Category Archives: Olympics

After its most dominating Olympics ever in diving, Chinas national team is seeing major changes.

China won seven of the eight diving golds in Tokyo with a silver in the other. It finished one-two in all four individual events.

Now, half of that 10-diver dream team has moved on, according to Chinese media. Most notably Shi TingmaoandXie Siyi, who swept the womens and mens individual and synchronized springboard gold medals, reportedly left the competitive side of the sport.

As haveWang Han, who took springboard silver behind Shi and then joined her for synchro gold, and male platform starsChen Aisen, the 2016 Olympic champion, andYang Jian, who took silver in Tokyo behind the still activeCao Yuan.

Shi, 30, is the biggest name and maybe the most expected after reportedly saying in Tokyo that it was likely her final Olympics. She is now reportedly coaching.

After legends Chen RuolinandWu Minxiaretired after Rio, Shi became the veteran leader of the womens team. She went four-for-four in her Olympic career, winning individual and synchro springboard gold in 2016 and 2021. She also won eight world titles between 2011 and 2019 between individual and synchro springboard.

Xie was told in 2014 that he would never dive again after breaking his right ankle. He later reaggravated the injury, and it ultimately ruled him out of Rio Olympic contention. After that, he won both world titles on springboard in the last Olympic cycle, in addition to his gold in Tokyo.

The national diving team now consists of 18 athletes, 15 of whom were born after 2000, according to Xinhua News Agency. The oldest is the 27-year-old Cao, who won gold medals in three different events at the last three Olympics.

Quan Hongchan, who won Tokyo womens platform gold at age 14, is also still with the program, according to Xinhua.

The world championships are this summer in Budapest.

NBC Olympic research contributed to this report.

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China divers retire after dominating Tokyo Olympics - Home of the Olympic Channel

OSHKOSH (NBC 26) For the first time in two years, Special Olympics Wisconsin basketball is back in action.

Valerie Juarez

"We love being back. We definitely miss being away and it all brought us back together, which is nice, said Trinity Harvey, a Special Olympic athlete.

Valerie Juarez

"It's really good to get to see our friends and all of our coaches and referees, said Curtis Gregory, Special Olympic athlete.

Valerie Juarez

Teams from all over Wisconsin gathered at the UW-Oshkosh Kolf Sports Center for a three on three tournament.

Valerie Juarez

It's a quicker game, but it's only half a court and allows everyone to compete, said Mark Wolfgram, Special Olympics Wisconsin tournament director.

Just hours before the tournament, Curtis Gregory said he wasn't sure he'd be able to compete.

"My grandma just passed yesterday and I'm trying to win for her. I know she's looking up for me right now, Gregory said.

Dedicating all his moves on the court for his grandma, Gregory said she's the reason why he had the strength to be here.

Valerie Juarez

"It's a little sore and still fresh for me. I just broke down and crying yesterday. I didn't even get to say goodbye to her. I'm looking ahead of the game, Gregory said.

Valerie Juarez

But even through the difficult times, this game of hoops continues to be stress reliever for many.

Valerie Juarez

Valerie Juarez

"I like going on the court and playing hard. I like doing fancy moves and stuff. Passing and shooting. Im a good shooting, said Darius, another Special Olympic athlete.

Valerie Juarez

Valerie Juarez

"Oh my gosh, I feel good. I really feel good. It was fun. I let the other team make some baskets too. They are here to play, too, so I figured I'd be a team sportsmanship, said Heather Hansen, another Special Olympic athlete.

Valerie Juarez

Valerie Juarez

This weekend's competition certainly empowering athletes of all abilities to continue shining on the court.

Valerie Juarez

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Special Olympics Wisconsin basketball is back in action - WGBA NBC 26 in Green Bay

Andrew Heo competes in last years U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He will be at Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena on Wednesday for a Tour of Olympians event.

Photo courtesy of US Speed Skating

The sanctioning body for American speed skating is looking to grow the sport, and it is branching out to all parts of the country.

So US Speedskating is launching the second Tour of Olympians to promote speed skating and bring 2022 Olympians to USS clubs around the country. Columbus Full Throttle Speed Skating Team will be hosting a pair of this years Olympic athletes on Wednesday for a special Skate with the Olympians event at Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena.

Its kind of a special thing that US Speed Skating started after the last Olympics, Full Throttle coach Taylor Burdekin said. After the end of the season, they go on tour with some of the clubs to help grow the sport and give back to the clubs a little bit. So we had applied to be a part of the tour and were selected as one of the clubs for the tour. Were pretty excited because we are a new club. Were looking forward to our skaters getting to meet some people who are accomplished in the sport. Hopefully, they will be inspired.

