TIMES
SQUARE HONORS OLYMPIANS
DURING 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Eight athletes were recently honored New Year's Eve during
the 100th anniversary celebration of Times Square in New
York. The eight athletes
included
six Olympians and a Paralympian representing all five
Olympic continents. The honorees included: Australian
swimmer Ian Thorpe, gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania,
Liberian football great George Weah, triple-jumper Francoise
Mbango Etone of Cameroon, diver Gao Min of China, hurdler
Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, and Paralympian
swimmer Trischa Zorn and gymnast Bart Conner, both from the
U.S.
The Olympians were feted during the New Year's Eve
celebration in Times Square and at activities throughout New
York. The group was center stage during the festivities in
the countdown leading up to ringing in the New Year.
� Ian Thorpe � Selected to carry the Australian flag
during the closing
ceremonies of the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, after
winning three gold and two silver medals, Thorpe is perhaps
one of the most popular Olympians ever. In 2004, he followed
up his Sydney performance with two gold, one silver and one
bronze medal in Athens. His mark will not only be felt
by his success in the pool, but also by memories of those
who benefit from his generosity. In 2000, he established Ian
Thorpe's Fountain for Youth, a trust with the goal of
providing children in need with the opportunity to live
healthy and fulfilling lives. He has expressed interest in
competing in the Beijing Games in 2008.
� Nadia Comaneci � Comaneci, from Romania, scored the
first perfect ten in
the history of gymnastics in 1976 before a frenzied crowd in
New York City's
Madison Square Garden. She went on to become an
international media darling with seven more perfect scores
during the 1976 Games in Montreal, taking home three gold
medals, one silver and one bronze. Four years later she won
two gold medals, two silver and a bronze at the 1980 Games
in Moscow. An inspiration to gymnasts who have
followed in her footsteps, Comaneci is currently a
gymnastics coach.
� George Weah � Known as �Oppong,' Weah became an icon
in Africa through his amazing talent in football (soccer)
and his selfless devotion to the welfare of his continent.
Attributing his success to the people of Liberia, Weah is
the only African ever named FIFA Player of the Year (1995)
and European Football Player of the Year (1995), among many
other prestigious awards. He was also named African Football
Player of the Century in 1998. Because of his role as
a UNICEF Ambassador and his commitment to the welfare of his
people, Weah is often mentioned as a future candidate to
lead Liberia.
� Francoise Mbango Etone � Hailing from Cameroon,
Mbango Etone has
participated in two Olympic Games, Sydney in 2000 and Athens
in 2004, in the triple jump, coming away with the gold medal
in Athens. In Athens, she produced one of the finest
championship series in history, recording five jumps over 15
meters, twice hitting the winning distance of 15.30 to
reclaim her African triple jump record along with the gold.
She has been awarded a scholarship to the prestigious DeKalb
International Training Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
� Gao Min � From China, Min is one of the most
dominant divers in the
history of the sport. Undefeated in world competition
on the 3-meter
springboard between 1986 and 1992 (including Olympic Games
gold medals both in 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona).
During those seven years, she was named the Woman's World
Springboard Diver of the Year every year. She also tied the
legendary Greg Louganis by receiving the most international
awards on one board. These accomplishments made Min one of
the most prestigious athletes of her era and a national hero
in China. She is currently the head diving coach at the
Kinsman Pool in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
� Felix Sanchez � A New York native from the
ethnically-diverse Washington
Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, Sanchez is a dual
citizen of the
Dominican Republic and the U.S. He won the first Olympic
gold medal ever for the Dominican Republic at the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens in the 400-meter hurdles. He also
won the 2000 NCAA 400-meter title while at USC and was named
the 2003 USA Track & Field News Athlete of the Year.
� Trischa Zorn � A California native, Zorn is the most
decorated
Paralympian in the history of the Paralympic Games with a
remarkable 55 medals in swimming (forty-one gold, nine
silver and five bronze) during a career that has spanned
every Paralympic Games since 1980 � seven in total. In 1988,
she was nominated as a candidate for Sports Illustrated
Woman of the Year. With all her accomplishments, she counts
two other honors among her highest achievements � being an
Academic All-American all four years at the University of
Nebraska and being the first visually impaired athlete to
earn a Division I scholarship.
� Bart Conner � Conner was a U.S. national team member
for three Olympic
Games, winning 2 gold medals at the Los Angeles Games in
1984. One of the more popular male gymnasts in the history
of the U.S., Conner also starred on the collegiate level at
the University of Oklahoma, winning the individual NCAA
all-around title in 1978, as well as helping the school win
the team championship that year. He retired after the 1984
Games to become a television commentator and to open his own
gymnastics academy in Norman, Oklahoma.
(from World Olympians Association)
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