Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Two Olympic gold medalists -- including one of the best American
women's basketball players -- could trace their roots to the local
area.
Diana Taurasi and Stacey Nuveman aren't exactly local products --
they call Chino and La Verne their hometowns -- but they do have area
ties.
Taurasi was born in Glendale on June 11, 1982, and Nuveman was
born in La Canada Flintridge on April 26, 1978.
More than 20 years later, Taurasi and Nuveman will return to
California with gold medals draped around their necks.
Taurasi, a guard, helped the United States women's basketball team
capture gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The Americans
defeated Australia, 74-63, on Saturday to claim their third
consecutive gold medal.
Nuveman was an essential part of the U.S. softball team. The
catcher was two for three and had a solo home run, as the U.S. "Dream
Team" defeated Australia, 5-1, on Aug. 23 for its third straight
gold.
Taurasi and Nuveman might return for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,
but they'll have four years to enjoy their journey in Athens.
Taurasi had eight points and two rebounds in the gold-medal game.
The older players on the women's basketball team taught the
younger athletes what it takes to win at the international level.
Dawn Staley and teammate Sheryl Swoopes will likely retire from
international competition, leaving the future of the U.S. women's
team in the hands of players like the 22-year-old Taurasi.
Taurasi, a two-time Naismith National Player of the Year while at
the University of Connecticut, came off the bench for the U.S.
"No matter how much you play or don't play, it doesn't matter,"
Taurasi told the Associated Press. "The team won a gold medal, and
that's all that counts."
Nuveman and teammate Crystal Bustos provided the power, as they
combined to hit eight of their team's nine home runs in the
tournament. The U.S. dominated the Olympics, outscoring their
opponents, 51-1, in nine games.
"We dominated from beginning to end. It was a total team effort,"
Nuveman told the Associated Press. "I can not be more excited about
the way this ended, with a gold medal around our necks.
"When you go through nine months of training, living together,
working out and just being together that much, a family is formed. It
is more than just a team. It is more than 15 individuals. You care
about these people as more than just a softball player."
Nuveman was also an Olympic gold-medalist at the 2000 Games. She
