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LIFE (Through My Eyes)

SPORTS

Russia's Maxim Devyatovskiy braces himself for the fast approaching vault during the men's individual all-around final at the Beijing Olympics on August 14, 2008. Devyatovskiy placed sixth, one place behind teammate Sergey Khorokhordin. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Muna Lee, far right, of the United States, sprints in the women's 100-meter semifinal alongside Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser, second from right, and Sherone Simpson. Lee would finish second in the race, while Fraser earned first. In the event final, Fraser earned gold while Lee finished fifth. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Nastia Liukin, right, consoled Alicia Sacramone after she finished her floor routine during the women's team gymnastics final. Sacromone fell twice during the competition, greatly contributing to her team's loss to the Chinese women's team by 2.375 points; meanwhile, Liukin would go on to earn gold in the women's individual all-around final. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

China's Liang Huo lets his hair down while competing in the men's semifinal of the 10-meter diving competition at the Beijing Olympics. Of the 18 divers competing in the semifinals, Huo was the only one who did not dry his hair before diving. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

17-year-old Jade Barbosa, of Brazil, eyes an Olympic volunteer while stretching before competing in the vault during the women's gymnastics team final at the Beijing Olympics on August 13, 2008. Despite Barbosa competing in every exercise in the competition, and contributing 59.375 points to the team total, Brazil came in last place. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Nora Subschinski, bottom, and Annett Gamm, both of Germany, compete in the Women's Synchronized 10-meter diving final at the Beijing Olympics on August 12, 2008 at the National Aquatic Center. The duo earned fourth place, losing the bronze medal to Mexico, by 19.77 points. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Shawn Johnson, the most versatile member of the US women's gymnastics team, competes on the beam during the women's team final at the Beijing Olympics. In what came down to a nail-biting final, the US women were edged out of first place by the Chinese women's team by a mere 2.375 points. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton


Petr Svoboda, of the Czech Republic, races in the third heat of the first round of the men's 110-meter hurdles along side Hector Cotto, left, and Paulo Villar. Svoboda came in third place, qualifying for the semifinal round. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Alexander Artemev, of the United States, descends on the horizontal bar during the men's individual all-around final. While Artemev finished 12th individually, his contribution during the men's team final was essential; after filling in for injured gymnasts, he performed a flawless routine on the pummel horse in the final round, helping the underdog, the United States team, earn a bronze medal. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

During the fifth round of the first heat of the women's 100-meter hurdle, Guinea's Fatmata Fofanah, far left, fell halfway through the race. Fofanah was a two-time All-American at Georgia Tech and earned a gold at the 2008 CAA African Athletics Championships. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton

Dragutin Topic, a 37-year-old Serbian high-jumper, kisses his necklace in a moment of calm before performing in the qualifying round of the men's high jump in the Beijing Olympics on August 17, 2008. With a world junior record, five national records and four national titles, Topic is considered one of Serbia's best high jumpers ever; he failed to qualify for the finals. Photo by Andrew Burton © Andrew Burton