UCLA student qualifies for Olympic team
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
For the first time in four Olympic games, and in 20 years, UCLA
has a women’s Olympic swimmer. Super senior Annette Salmeen will be
part of the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team in Atlanta this summer.
Not since Tauna Vendeweghe qualified for the Games in 1976 has a
Bruin swimmer achieved this feat.
Thursday, at the Olympic Trials in Indiana, Salmeen placed
fourth in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:01.17. Salmeen
is not finished, however, as she has yet to swim her best event,
the 200 butterfly.
"We were just hoping she could get sixth," said UCLA head coach
Cyndi Gallagher, Salmeen’s coach of four years. "Hardly anyone gets
to coach an Olympian, and she’s my first, so this is pretty
exciting."
With Gallagher, her teammates and theWorld University Games
staff cheering her on, Salmeen finished an unbelievable race.
"She’s such a hard worker," Gallagher said. "All the coaches
that know her were crying tears of joy." "This is intense,"Salmeen
said. "It’s dream-like."Comments to
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