Olympic gallery

In returning to its birthplace, the 2004 Olympic Games will attempt to bring back the marriage between sports and the classic ideal of amateurism.

Roots of the Olympics in Athens, Greece, date back to 776 B.C. Athletes competed as a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the chief deity of the Greek gods and goddesses.

The modern games were revived in Athens in 1896, due to the efforts of French Baron Pierre de Coubertin and Greek financier George Averoff. The ancient Panathinaikon Stadium was renovated, and a number of new Olympic traditions were established, such as the Olympic anthem, Olympic flag and Olympic torch.

In the 108 years since, the games have endured, making stops in American cities St. Louis, Los Angeles and Atlanta along the way.

Gainesville has long had a strong connection with the Olympic games. Athletes — some American, some from as far away as Russia — train in the area, taking advantage of the University of Florida's sports facilities and a warm winter climate.

In 2000, 23 athletes with a Gainesville connection competed in Sydney. One, University of Florida sprinter Bernard Williams, won a gold medal in the 400-meter relay. Former University of Florida swimmer Dara Torres, in her fourth Olympics, earned silver medals in the 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, and took gold in the 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. With this August's games come a number of athletes with University of Florida ties who have trained the past four years for their ultimate goal — a gold medal.

At press time, some of those qualifying Olympians include:

JANELLE ATKINSON, JAMAICA: The 21- year-old Florida senior and 2000 Olympian is one of six members of the Jamaican swim team.

At the Sydney Games, Atkinson, then 17, placed fourth for Jamaica in the 400-meter freestyle. Since then, Atkinson has won three gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Championships, setting records in the 100-meter freestyle (57.58), 200 freestyle (2:02.57) and 800 freestyle (8:39.96). She will be competing in the 400- and 800-meter freestyle events in Athens.

After red-shirting with a shoulder injury in the 2002-03 season, Atkinson came back strong for Florida in 2003-04, earning three All-SEC honors. She swam a career-best of 50.52 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle at the SEC prelims.

JOHN CAPEL, U.S.A.: Capel, a former kick returner and receiver for the Florida football team, made it to the finals in the 200 meters at the 2000 games in Sydney, but accidently stumbled out of the blocks.

Capel, 25, tried a career in the NFL after his Olympic gaffe, but it was short-lived. Chicago picked Capel in the 2001 NFL draft, but he did not make the team. A year later, Kansas City invited him to training camp, but again, he was cut during preseason.

Capel re-dedicated himself to track in 2002 with an eye on Athens. In August of 2003, Capel ran a 20.30 to win the World Championships in the 200. He currently lives in Gainesville, where he trains with Florida track coach Mike Holloway.

DAWN CHUCK, JAMAICA: Chuck, a Brown University swimmer, is training with close friend and Jamaican Olympic teammate Atkinson at the O'Connell Center pool.

Chuck and Atkinson are members of the Jamaican 400-meter relay team, which set a country record of 4:04.76 at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.

HAZEL CLARK, U.S.A.: A Florida middle-distance runner from 1997-99, Clark qualified for the U.S. team in the 800 meters at the Olympic trials in Sacramento.

Clark was one of Florida's most accomplished female athletes, finishing her track and field career with three national championships, 13 All-America awards and 15 All-Southeastern Conference honors. She won the 800 meters at both the NCAA Outdoors and NCAA Indoors as a senior, repeating the outdoor NCAA championship she won as a junior.

Clark is the daughter of Joe Clark, the Patterson (N.J.) East Side High principal portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the 1989 film "Lean on Me."

ERIN GILREATH, U.S.A.: Gilreath qualified for the U.S. team in the hammer throw at the Olympic track and field trials in Sacramento.

Gilreath, a Williston native, walked on to the Florida track team in 2002 after two years of junior college in Illinois. As a senior, she won the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw and placed sixth in the hammer throw at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Gilreath graduated last December and spent the spring training at UF under associate track coach Larry Judge.

