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Olympics wrapup: Day two

Dana Vollmer, who finished her Cal career in 2009, won a gold and set a world record in the 100 fly Sunday.
Justin Gonzaga/File
Dana Vollmer, who finished her Cal career in 2009, won a gold and set a world record in the 100 fly Sunday.

Dana Vollmer didn’t just win Cal’s first gold medal of the Olympics, she did so in a special kind of fashion. Vollmer’s outer cap fell off in the first half of the 100 fly, and her time at the halfway point of the race was only the third-fastest. But a less-streamlined Vollmer swam the race of her life, setting a world record en route to her gold medal finish, becoming the first female swimmer to crack the 56-second barrier in the event. Read More…

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Olympics wrapup: Day 17

After two weeks of victories and medals for Cal athletes at the London Olympics, the Games ended Sunday in a fitting fashion. Sophomore Aleksa Saponjic won a bronze medal with the Serbian men’s water polo team to bring Cal’s medal count at the London Games to a school record-tying 17. That total ties the record set in Beijing in 2008. Read More…

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Olympics wrapup: Day 15

Former Cal runner Alysia Montano ended her Olympic journey with an upsetting fifth place finish in the women’s 800 final on Saturday. After winning the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials in the event earlier this year, Montano was the American most favored to win a medal, but she came up short. Read More…

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Olympics wrapup: Day 11

The chance to win her first gold medal nearly slipped out of Heather Petri’s fingertips when her coach made a blunder in Tuesday’s semifinal against Australia, but the U.S. advanced to its second straight Olympic gold medal game in an 11-9 overtime victory. Read More…

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Olympics wrapup: Day eight

Nathan Adrian wrapped up his Olympics with his second gold medal — and third overall — of the London Games, anchoring the American team with a time of 46.85 in the freestyle leg of the men’s 400 medley relay. Dana Vollmer and two other Cal swimmers won gold medals for their performances in the women’s 400 medley relay. Read More…

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Olympics wrapup: Day one

Dana Vollmer stole the Cal show, setting an Olympic record with a time of 56.26 in her heat of the women’s 100 fly and finishing first in the semifinals. Vollmer’s performance establishes her as the prohibitive favorite to win gold for the United States in Sunday’s final. Read More…

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Olympic Moment of the Week: Matt Biondi wins eight gold medals

Besides Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps, no swimmer has ever matched the eight golds Matt Biondi racked up from 1984-92 in Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona. Only five athletes have surpassed Biondi’s mark in any sport. You could make the argument that Biondi is not just the greatest swimmer Cal has ever produced, but the best athlete the school has had in any sport. Read More…

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Coughlin stars in SportsCenter commercial

Natalie Coughlin has set world records, won gold medals, and competed on Dancing with the Stars. Now the 11-time Olympic medalist can add one more line to her resume: acting. The 2005 Cal alum took part in a SportsCenter ad titled “Silver and Gold,” which shows the Olympian reprehending a Read More…

2012 Olympics

Caitlin Leverenz was one of 12 Cal medalists in London, taking a bronze medal in the 200 IM.

Calympians end London Olympics with record 17 medals

Over the course of 18 days in London, Cal’s 38 Olympians won 17 medals in six sports — 11 of which were gold, finishing off a record-tying fortnight with arguably the greatest Olympic performance in school history and one of the greatest showings of any sports institution in America. Cal’s Olympians continue to improve on their showing at each summer Games. Read More…

Press Room Banter

chris.yoder

Winning a gold medalist

Cal won 17 medals at the London Olympics, but what if it turns out that number increases? What if Cal actually won 22 medals — 15 golds — and we didn’t even realize what was going on? What if the London Olympics really solidified Cal as the No. 1 school at which to be an Olympic athlete — instead of No. 2 or 3 — blowing Stanford, USC and every other American school out of the water? What if Missy Franklin comes to Cal? Read More…