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THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013
BASKETBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Argentina's Luis Scola shoots against Russia's Sasha Kaun during the first half of the men's bronze medal basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, in London.
Kaun, Russia takes home bronze medal in basketball
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
Former Kansas men's basketball player Sasha Kaun won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London on Sunday, playing for his native Russia the past few weeks.
Kaun started in six of Russia's seven games in the tournament, including the bronze medal match versus Argentina. In that game, Kaun played a tournament-high 30 minutes. He also scored six points and grabbed six rebounds.
Russia won Group B with a 4-1 record. In the semifinal round they lost to Spain. Russia did not
play against the United States. "I've had a chance to see a little bit," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "If not mistaken he's the first big off the bench and he's getting a lot of playing time. It's great he's doing so well."
The six foot, eleven inch tall center had his best game of the Olympics in Russia's group play 82-80 loss to Australia, when he led the Russians with 18 points and six rebounds. He shot 80 percent from the field in that game.
Kaun played at Kansas from 2005-2008 and was a member of Kansas's 2008 national championship team.
For the tournament, Kaun averaged 18.7 minutes, 6.86 points and 3.43 rebounds per game.
Kaun is the first player from the Kansas men's basketball program to play in the Olympics since Danny Manning played on the United States' team in the 1988 summer games.
In addition to Kaun, Self has two other former players that competed in the games, Deron Williams, who competed for the United States, and Robert Archibald, who competed for Great Britain.
—Edited by Ryan McCarthy
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TRACK AND FIELD
Diamond Dixon wins gold in 4x400 relay
down the final straight away giving DeeDee Trotter the lead going into the anchor leg of the relay.
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
Diamond Dixon had an eventful summer. First, she finished third in the NCAA championships in June as a sophomore. Then, she qualified for the Olympics at the U.S. trials in Oregon later that month.
Now, Dixon returns to Kansas with a gold medal she won in the 4x400 meter relay from the 2012 Olympics in London on Saturday.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
She is the first gold medalist in track and field from Kansas since Al Otert won the discus at the 1968 Olympics. Additionally, Dixon is the first female track and field athlete from Kansas to win an Olympic medal.
In the semifinals, Dixon ran the third leg of the four-part relay. As teammate Francena McCory handed Dixon the baton, the United States trailed only the Russian women. Dixon ran patiently in second place until she burned by the Russian runner
Sophomore sprinter Diamond Dixon prepares to run the Women's 400 Meter Dash Invitational at the 2012 Kansas Relays.
Dixon ran in the semifinal heat of the relay, but did not compete in the finals of the event. Team USA ran the fastest time of the competition in both semifinal and final relay heats.
"She has a lot of determination when it comes to not being scared,
Dixon's 400-meter split time was the second fastest on her team in semifinal at 50.15 seconds. Trotter ran faster once again, just as she did in the 400-meter race at the Kansas Relays in April. Trotter said then that she believed Dixon is on the road to greatness.
getting out here and competing with the big dogs, the professionals, and she has taken it very seriously." Trotter said at the Kansas Relaxs in April.
Dixon, Trotter, McCorory and Keshia Baker finished with the fastest time in the semifinals (3:22.09) by more than a second.
In the final of the 4x400 meter relay, Dixon and Baker were replaced by two of the fastest women in the world, Sandra Richards-Ross, gold medalist in the individual 400 meters, and Allyson Felix, gold medalist in the individual 200 meters.
Dixon said Felix is the one runner she idolized when she watched past Olympics and now Dixon won her first Olympic medal as a member of the same 4x400-meter team as her idol. Felix ran the third leg of the final in London, the same leg Dixon ran in the semifinals.
Now, Dixon enters her junior year at Kansas as the most decorated female track and field athlete in school history, having already won a 400-meter NCAA indoor championship and now an Olympic gold medal.
—Edited by Ethan Padway
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sophomore Diamond Dixon sprints out of the starting blocks at the Women's 400 Meter Dash Invitational at the 2012 Kansas Relays. Dixon won a gold medal in the 4x400 meter relay in the 2012 Olympics.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sophomore Diamond Dixon sighs at the finish line after not placing first in the Women's 400 Meter Dash at the 2012 Kansas Relays. Dixon is the first female track and field athlete to win an Olympic medal.
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