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Reports from Belo Interactive contributors at the Olympics in Sydney, AustraliaMichael E. Young's e-mail home Sydney is a lot like home 09/26/2000 By Michael E. Young / The Dallas Morning News 
Except for the accents and cars on the wrong side of the road, it's difficult to tell Sydney from any incredibly well-kept American city – if such a thing exists.
After two weeks here, Sydney feels comfortable, almost like home. But it's home with a twist. Things are the same, but different.
For instance, almost everyone in Australia wears jeans, just like in the States. But in Australia, jeans mean Levis, almost exclusively. Nothing else is even close.
I haven't seen a pair of Wranglers since I left D-FW.
And Nike truly is worldwide. Second place in the footwear war looks too close to call, between Reebok and adidas. Trailing the Big Three are a scattering of shoes from New Balance and Brooks, with the occasional exotic like Dunlop out there.
But forget about cowboy boots. Instead, those cultivating the rugged outdoor look favor boots from R.M. Williams, "The Australian Bush Outfitter."
They're kind of like an ankle-high roper, with a huge elastic gusset in each side and little loops of material on the front and back to tug them on.
The real quirks are on the road, where familiar brand names are attached to cars you've never seen before, and names from the American past are still perfectly current.
Toyota, for example, rolls out the Vienta and Spacia in addition to the Avalon and Corolla. And its van is called the Tarago, which looks a lot like an old Toyota Previa that shrunk in the car wash.
You'll see cars that look amazingly like Chevy Malibus, and SUVs that are dead ringers for Isuzu's Trooper and Rodeo. Except here they all feature the Holden badge, GM's official brand in Australia.
But Ford wins the prize with its déjà vu lineup. Sure, it sells the Explorer. But there's also the Falcon, the Falcon Futura, the Fairmont and the LTD.
When was the last time anyone in America saw a Falcon Futura, except at a classic car show?
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Track star 
1996
swimming gold medalist Ryan Berube 
