Ten Years Later, Bronze 'Special' For U.S. Gymnast Dominique Dawes

Hat tip to reader Nanakwame for this one. It may be 10 years since she competed in the Olympics, but gymnast Dominique Dawes is thrilled about the new medal she will soon add to her collection. Dawes and her teammates were given the bronze after China was stripped of their 2000 Olympic bronze medals because they fielded an underage competitor, Dong Fangxiao. Ms. Dawes, who has worked with Yahoo! Sports for the past two Olympics, heard the good news from another reporter. "I got calls from fellow reporters before receiving an email from the [Gymnastics International] Federation," she said. "I also got a call by my coach, Kelli Hill, to congratulate me on the medal."

Ms. Dawes said that getting the medal puts a positive ending on an Olympics that had been disappointing for Team USA, which had been shut out of medals. "It was very difficult not just for the gymnasts, but the coaches as well. When we got to Sydney, we didn't have gold medal on our minds, but we knew there was a possibility for us to get on the podium. It is good to know that now, 10 years later, we did achieve the goal that we had set out to do."