CARLOS JAYME, BRAZIL: A bronze medalist in the 400-meter relay for Brazil at Sydney, Jayme, a four-year Florida swimmer, recently left to train in his native country. A Florida swimmer from

2000-2004, Jayme earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors and All-American honors in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle in 2001. His goal is to earn a medal for Brazil in the 50 and 100 in Athens.

Jayme, 22, finished 11th in the 100 meters at the 2004 U.S. Spring Nationals and earned two medals on relay teams at the 2003 Pan-Am Games.

BRYAN KIM , SOUTH KOREA: A Florida swimmer from 1997-2001, Kim will be representing his native country for his third straight Olympic games, where he will swim the 400-meter individual medley relay.

At Florida, Kim was a five-time All-American. In his senior year, Kim placed 12th at the 2001 NCAA Championships in the 400-yard individual medley (3:48.53).

Kim is a nine-time national record holder in the 100 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM, and 400 medley relay. Kim, 24, is a graduate student at UF studying sports psychology.

RYAN LOCHTE, U.S.A: A junior swimmer at Florida, Lochte qualified for the U.S. team in 200-meter individual medley and the 800-meter relay in the Olympic trials at Long Beach.

Lochte, from Daytona Beach, will be competing in his first Olympics. In his junior season, Lochte won the NCAA 400-meter IM championship. He was named Southeastern Conference male swimmer of the year in 2003.

ALEX LOPEZ, PUERTO RICO: The former Florida swimmer (1997-2001) and Puerto Rican national champion will be representing Puerto Rico in his third straight Olympics. Lopez also competed in the games in 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney). At Florida, Lopez, 24, was known for his versatility. He swam in 12 different events at UF and qualified for the NCAA Finals in six different events.

GABRIEL MANGABEIRA, BRAZIL: Mangabeira, the 2003 SEC Champion in the 100-yard backstroke for Florida, will be competing in his first Olympics this August.

Mangabeira, a junior, picked up six All-American honors at the 2004 NCAA Championships. In addition to placing in the top 10 in four different relay teams, Mangabeira, 21, placed 15th in the 100-meter butterfly (53.56), 16th in the 100-meter backstroke (54.21) and 17th in the 200-meter butterfly (1:57.66).

HEATHER MITTS, U.S.A: Mitts, who played at Florida from 1996-99, is again playing alongside old Gator teammate Abby Wambach on the Olympic team. Mitts finally caught U.S. head coach April Heinrichs' eye this year, starting at defender the last nine matches the U.S. team has played as it prepares to head to Athens.

RICARDO MONASTERIO, VENEZUELA: A Gator swimmer from 1999-2001, Monasterio will swim for his native country in the 400-meter and 1,500-meter. At Florida, Monasterio was a 2000 SEC Champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 14:59.41. He won two bronze medals for his native Venezuela in the 1999 Pan American games in Winnipeg, Canada, and two gold

medals in the 1998 Central American Games.

Monasterio, 25, swam for Venezuela in the 2000 Sydney games, but did not medal.

LISA RAYMOND, U.S.A: Florida's two-time NCAA tennis singles champion (1992-93), Raymond will team with 47-year old Martina Navratilova for the U.S. side at the Summer Games. Raymond spent most of 2001 and 2002 as the No. 1-ranked doubles player in the world.

ABBY WAMBACH, U.S.A: Wambach, who played soccer at Florida from 1998-2001, has been named to the 18-member United States' Oympic women's team. Wambach has been a big name in women's soccer since being the No. 2 pick in the 2002 WUSA Draft. The forward was a key member of the 2003 U.S. National Team and led the 2003 Women's World Cup team with three goals.

BERNARD WILLIAMS, U.S.A.: Already a gold medalist in the 400-meter relay, Williams, 26, has his sights set on Olympic gold in the 200 meters in Athens.

Williams ran a personal best of 9.92 seconds at the 2001 Outdoor World Championships in Canada. In the 2003 U.S. Outdoor Championships, he won the 100 in 10.11.

Williams transferred to Florida from a junior college in Maryland. As a junior, he won the 100 at the NCAA Championships, but failed to qualify in the event for the Sydney Games.