In attendance Wednesday will be 2022 Olympians Austin Kleba (long track) and Andrew Heo (short track). The athletes will interact with fans, promote the sport of speed skating and participate in off and on-ice activities.

Heo finished seventh in the 1,000 meters in this years Winter Games in Beijing. He won the bronze medal as part of the 5,000m relay team and finished fourth in the 1,500m at last years World Championships.

Burdekin trained with Heo in Salt Lake City, Utah, before she returned to her hometown of Columbus a few years ago. Heo, 21, who is from the Philadelphia suburb of Warrington, Pennsylvania, still trains in Salt Lake City.

Kleba won the gold medal in the 500m at this years Four Continents Speed Skating Championships. The 22-year-old Campton Hills, Illinois, native finished 27th in the 500m at this years Olympics.

Heo and Kleba plan to stick around for a Thursday morning session to work with Full Throttles roughly 15 members.

The public is invited to attend Wednesdays event to meet the athletes and have a chance to learn from the pros. No skating experience is necessary, and loaner skates will be available for free.

There will be a meet-and-greet with the athletes at 6:30 p.m., speed skating demonstration by the Olympians and local athletes at 7 p.m. and the Skate with the Olympians from 7:15 to 9 p.m. Those wishing to attend the event can find more information at fullthrottlesst.com or on the clubs Facebook page.

Of course, its a great way to introduce people to the sport of speed skating because theres not a lot of speed skating in Indiana, Burdekin said. Well play some games and do some speed skating activities, as well as let the people speed skate with the Olympians. Even if theyre not interested in becoming a speed skater, its an opportunity to meet people who have a high level of achievement.

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Two For The Show: Olympic speed skaters to visit for 'Skate with the Olympians' - The Republic

Credit: Fadeaway World

Bam Adebayo is one of the most versatile big men in the game. He is a capable finisher at the rim and playmaker on the offensive side, and a 5-position defender on the other end of the floor. Currently, Bam Adebayo averages 19.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 3.4 APG.

Even though Bam Adebayo is obviously an All-Star level player currently, it took him some time to get there. During the 2018-19 season, he put up 8.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 2.2 APG, and was even cut from the Team USA team that participated in the 2019 World Cup by Gregg Popovich.

Recently, Bam Adebayo opened up on that situation, and claimed that he felt some "animosity" towards Gregg Popovich because he felt as though he "should have been on that team". He added that he told Popovich that he'll "never forget" being cut by him after the conclusion of the 2020 Olympics. (3:37)

Definitely animosity, because I felt like I should have been on that team. But when we got to the Olympics I had to let my animosity go because he was my coach at the time.

But when we left, I let him know, from the time being in this Olympics we cool and you my coach, Im your player. We gonna be like you and Tim... But when we leave, just know, Ill never forget that you cut me.

"He respected it so much, he was like "Man, I can't be mad at that. I did what I thought was best for the team, but I got to live with that".

"Just know, whenever we play the Spurs, and you're coaching, to get me geared up for that game it's always going to go back to that. You cut me."

There is no doubt that this shows Bam Adebayo's competitive nature, and it's good to see that he used getting cut as motivation. He did end up being part of the 2020 Olympics and winning a gold medal with Team USA, so Gregg Popovich clearly saw his value later on.

As of now though, Bam Adebayo's focus will be on trying to win a championship with the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat have shown that they can play well outside of the NBA bubble this year, and perhaps we'll end up seeing them back in the NBA Finals.1`2

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Bam Adebayo Reveals What He Told Gregg Popovich After The Olympics: "When We Leave, Just Know That I'll Never Forget That You Cut Me." -...

Isaac Lamprecht may be following in the footsteps of his father, Brian.

Brian, however, is the one chasing 15-year-old Isaac in the duos athletic journey.

If I was doing it, he had to do it, and he had to do it better than me, said Brian Lamprecht, who has completed five Ironman Triathlons (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.22-mile run) as part of his own impressive record in ultra-endurance events.

Seeking to emulate his father, Isaac began competing in endurance competitions around age 12 and has always had a knack for one-upping his role model.

A sophomore at New Kent High School, the younger Lamprecht is a nationally accomplished triathlete who was ranked No. 7 in the country for his age group in 2021. Isaac has already competed at USA Triathlon Age Group Nationals and plans to do so again this summer.

