Marine Sgt. Jamel Herring eyes his target during training Thursday in London. Herring will begin his quest for light welterweight gold on Tuesday. (US Presswire photo by John David Mercer)
With opening ceremonies in London hours away, here are some last-minute links for a handful of military medal hopefuls. As competition begins, remember to check with our good friends at USA Today for all the up-to-the-minute results, military and otherwise.
Herring honors daughter. As one of three team captains, Marine Sgt. Jamel Herring will lead the U.S. boxing team into competition in London. But his walk into the opening ceremonies will take a different kind of strength; as the New York Post reports, Herring’s infant daughter died exactly three years ago. Key quote: “I’ll think about her, but I also will try to celebrate and represent my country with pride.”
Herring steps into the Olympic ring for the first time Tuesday. Read more about him in our Military Times OFFduty preview here, and check out an in-depth Army write-up on the Marine here.
More Army write-ups. With all but three of the 16 military athletes coming from the Army, it’s only natural that the service has created its own Olympics website, with a handful of feature stories (like the Herring piece mentioned above), links to Olympic-themed Twitter and Facebook pages, and more posts from London. One of the most recent pieces outlines Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski’s all-business approach to his fourth Olympics. The shooter is one of the first military Olympians to compete in London, with the 10-meter air pistol event set for Saturday.
Greco-Roman invasion. The U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team met the media Wednesday in London. The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette offers this recap, including video, of the news conference. Key quote from 265-pounder Army Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers, on added security measures in London: “I’m usually my own security.” Read more about the three soldiers on the U.S. team here. They’ll take the mat beginning Aug. 5.
