Monday, 6/9/97 Bruin Olympics Medalists
Christa Williams UCLA freshman Christa Williams was an Olympian
before she became a collegian. Williams competed on a team that was
so dominating that many compared it to basketball’s Dream Team. She
pitched 9 2/3 innings in the Olympic tourney, helping the U.S. to a
gold medal. This year for the Bruins, Williams earned first-team
all-conference honors and was third-team All-American en route.
Williams went 21-8 with a 1.81 ERA en route to helping the Bruins
earn a berth in the NCAA championship game. Ato Boldon Running for
Trinidad and Tobago, Ato Bolden took the bronze in the 100-meter
dash with a time of 9.9 seconds. In addition, his time of 19.8
seconds in the 200-meter dash earned him the bronze in that event
as well. In his years as a Bruin, Boldon rarely finished any lower
than first. In 1996, en route to winning the NCAA title in the
100-meter dash, Boldon set the meet record with a time of 9.92, and
in the previous year he had won the NCAA 200-meter championship.
John Godina John Godina, throwing the shot put and the discus for
the United States, performed quite admirably in the Olympics. He
won the silver medal in the shot put with a throw of 68-2, and was
beat out for the gold on the competition’s final throw. He also
placed 14th in the discus. However, for Godina, 1996 could pale in
comparison to what happened the year before at UCLA. As a Bruin, he
won the NCAA title in both the shot put and discus, and just a
couple months later he swept the same two events at the 1995 World
Championships. by Brent Boyd, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.