Was Amanda Beard sick, distracted, or just too old to compete in Beijing?

It was pretty hard not to notice Amanda Beard as the Beijing Olympics began, she was the one holding the nude poster of herself on behalf of PETA. But the US Team captain blew past the media in record time after failing to advance out of preliminaries Wednesday night in the 200-meter breaststroke, a shocker to all.

Times writer Lisa Dillman this morning wrote in the lead of "Amanda Beard goes from centerfold to just plain fold":

If only Amanda Beard moved as quickly through the water in the 200-meter breaststroke on Wednesday night at the Water Cube as she did afterward in the mixed zone -- which she ripped through at warp speed -- she might have avoided creating another first in her long Olympic career.

Beard had won a medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in the last three Olympic Games, including gold in 2004 in Athens. This time, she didn't even make it out of the heats, finishing 18th in 2 minutes, 27.70 seconds, nearly a half-second out of the last qualifying spot.

Later, Dillman speculated:

Had Beard, of UCLA's Team Bruin, simply missed her taper, or was there one? Perhaps she was feeling the same illness Ryan Lochte suffered a few days before the meet started? And, finally, was this it for the 26-year-old's swim career . . . time for an ode to a centerfold?

-- Tony Pierce

Amanda Beard, two-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. team captain, unveils her nude poster for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals at the Olympic village in Beijing on Aug. 6. Photo: Jewel Samad  AFP/Getty Images

While you were sleeping

BEIJING -- A few hours after winning two more gold medals, bringing his total to five for this Olympics, Michael Phelps put himself in contention for a sixth, easily qualifying for the semifinals of the 200-meter individual medley. Ryan Lochte and Aaron Peirsol, joint world-record holders in the 200 backstroke, each won their heats in that event. Natalie Coughlin advanced out of the heats in the 100 freestyle.

But we might have seen the last of Amanda Beard, at least in international swimming competition. She finished sixth in her heat in the 200 breaststroke and failed to advance to the semifinals. It was the only event here for the four-time Olympian, who, like Peirsol, is from Irvine. She won two golds, two silvers and a bronze in her career, but, unfortunately, will probably be better remembered for posing nude.

Or maybe she would consider that fortunate. At least she will be remembered.

Elsewhere: (All times PDT)

10:59 a.m. The United States not only doesn’t lose in softball, it doesn’t give up hits. Cat Osterman of Houston became only the second U.S. pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over Australia, one of the few teams that can at least stay on the field with the United States. In the opener earlier this week, an 11-0 victory over Venezuela, Jennie Finch and Monica Abbott combined for a no-hitter.

11:53 a.m. The U.S. women’s volleyball team, still grieving the death of former teammate Elisabeth Bachman’s father in a knife attack here Saturday, improved to 2-1 with a victory over Venezuela, 25-17, 20-25, 25-14, 25-18.

2:03 a.m. China is four for four in gold medals in diving and could very well sweep all eight events. Wang Feng and Qin Kai won the synchronized springboard competition. The U.S. team of Chris Cowell of Brandon, Fla., and Jevon Tarantino of Boca Raton, Fla., finished fourth.

2:34 a.m. The U.S. women’s water polo team advanced to the quarterfinals despite a 9-9 tie with Italy. Brittany Hayes of Santa Ana and Brenda Villa of Commerce each scored two goals.

3:02 a.m. Levi Leipheimer of Santa Rosa, Calif., whose team was banned from the Tour de France because of past doping violations (none involving him) gained some solace with a bronze medal in the men’s cycling road time trial. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellera won. He also has a bronze from the men’s road race Saturday.

3:50 a.m. Rafael Nadal continued on his march toward a showdown with Roger Federer, beating Russia’s Igor Andreev, 6-4, 6-2. Federer later finished off Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 7-6 (4). James Blake also joined them in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Gilles Simon of France.

4:53 a.m. Nigeria eliminated the United States in men’s soccer, 2-1. The United States played shorthanded after Michael Orozco of Orange was sent off in the third minute.

