LDS Olympic Games athletes

Mormon Times counts at least 17 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as athletes who will be competing in the 2008 Olympic Games, beginning Friday and running through Aug. 24 in Beijing:

     

UNITED STATES

TRACK AND FIELD: Former Brigham Young University runner and current Orem resident Josh McAdams will run in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Lindsey Anderson, a former Weber State University all-America distance runner and Morgan native, will compete in the Olympics' first-ever women's steeplechase. Jill Camarena of Tucson, Ariz., competes in shot put; she graduated from Stanford and did post-graduate studies at BYU. Pole-vaulter April Steiner Bennett is a Mesa, Ariz., native and University of Arkansas graduate.

SOFTBALL: Starting first baseman Tairia Flowers, a UCLA graduate, and outfielder Laura Berg, of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., see considerable playing time. Also, right-handed pitcher Alicia Hollowell, a University of Arizona alum, is an alternate member of the U.S. team.

INDOOR VOLLEYBALL: Middle blocker Ryan Millar and libero Rich Lambourne

were the two players with the most playing time on the U.S. national team last year. They played on BYU's first NCAA championship volleyball team. Millar also helped coach the Cougars in 2007. Both are Southern California natives.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Bountiful native and University of Utah alum Jake Gibb, now residing in Costa Mesa, Calif., is one-half of the world's No. 9-ranked tandem.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Melanie Roach, a 33-year-old mother of three from Bonney Lake, Wash., will compete in the 53-kilogram weight class.

SWIMMING: Lacey Nymeyer of Tucson will compete in the 100-meter freestyle and 4x100-meter freestyle relay. She is a University of Arizona student.

SOCCER: Natasha Kai of Kahuku, Hawaii, is a forward and the No. 3 goal-scorer on the U.S. team.

     

NEW ZEALAND

BASKETBALL: Guard Noni Wharemate, guard Charmian Purcell and forward Natalie Purcell are women's team members. The latter two are sisters. Wharemate played college ball at UTEP and Natalie Purcell at Southeast Missouri State University.

SWIMMING: Hayley Palmer competes on the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.

     

SWEDEN

TRACK AND FIELD: Utah County native Niklas Arrhenius competes in the discus, the event that won him an NCAA individual championship while competing at BYU. He has dual citizenship because his father is Swedish.

VENEZUELA

FENCING: Maria Gabriela Martinez Gascon competes in women's individual epee.

If you know of other LDS athletes competing in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, please let us know at mormontimes@desnews.com.