From the Beijing Olympics

U.S soccer fans cheered on their team with gusto as they played Nigeria Wednesday. The team, however, lost 2-1 to Nigeria. Click on the photo at left to see photos from that game as well as an Brian Olson’s judo match against Argentina’s Diego Rosat, which went into overtime.

The Olympic Green, National Stadium and other features around the Olympic Grounds are filled with eye-catching colors at night. Click on the photo to open a gallery of photos of nightlife at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The big news out of Olympic swimming Tuesday were gold medals won by Coughlin and Phelps. Click on the photo at the right to see highlights of Tuesday’s swimming events.

Swimmer Michael Phelps is chasing the record of seven or more gold medals in one Olympic Games. He reached the previous record for most career gold medals (nine) on Tuesday in Beijing, and on Wednesday passed it earning two more. Click on the video below to see scenes from his Tuesday medal win.

Even with millions of cars and bicycles and pedestrians, the traffic somehow works in Beijing. Hear more about it by clicking play below:

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Coming up later today: More photos of U.S. swimmers and the fans cheering them on, including more on Michael Phelps’ record-breaking ninth gold medal.

Monday, the rain poured over events at the Olympics, but the friendly people I meet from all over the world offer a bright spot. Click play below to hear more about how Beijing rain differs from the rain in his hometown and hear how a hair dryer can become an essential tool for a photojournalist:

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Click on the photo at left to see some of the fanfare surrounding the Olympic Games.

The main events of the first few days of the Olympic Games weren’t affected by the rain, however. Most of the big news out of Beijing came from inside the National Aquatics center, such as the world-record breaking finishes of the U.S. Olympic swim team during the 400-meter relay and more gold medals around the neck of Michael Phelps (which sets him on the way to earning the most career Olympic gold medals, surpassing Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larysa Latynina who each have nine.

See photos from the first few days’ events by click on the photo below:

Olympic events began Saturday with aquatic events where Kitsap’s two swimmers, Emily Silver and Nathan Adrian swam in the preliminary events. Even though neither swam in the finals, their contributions earned them silver and gold medals, respectively, along with their teams.

The start of events also means a grueling workday for not only the athletes, but the reporters and photographers trying to cover them. Hear Larry talk about it by clicking play below or right click on the link below to download it to iTunes or the player of your choice:

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See photos of Kitsap’s swimmers below. Click on either photo to see more photos from both Emily Silver and Nathan Adrian’s Olympic appearances:

Emily Silver’s team earned a silver medal. Despite early fears that a broken hand might keep her out the Olympics, she swam a leg in the preliminary round of the women’s 400-meter relay, helping her team earn a spot in the final medal-winning round:

Nathan Adrian’s swim in the world-record-breaking preliminary round of the men’s 400-meter relay helped the team on the final round. There, he was replaced by Michael Phelps, and the team pushed past the French favorites by a nail to win the gold:

Watch the video to see some of the photos and sounds from the Beijing Olympics Opening ceremonies:

If you just want to click through and browse the photos (or see them bigger and brighter), click on the photo below:

The Forbidden City has been a popular tourist spot for the estimated 3 million visitors who have flocked to Beijing in the runup to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Click play below to hear him talk about it, or see more photos HERE.

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The ankle is still sore, but Larry was able to go around and meet some of the workers preparing for Friday’s ceremonies and events.

Click play below to listen to him talk about it:

(Download the podcast HERE.)

See photos of some of these workers here.

Kitsap Sun photographer Larry Steagall arrived in Beijing on assignment at the 2008 Olympic Games for the Scripps Howard News Service. An accident the first day, however, will prove to be a challenge as he tries to photograph the Olympic games. Click play below to hear him talk about it:

(Click here to listen to it outside the player or download it.)

He was able, however, to capture some scenes that first day. Though the opening ceremonies aren’t until Friday, he’ll have to heal soon to capture at the pre-games action and photo opportunities.