Utahns make mark in Games

ATHENS — They came, the competed, and now they're on their long way home with a variety of tales to tell and accomplishments to brag about at the Birthplace of the Games.

More than two dozen athletes with Utah ties — some loose, some unbreakable — acquitted themselves well at the 2004 Olympic Games. Some are taking home medals, others personal bests and others the satisfaction of competing among the best in the world with not the best of results. None, as far as anyone knows, pitched a fit, filed a protest or was found positive for drugs.

Here's a brief rundown of the "Utahns" and how they fared:

Levi Leipheimer (Rowland Hall-St. Mark's High School, University of Utah): Competed in the men's cycling road race that lapped the Acropolis on the first day of the Games. Did not finish the 17-lap, 147-mile race in 104-degree heat, the hottest day of the Games, but he did pace teammates Tyler Hamilton and Bobby Julich, who won gold and bronze medals in the time trial two days later.

Guard Young (BYU): Won a silver medal as part of the six-member United States men's gymnastics team. Young scored a 9.7 on floor exercise in the first event of the competition to spur the U.S. men to their first team medal in 20 years.

Logan Tom (Highland High School): Regarded by many as "the world's best volleyball player," she was the seventh top scorer in the Olympics (with 101 points) despite not making it to the medal matches. The U.S. squad, although ranked No. 1 in the world entering the Olympics, only managed a 2-4 record, losing to Brazil in the quarterfinals to officially tie for fifth place.

Tiffany Lott Hogan (Pleasant Grove and Pine View highs, BYU): Finished 20th in the women's seven-event heptathlon. She was the second-fastest among all 33 entrants in the hurdles, but a 31st place finish in the high jump kept her out of the top 10.

Marsha Mark-Baird (BYU): Competing for her native Trinidad & Tobago, she finished 25th in the heptathlon by scoring a personal best 5,962 points.

James Parker (Ridgeview High School, Utah State): The U.S. Air Force lieutenant finished 12th in the men's hammer throw despite stomach troubles.

Rachelle Kunkel (Hunter High School, BYU): Overachieved all the way to a 9th place finish in women's springboard diving: after not starting diving until she was 16, she's an inspiration to "late-bloomers" everywhere.