He has a highly developed Dad-competition gene, said Brian, looking sideways at his son as the two sat in front of hundreds of medals Isaac has accumulated.

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Born and raised in the New Kent area, Isaac has qualified for state competition seven times across the four different sports in which he competes for his high school cross country in the fall, swimming and indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring.

He has yet to fail to qualify for states in any of them, and this year he undertook a whirlwind of a Saturday to compete in the state swim meet at SwimRVA in Chesterfield County and at indoor track regionals at Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton on the same day.

On Feb. 19, Isaac swam in the preliminaries for the 500-meter freestyle at 10 a.m. and qualified for the finals around 5 p.m. In between, he and his father drove the hour and 20 minutes to Boo Williams, where Isaac ran both the 1,000 and 1,600 region finals, placing fourth (2:59.16) and second (4:48.87), respectively.

Then they hopped back in the car and ate some snacks, and Isaac took a nap during the ride before returning to SwimRVA for the 500 free final, in which he finished 16th with a 5:54.01.

It was pretty tiring, Isaac said with a wry smile, adding that hes blessed with coaches who allow him the flexibility to compete in multiple and often overlapping sports during an era in which specialization is the national trend in high school athletics.

That sort of juggling is something the Lamprechts are accustomed to at this juncture of Isaacs athletic pursuits. Brian only started running around age 40 upon getting involved in the Massey Challenge, an initiative for runners or walkers to raise money for the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Brians father was battling cancer at the time.

A 5K turned into a 10K, which evolved to a half-marathon. Before long, Brian was running marathons and Isaac was following in his footsteps. When Brian switched to triathlons, that became what Isaac wanted to do.

In Isaacs first 5K, he beat his dad by two minutes.

He may be following me, but Im chasing him, Brian said with a note of pride. I dont think Ive ever beat him in an actual race.

Isaac has to eat a lot of carbs and protein to keep up a rigorous training regimen. Its normal for him to swim, bike and run a matter of miles in a single day. Hell race in the East Coast Triathlon Festival on April 30 and May 1 in Glen Allen.

In September, he placed third at the Giant Acorn Triathlon in Spotsylvania, which qualified him for nationals in August. This winter, he raced at AAU indoor nationals and won the 3,000-meter run for the age 15-16 division with a time of 9:20.59.

At the USA Triathlon nationals this past summer, he crashed on his bike. With the crowd chanting get up, he recovered to finish 28th.

Isaac normally sets two goals for himself one thats ridiculous and seemingly out of reach, and another thats realistic in the short term.

He trains for the latter, but expects the former.

Set the bar high, but dont expect it high, Isaac said of the psychology behind his training mindset. If people arent laughing at your goals, they arent good goals.

Isaac trains with Henrico County-based Endorphin Fitness and credits much of his development to coach Michael Harlow. He is considering a number of colleges with triathlon programs, with Queens University of Charlotte currently his top choice.

But options for collegiate competition are limited, as most colleges such as Virginia, William & Mary and George Washington have only club programs.

He dreams of competing in the Olympics someday. But perhaps his biggest goal is to complete more Ironman competitions than his fathers five.

Always the benchmark, he wont be satisfied until he eclipses his fathers accomplishments. And the pair said it has taken a village of teachers and coaches willing to facilitate and nurture his passion to get this far.

All the amazing teachers and coaches that hes had, and the willingness to understand that hes passionate about something, giving him that flexibility, Brian said. I couldnt imagine doing this without the support of all those individuals that help accommodate the direction he wants to go.

ZJoachim@timesdispatch.com

(804) 649-6555

Twitter: @ZachJoachim

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Meet New Kent's nationally accomplished triathlete with Olympic dreams, 15-year-old Isaac Lamprecht - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Some friendly-competition goes a long way in making seemingly-mundane work more exciting.

That's the thinking behind an annual Olympics-style-event put on by Easton Area High School. Thursday was the annual Reading Olympics at Easton Area High School.

High school students from across the Valley answered trivia questions about books.

Here's how it works: Students have a list of 25-books to read before the competition. The list changes every year.

Then, when it comes time to compete, students from participating schools head to Easton Area High-school. There they face-off against each-other in a three-round format.

The school with the most points at the end of those three rounds wins.

"I'm super excited for them," said Nicole Capuano,Whitehall High School Book Club Advisor. "They take a break from social media"

"Just really happy we got to come out here compete, the opportunity to be involved and meet up with other schools," she added.

There are trophies for the teams in first, second and third place. First place also gets an autographed book from the competition's list.

