Hopefully we are keeping up with Barack Obama and John McCain as they battle it out for the presidency but we should also know who our U.S. Athletes are  going to be at the Beijing Olympics:

Michael Phelps: will lead the U.S men’s swim team.  He is a 6-time gold medal winner from Baltimore. Phelps won 8 medals at the 2004 Olympic games which tied the world record for the most medals at a single Olympics.  He is also 4-time World Swimmer of the Year. Phelps is still short of American swimmer Mark Spitz’s record of 7 gold medals at the 1972 Munich games.  Phelps will launch his quest again with Speedo giving him a $1million bonus if he succeeds.

Tyson Gay: is one of the most honored runners in a long time of U.S. track stars. A Kentuckian, Gay has never run in an Olympics, but is the only athlete to win 3 gold medals at a single World Championship with wins in 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay (Osaka 2007 World Championships). At the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials he set an American record with a 9.77 in the 100m race. At the Beijing Olympics h will face challenges from Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, who are the only 2 men to have run faster. 

Softball: the U.S. has had the hold on Olympic softball since it became an official event in 1996, with 3 consecutive gold medals.  At the Athens Olympics, the U.S. women won 7 games and the gold with a combined score of 51-1. Stars are Pitcher Jenny Finch (right) and outfielder Jessica Mendoza are both Californians.