Hammon's dream has Russian accent

Is Becky Hammon a traitor? Or just a woman chasing her Olympic dream?

Hammon, the longtime WNBA star from South Dakota, will be playing basketball for the Russians in Beijing after gaining citizenship from the Motherland and may well cost her fellow Americans a gold medal.

"If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person," declared US women's basketball coach Anne Donovan.

The 31-year-old Hammon, who wasn't among those in the original American player pool, says that she just wants to play in the Olympics and that she had only a remote chance of doing so for Uncle Sam. So when the Russian opportunity opened up as part of her seven-figure deal with the CSKA Moscow club, Hammon jumped.

"The jersey that I wear has never made me who I was," Hammon told ESPN.com. "It has nothing to do with what's written on my heart. Will I be playing for Russia? Yes. But I'm absolutely 100 percent still an American."

Hammon, a point guard for the San Antonio Silver Stars, won't be the only American hoopster lacing up for the Putin AC at the Games. So will J.R. Holden, the former Bucknell guard who hit the tournament winner for the Russians at last year's Eurobasket championships and also plays for the Red Army team.

Americans routinely compete for other countries in the Olympics and often against their countrymen. In 1976, Butch Lee, out of Marquette and New York, torched the US for 35 points as Puerto Rico lost by just 1 point. But until now, Yanks never have represented the Rooskies.

What makes Hammon's case even more ticklish is that the Russians are serious gold-medal contenders. They beat the US in the semifinals at the World Championships two years ago and will be even stronger with Hammon in the backcourt. If form holds, the two old rivals will meet again in the medal round at the Games and Hammon could well have the ball in her hands with the game on the line.

"When it comes down to it, I'm going to take that shot," she vows. "I'm going to play to win."

Dry run for gymnast

Shawn Johnson, the 4-foot-9-inch gymnast who won her second US title in Boston two weekends ago, literally managed to keep her head above water last week, decamping for Iowa State for a couple of days after her West Des Moines facility was flooded amid the devastating deluge. After 100 volunteers spent 17 hours cleaning up the gym and laying down a new floor, Johnson got in a day's work Sunday before heading to Philadelphia for this week's Olympic trials, where she and two-time champ Nastia Liukin are heavily favored to claim the two automatic all-around spots for Beijing. All but certain to get a spot even without going to trials is Olympic champion Paul Hamm, who has petitioned to be put directly on the team after breaking a bone in his right hand at last month's nationals . . . The US women's soccer team faces Brazil today for the first time since the Americans took a jaw-dropping 4-0 beating in last year's World Cup semis. While the US will have its varsity on the field for the Peace Queen tournament match in South Korea, the Brazilians will be missing their top Euro-based players, most notably Marta. Losing defender Cat Whitehill with a torn left ACL last week was a huge blow to the Americans, who badly needed her at the Olympics. The 26-year-old Whitehill, a member of the Athens gold-medal team, played every minute of last year's World Cup and never had suffered a major injury. Taking her place on the preliminary roster is Stephanie Cox.

A Vegas jackpot

Last weekend's Olympic judo trials in Las Vegas produced a number of intriguing story lines. Brian Olson (90 kilograms) made his fourth team after taking three years off. "Not too bad for an old guy, huh?" said the 35-year-old, who's still chasing his first Olympic medal. Ryan Reser (73 kg), who had been alternate behind Jimmy Pedro the last two times, finally earned his ticket. Valerie Gotay (57 kg), who made the 1992 team at 18, got another bid after falling short four years ago. And Adler Volmar (100 kg), who competed for Haiti as an 18-year-old in 1996, gets a second shot after blowing out a knee in February. The biggest favorite to make the team, world silver medalist Ronda Rousey (70 kg), needed less than three minutes total to win her three matches, all of them by a match-ending ippon. "This was just a day in the office for me," said Rousey, who trains in Wakefield with Team Force, which also put Daniel McCormick (100+ kg) on the squad . . . Among the shockers at last weekend's Olympic wrestling trials in Vegas was the victory by Minnesota schoolboy Jake Deitchler, who won the Greco-Roman slot at 66 kilograms by beating two-time world medalist Harry Lester, then sweeping the finals from former Turkish champion Faruk Sahin, coming from 5-0 down in the second period of their second match. "I believe I can do anything," said the 18-year-old Deitchler, the first high school grappler to make the Olympic wrestling team since Mike Farina in 1976. Other upsets included Adam Wheeler beating five-time Greco national champ Justin Ruiz at 96 kilograms, freestyler Andy Hrovat knocking off three-time national champion Mo Lawal at 84 kilograms, and Steve Mocco beating world-teamer Tommy Rowlands at 120 kilograms. The feel-good story of the trials was former Greco world champ Dremiel Byers making the squad at 120 kilograms after losing to Rulon Gardner four years ago. "It's been a long road, a real long road," said the 33-year-old Byers. The women's trials also had their share of stunning takedowns. Athens medalists Pat Miranda (48 kilograms) and Sara McMann (63 kilograms) were beaten by Clarissa Chun and Randi Miller, and two-time world titlist Kristie Marano (72 kilograms), who missed out in 2004, was upended by Katie Downing.

Hopes still afloat

So far, so good for the US rowers at this week's last-chance Olympic qualification regatta in Poland. The women's lightweight double of Jennifer Goldsack and Renee Hykel won their heat by open water to advance to tomorrow's final, while sculler Ken Jurkowski and the men's lightweight double of Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg and Cody Lowry reached today's semis. The top three scullers and top two doubles go to Beijing. If everyone makes it, the Americans will have a full 14-boat flotilla at the Games . . . Only five Athens holdovers - Laura Wilkinson, Troy Dumais, Mark Ruiz, Justin Wilcock, and Cassandra Cardinell - are among the nearly four dozen divers vying for the first four Olympic spots at this week's trials in Indianapolis. The winners on 3-meter and platform go to the Games, with the rest of the team being picked out of next month's camp in Knoxville . . . Though both of them will face the host Chinese, which will make for a couple of deafening evenings, the US men's and women's volleyball teams have favorable Olympic draws. The third-seeded men will play Italy, Bulgaria, Japan, and Venezuela in their preliminary group, while the fourth-seeded women are drawn with Cuba, Japan, Venezuela, and Poland. The men, who just swept Finland on the road in their World League opener, will face the Bulgarians at home this week.

Do-it-yourself berth

Skipping the World Championships paid off for Mike Day, who won the Olympic trials in BMX cycling last weekend after spending the time training on the course in Chula Vista, Calif. "When everyone else was in China, I was doing my own mock trials," said Day, who was so far ahead after winning three of the first four heats that the final race was scrubbed. With Kyle Bennett already on the squad based on his ranking, the discretionary third spot likely will go to Donny Robinson, who finished second at the trials . . . Lots of frequent-flyer miles in store for Wakefield figure skater Stephen Carriere during next season's Grand Prix circuit. Carriere, who goes to Boston College and represents the Skating Club of Boston, will be making separate November trips to Beijing and Tokyo for the Cup of China and NHK Trophy . . . South African amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit will have an endless summer in Beijing. After competing in the Olympics in the new open swim event, she'll stick around for the Paralympics, in which she won five gold medals in 2004. Du Toit will be the first athlete to participate in both competitions.

Material from Olympic committees, sports federations, interviews and wire services was used in this report.