Middle schoolers across the Lehigh Valley will compete in a similar Reading Olympics event May 3rd, and elementary students will face-off May 5th.

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Students host the annual Reading Olympics at Easton Area High School - 69News WFMZ-TV

Floyd Mayweather has impressed the boxing fraternity with his clean record of 50-0-0, but very few know about the failures he faced to achieve this success. In the 1996 Olympics, Mayweather lost in the semis via a controversial decision. It is marked as the last defeat of his career.

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After the match, the decision favored Mayweathers opponent with a final score of 9 10. The young, bloodied, and emotional Mayweather couldnt accept his loss as he thought he won the bout.

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The dejected Mayweather shared his views after the match to an interviewer. While crying about his loss, he said, Well, I feel I won the fight.

According to Mayweather, he won the bout against Serafim Todorov, who was contending against him. Unfortunately, the judges favored Mayweathers opponent, making Serafim Todorov the finalist for the featherweight division bout of the Olympics 1996.

Well, Mayweather took this defeat seriously and worked harder than usual to accomplish the legacy which he aimed for.

Floyd Mayweather holds a record of 50 wins and no losses in his professional boxing career, which makes him one of the finest boxers in history.

In his 50 wins, he has defeated some significant boxers like Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao in their prime. Consequently, he is known as The Best Ever.

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On the other hand, Money Mayweather is one of the richest athletes in the world who has a current net worth of $450 million.

There is always a lesson in failure, and Floyd Mayweather learned this following his defeat at the Olympics. Subsequently, the loss made him work harder to achieve his dreams. Therefore, it was his door-opening moment to become one of the greatest boxers in the sport.

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Watch This Story: Gennady Golovkins Insane Body Transformation Over the Years

What are your views on Floyd Mayweathers success? Let us know in the comment section.

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WATCH: Floyd Mayweather, Bloodied and Shattered, Storms off Interview After 1996 Olympic Games - EssentiallySports

VANESSA LAURIE/Stuff

Simon Eaddy attended Spotswood College from 1985-1989, and initially couldnt decide whether he wanted to pursue cricket or football.

With three Olympics and two Fifa World Cup football competitions under his belt, and a third World Cup on the way, its fair to say that former Spotswood College student Simon Eaddy is a man who knows about goals.

The goalkeeper coach of the Canadian Mens Soccer team visited his old high school on Monday to talk to students.

One was a top player, but already ruling out a career in football.

I just said, look at my experience, Eaddy said.

Work hard to put yourself in a position where you've got a lot of opportunities, and then make a decision.

READ MORE:* How Mori wisdom helped football coach John Herdman on the road to World Cup glory* From Southland to the World Cup, the man behind Canada's football rise * Coronavirus: All Whites' hosting dream dashed as Oceania Nations Cup football tournament cancelled

Eaddy attended Spotswood from 1985-1989, and initially couldnt decide whether to pursue cricket or football.

Football won when he landed a spot in the national under-19 team.

He went on to play for New Zealands first professional football club, Kingz FC, in the Australian National Soccer League and was in the National League All-Stars Squad in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

In 2002 he had his first taste of Canadian soccer after moving to play in their professional league for the Ottawa Wizards.

A year later, the Wizards won the Canadian Professional Soccer League undefeated and Eaddy was Goalkeeper of the Year after conceding only 10 goals throughout the entire 2003 season.

Three years later, Eaddy returned to NZ to play for Waitakere United in the NZ Football championship.

Ive been with a Canadian for 21 years, and at that point we thought we would be back in New Zealand for good.

But then top coach John Herdman entered the picture.

At the time, he was the coach of the women's under-20 team, which is where I started coaching..

He then got the job as head coach for the New Zealand women's team.

VANESSA LAURIE/Stuff

The goalkeeper coach of the Canadian Mens Soccer team visited his old high school to talk to the students about his career in football.

Eaddy soon found himself joining Herdman in Canada as they took over running the womens teams.

Sport at that level is ruthless, like really ruthless, and you need to have people who first and foremost you trust.

VANESSA LAURIE/Stuff

Simon Eaddys advice to upcoming footballers is to be a pioneer.

He has helped Herdman achieve big results leading the NZ Mens team to the Olympics, and the Canadian women to two Olympics and two World Cups.

And now theyve led the Canadian mens team to their first Fifa World Cup since 1986 back when Eaddy was a student at Spotswood College.

His advice to upcoming footballers is to be a pioneer.

Rather than looking at the pathways that exist for you now, explore what the reality could be.

