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Phelps again a winner, as readers' choice Olympic moment
Thursday, August 28, 2008

It hasn't even been a week and already the Beijing Olympics are a distant and increasingly fuzzy memory.

Last week, we asked readers to tell us the best and worst 2008 Olympic moments and the results are in.

The No. 1 best Olympic moment -- receiving 38 percent of 502 votes in our online poll -- was U.S. swimming phenom Michael Phelps beating out Serbia's Milorad Cavic by one one-hundreth of a second to win gold in the 100m butterfly.

The No. 1 worst Olympic moment -- receiving 28 percent of 659 votes in our online poll -- was the botched baton pass between Torri Edwards and Rochester native Lauryn Williams in the women's 4x100m relay. As a result, the team finished last in the preliminary heat and was unable to advance. Ms. Williams also dropped a baton in a relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The rest of the best Olympic moments included:

• U.S. swimmer Jason Lezak anchoring the men's 4x100m freestyle relay to win gold (35 percent);

• U.S. wrestler Henry Cejudo's tearful celebration after winning gold in freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling (7 percent);

• Shawn Johnson's individual gold medal victory on the balance beam (6 percent);

• Jamaican track star Usain Bolt's celebratory outstretched arms and chest pound in his 100m dash gold-medal victory (4 percent);

• 10 percent voted other moments as the best;

The rest of the worst Olympic moments included:

• Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian dropping his bronze medal on the mat in protest during the medal ceremony (20 percent);

• U.S. pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski receiving rather harsh words from her coach moments after she won a silver medal (13 percent);

• Jamaican track star Usain Bolt's celebratory outstretched arms and chest pound in his 100m dash gold-medal victory (10 percent);

• The ball beaning and body blocking in the United States-China baseball game (9 percent);

• 19 percent voted other moments as the worst.

The PG's unscientific online Olympic moments polls were conducted Aug. 22-26.

To see video of memorable moments from the Beijing Olympics visit: www.NBCOlympics.com.

L.A. Johnson can be reached at ljohnson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3903.
First published on August 28, 2008 at 10:03 am