More Mustang action from the second week of competition in Beijing:

Libor Charfreitag ('00), competing for Slovakia, finished 8th in the men's hammer throw finals Aug. 17.

Laura Reback Bennett ('97), competing for the USA, finished 4th in the women's triathlon finals Aug. 18.

Aleksander Tammert ('96), competing for Estonia, finished 12th in the men's discus finals Aug. 18.

Nastia Liukin (right), who attended SMU in 2007 before focusing full-time on her training for the Olympics, added three individual medals in event finals to her gold in the women's gymnastics all-around competition and her silver in the team competition. She received silver medals in the uneven bars competition Aug. 18 and the balance beam Aug. 19, as well as a bronze in floor exercise Aug. 17.

Sara Nordenstam ('06, right), competing for her home nation of Norway, brought home the bronze in the women's 200M breaststroke Aug. 14. The former Mustang's time of 2:23.02 set a new European record and made her the first Norwegian woman to medal in an Olympic swimming event.

Lars Frolander ('98) swam for Sweden in the men's 4x100M freestyle relay final Aug. 11, in which the USA's Jason Lezak out-touched individual world-record holder Alain Bernard of France for the team gold medal and a new event world record. The Swedish team finished fifth and was one of five teams that swam faster than the previous world record time.

Nastia Liukin, who attended SMU in 2007, helped make Olympic history with her gold-medal performance in the women's gymnastics all-around competition Aug. 14. Teammate Shawn Johnson took silver, marking the first one-two finish for U.S. women in the all-around division.

Originally published July 30, 2008.

SMU will be part of the action at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as nearly 20 SMU students, alumni and coaches get ready for the games. The games begin Aug. 8.

The following alumni and student-athletes - some of them past Olympians and medalists - are confirmed to compete for their nations:

• Camilo Becerra ('05) - Swimming, Columbia
• Laura Reback Bennett ('97) - Triathlon, USA
• Anja Carman ('08) - Swimming, Slovenia
• Libor Charfreitag ('00) - Track and Field, Slovakia
• Florence Ezeh ('00) - Track and Field, Togo
• Lars Frolander ('98) - Swimming, Sweden
• Petra Klosova, senior - Swimming, Czech Republic
• Maroua Mathlouthi, sophomore - Swimming, Tunisia
• Martina Moravcova ('98) - Swimming, Slovakia
• Gaelle Niare ('08) - Track and Field, France
• Sara Nordenstam ('06) - Swimming, Norway
• Flavia Rigamonti ('06) - Swimming, Switzerland
• Michael Robertson (attended 2003-04) - Track and Field, USA
• Angela San Juan Cisneros ('08) - Swimming, Spain
• Denisa Smolenova, first-year (incoming) - Swimming, Slovakia
• Aleksander Tammert ('96) - Track and Field, Estonia

In addition, these Mustang coaches and alumni will participate:

• Swimming Head Coaches Steve Collins and Eddie Sinnott each have accepted positions with Beijing-bound teams. Collins will be head coach of the Slovakian national team for the fourth time, while Sinnott will be an assistant team leader with the United States team.
• Swimmer turned rower Dr. Rania Elwani ('99) is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Commission. She was elected to the position by her fellow athletes at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
• Tennis letterwinner Rodney Harmon ('83) has been named head men's tennis coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, as announced by the United States Tennis Association. Harmon achieved a singles ranking of No. 1 in the country during his time at SMU.

(Above, the reverse design of Beijing's Olympic medals - gold, silver and bronze discs inlaid with Chinese jade.)

• Read more at the SMU Athletics site
• See a list of past SMU Olympians (PDF format)
• Official website of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

As the world watches the action surrounding the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, SMU students and alumni are gearing up for the games as competitors, coaches and officials. Four Mustangs to watch for in China:

• Junior swimmer Petra Klosova has qualified to represent her home country of the Czech Republic based on her time in the 100 LC meter back final at the Missouri Grand Prix in February, according to Head Coach Steve Collins.
• Swimmer turned rower Dr. Rania Elwani ('99) is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Commission. She was elected to the position by her fellow athletes at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
• Former Mustang swimmer Laura Reback Bennett ('97) has qualified for the first spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic triathlon team.
• Tennis letterwinner Rodney Harmon ('83) has been named head men's tennis coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, as announced by the United States Tennis Association. Harmon achieved a singles ranking of No. 1 in the country during his time at SMU.