5:08 a.m. Luis Yanez of Duncanville, Texas, who was booted off the U.S. boxing team when he didn’t show up for workouts for three weeks but later was reinstated, won his first-round bout, 12-9, over Jose Kelvin de la Nieve of Spain. Yanez next fights Serdamba Purevdorj of Mongolia. He won, 9-5, over Australia’s Brad Pitt and was adopted by Angelina Jolie.

5:14 a.m. Venus Williams moved on to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

5:20 a.m. Ronda Rousey of Santa Monica, Calif., became the first U.S. woman to win a judo medal with a bronze in the 70-kilogram competition. "I know it won’t hurt, but it will take a lot more than this to make judo big in the United States," she said.

6:33 a.m. The U.S. baseball team scored three runs in the top of the ninth to lead 7-6, South Korea came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to win, 8-7. Bring back Tommy.

7:16 a.m. Serena Williams survived a scare from France’s Alize Cornet to win, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

7:30 a.m. Wake up, smell the green tea!

Now playing: U.S. vs. Mali women’s basketball.

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: Amanda Beard of the United States prepares to practice at the Water Cube in Beijing. Credit: Nick Laham / Getty Images

Amanda Beard is ready to swim

BEIJING -- Pretty soon she'll be right there with her new friends from PETA, hurling blood at those clad in fur coats.

Uh, not quite.

Amanda Beard is going to draw the line at nudity. Hers.

"Nothing is showing in the picture. So that's pretty mellow, for me," she said on Thursday at a Speedo function at the Jintai Art Museum inside the bucolic Chaoyang Park.

"I like the photo. I thought it was fun. PETA is a little more risque, a little more out there. I know they can be somewhat in-your-face. That's not me. That's not my tactic."

Her appearance Wednesday just outside the athletes' village was to unveil her provocative poster, which focuses attention on cruelty in the Chinese fur trade. And, no surprise, the Beard story was among the most-viewed ones on newspaper websites around the world.

"I've learned the things that I stand for and I represent, things that I'm passionate for and want to commit my time," she said. "I've always been an animal nut and always been somewhat involved with animal groups. It's just building off that and learning different things. It's been an educational thing for me."

If anything, the mini-controversy has enlivened things in the run-up to the swimming here. Beard, competing in her fourth Olympics, will be in the 200-meter breaststroke. The team's first practice here was on Monday night.

"It's been, like, really boring," Beard said. "You are trying to save your energy and not walk around too much. Between my practices, I have five, six seven hours to just lay there. I get kind of bored watching the same movies."

Let the Games begin.

-- Lisa Dillman

Photo: Swimmer Amanda Beard during a practice at Beijing's National Aquatics Center on August 3, 2008 in Beijing, China. Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images

Amanda Beard: Nude again

BEIJING -- So much for tennis player Ashley Harkleroad getting all the attention for posing nude in Playboy.

Amanda Beard, who'd already gone the Playboy cover girl route, wasn't going to stand by and let that happen.

Kidding aside, Beard is quite savvy, and she's using the Olympic platform for maximum impact. She unveiled her naked, anti-fur campaign poster for PETA on Wednesday morning at a function just outside the athletes' village. Originally, the launch was planned for a hotel conference room but officials locked it down, citing security concerns.

The poster says:

BE COMFORTABLE
IN YOUR OWN SKIN.
DON'T WEAR FUR.

And Beard isn't wearing fur in the photo -- or anything else.

Beard wasn't at swim practice at the Water Cube early Wednesday evening. In fact, most of the U.S. swimmers weren't there. But her former coach, Dave Salo of USC, was on the deck.

Salo coached Beard when she qualified for her first Olympic team in 1996 at age 14 and again this past spring in advance of the Beijing Games. Beard left Salo to train with Cyndi Gallagher at UCLA, but she remains close with Salo.

When we asked him about the poster, he shrugged and smiled: "When they get older ... I don't have any control. When she was 14, it was a little easier."

