By Lynn Saternow

Herald Sports Editor

THE AMERICAN MEDAL push at the Olympic Games has been fun to watch. But sometimes we become so caught up in thinking our athletes should win, we forget about the true spirit of the games.

Yes, it was embarrassing in track that both our men’s and women’s 400-meter relay teams dropped batons and were eliminated in the first round. Both teams should always be medal contenders with the number of great sprinters we have in the U.S.

And I had to cringe when I saw the the U.S. women’s softball team lose to Japan for the gold medal in what very well could be the end of softball at the Olympics.

Our wrestlers didn’t fare as well as I thought they would and there were plenty of other mistakes that cost our athletes medals.

Still, we have to remember that they certainly aren’t trying to lose. Mistakes happen at all levels and losses follow. In great competition, clipping a hurdle in track or a muffed landing in gymnastics can be just enough to cost you a medal. Nobody feels the pain more than an athlete who loses.

The Olympics come around only once every four years, so if you fail, you may never have another chance to succeed on the greatest stage in sports.

Stars like Michael Phelps are different, but they don’t come around that often. He simply refuses to lose. But for mere mortals like most athletes, that isn’t the case.

Much like Phelps, the beach volleyball duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor are unbelievable. In winning the gold medal they won their 108th consecutive victory and 14th straight in Olympic play. We simply expect them to win.

Then there are times when we sit in wonderment about scoring when our American gymnasts or divers seem to get lower scores than Chinese performers. But that’s the nature of international competition. It’s a confusing system and don’t ever think that politics don’t come into play at times.

Still we need to be proud of every athlete who competes. It was fun to watch the Winklevoss twins in rowing, whose dad is a Mercer High graduate. They finished sixth, but still had a tremendous showing in their first international competition.

To see the 41-year old Dara Torres compete and earn medals in swimming was fantastic. It gives hope to all of us as we age. In fact, since I’m only 60 I may have to try out again for the U.S. wrestling team. Then again, maybe not.

I think just about every athlete, more than anything else, has dreams of standing on the medal stand at the Olympics with a gold medal around our necks as the National Anthem plays.