[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11227-11228]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATING 2012 OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS

 Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to extend well-
deserved congratulations to four Nevadans who have earned the unique 
distinction of being named to the 2012 United States Olympic Team. 
Amanda Bingson, Jake Dalton, Connor Fields, and Michael Hunter will be 
competing in hammer throw, gymnastics, BMX, and boxing at the Olympic 
Games in London. I am proud to recognize some of our nation's greatest 
athletes and members of Team USA who will represent the Silver State 
proudly.
  A Silverado High School alumni and UNLV sophomore, Amanda Bingson, 
finished second in the hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 
Eugene, Oregon. An ambitious athlete, she is a three-time Mountain West 
hammer-throw champion, two-time national All-American honoree, and 
recently set a new UNLV hammer throw record.
  Jake Dalton, a 2009 graduate of Spanish Spring High School, took 
victories in the floor exercise and vault in a combined points total 
from the VISA Championships and the Olympic Trials. He joins the rest 
of Team USA in the hopes of winning gold, a feat that has not been 
secured by men's gymnastics since 1984. Jake has won 4 individual NCAA 
titles, 13 All-American honors,

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and is believed to be Nevada's first male gymnast to make the Olympic 
team.
  Green Valley High School alumni, Connor Fields, won the U.S. Men's 
BMX Time Trials in Chula Vista, California, earning a place on the 
three-man team for the 2012 London Games. This 19-year-old southern 
Nevada native is the first rider in BMX supercross history to win three 
straight World Cup final races.
  Michael Hunter, Las Vegas heavyweight boxer, qualified for this 
summer's London Games with a semifinal victory in the AIBA Americas 
Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Rio de Janeiro. A three-time national 
champion, encouragement from Michael's family has always been paramount 
to reaching his Olympic dream.
  I wish Amanda, Jake, Connor, and Michael the best of luck in London 
this summer and look forward to watching them compete. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating these four remarkable athletes 
as we show our pride and support for entire the U.S. Olympics 
Team.

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