By Alexia Boyarsky
Four Olympians competing in Beijing are graduates or coaches at Harvard-Westlake, and a number of Wolverine fans are at the Olympic Games to cheer them on.
Peter Hudnut ’99 and the U.S. men’s water polo team won a silver medal in a 14-10 loss to Hungary at the Beijing Olympics on August 24.
Dara Torres ’85 won the silver medal in the 4x 100 relay in Beijing to become the first medalist among the four Olympians with close ties to the school and went on to collect three silvers.
Three graduates of Harvard-Westlake and Westlake School and one Wolverine coach  participated in the Olympic Games.
Ali Riley ’06 played soccer for New Zealand, and track and field coach Felix Sanchez carried the flag for his native Dominican Republic at the opening ceremonies. New Zealand did not medal and Sanchez, suffering an injury, was unable to compete.
President Thomas Hudnut, whose son, Peter ’99, competes with the U.S. Water Polo team, is in China, as wasHead of School Jeanne Huybrechts.
Alums Hudnut, Dara Torres ’85, and Ali Riley ’06, competed. Track and field coach Felix Sanchez, a gold medalist in thge 2004 Olympics, carried the flag at the Opening Ceremonies Friday night for the Dominican Republic. Sanchez has a foot injury and was unable to defend his 400 meter Olympic hurdles title.
Torres won her first gold medal in 1984 when she was still a student at Westlake School. At 41, Torres is the oldest member of the team and the only U.S. athlete to have competed in five Olympics. The China games brought her career total to 12 Olympic medals.
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