveled the world with the National team to compete in World Cup and Olympic qualifier tournaments. His best international showing during that time was eighth at the 2003 World Championships in October.
Ultimately, Thompson was one of three Americans to qualify for the Olympics epee event. He received the No. 15 seed in the field of 37.
After receiving an opening round bye – meaning he had no opponent — Thompson defeated No. 18 seed Paris Inostroza of Chile, 15-12, in the Round of 32.
That set up the showdown with Rota, whom Sports Illustrated had picked to take the gold medal.
After upsetting the Italian, Thompson entered his next bout as the underdog once again. His Quarterfinals opponent, No. 10 seed Pavel Kolobkov of Russia, won gold in Sydney in 2000.
Thompson's run through the individual tournament ended there. He fell 15-11 to Kolobkov, who ultimately took bronze.
Later in the week, Thompson fenced again as part of the team epee competition. The Americans lost to France, defeated China and fell to Ukraine en route to a sixth place overall finish.
Thompson is scheduled to return to Princeton in September.
The fencing team, which finished seventh in the nation without him last season, will be more than happy to have him back.
If Thompson can reclaim the NCAA epee title — he took gold his freshman year and silver his sophomore season — the Tigers could sneak into the top five in the country.
Fencing — Women
Thompson wasn't the only Princetonian epee fencer in Athens.
Kamara James '07 represented the United States on the women's side, as the No. 24 seed.
After receiving a first round bye, she bowed out in the Round of 32, losing 15-11 to Russian Tatiana Logounova, No. 9 seed.
James, who has not fenced for Princeton, did not compete again during the games because the U.S. women did not qualify for the team epee competition.
Born in Jamaica, James moved to New York City at age nine. A year later, she began training at the Peter Westbrook Fencing Foundation.
Westbrook, a former Olympic fencer, has received attention for his efforts to recruit inner city and minority youths to the sport. He has produced a number of Olympic fencers.
Rowing
Chris Ahrens '98 and his boat mates in the U.S. men's heavyweight eight traveled to Athens with a simple, yet ambitious mission: Return their country to glory in their sport's most prestigious race.
Mission complete.
After dominating Olympic rowing competitions throughout the first half of the century, the Americans had not taken gold in the men's eight since 1964. But Ahrens and the rest of his crew ended that drought on Aug. 22, winning gold.
The U.S. boat led the final wire-to-wire. After opening up a full shell-length edge at the race's halfway point, the Americans held on for a 1.27 second victory over silver medal winning Netherlands.
In addition to taking home the gold, the Americans will leave Athens with an Olympic record in their pockets. They smashed the previous mark by 2.95 seconds in their preliminary race, with the help of some strong tail winds.
The American men weren't alone in setting a record that day — their female counterparts followed suit.
The U.S. women's open eight, featuring Lianne Nelson '95, also benefited from the winds in lowering the Olympic record by half a second and winning its preliminary heat.
Ultimately, however, the women would fall short in the final. After holding a narrow lead midway through the race, the Americans faded to silver, allowing Romania to take gold.
Andreanne Morin '06, representing Canada, also raced in the women's eight. But Canada did not qualify for the grand final, after placing third in its preliminary heat and sixth in the repechage.
Morin, originally Class of 2004, has taken the past three semesters off from Princeton to train with the Canadian team. She is expected to return this spring to resume her junior year.
The other Princetonian racing for Canada, Thomas Herschmiller '01, fared better. He claimed silver in the heavyweight four, narrowly missing gold.
The Canadians led heading into the final 500 meters, but Great Britain caught up and won in a photo finish.
Danika Holbrook '95 also reached a grand final, rowing for the U.S. in the quadruple sculls. Her boat did not medal, finishing sixth, ten seconds behind gold medal winning Germany.
Paul Teti '01, whose older brother Mike is the U.S. National Team head coach, turned in an impressive first race for the U.S. men's lightweight four.
Teti's boat came in third in its preliminary heat. But the Americans finished sixth in the semifinals, eliminating hopes of a medal. They finished third in the consolation final, taking ninth overall.
This was not Teti's first trip to the Olympics; he also rowed in Sydney in 2000.
Since graduating, Teti has lived and trained in Princeton. During that time, he's remained a strong supporter of Princeton rowing.
"He's really invested in the team and wants to see us do well," said heavyweight rower Steve Coppola '06.
Teti isn't the only Olympic rower training at Princeton. The U.S. national team uses Lake Carnegie and the Shea Boathouse as its home facility.
As a result, current Tigers spend plenty of time rubbing shoulders with the nation's best, often exercising with them outside scheduled team workouts.
That means that when Princeton rowers tune to the Olympics, they're watching friends on television.
"It's fun, you sit there and smile," said Coppola, who spent the summer training with the National team. "They're role models, but they're also just normal guys you see and row with everyday."
Rowing was easily the most popular sport for Princetonians at the Olympics.
Four raced for the U.S. team: Ahrens, Holbrook, Nelson, and Teti. Two more raced for Canada: Herschmiller and Nelson.
Two other Princetonians were also part of the American team, though they never hit the water. Simon Carcagno '98 was an alternate, while Lori Dauphiny, the head coach of Princeton women's open crew, was an assistant coach for the U.S. women's team.
Track and Field
High jumper Tora Harris '02 was the lone Princetonian to compete in the Olympic Stadium.
The former Penn Relays and Heptagonals high jump champion took the field Aug. 20. After clearing the bar at 2.15 meters, he missed all three attempts at 2.20, and did not advance to the finals.
Harris was the third and final American to qualify for the high jump in Athens, thanks to a leap of 7 feet, 5 inches at Olympic trials in July.
Swimming and Soccer
Athletes on the Peruvian and Greek teams also represent the Orange and Black.
Although Juan Valdivieso '04, a Maryland resident, swam the 200 Butterfly for Peru, he didn't have to fib to get to Athens. His parents are Peruvian natives, which makes him eligible to represent the country.
Valdivieso failed to advance past the preliminary round, finishing last in his heat. Ultimately, it was another Maryland resident — teen prodigy Michael Phelps — who won gold for the United States in the 200 fly.
N.J. native Tanya Kalivas '01 took a similar route to Athens as Valdivieso, qualifying for the Greek soccer team because of her family's heritage.
Greece finished 0-3 in pool play, suffering shutout losses to the United States, Australia, and Brazil. They did not move on to the Quarterfinals.
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