OPRAH and More than 175 Olympic Medalists (including Show Jumping Gold Medalists Will Simpson, Gina Miles and Laura Kraut) Join Together for the Season Premiere of “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” Monday, September 8
CHICAGO - The 23rd season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" goes for the gold when it launches Monday, September 8, 2008 as more than 175 Olympic medalists gather together for an unforgettable hour. Viewers will cheer as their favorites from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games take the stage at Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park for a “Welcome Home Team USA” celebration for the record books! A crowd of thousands will show Chicago’s Olympic spirit as it bids for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Olympians including Michael Phelps, Nastia Luikin, Shawn Johnson, Dara Torres, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Lisa Leslie, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh, Jennie Finch and many more will be on hand to answer the questions on the minds of Americans: how does it feel to have achieved their Olympic dreams? What does it take to be the best in the world? What’s next for these world-class athletes? Then, Oprah will go behind the headlines for the incredible Olympic stories that you haven’t heard.
Plus, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will be presented in high-definition (HD) beginning with the season premiere and throughout the 23rd season.
The Olympic medalists participating in “The Oprah Winfrey Show” season premiere include the following:
Baseball
Jeremy Cummings, Brian Duensing, John Gall, Mike Koplove, Terry Tiffee, Casey Weathers
Basketball (Men’s)
Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams
Basketball (Women’s)
Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Lisa Leslie, DeLisha Milton, Candace Parker, Katie Smith
Beach Volleyball (Men’s)
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers
Beach Volleyball (Women’s)
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh
BMX Racing (Men’s)
Mike Day, Donny Robinson
BMX Racing (Women’s)
Jill Kintner
Boxing (Men’s)
Deontay Wilder
Cycling (Women’s)
Kristin Armstrong
Decathlon (Men’s)
Bryan Clay
Equestrian
Laura Kraut, Gina Miles, Will Simpson
Fencing (Men’s)
Tim Morehouse, Jason Rogers, Keeth Smart, James Williams
Fencing (Women’s)
Emily Cross, Erinn Smart, Hanna Thompson, Mariel Zagunis
Gymnastics (Men’s)
Alexander Artemev, Raj Bhavsar, Joe Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, Kevin Tan
Gymnastics (Women’s)
Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek, Alicia Sacramone, Bridget Sloan
Judo (Women’s)
Ronda Rousey
Rowing (Men’s)
Josh Inman, Marcus McElhenney, Dan Walsh
Rowing (Women’s)
Erin Cafaro, Anna Cummins, Susan Francia, Michelle Guerette, Caroline Lind, Elle Logan, Lindsay Shoop, Mary Whipple
Sailing (Men’s)
Zach Railey
Sailing (Women’s)
Anna Tunnicliffe
Shooting (Men’s)
Walton G. Eller, Vincent Hancock, Jason Turner
Shooting (Women’s)
Corey Cogdell, Kim Rhode
Soccer (Women’s)
Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, Lori Chalupny, Stephanie Cox, Angela Hucles, Carli Lloyd, Kate Markgraf, Heather Mitts, Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone, Hope Solo, Lindsay Tarpley, Aly Wagner
Softball
Monica Abbott, Laura Berg, Crystl Bustos, Andrea Duran, Jennie Finch, Tairia Flowers, Victoria Galindo, Lovie Jung, Kelly Kretschman, Caitlin Lowe, Jessica Mendoza, Stacey Nuveman, Natasha Watley
Swimming (Men’s)
Ian Crocker, Mark Gangloff, Matt Grevers, Brendan Hansen, Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Ryan Lochte, Aaron Peirsol, Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, Garrett Weber-Gale
Swimming (Women’s)
Elaine Breeden, Caroline Burckle, Natalie Coughlin, Margaret Hoelzer, Katie Hoff, Megan Jendrick, Kara Lynn Joyce, Christine Magnuson, Christine Marshall, Lacey Nymeyer, Allison Schmitt, Emily Silver, Julia Smit, Rebecca Soni, Dara Torres, Kim Vandenberg
Taekwondo (Men’s)
Steven Lopez, Mark Lopez
Taekwondo (Women’s)
Diana Lopez
Track and Field (Men’s)
Bershawn Jackson
Track and Field (Women’s)
Allyson Felix, Shalane Flanagan, Hyleas Fountain, Monique Henderson, Sanya Richards, Stephanie Brown Trafton, Sheena Tosta
Volleyball (Men’s)
Gabe Gardner, Tom Hoff, Rich Lambourne, David Lee, Ryan Millar, Reid Priddy, Riley Salmon, Scott Touzinsky
Volleyball (Women’s)
Lindsey Berg, Heather Bown, Kim Glass, Tayyiba Haneef-Park, Robyn Ah Mow-Santos,Danielle Scott-Arruda, Stacy Sykora, Kim Willoughby
Water Polo (Men’s)
Tony Azevedo, Layne Beaubien, Brandon Brooks, Peter Hudnut, Rick Merlo, Merrill Moses, Jeff Powers, Peter Varellas, Adam Wright
Water Polo (Women’s)
Patricia Cardenas, Natalie Golda, Alison Gregorka, Brittany Hayes, Jaime Hipp, Heather Petri, Jessica Steffens, Moriah Van Norman, Brenda Villa, Elsie Windes
Wrestling (Men’s)
Henry Cejudo
Wrestling (Women’s)
Randi Miller
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” is partnering with corporate sponsors to help bring together this once-in-a-lifetime event. Partners for the season premiere include United Airlines, The Hilton Family of Hotels and Bank of America, all of whom are also partners of the U.S. Olympic Committee and sponsors of the U.S. Olympic Team.
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" has remained the number one talk show for 22 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.* It is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and syndicated to 212 domestic markets by King World and to 135 countries by CBS Paramount International Television.