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Ex-teammates are now rivals
Beijing - 5 August 2008
At the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, Natalia VALEEVA (ITA) and Khatuna LORIG (USA) won the team bronze medal in archery together, competing for the Soviet Union Olympic team, but here in Beijing they will be rivals.
VALEEVA, who now shoots for Italy, is competing for her third country, having competed for the Soviet Union in 1992 as well as Moldova in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
When competition begins, LORIG (USA) will also have shot for three NOCs, having competed for the Soviet Union, Georgia (in 1996 and 2000) and the USA.
LORIG missed out on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games because she did not have her USA citizenship, but in Beijing she says it was worth the wait. "I'm proud to have my US citizenship. Compared to Georgia, where I am from, the training environment in the US is excellent."
LORIG and VALEEVA may only have one chance to compete against each other and that will be if they are seeded against each other in the individual matches. The USA women did not qualify for the women's team competition.
"I don't care who my competition is, I don't care if it's Jennifer NICHOLS (USA), my sister or my mother. I am competing for myself here. It's individual," said LORIG.
ONS jf/jg/bm/adg
At the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, Natalia VALEEVA (ITA) and Khatuna LORIG (USA) won the team bronze medal in archery together, competing for the Soviet Union Olympic team, but here in Beijing they will be rivals.
VALEEVA, who now shoots for Italy, is competing for her third country, having competed for the Soviet Union in 1992 as well as Moldova in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
When competition begins, LORIG (USA) will also have shot for three NOCs, having competed for the Soviet Union, Georgia (in 1996 and 2000) and the USA.
LORIG missed out on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games because she did not have her USA citizenship, but in Beijing she says it was worth the wait. "I'm proud to have my US citizenship. Compared to Georgia, where I am from, the training environment in the US is excellent."
LORIG and VALEEVA may only have one chance to compete against each other and that will be if they are seeded against each other in the individual matches. The USA women did not qualify for the women's team competition.
"I don't care who my competition is, I don't care if it's Jennifer NICHOLS (USA), my sister or my mother. I am competing for myself here. It's individual," said LORIG.
ONS jf/jg/bm/adg
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