Olympic athletes – News Stories About Olympic athletes - Page 6

OLYMPICS

Aug 12, 2008 5:35 AM CDT

First Gold Medal Thrills India

Olympic fever grips nation as local boy makes gold in marksmanship

(Newser) - A 25-year-old marksman became the first Indian ever to win a gold medal in an individual event yesterday, setting off an Olympic zeal rarely seen before in his country, the New York Times reports. By besting his Chinese and Finnish rivals in the nail-biting 10-meter air rifle finals, Abhinav Bindra...

China's Authoritarian Gold Rush Misses Joy of Sports

OPINION

Aug 6, 2008 10:10 AM CDT

China's Authoritarian Gold Rush Misses Joy of Sports

Beijing may well pass US atop medals table, but citizens' share will be minimal

(Newser) - Beijing’s plan to win the most golds at the Olympics seems likely to pay off in a battle pitting “Chinese authoritarianism versus American liberty,” Matthew Forney writes in the New York Times. Unlike the US, though, China’s citizenry gets little chance to play organized sports, with...

Germany Revives Schools
to Turn Out Olympians

Aug 2, 2008 9:10 AM CDT

Germany Revives Schools to Turn Out Olympians

Return to East German model to restore Olympic glory

(Newser) - Concerned over its sixth-place overall finish in the Athens Olympics, Germany is taking steps to centralize its athletic training program in a move reminiscent of the notorious East German training machine, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a country where membership in local sports clubs is the norm for athletes,...

Forget Olympics: Gladiators Takes Gold for Fun

OPINION

Aug 2, 2008 7:58 AM CDT

Forget Olympics: Gladiators Takes Gold for Fun

Rocketball and Gauntlet make better TV than all that running and swimming

(Newser) - American Gladiators wraps up just before the Olympics, and the Games will seem mighty dull by comparison, Ben Mathis-Lilley writes in the Washington Post. Rooting for the team is what makes watching sports fun, he writes, and it's much easier to root for an ordinary joe playing Rocketball than...

US Olympians Under 'Lockdown'

Jul 25, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

US Olympians Under 'Lockdown'

Organizing committee keeps close watch on athletes

(Newser) - The US Olympic Committee is keeping a tight grip on its athletes headed to Beijing. Ninety percent of Olympians are being "processed" through California's San Jose State University, and the USOC has requested that they not leave campus or talk to outsiders, an experience some athletes are describing as...