After a full weekend of competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Auburn alumni and students alike have yet to reach the podium.
So far it has been all swimming for Auburn's representatives in London with seven Olympians completing events on opening weekend.
Matt Targett of Australia was closest to grabbing a medal with a strong effort in the second leg of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay race.
The vaunted Australian team was predicted to medal after the team's silver medal performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However Targett, a seven-time NCAA Champion at Auburn and member of that 2008 Olympic team, was denied a top 3 finish with Australia placing 4th in the competition, 0.22 seconds behind Russia's bronze medal-winning run.
Coincidentally, Targett's team bested another former Tiger, South Africa's Gideon Louw.
South Africa finished 5th, 1.82 seconds behind Australia and 3.52 seconds off the champion French team.
Two current Auburn students, Marcelo Chierighini of Brazil and James Disney-May of Great Britain, swam, however both teams failed to qualify for the finals finishing 9th and 12th in the heats, respectively.
28-year-old Auburn alumnus Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe advanced to the semifinals in the 100m backstroke, albeit after watching her 2008 Olympic record fall to British swimmer Emily Seebohm's blistering time of 58.23 seconds.
Coventry failed to qualify for the finals, finishing 14th in the semifinals.
Auburn student Stephanie Horner of Canada could not make it past the preliminary heats in the 400m individual medley after reaching the wall at 4 minutes and 4.59 seconds, good for 21st place.
George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago was also stymied in his 100m backstroke heat.
The three-time Olympian finished 29th with a time of 55.22 seconds.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
