Baptist News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Laura Wilkinson may have to fight back tears when she steps onto the diving platform for the final time during the Beijing Olympics.       "It's kind of bittersweet," Wilkinson said. "It's my third Olympics, but it's also going to be my last Olympics. It's kind of a farewell at the same time. I get really excited but really emotional about it a lot."       Wilkinson, who won a gold medal in Sydney in 2000 and finished fifth in Athens in 2004, will begin her competition in the women's 10-meter platform event on Wednesday.       It won't be the first time that Wilkinson has gotten emotional on the platform. Ten years ago, during the 1998 Goodwill Games, she had an experience during her competition that changed her life. But first, some stage-setting is necessary.       Wilkinson became a Christian when she was 8 and "really got into church and God's Word and was really excited about it," she said.       That lasted until her freshman year of high school. That's when she began noticing some people from her church youth group acting one way at church and a different way outside of church. Such hypocrisy made her uncomfortable, and Wilkinson slowly stopped going to church altogether. She became just like those people, she admits.       In her sophomore year in college, she hit the bottom. Her grades started falling.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Donny Robinson is looking forward to showing the world what BMX cycling is all about.       The California native makes his Olympic debut Tuesday night in Beijing, as BMX cycling is an Olympic event for the first time.

BEIJING (BP)--Bryan Clay, a decathlete whose competition starts Aug. 20 in Beijing, began his walk with Christ in college when he realized his life was heading in the wrong direction.

BEIJING (BP)--When New Zealand track star Nicholas Willis was 4, his mother died of cancer, sending him into a tailspin of searching for significance. Now he has won a bronze medal ...

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--The high level of athletic skill at the Olympics has been amazing to watch.

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Evangelical leaders say presumptive Republican nominee John McCain made significant strides toward attracting the votes of social conservatives Aug. 16 during a presidential forum in which he and Democrat Barack Obama differed sharply on abortion, "gay rights" and the judiciary.       The two men appeared on stage separately for one hour each at Saddleback Church in California and were asked nearly identical questions by the congregation's pastor, Rick Warren. The event was dubbed "the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency."       Although some pro-family leaders had expressed concern the forum wouldn't cover hot-button social issues, those fears were proved wrong minutes into the event when Warren, noting that there have been about 40 million abortions since Roe v. Wade, asked Obama, "At what point does a baby get human rights?"       "I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective," Obama responded, "answering that question with specificity is above my pay-grade."       Obama added that he believes "there is a moral and ethical element" to the abortion issue but stressed that he is pro-choice.       "I believe in Roe v. Wade, and I come to that conclusion not because I'm pro-abortion, but because, ultimately, I don't think women make these decisions casually," he said.       Asked the same question about when a baby gets human rights, McCain said "at the moment of conception."       "I have a 25-year pro-life record in the Congress in the Senate," he said....

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Many attending the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency Aug. 16 said they were there for a variety of reasons, but all agreed it was a big event because it was the first of its kind -– both of the presumed presidential candidates answering questions from an evangelical pastor in a non-debate format.

BEIJING (BP)--U.S. discus thrower Stephanie Brown Trafton and U.S. rower Anna Cummins were strengthened by their faith in God as they both captured gold medals in the Beijing Olympics.       Trafton, who has been leading a Bible study in Olympic Village, threw 64.74 meters on her first of six throws in the women's discus finals Aug. 18. That distance held up, as Trafton won the gold medal -- her first on the international level.       "The outcome of my season is out of my direct control, but as long as I stay disciplined, I know that I can," she added. "If it is God's will, I will accomplish my goal of winning an Olympic medal."

BEIJING (BP)--Hyleas Fountain, before winning the bronze medal in the women's heptathlon in Beijing, was thinking it might be her time to glorify God in the Olympics.

MELISSA, Texas (BP)--"No, there's no time to have fun as a family, we have to go to church."

BEIJING (BP)--Rowing wasn't even on Anna Cummins' radar as she prepared to enter college at the University of Washington. In high school she competed in basketball and track, and she expected to run in college.       But Cummins soon discovered that God's plans for her didn't include track.       "I grew up as a pretty good miler, and running was integrally part of my character," said Cummins, a member of the U.S. Olympic rowing team. "When I was not recruited to the University of Washington track team, but rather the rowing team, it took a lot of prayer to let go of the old and try the new. Little did I know that God made me perfectly to row."       Cummins, competing in her second Olympics, is part of both the women's eight and the women's pair teams. In the women's eight, Cummins and her American teammates will race in the finals on Aug. 17. In the earlier women's pair, she and her partner Portia McGee didn't qualify for the finals.       She didn't win a medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. This time, her goal is the gold. Cummins credits her coach, Tom Terhaar, with helping to improve on her weaknesses, mainly her technical skills.       "The technical changes I acquired helped me to get more out of each row," Cummins said. "Also, my strength has increased as a result of these more efficient rowing practices. I have no regrets and feel ready for my best in Beijing."       Cummins' journey to Beijing began during her college years. Her high school track coach had connections with the rowing coach at the University of Washington and helped her plan a visit with the team. Cummins admits to knowing nothing about the sport.       "One of the coaches I met said I could take rowing as far as I wanted before I had ever even taken a stroke, and she was so sincere," Cummins said. "She really believed, so I thought, why not give it a try for a year? Two Olympic Games, four world titles and four NCAA championship trophies later, I'm still at it."