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Three Olympics and three world cups - the goalkeeper coach from Taranaki making it on the world stage - Stuff

This is a list of host cities of the Olympic Games, both summer and winter, since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Since then, summer and winter games have usually celebrated a four-year period known as an Olympiad; summer and winter games normally held in staggered even years. There have been 29 Summer Olympic Games held in 23 cities, and 24 Winter Olympic Games held in 21 cities. In addition, three summer and two winter editions of the games were scheduled to take place but later cancelled due to war: Berlin (summer) in 1916; SapporoGarmisch-Partenkirchen (winter) and TokyoHelsinki (summer) in 1940; and Cortina d'Ampezzo (winter) and London (summer) in 1944. The 1906 Intercalated Olympics were officially sanctioned and held in Athens. However, in 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to unrecognize the 1906 Games.[1][2] The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed for the first time in the Olympics history to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2022 Winter Olympics being held roughly six months later in Beijing.[3][4]

Four cities have been chosen by the IOC to host upcoming Olympic Games: Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, MilanCortina d'Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and Brisbane for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

In 2022, Beijing became the first city that has held both the summer and the winter Olympic Games. Ten cities will have hosted the Olympic Games more than once: Athens (1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics), Paris (1900, 1924 and 2024 Summer Olympics), London (1908, 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics), St. Moritz (1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics), Lake Placid (1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics), Los Angeles (1932, 1984 and 2028 Summer Olympics), Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956 and 2026 Winter Olympics), Innsbruck (1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics), Tokyo (1964 and 2020 Summer Olympics) and Beijing (2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics). Stockholm hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics. London became the first city to have hosted three Games with the 2012 Summer Olympics. Paris will become the second city to do this with the 2024 Summer Olympics, followed by Los Angeles as the third in 2028.

The United States has hosted a total of eight Olympic Games, more than any other country, followed by France with five and Japan with four editions. The United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Germany have each hosted three Games.

The Games have primarily been hosted in the regions of Europe (30 editions) and the Americas (13 editions); eight Games have been hosted in Asia and two have been hosted in Oceania. Rio de Janeiro became South America's first Olympic host city with the 2016 Summer Olympics. Africa has yet to host an Olympic Games. Other major geographic regions which have never hosted the Olympics include the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, Central America and the Caribbean. Between the first Winter Olympics in 1932 and the last ones to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympics in 1992, the Summer and Winter games took place in the same country three times.

Host cities are selected by the IOC membership, usually seven years in advance.[5] The selection process lasts approximately two years. In the first stage, any city in the world may submit an application to become a host city. After 10 months, the Executive Board of the IOC decides which applicant cities will become official candidates as based on the recommendation of a working group that reviews the applications. In a second stage, the candidate cities are investigated thoroughly by an Evaluation Commission, which then submits a final short list of cities to be considered for selection. The host city is then chosen by vote of the IOC session, a general meeting of IOC members.[6]

Cancelled Games Postponed to the following year

5 times

4 times (no entry)

3 times

2 times

1 time

Never held games

4 times

3 times

2 times

1 time

Never held games

First year

Last year

SummerOlympics

WinterOlympics

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List of Olympic Games host cities - Wikipedia

Players tried out for the 2022 Unified team last fall. The roster includes nine players with developmental disabilities who range in age from 16 to mid-to-late 20s and nine able-bodied athletes called partners who help move the game along the field and assist with setting up plays. The partners are high school and college soccer players.

Special Olympics athlete Brendan Jagielski, 29, of Johns Creek who helped lead Atlanta United Unified to a 3-2 win against Inter Miami CF Unified last year, has transitioned to assistant coach this year. He is one of four assistant coaches under head coach Marty Jelleme.

The team will play two competitive games this season against out-of-state teams which are scheduled before Major League Soccer matches. They will play Orlando City Unified July 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the New England Revolution Unified Team Oct. 1 at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

The Unified team will train weekly at the Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. They start scrimmage matches Wednesday with a friendly match against Atlanta Area School for the Deaf. More scrimmages will take place during the season with the Atlanta United U-19 academy team and the organizations front office staff.

This year is professional player Guzans fifth as ambassador of the Unified team.

Im very fortunate to be a part of this, Guzan told the Unified players. The games ... are certainly a memorable experience but I think practice, week in and week out, putting in the work, coming together as a group, thats what this is all about and were certainly going to make some awesome memories.

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Atlanta United holds signing day party for its Special Olympics Unified Team - The Atlanta Journal Constitution