Olympics Opening

If you missed the opening ceremony you missed a truly spectacular show. Click on the image above to view highlights of the opening on NBC's web site.

The New York Times reports:

First U.S. Gold of ’08 Games Comes in Fencing

Three American fencers swept the women's sabre finals on Saturday, winning the first three medals of the Olympics for the United States and at least temporarily investing this little-known sport, introduced to the Olympics in 2004, with some Errol Flynn-like glamour.

Mariel Zagunis, of Beaverton, Ore., defeated her teammate Sada Jacobson, of Dunwoody, Ga., to win the gold. And in the most thrilling bout of the evening, Becca Ward, from Portland, Ore., rallied to edge Russia's Sofia Velikaya for the bronze.

Zagunis, the daughter of two Olympic rowers, also won the sabre event in Athens in 2004. This time, she beat Ward, 15-11, in an emotional semifinal match that had each fencer yelling and punching the air after winning a point. Then, her momentum building, she was unstoppable in the final. Lunging and slashing, Zagunis never gave Jacobson a chance and defeated her, 15-8. [...]

Fencing is a small world. Zagunis and Ward belong to the same fencing club in Oregon. Jacobson took up the sport following the example of her father, who was a member of the 1974 United States national fencing team. That the women's sabre event was so new was an advantage, Zagunis said, because it meant that the team was able to get international experience right away.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck at the Olympics on Saturday, as a relative of a US Volleyball coach was stabbed to death it what appears to be a random act of violence.

A Chinese man wielding a knife attacked an American couple related to a United States Olympic volleyball coach on Saturday, killing the man and wounding his wife and their Chinese guide atop an ancient tower in central Beijing.

The attacker then killed himself by leaping from the tower, American and Chinese officials said.

The attack on the tourists occurred on the first day of competition at the Olympic Games in Beijing, after a dazzling opening ceremony the previous night in which China sought to project an image of power and strength while welcoming hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors. As news of the killing spread, it darkened the mood somewhat in the city, from the warrens of old alleyways where Chinese are eager to open their homes to foreigners, to the stadiums where visitors waited in line for events like swimming and gymnastics.

The dead American was Todd Bachman of Farmington, Minn., the 62-year-old father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon, the head indoor men’s volleyball coach, American Olympic officials said. Bachman’s wife, Barbara, 62, was in serious condition.

The Chinese guide is a woman, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. She was not identified.

McCutcheon’s wife, Elisabeth, a member of the 2004 United States women’s Olympics volleyball team, was with her parents when they were attacked.

The family members are in our thoughts.

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