UC athletes strike gold in Beijing Olympic Games

Students and alumni from the University of California captured 43 medals during the Summer Olympics, including 13 gold, 24 silver and six bronze.

The Blue and Gold made a strong showing in Beijing: A total of 101 Olympians with UC ties competed, representing six campuses and 25 countries.

They included 13 UC coaches. The Beijing Olympic Committee also invited UCSF clinical pharmacy professor Peter Ambrose to be a volunteer doping officer in the swim competitions. Husband-and-wife team Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier led an international group of 30 veterinarians caring for more than 250 horses.

UC has a strong Olympic tradition, attracting promising young athletes with world-class training facilities, winning coaches and high academic standards.

"The Olympics is the ultimate test for an athlete, so it is an honor to be here and have the opportunity to test myself," said UC San Diego senior Carrie Johnson, prior to the kayak competition. "I chose UCSD because it is a very good science school, and it is near the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. I am a biochem major, so I have learned things in my classes that have helped me to understand certain aspects of my training better."

UC Berkeley senior Martin Maric competed for his homeland of Croatia in discus throwing. He credits his Cal experiences with improving his performance.

“I came here, and my first semester, my first month, it felt like home because the environment Berkeley has reminds me of being back home," said Maric. "I felt more comfortable and the coaches helped me a lot. My first year here I (improved) by 12 feet. It was amazing.”

UC Berkeley ranked No. 2 on the Forbes.com list of Top 10 U.S. Olympic Schools, tied with the University of Southern California for sending 41 students and alumni to the Summer Games. Among its stars is swimmer Natalie Coughlin, who snagged six medals: one gold, two silver and three bronze. She graduated in 2004 but continues to train with Cal coach Teri McKeever.

UCLA ranked No. 5 on the Forbes list with 32 athletes. Dawn Harper provided the biggest Bruin drama in her upset victory in the 100m hurdles. She graduated in 2006 and continues to train with top track and field coach Bob Kersee, who volunteers on UCLA's coaching staff. UCLA head coach Jeanette Bolden, an '84 Olympic gold medalist, coached the U.S. women's track and field team.

Students, alumni and coaches from UC San Francisco, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara also went to Beijing.

Visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/summerolympics2008 for more about UC's Olympians.