DK's Five Rings: Rough day for our locals

Aug 12, 2016 • 11:47 pm

4.5K

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Meghan Klingenberg is out of the Olympics, Leah Smith failed to medal for the first time, and Christa Dietzen can't get on the court.

Friday wasn't terribly kind to our local ladies, was it?

Klingenberg and the U.S. soccer team were struck down by Sweden in the quarterfinal, 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation, in what was easily the biggest team upset of these Games in any sport.

Now, the Americans could be babies about it, as Hope Solo predictably was, or they could be blame themselves, as Klingenberg did: “Totally gut-wrenching. But we’re a resilient bunch. I’m always proud to represent the U.S.A. with this team.”

Either way, this loss will lead to change. And no, not just Jill Ellis, whose maneuvers through this tournament legitimately called into question her coaching credentials. Solo is 35, and these Games showed diminished skill that might no longer make her worth the monstrous headache she brings. A younger generation on the rest of the roster barely dipped its toe into this pool, and that needs to happen soon.

That could leave Klingenberg, the 28-year-old out of Gibsonia, back on the sideline. She broke through onto the international scene with the World Cup championship two years ago, but she wasn't close to that player in Brazil. Her 5-2 stature, her regularly being beaten and her failure to put quality touches on the ball made her the scapegoat of a big chunk of the fan base and, fair or not, the overall performance didn't exactly silence those critics.

Smith's Games ended, too, though she'll take gold and bronze medals back to Mt. Lebanon, from victories in the 400-meter freestyle swim and the 4x200 free relay. But things didn't go nearly as well Friday night in her final event, the 800 free, as she finished sixth a time of 8:24.50.

Her future would appear bright at age 21, but it'll also be uphill. Katie Ledecky, the precocious 19-year-old who broke yet another of her own world records in running away with this 800 free at 8:04.79 -- 20 seconds ahead of Smith! -- is poised to become, as Michael Phelps had predicted beforehand, the next Phelps. Ledecky is a freak, that rare transcendent performer who makes a mockery of the race the moment she's wet.

Smith told me here she's at her best when focusing on herself, staying in her own lane, so to speak. That's healthy, but it doesn't alter that she'll need to be faster within that lane.

Dietzen, the veteran volleyballer out of Hopewell, has captained her U.S. team to a 4-0 mark, including a 3-1 dissection of Italy on Friday afternoon. And that's to her credit. It's why Karch Kiraly and the coaches wanted her back from London at age 29, to provide leadership.

Thing is, most of that leadership has come from within a jumpsuit she hasn't taken off in the past two matches, a powerful indication that Kiraly is going with the younger players in the round robin, which ends Sunday, and for sure in the medal round that follows. The U.S. is ranked No. 1 in the world, and no chances are being taken.

THE GLOBAL HEADLINE

When Phelps doesn't win, that's the global headline regardless of circumstance.

But when he's beaten in his signature event, the 100-meter butterfly, and he's beaten by a 21-year-old from Singapore, yeah, the font size just got boosted a bit.

Joseph Schooling, who attends the University of Texas and has always called Phelps his hero, stunningly managed to fend off Phelps' late rally to hold the gold. Phelps, Chad le Clos of South Africa and Laszlo Cseh of Hungary finished in an unprecedented three-way tie for the silver, so the kid stood even taller on the podium.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," Schooling said with a grin. "I don't know what to believe, like, whether I actually did it or if I'm still preparing for my race."

It was Phelps' final individual race, and he sounds like he means it this time.

"I'm not going four more years and I'm standing by that," he said. "I've been able to do everything I ever put my mind to in the sport. After 24 years in the sport, I'm happy with how things finished."

That showed in the water, as Phelps was the first to warmly congratulate Schooling with a smiling embrace and pat on the back of the head.

Phelps will go for his 23rd and final gold in his 64th and final race, the 4x100-meter medley relay Saturday night at 10:04 p.m.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "It's a relay race, and those are the most exciting. Being able to get out there with your teammates and try to put together a fast relay."

THE SCENE

The Aquatics Stadium again was packed to the gills, but the same definitely wasn't the case at track inside the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium. On the opening day of running and throwing events, the place was less than half full for both the afternoon and night sessions.

Take a peek for yourself: