Irate Wrestler Chucks Bronze

21-year-old is youngest American to win wrestling gold

(AP) - Henry Cejudo, the 21-year-old US prodigy who had competed in only one world-level senior tournament before Beijing, won gold today in Olympic freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling. Cejudo, crying the moment the match ended and wrapping himself in an American flag, defeated Tomohiro Matsunaga of Japan in the best-of-three match. Cejudo is the youngest American to win an Olympic wrestling gold medal. More»

Pointers on what it takes to go for the gold

(NEWSER) - Before you clear a spot on the mantle for that gold medal, you may need a quick reality check: Forbes runs down the numbers behind the blood, sweat, and tears of an Olympic athlete's training.

1. Training: 4 to 8 years to maximize lung capacity and heart strength
2. Sessions: up to 3 a day, 6 days a week
3. Goal setting: beyond annual benchmarks, some athletes plan 4 years out

The money is just an 'investment,' say officials

(NEWSER) - A boxing official made arrangements to "sell" two 2012 Olympic gold medals to the Azerbaijani team for $10 million, according to an investigation by the BBC . Millions of dollars in secret payments have already been made to international boxing organization World Series Boxing, sources say. In exchange, the head of the group promised that the Azerbaijani fighters would win two boxing gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics, according to sources. Lawyers have called the charges "preposterous and utterly untrue," even though the International Amateur Boxing Association, which runs the WSB, admits that an Azerbaijani foreign minister has paid $9 million to one of its competitions as an "investment." More»

Speed skating, hockey and Tanith Belbin makes Esquire list

(NEWSER) - If, like many, your interest in the Vancouver Games is lukewarm (kinda like the weather keeping the ski slopes snow-free), Esquire provides a list of the don’t-miss Olympic moments. Some highlights:

• Friday: Opening ceremonies. Vancouver’s spending less than half the $100 million Beijing did in 2008. Or you can rent Strange Brew.
• Saturday: See Apolo Anton Ohno go for a US-record sixth winter medal—as he and his fellow speed skaters sport the Stephen Colbert logo.

(NEWSER) - Wrestling aficionados think they’ve found a formula to put their sport back on the map. Just put the contestants on the beach—and make them take their shirts off. That last part is key. “High school girls love cut and in-shape high school guys,” says one USA Wrestling board member. The beach version also sports simpler rules and less technical play, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»