Cullen Jones Wins Gold in Men’s 4X100 Relay

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Amazing race that is sure to be one of those unforgettable Olympic moments and NC State’s Cullen Jones wins a gold medal in Beijing while Michael Phelps’ quest for 8 gold medals marches forward. You can click here to the race from NBC/MSN.

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30 Responses to Cullen Jones Wins Gold in Men’s 4X100 Relay

  1. UpstateSCWolfpack 08/10/2008 at 10:38 PM #

    Way to go Jones. The nation is proud of you and the Wolfpack nations is over-joyed for you and what you did tonight with your teammates. Congratulations on your gold medal.

  2. MatSci94 08/10/2008 at 10:50 PM #

    They did a nice feature piece on him before the prelim. They talked about his near drowning, and how he is working to teach kids how to swim.

    http://www.doubleazone.com/2008/08/cullen_jones_minority_swimming.php

  3. JeremyH 08/10/2008 at 11:16 PM #

    what does this have to do with basketball? just kidding.. congrats Cullen you represent the wolfpack well!

  4. SaccoV 08/10/2008 at 11:37 PM #

    Congrats to Cullen and the US Team. I felt a little bad for the relay guys from the heat. Those other three with Cullen set the world record in the semis and only Cullen moved up to the finals. But I don’t think any of them would be too upset since the US was not favored in that race. Damn awesome race though … for swimming!!

  5. txpack 08/11/2008 at 12:37 AM #

    Congrats to Cullen. My friends (in China, all went to State in early 90s) told me that they went to watch the event at the Water Cube in Beijing and made a poster with a state Wolf logo and pulling for Jones. Too bad I did not see them on TV:).

    Michael Phelps and Dara Torres are a big story in China. They (and US basketball team) are probably received more coverage than most athletes in Chinese median.

  6. graywolf 08/11/2008 at 6:27 AM #

    Great for Cullen and the pack!!!!

  7. choppack1 08/11/2008 at 7:26 AM #

    If you didn’t see it last night you missed out. That was a very exciting relay race – for the last leg of the relay, the US was in 2nd place – and it really looked like they were getting silver, but the US out-touched France. Great stuff – especially since France was favored and was being really cocky about their chances.

  8. Sw0rdf1sh 08/11/2008 at 7:38 AM #

    What a race! Great win for Cullen and USA.

  9. Dr. BadgerPack 08/11/2008 at 7:41 AM #

    Great race. You could totally see the Hansborough (post Georgetown) look on the French teams faces afterwards too. 🙂

  10. vtpackfan 08/11/2008 at 7:51 AM #

    If you are not a swim fan this may be the only race you ever take in. YouTube, ask a friend who DVR’d it, whatever. Flat out the greatest swim race I’ve ever scene.

    The fact that Phelps keeps his quest for 8 golds makes this equally impressive. He only had control of 25% of his destiny in this one.

    Haven’t checked splits but I believe Cullen raced the frenchs best relay split time last night and held his own. Yes he gave up the lead but he absolutely gave it every ounce he had. If he goes 9/10 of a SECOND slower, we LOSE!!! Keep in mind that the WR was smashed, and the all the greatest sprinters ever were in action (well, except the anchor Frenchie who mouthed off http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26067251/

    From Charlotte where Cullen lives and trains now http://scottfowlerobs.blogspot.com/2008/08/cullen-jones-wins-gold.html

  11. GAWolf 08/11/2008 at 8:04 AM #

    I saw Jones interviewed on the Today show this morning and he seems like a great kid. I was hoping he would throw our gang sign, but he kept it all USA as is to be expected. He’s definitely a smart guy and it was impressive to hear him talk.

  12. wufpaxno1 08/11/2008 at 9:04 AM #

    Fantastic! Unbelievable Finish!

  13. StateFans 08/11/2008 at 9:20 AM #

    Sure would be nice if GoPack had more than 5 or 6 little paragraphs that you could get anywhere on the story.

  14. vtpackfan 08/11/2008 at 9:43 AM #

    Best of everything to Cullen. He said it, he loves just being in the water, and you get the feeling that he is just so well grounded that he will choose the right roads in life to go from here.

    Congrats to Cullen. Last time Gold Olympic Medal for NCSU was Fox in Atlanta.

    Both had same coach @ State. His name is Brooks Teale, and he is still coaching. Note that tile is cracking and the ventilation is crap @ Casey Notatorium. When everyone cracks on Fowler for “fuh-cilites I cringe because this program and its coach have earned the right to be treated with more support from State, IMO.

  15. vtpackfan 08/11/2008 at 9:50 AM #

    Cullen had the 12 best split over all (every racer in event, 32 total, 24 that didn’t have to wait for timer). It probalby wasn’t a personal best but 9/10 of second faster then he had to go.

    Importantly, he was the only swimmer from this relay team that went in the prelims, semis and finals.

  16. GAWolf 08/11/2008 at 10:48 AM #

    That interview at the top is spectacular. He’s a fantastic guy and deserves whatever riches and fame come his way. It’s always good to see a nice guy be successful at the highest level…

  17. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/11/2008 at 11:07 AM #

    ^^^ I agree that Jones seems like a top notch guy and he has an infectious smile.

