MY OLYMPIC PHILATELY: Australia

Today I received much awaiting stamps from Australia, Complete series of Gold Medalist in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Thanks to Robin Marsh. Rob has sent me one awesome cover with 6 Different stamps for Gold Medalist.

In Beijing, Rice won three gold medals (each in world record time) in the 200 m and 400 m individual medleys and in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay. In winning the 400m individual medley, Rice won her first Olympic medal, Australia's first gold medal of the games and their 400th Summer Olympic medal. Recording a time of 4:29.45, she reclaimed the world record from Hoff, bettering the mark by 1.67 seconds, and became the first woman to break the 4:30 mark in the event. (Kirsty Coventry also went under 4:30 in taking the silver) Her second gold medal of the games came on 13 August in the 200 m individual medley with a new world record time of 2:08.34. Rice prevailed after being neck and neck with Coventry throughout the last 50 m, who once again followed Rice to beat the old world record.On 14 August she won her third gold medal as part of the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay team. She led off the team and Australia were in second place at the end of her leg.

Jones won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 100 breaststroke, touching the line a full body length ahead of her rival. Her time of 1:05.17 was 1.66 s faster than the silver medalist Rebecca Soni. While she was the favorite to win in the 200 breaststroke, she was upset by American Rebecca Soni, who won gold in world record time. Jones took the silver. Leisel also won a gold medal in the 4×100m medley relay, with the Australian team breaking the previous world record by three seconds.
Jones was awarded the Telstra Swimmer Of The Year award as part of the year's international all-star team, in Sydney in October 2008.
At the World Cup meeting at Berlin, Germany, Jones set world records in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke (short course). Jones had a low key year and opted out of the World Championships.

At the Beijing Olympics, Trickett's first final was the 4×100 m freestyle capturing a bronze medal, despite a new Australian record, many felt it was still disappointing swim. Her next final was the 100 m butterfly which she captured Gold setting a new Australian record, making her the second fastest in that event in history. Trickett's next task was the 100 m freestyle, an event she was the world record holder, she was off to a great start in the opening 50 m and ahead of world record pace but faded badly in the last few meters to allow longtime rival Britta Steffen slip in and capture the gold. Trickett seemed to be on a continuous slide after that as she contested the 50 m freestyle (another event she was the world record holder) but did not even get on the podium finishing just outside the medals in fourth. In what seemed to be a terrible Olympics for Trickett, things finally turned when her last event was the 4×100 m medley relay. In what was a competitive race at early on, turned in the Aussies favor down the stretch as they captured gold and a new world record.

Women's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay
The women's 4×200 metre freestyle relay event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 13th (Qualification) and 14 August (final) at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. This swimming event used freestyle as a relay, with swimmers typically using the front crawl. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, each of the four swimmers completed four lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the next could leave the starting block; timing of the starts was thus important.
Two heats were held, with each containing the maximum number of teams (eight). The heat in which a team competed did not formally matter for advancement, as the teams with the top eight times from the entire field qualified for the final; there, they all competed in a single final heat to earn final placements. A team could use different swimmers in the final than had swum in the heats.
There were 16 nations competing at this event. These 16 nations consisted on the 12 best placed teams at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships plus the 4 best times after the qualifying period.
Australia became the first non-American team to win this event since it was introduced at the 1996 games.
* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Australian precipitant in Women's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay
Stephanie Rice 1:56.60 AR
Bronte Barratt 1:56.58
Kylie Palmer 1:55.22
Linda Mackenzie 1:55.91

Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's coxless pair
Men's coxless pair competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held between August 9 and 16, at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.
This rowing event was a sweep event, meaning that each rower has one oar and rows on only one side. Two rowers crewed each boat, with no coxswain. The competition consists of multiple rounds. Finals were held to determine the placing of each boat; these finals were given letters with those nearer to the beginning of the alphabet meaning a better ranking. Semifinals were named based on which finals they fed, with each semifinal having two possible finals.
During the first round three heats were held. The top three boats in each heat advanced to the A/B semifinals, while all others were sent to the repechage. In the repechage, each boat had another chance to advance to the A/B semifinals, with the top three boats doing so. The remaining repechage finishers were sent to the C final.
Only A/B semifinals were held. For each of the two semifinal races, the top three boats moved on to the better of the two finals, while the bottom three boats went to the lesser of the two finals. For example, a second-place finish in an A/B semifinal would result in advancement to the A final.
The third and final round was the Finals. Each final determined a set of rankings. The A final determined the medals, along with the rest of the places through 6th. The B final gave rankings from 7th to 12th. The C final determined the places lower than 12th.

Drew Ginn
Drew Cameron Ginn, OAM, (born 20 November 1974, educated at Scotch College, Melbourne is an Australian rower and triple Olympic gold medallist.
Ginn won the men's coxless fours at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics as part of Australia's Oarsome Foursome, along with Mike McKay, James Tomkins, and Nicholas Green; Ginn replaced the retired Andrew Cooper. Ginn and James Tomkins had planned to race the straight pair at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, but Ginn suffered a severe back injury, forcing him to withdraw from the boat.
In 2002, he returned to the water, teaming up with fellow Oarsome Foursome rower James Tomkins in the coxless pairs; they finished fourth in the 2002 World Championships. In 2003, Ginn and Tomkins were the surprise winners, beating the British favourites—and defending champions—Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell, which was a factor in Pinsent and Cracknell choosing to move to the coxless fours. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Ginn and Tomkins won the gold medal in the coxless pairs.
In 2006, Ginn made a return to international competition at the Rowing World Championships held at Dorney Lake, Eton. He and new pairs partner Duncan Free were able to win despite choppy tail conditions.
Drew Ginn has been keeping a blog of his rowing activities.
Scotch College, Melbourne, Ginn's former school, named a racing eight "Drew Ginn" in his honor. It won the APS Head of the River (Australia) as the schools 1st VIII boat in 1998.
In 2007, Drew Ginn and Duncan Free successfully defended their coxless pairs title, posting a time of 6:24.87 minutes—almost 6 seconds ahead of their New Zealand rivals who had stuck with them for the first 1000m before dropping behind to take the silver.
Early in 2008 Drew Ginn and 2007 World Championships gold medal winning partner Duncan Free, were pre-selected to compete for Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Duncan Free
Duncan Free, (born 25 May 1973) is an Australian rower and Olympic medallist. Free was born in Hobart, Tasmania but currentlY lives on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Free was a member of Australia's quad sculls team at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games winning a bronze medal at Atlanta in 1996. After the Athens Games, he took a year off before switching to sweep rowing and establishing a partnership with gold medallist Drew Ginn in the coxless pair. They won the world championships in 2006 and 2007 and the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Free also won the Henley Diamond Sculls in 2001.

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