Laura Berg
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
 Berg catching a fly ball. |
||
| Women's softball | ||
Competitor for the  United States |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1996 Atlanta | Team competition |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Team competition |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team competition |
| Silver | 2008 Beijing | Team competition |
| ISF Women's World Championship[1] | ||
| Gold | 1994 St. John's | Team competition |
| Gold | 1998 Fujinomiya | Team competition |
| Gold | 2002 Saskatoon | Team competition |
| Gold | 2006 Beijing | Team competition |
| Pan-American Games[2] | ||
| Gold | 1999 Winnipeg | Team competition |
| Gold | 2003 Santo Domingo | Team competition |
| Gold | 2007 Rio de Janerio | Team competition |
Laura Kay Berg (born January 6, 1975 in Santa Fe Springs, California)[3] is an American softball player who plays the position of center fielder. She is one of only four women to have won four Olympic medals in softball, having won a medal at every Olympics the sport was contested.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Early life and collegiate career
Berg was born on January 6, 1975 to Harvey and Audrey Berg, along with her twin sister Randi Berg.[5] Both Berg sisters enrolled at Fresno State and started for the school's softball team. During their four years, Berg would be named an all-Western Athletic Conference and all-American each year, and would help Fresno State win the 1998 Women's College World Series.[5]
[edit] National team
Berg would also join the United States national team in 1994, participating in the 1994 ISF Women's World Championship, where the US team won the gold medal.[5] Berg redshirted at Fresno State in 1996, the year that she won her first Olympic gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.[5] In 1998, she won her second gold medal at the world championships.[2] At the 1999 Pan American Games Berg performed well in the gold medal effort, batting .375 for the tournament with fifteen hits.[2] In the 2000 Summer Olympics Berg drove in the winning run in the eighth inning of the gold medal game.[5]
From 2000 to 2003 she was an assistant coach at Fresno State, while continuing to participate at tournaments with the national team.[5] She added gold medals at the 2002 World Championships and 2003 Pan American Games to her resume, batting .471 in the Pan-Americans.[2] In the 2004 Athens Olympics she started eight of the nine games, batting .368, and held a perfect fielding average.[2] She returned to Fresno State's coaching staff for 2005 and 2006,[5] and in 2006 won her fourth consecutive World Championship in Beijing.[2] Berg's four World Championship appearances is a record for the event.[2]
In 2007 Berg returned to her third Pan American Games, where she won another gold medal, and was chosen to carry the U.S. flag during the closing ceremonies.[2] At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she captured a silver medal with the U.S. team,[2] the only time in Olympic history the United States did not win the gold medal.[6]
[edit] Other awards and honors
- 2005 International Sports Invitational Champion
- 2001 Played for WPSL Gold professional team consisting of 2000 Olympians
- WAC Champions- Fresno State
- Second FSU player to record 100 or more hits in a season
- Four-time NFCA All-American (three First-Team and one Third-Team)
- Four-time NCAA All-Regional Team
[edit] References
- ^ "USA Softball Laura Berg". Amateur Softball Association. http://www.usasoftball.com/bios.asp?uid=528. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Laura Berg". United States Olympic Committee. http://softball.teamusa.org/athletes/laura-berg. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ Kubatko, Justin. "Laura Berg Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/laura-berg-1.html. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ^ Kubatko, Justin. "Softball". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/sports/SOF/. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Laura Berg-Assistant Coach". Fresno State Bulldogs. California State University, Fresno. http://www.gobulldogs.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/berg_laura00.html. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ Kubatko, Justin. "Softball Women's Softball Medalists". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/sports/SOF/womens-softball.html. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
[edit] External links
- 1975 births
- Living people
- American softball players
- American Latter Day Saints
- Fresno State Bulldogs athletes
- College softball players in the United States
- Olympic softball players of the United States
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States
- Softball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Softball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Softball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Softball players at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Softball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Sportspeople from California
- Olympic medalists in softball
- Female softball players