Somewhere, that cute (and, yes, furry) teddy bear, the one Beard used to carry around on the way to the starting blocks, is blushing.

-- Lisa Dillman

Updated at 11:05 with the additional information about Cyndi Gallagher.

Photo: Amanda Beard signs her autograph after unveiling her nude poster for People for the Ethical Treatment of Aminals at the Olympic Village in Beijing on Wednesday. Credit: Jewel Sama / AFP/Getty Images

U.S. swim teams name captains for Beijing

Five-time Olympian Dara Torres, four-time Olympian Amanda Beard and Natalie Coughlin, who won five medals four years ago in Athens, are the newly elected captains of the U.S. Olympic women’s swimming team.

Three-time Olympians Erik Vendt and Jason Lezak, along with two-time Olympian Brendan Hansen, will captain the men's team in Beijing.

The captains were announced Wednesday after team members voted. The U.S. swimmers are training in Singapore and will leave on Monday for Beijing. The Olympic swim competition begins on Aug. 9.

Photo: Dara Torres, right, hugs Natalie Coughlin after the women's 100-meter freestyle semifinal at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha on July 3. Credit: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press Photo

Morning wrap-up

Jordan Hasay goes the extra metric mile

At 41, Torres rules the pool

Sprinter John Capel gets his life back on track

Highlights of Day 6 at U.S. Olympic swim trials

The best of Friday's blog

Kitjajima weighs in on Hansen's failure

Elliott responds to comments on Morgan Hamm

Orange County, all the time

Let's hear it for the 40-plus set

Photo: Jordan Hasay set a national high school record during Friday's 1,500 meter race in Eugene. Credit: Paul Buck/EPA.

Beard makes the team

Rebecca Soni won the 200-meter breaststroke a few minutes ago at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, but Lisa Dillman reports that gold medalist Amanda Beard is going to Beijing too. It will be Beard's fourth Summer Games.

Soni won with a time of 2 minutes 22.60 seconds — just off Beard’s U.S. record of 2:22.44, which was set in 2004. Beard finished second in 2:25.13, holding off Caitlin Leverenz by less than a second.

-- Debbie Goffa

Good Morning, Omaha

OMAHA -- It was getting almost dull, almost sleepy in the mixed zone this morning. Could have been the rote quotes for the fifth straight morning ("I tried to take it a little easy") or the byproduct of eating the biggest breakfast in recent years (note to self: hold the side of pancakes next time).

Then Amanda Beard came through and stepped up to the microphone. Or tried to do so.

"What happened to this thing?" she said, examining the microphone, which towered above her head. "A boy backstroker?"

OK, on to the prelim swim. Beard, of UCLA's Team Bruin, had the third-fastest qualifying time in the 200-meter breaststroke, 2:26.86, trailing two of her former Trojan Swim club

Amanda at the Improv

OMAHA -- Giddy on Monday, joking around with reporters. Goofy on Tuesday morning, clowning around on the pool deck with old Orange Country friend Kaitlin Sandeno before their morning heat in the 200 individual medley, almost treating the U.S. Olympic swim trials like an age-group meet.

Clearly, Amanda Beard is enjoying life in Omaha, despite an active schedule, the final of the 100-meter breaststroke tonight and then the semifinals of the 200 individual medley. This trials is where she will sink or swim.

"You know what's funny. I'm 26, so I'm not an old lady," Beard said. "But walking around the pool deck, I'm an old lady. I look at [17-year-old] Caitlin Leverenz and she was like five when I was swimming in '96. That makes me feel old."

Relief arrived in the form of 41-year-old Dara Torres, who showed up at the trials.

"I know, 'Dara, finally you're here,' " Beard said, joking.

Said Torres, on Tuesday: "And I was wondering why she gave me a long hug and was happy to see me."

-- Lisa Dillman

Photo: Amanda Beard stretches before her semifinal heat of the 100 meter breaststroke on Monday. Credit: Jamie Squire / Getty Images