US Olympic Committee Athletes of the Month

For Immediate Release
April 18, 2008

USOC Tabs Skier Lindsey Vonn, Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, and the
U.S. Men's Short Track World Championship Team as Athletes and Team of
the Month for March

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee
announced today that the honors for Athlete and Team of the Month for
March were awarded to Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo./Skiing), Apolo Anton
Ohno (Seattle, Wash./Speedskating), and the U.S. Men's Short Track
World Championship Team.

Vonn, who won Athlete of the Month honors for February as well, was
given the same honor for March. Vonn continued her thrashing of the
Alpine skiing record books when she became the first American woman
since 1983 to win the World Cup overall title during the World Cup
Finals in Bormio, Italy, March 14. She placed 11th after rallying
from a 25th-place first-run to win the second run by a 0.19 second
margin. Vonn, along with Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, N.H.) made
history as the second-ever American duo to win the overall World Cup
title. Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney accomplished the feat first in
1983. Vonn was awarded the World Cup downhill globe after winning
March 8, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland by a monster 0.61 second margin
over Austrian Renate Goetchl. She later went on to win the 2008
Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championship slalom title, March 22 at
Sugarloaf, Maine in a time of 1:26.31.

The nod for the men's award went to two-time Olympic gold medalist
Ohno who won his first title, March 9, at the ISU World Short Track
Speedskating Championships in Gangneung, Republic of South Korea.
Ohno, who was disqualified during the men's 1500m event, did not let
the setback phase him and came back to win the men's 500m and take
silver in the men's 1000m events.

The U.S. Men's Short Track World Team made history when they won the
overall World Championship in Harbin, China, March 7-9 and was awarded
Team of the Month for March. In an overall race so close it came down
to the final event, the American men beat the usually dominant
Koreans, Chinese and Canadians to bring home the world championship
title. The previous highest placing at a World Championship was
third. Winning the World championship is the highest honor a team can
win in short track speedskating during an off-Olympic year. The
roster consisted of Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.), Jeff Simon
(Long Beach, Calif.), Jordan Malone (Denton, Texas), Ryan Levielle
(Memphis, Tenn.) and JP Kepka (St. Louis, Mo.).

Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash.) was awarded second in the Athlete of the
Month voting. She earned two medals, one in the form of a world
title, at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in
Manchester, England, March 28-30. Reed brought home the United
States' first-ever world title in the women's keirin on March 30,
out-sprinting an all-star field that included two-time world champion
Clara Sanchez of France, 2006 world champion Christin Muche of
Germany, and defending world champion and 2008 sprint winner Victoria
Pendleton of Great Britain. Earlier in the competition, Reed earned a
bronze medal in the sprint, which helped solidify her chances to make
the team headed to Beijing in August.

At the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, held March 7-9, Lolo
Jones (Baton Rouge, La.) brought home the gold in the women's 60-meter
hurdles with a time of 7.80 seconds. With all three rounds of the
hurdles run on March 8, Jones first ran a 7.96 in the opening rounds,
moving her into the semifinal where she easily won her heat in 7.82 to
advance to the final. Her performances in March earned her enough
votes for third place.

Second place in the men's voting went to Bryan Clay (Glendora, Calif.)
At the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, held March 7-9, Clay
dominated the men's heptathlon from the opening event and never
relinquished his lead. On March 8, Clay first won the men's 60m in
6.71 (988 pts) and then had the farthest long jump of the morning with
a mark of 7.75 meters/25 feet 5.25 inches (997 pts). He then threw
the shot a personal best 16.21m/53-2.25 (864 pts) and cleared
2.09m/6-10.25 (887 pts) in the high jump. After dusting the field in
the 60m hurdles in 7.86 (1,017 pts), clearing 5.00m/16-4.75 (910 pts)
in the pole vault and running 2:55.64 (708 pts) in the 1,000m, Clay
claimed his first World Indoor title with a world-leading personal
best 6,371 points.

For a successful March, Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City,
Utah) was awarded third place in the voting. He held off some stiff
competition with a great second run to win the Bormio World Cup and
clinch the 2008 Audi FIS World Cup giant slalom title March 14, in
Bormio, Italy. Ligety had to hold off veteran Benni Raich of Austria
and an upstart newcomer, Italian Manfred Moelgg to win gold. Ligety
destroyed the bottom of the Stelvio course to take a huge lead and
neither competitor was able to deliver. With the win, Ligety became
part of history. His performance made him the first American to win
the GS title since Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, N.H.) won it in 2004.

The U.S. Under-23 Men's Soccer Team realized their dream of qualifying
for the 2008 Olympic Games, becoming one of two teams that will
represent the region in Bejing this summer earned second-place honors
in the team award. The United States dominated Canada, 3-0, in the
semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualification Tournament, advancing
to the Olympic Football tournament for the 13th time in U.S. history.
The result helped erase the painful memory of failing to qualify for
the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. U.S. forward Freddy Adu (Potomac,
Md.) finished as the tournament's leading scorer with four foals,
becoming one of four Americans named to the All-Tournament team.
Midfielders Dax McCarty (Winter Park, Fla.) and Maurice Edu (Fontana,
Calif.), along with defender Michael Orozco (Orange, Calif.) joined
Adu on the "Best XI," while Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
earned honorable mention.

Team members included Chris Seitz (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Marvell
Wynne (Poway, Calif.), Michael Orozco (Orange, Calif.) Patrick Ianni
(Lodi, Calif.), Nathan Sturgis (St. Augustine, Fla.), Maurice Edu
(Fontana, Calif.), Stuart Holden (Houston, Texas), Sal Zizzo (San
Diego, Calif.), Charlie Davies (Manchester, N.H.), Dax McCarty (Winter
Park, Fla.), Freddy Adu (Potomac, Md.), Josmer Altidore (Boca Raton,
Fla.), Hunter Freeman (Allen, Texas), Robbie Findley (Phoenix, Ariz.),
Kamani Hill (Berkeley, Calif.), Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach,
Calif.), Jonathan Spector (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Dominic Cervi
(Norman, Okla.), Chad Barrett (Beaverton, Ore.) and Eddie Gaven
(Hamilton, N.J.)


Third place in the team voting went to the U.S. Women's Pacific Rim
Championships Team, who claimed a total of 14 medals at the 2008
Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, March 28-30 in San Jose, Calif.
The women posted a score of 245.275 to best Canada by 11.8 points for
the team title. Nastia Liukin (Parker, Texas) and Rebecca Bross
(Plano, Texas) claimed the all-around crowns in the senior and junior
divisions, respectively. Jana Bieger (Coconut Creek, Fla.) and
Samantha Shapiro (Los Angeles, Calif.) took the all-around silver
medals in the senior and junior divisions, respectively. In the
individual event finals, Bieger and Liukin went 1-2 on the uneven
bars, while Liukin and Bieger placed first and second, respectively,
on the balance beam. Darlene Hill (Mount Laurel, N.J.) won the floor
exercise title. For the juniors, Bross claimed gold medals on vault,
balance beam and floor exercise, and Shapiro won the uneven bars.

Results:

Men
1. Apolo Anton Ohno, Speedskating
2. Bryan Clay, Track and Field
3. Ted Ligety, Skiing

Women
1. Lindsey Vonn, Skiing
2. Jennie Reed, Cycling
3. Lolo Jones, Track and Field

Team
1. U.S. Men's Short Track World Championship Team, Speedskating
2. U.S. Men's U23 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Team, Soccer
3. U.S. Women's Pacific Rim Championship Team, Gymnastics


For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division
at (719) 866-4529.