With the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio kicking off Friday, Aug. 4, we sat down with former 2008 Olympian and current Earthquakes defender Marvell Wynne to talk about what it was like representing his country in Beijing, his most memorable moment at the games and what his experiences were like at the Olympic Village.
sjearthquakes.com: Take us back to the night of the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. What was it like walking into that stadium with the greatest athletes in the world?
Marvell Wynne: "It was all great and wonderful once we got there. Our first game was no where close to Beijing and the Olympic village so we actually took a team vote and said that we wanted to be in the opening ceremonies. We had to drive two hours to get to Beijing, stay in the village for a little bit, get our uniforms and all that. The ceremony was amazing and wonderful, but it was so hot! It came to a point where we were all dressed up, looking nice. Once we got into the middle of the ceremony, we just gave up. We looked like we just came out of a pool. It was the ceremony where the one guy was running outside of the stadium. That was absolutely amazing. Being a part of the U.S. Olympic squad was amazing. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.”
SJEQ: You started and played 90 minutes in all three group stage matches. Talk about what it meant to walk out there at the Olympics as a member of the starting XI?
MW: “It’s something that’s very difficult to explain. It’s the Olympics and you’re one of 11 players representing your country. I don’t think there’s anything greater. As a soccer player, the World Cup is the only thing that I could think of that could possibly be greater, but just saying that you’re and Olympian for such a great country is unbelievable. The start was great. In the very first game, I actually assisted on Stu Holden’s goal against Japan. It was amazing.”
SJEQ: Can you recall any memorable interactions with the other USA athletes? Any run-ins with the likes of Michael Phelps or Allyson Felix?
MW: “All of the big name athletes were there. We had this get together will all of the U.S. Olympians together and I got to shake the President’s hand. It was George Bush at the time. That was my highlight. In terms of the players and all of that, I remember we were around all the polo players and the basketball team came around and everyone just stopped what they were doing. We’re all there representing our country but even the greatest athletes have their own heroes.”
SJEQ: What was your experience like in the Olympic Village? Do you remember who your roommate was?
MW: “We didn’t really stay in the village because the tournament was taking place in so many different cities. We were in the village for one night. I actually don’t remember who my roommate was at the time for that night. The next day, our coach at the time, Peter Novak, moved us out of the village and into a hotel because he thought the village was going to be too big of a distraction, so we didn’t get to experience the village too much. The cafeteria in the village was amazing, though! They had a giant McDonalds in the middle of it. Those glowing arches never looked better.”
SJEQ: Playing against Japan, Holland and Nigeria in Group B, did you notice any differences in their style of play?
MW: “Japan was a really well organized team. They were just on the same page the entire match. The Netherlands had great skill. They had pace up the flanks. Nigeria had great athletes. They were very strong, very fast and they really just ran us.”
SJEQ: What was it like playing alongside the likes of Jozy Altidore, Sacha Kljestan, Freddy Adu and Charlie Davies? All of you guys were so young.
MW: “It was great. I knew a lot of those guys from the U-20s when we went to the Netherlands to play. We had been close for a couple years already but especially with Sacha Kljestan, someone who I played Cal South soccer with. Being around old friends and teammates on such a big stage was amazing. To see everyone go on in their careers and become stars in their own right makes me proud to have been teammates with them at those Olympics."
