We waited four years ““ plus the time it took for our live streams to buffer or our TV stations to deliver tape-delayed coverage ““ but the Olympics once again gave UCLA even more athletes to be proud of.
UCLA has been lucky to have a large fleet of Olympians pass through its campus, one that could field a competitive country in terms of all-time medals.
This year we saw plenty, like gold medalists Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook, who became the first men’s basketball Olympians to come from UCLA since Reggie Miller in 1996.
But unlike Love and Westbrook, most took a less stellar (and much less lucrative) path to get to London. Making a living after college as a professional athlete in any Summer Olympic sport other than maybe men’s basketball or men’s soccer is no easy task.
Take Sydney Leroux and Lauren Cheney, who left UCLA as the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively, in Women’s Professional Soccer, only to see their league fold earlier this year. They won the gold, a warming sight for those who only got to see them repeatedly fall short of NCAA titles.
Adam Krikorian left UCLA’s powerhouse water polo program to lead the U.S. women’s chase for their first-ever gold medal. He succeeded.
Adam Wright did not. He took over for Krikorian as coach of the men’s side while continuing to play internationally, but the three-time Olympian saw his dreams of gold turn into the reality of no medal after the U.S. lost in the quarterfinals.
Wright wasn’t the only one leading a dual life.
Many of his water polo compatriots ““ namely, Kelly Rulon and Courtney Mathewson ““ turned down chances to play professionally overseas to stay in California and train with the national team.
Forgoing the glory of playing abroad paid off. The duo will return home with gold.
They may not get our full attention at UCLA while we’re preoccupied with higher-profile sports, like basketball and football, but they provide us with highlights that do their country and alma mater proud.
Those overshadowed for the better part of four years finally get the spotlight for two weeks, and it’s clear that the athletes relish it just as much as the fans.
Leroux, who scored 57 goals as a Bruin, scored one in the Olympics and celebrated as if she had never put a ball in the back of the net before.
Coaches don’t even get medals, but Krikorian’s team draped all of theirs around him and left him beaming. Wright took a shot to the face in one of his games, writhed in pain in the water, and didn’t even move toward the sidelines while continuing to play on.
For all the thrill and joy they provide, the Games last only 16 days. Now comes the wait, tough on the fans and much tougher on the athletes. In the meantime, we’ll see more of UCLA’s finest hone their skills in Westwood before embarking on similar treks down south to Rio de Janeiro.
Enjoy them while they’re here.
If you’re as annoyed by Ryan Seacrest as he is, email Menezes at rmenezes@media.ucla.edu or tweet him @ryanvmenezes .