Wake Forest Athletics News
|
Former Demon Deacon To Throw Shot Put In Olympics
July 24, 2000
With the conclusion of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif., several athletes with ties to Wake Forest will compete at the 2000 Olympic Games this fall in Sydney, Australia.
Andy Bloom, a Wake Forest track and field legend, finished third in the shot put at the trials to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Bloom, who graduated from Wake Forest in 1996, has worked the past year as an assistant coach at Tennessee. He also placed fifth in the discus, almost making the Olympic team in that event also.
"There's five big-time discus throwers in this field," Bloom said. "Five of the top 10 in the world are Americans. Not making the team is not an insult or anything like that."
Chris Huffins, a former assistant track & field coach at Wake Forest, placed second at the trials in the men's decathlon to make the U.S. Olympic Team. After working for the Demon Deacons for the past three years, Huffins recently took an assistant track & field coaching position at Georgia Tech.
"I'd say there's a modicum of disappointment in that I didn't win my third straight national championship," Huffins said. "But considering I didn't eat last night and had two IVs, I'm very pleased to be going to Sydney. It's weird because I've been focusing on Sydney all year, but there's this big meet I had to do first. I also want to give all the credit to Tom Pappas. He won the meet fair and square, and I'm proud of the way we both competed. Finding out on the day before the meet that Dan (O'Brien) wasn't going to compete kinda threw me for a loop."
The U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, otherwise known as the Dream Team, will feature former Demon Deacon Tim Duncan in the middle. Duncan, who led Wake Forest to two ACC Championships in 1995 and 1996, looks to add an Olympic gold medal to go with his 1999 NBA Championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs.
Hunter Kemper, a 1998 graduate from Wake Forest, earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team. The star of the recent Chevy commercials on television, earned All-ACC honors in 1998 for the Wake Forest men's outdoor track & field team. Another former Wake Forest track star, Steve Brown, will compete in the Olympics for the country Trinidad and Tobago in the 110 meter high hurdles. Brown, a two-time All-American in the 110-M hurdles at Wake Forest, also played football for the Demon Deacons.
Another Deac who will be probably participating in the Olympics this fall for another country is Darius Songalia. Songalia, a junior forward for Wake Forest's men's basketball team is expected to play for the Lithuanian Basketball Team. |