MARKOPOULO, Greece - It's the equine equivalent of the star quarterback tripping on his way out of the huddle in the big bowl game. A 12-year-old Argentinian mare named Who Knows Lilly, ridden by Frederico Sztyrle, went lame in the left forelimb Tuesday and was taken to a veterinary hospital by ambulance from the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Center.
The mare was treated for tendon strains and released to recover at the stables.
U.S. kayakers advance
SCHINIAS, Greece - Five Americans competed in the preliminary rounds of flatwater kayaking events Tuesday at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoe Center. All advanced to the semifinals and will compete again Thursday.
- In the one-woman kayak (K-1) 500-meter race, Carrie Johnson of San Diego finished fifth in her heat with a time of 1:57.7.
- In the two-women kayak (K-2) 500-meter race, Kathryn Colin and Lauren Spalding, both of Hawaii, finished sixth in their heat with a time of 1:45.15.
- And, in the two-man kayak (K-2) 500-meter race, Bartosz Wolski of Jupiter, Fla., and Rami Zur of Chula Vista, Ca., finished fourth with at time of 1:31.98.
Winds blow wrong way for U.S. sailors
ATHENS, Greece - Strong, shifting winds affected 49er class sailors Tim Wadlow and Peter Spaulding after they got off to a strong start in the 13th race Tuesday. In the 14th, they were one of the last to get started and made up a considerable gap just to finish 11th.
"That was tough, because we were real close to sailing a good race," Wadlow said of the 13th. "In the second race the wind jumped right a bunch. It was getting really unstable. We were probably closer to the leaders at the end of the race than at the first water mark. Two big shifts in the first two races didn't go our way. The last race we got it right."
That was too late to keep them in medal contention. But just that taste may be enough incentive for them to give it another try in 2008. They placed eighth at the world championships in Spain in 2003 and fifth in the 2004 worlds here.
"It'd be nice to come back again, and again, and again," Spaulding said.
Triathlete's husband is her coach
ATHENS, Greece - U.S. triathlete Barb Lindquist has one husband and one coach, and it just happens to be the same man.
The world's No. 1 ranked triathlete, who makes her Olympic debut Wednesday, met Loren Lindquist in 1995 on a group bicycle ride in Jackson, Wyo. They had their first date a few weeks later - at a triathlon in Utah - and were engaged in eight weeks.
Barb Lindquist remembers two things about their early relationship.
When she finished that Utah triathlon, Loren was so impressed that he talked to Barb about turning professional.
``I never thought it would get this far,'' she said.
And she remembers something he said about that initial bike ride in Wyoming.
``He told me on that first ride that my seat was too high,'' Lindquist has written in her online diary. ``Later I asked him what he was doing looking.''
A friendly flight for foes
Roughly 12 hours after they played each other in an epic Olympic soccer match that went two overtimes, the women's teams from the United States and Germany found themselves together again Tuesday morning.
The teams had been booked on the same flight from Crete to Athens. So had the officials who had worked the Olympic semifinal match, won by the U.S., 2-1.
The Germans sat toward the front of the plane, the Americans toward the back, while the officials were in the middle with the rest of the passengers.
Players from each team behaved themselves during the 30-minute flight.