Let The Games Begin

Athletes from the Land of Lincoln hope to nail the landing in Beijing.

By Tim McCormick
Time Out Chicago / Issue 180
August 07 - 13, 2008

The NBC family of networks has planned a staggering 3,600 hours (!) of coverage for the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing. Amid all the sappy, tear-jerking stories Bob Costas and company will deliver, we’re sure viewers will be able to watch a few, you know, live sporting events. While we’re stoked to see BMX added as a first-time Olympic sport, we’re really primed to cheer on Illinois athletes as they go for the gold. We caught up with a few to get a sense of what the Games mean to them.

Josh George

Age - 24

Hometown - Herndon, Virginia

Sport - Wheelchair racing

Illinois connection - The journalism graduate of the University of Illinois is a three-time winner of the Chicago marathon and is due to compete in seven events at the Paralympic Games (September 6–17).

International experience - George gained favorite status for Beijing after capturing six medals during the 2006 World Championships.

Expectations - “I’d like to leave with a couple of gold medals. I’d like to medal in every track event that I’m doing.”

Inspiration - “I love being a part of the sport. The people you run into are amazing. But there’s no better feeling than when you’ve busted your ass and it pays off. You get addicted to that feeling.”

What it means to represent the USA - “It’s amazing. It’s always good when you get to represent the U.S., especially with some of the things going on politically, it’s nice to go over and show people what the American citizenry is actually like.”