Top 100 Olympians to Watch

All primates share body language of pride, shame: researchers

(NEWSER) - The classic chest-out, arms-outstretched victory dance Olympic champ Michael Phelps performed after Sunday's 4-x-100 relay final is older than humanity, the LA Times reports. The same display of pride is instinctive to all primates, researchers say, and the body language of victory and defeat is rooted in the age-old need to confirm one's place in the pecking order. More»

Phelps, Bolt, Xiang take sport's center stage

(NEWSER) - Competing in 20 Olympic events and going for a record eight gold medals, American swimming phenom Michael Phelps is first off the block in the BBC's list of 10 to watch in Beijing. Here are some of the others:

• Natalie du Toit: This South African swimmer and Paralympic gold-medalist will make a splash as the first female amputee to compete at the Summer Games.

Ageless US swimmer makes a splash in the record books

(NEWSER) - Dara Torres swam her way into the history books with a victory in the women's 100-meter freestyle trials last night, reports the New York Times. The 41-year-old will be the first five-time swimmer in Olympic history. She shot past 25-year-old American record holder Natalie Coughlin to finish in 53.78 seconds—almost 5 seconds faster than when she first qualifed in 1984. More»

WSJ panel picks Czech decathlete Sebrle to represent Earth at Intergalactic Games

(NEWSER) - If Earth could only send one guy to a galactic Olympics, who would it be? The Wall Street Journal had a panel of sports experts hash it out, and its top 10 might surprise:

1. Roman Sebrle: Czech decathlon champion wins on versatility.
2. LeBron James: What can’t the NBA star do?
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Boxing's demands make its top dog a lock for this list.

Hulk, you should have stuck with wrestling

(NEWSER) - No, LeBron James, no! Stay far, far away from the movie business, Chris Yuscavage begs. Most athletes who try to make the transition fall flat, and it would be a shame if James gave up a spot on the 2012 Summer Olympics basketball team just so he could film the horrible-sounding Fantasy Basketball Camp. As evidence, 11 athletes whose star turns weren’t so starry, from StreetLevel :

• Lawrence Taylor: The former NFL linebacker’s “role in Any Given Sunday didn't really require him to act—it was basically just him playing the role of himself. So what does it say about him as a person that we still hated it?"