  18. ruffles31 08/11/2008 at 11:33 AM #

    I will go out on not a limb and say that the 4×100 relay last night is the highlight of the Olympics. If you haven’t seen it, go to http://www.nbcolympics.com and watch the race. WOW!

    I sent this to a friend today about the race:

    Hello,

    We talk smack.

    We race.

    We surrender!

    -France

  19. chris92heel 08/11/2008 at 12:50 PM #

    Can’t remember the last time I yelled after an olympic event. To come back like that, against the cotdang arrogant smack talking frogs? phenom.

    Just glad I aint know a wuffie was involved ;>

  20. redfred2 08/11/2008 at 7:22 PM #

    Great kid!!! The “powers” at NC State should be all over this stuff. Just wondering how many times was this kid interviewed or highlighted by NC State’s media machine WHILE he was enrolled?

  21. packgrad2000 08/11/2008 at 7:27 PM #

    To hear the announcers even say that “we should get the silver” on the last leg, that just made it even sweeter. If that doesn’t go down as the highlight of the Olympics, I can’t wait to see what does! One of the best moments in sports I’ve seen in a long time.

  22. highstick 08/11/2008 at 8:34 PM #

    Pull for Ricky tonight too guys. I work with his Dad!

    Charlotte swimmer Ricky Berens is scheduled to make his Olympic debut Tuesday, swimming a leg of the 4×200 freestyle relay for the U.S. men in the preliminaries of the event.

    Ideally, Berens would like to duplicate the success of Cullen Jones, the swimmer with N.C. State and Charlotte connections who had a gold-medal effort in the 4×100 freestyle relay. Like Jones, Berens will be faced with the fact that he must go faster than most or all of his American teammates in the relay preliminaries to have a chance at swimming in the final about 12 hours later.

    “Everybody wants to swim in the final,” said Eddie Reese, the U.S. men’s head swimming coach and also Berens’ head coach at the University of Texas. “Even the managers want to swim in the final.”

    Reese said he wouldn’t decide what to do with the final until the preliminary has concluded. It’s certain that Michael Phelps will take one of the four spots in the 4×200, but beyond that anything is possible. The U.S. will be a heavy favorite to win the relay outright – in the preliminaries, the field of 16 is cut to eight.

    Berens would receive the same medal whether he competes in only the preliminaries or in both the prelims and the final.

    Jones was able to advance from the preliminary to the final Sunday and then helped the Americans set a world record in the 4×100 relay by nearly four seconds in a magnificent race that the U.S. won by a fingernail over France.

    Berens, 20, grew up in Charlotte and graduated from South Mecklenburg. He swam many years both for his mother – local swim coach Leslie Berens – and at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club. He earned his Olympic spot by swimming his personal best in the 200 freestyle by more than two seconds at the Olympic Trials in July.

    Over the final 100 meters of that race, Berens said, the one thought that he kept in his head was: “Olympics, Olympics, Olympics.”

    “Ricky did his lifetime best by a lot to make this team,” Reese said. “I was a little bit surprised that he went as fast as he did in the Trials. And I think he’ll do even better here.”

    A rising junior at Texas, Berens is considered by many in the swim community to have a shot at qualifying for multiple events at the 2012 Olympics in London. For these Summer Games in China, though, the 4×200 relay is Berens’ only event.

  23. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/12/2008 at 8:10 AM #

    ^^^ Redfred, certainly the media machine didn’t instill in Cullen to say ‘while at NC State University’ as opposed to ‘while in college’.

    A former NC State athlete should never fail to mention NC State at every opportunity during interviews. I doubt you will ever hear a UNC grad refer to his playing days at college rather than at Carolina.

  24. vtpackfan 08/12/2008 at 8:38 AM #

    ^Red

    Go Pack (Tim Peeler mostly) does a great job w/ the non revenue. The word getting out about Cullen as a rising star in the swim community and a NCAA Champion/All American is kept a secret mainly by the fact that swimming is only a serious sport in America for less then a month every four years.

    It was the same when we were perrenial ACC Mens Swimming/Diving Champions, when David Fox was an All American/NCAA Record holder.

    In regards to where you went to school, its in the past for nearly all these swimmers. There are a few still undergrads who currently live/train @ college, but mainly the major players train in Ann Arbor for the Wolverine SC, UT in Austin, (head US coach being their obviously helps), Cal/Stanford, North Baltimore and Mecklingburg Co.

    My point is that these places are where their lives take place now, not where they went to school.

    We don’t have to worry much about what a Carolina grad says in a like situation as Cullen ’cause it aint happened yet. Although I’m thinking that it might change when Rythmic Gymanastics with the Balls and Ribbons opens up. Another Tar Heel Olympian in contention will be Hansbroughs’ Will Power in the decathlon.

  25. BJD95 08/12/2008 at 8:40 AM #

    The N&O did cover the “but black people can’t swim” angle on the front page of this morning’s sports page. Seriously.

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