US Men Sweep 400

Government, corporations give athletes big bucks on top of Olympic glory

(NEWSER) - Decades ago, bringing glory to the motherland would have been the sole reward for victorious Chinese Olympians. The glory is still there—plenty of it, as China leads the gold medal table—but champions can now expect an average reward of $300,000 in cash and bonuses, even before corporate sponsorship deals roll in, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Golden-boy swimmers are only similar in the pool

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps has passed Mark Spitz's record number of career gold medals, and is dead set on eclipsing the seven golds Spitz won in Munich in 1972. But apart from their metal preferences the two men are very different people, observes the New York Times. The detached Spitz matched his talent with cockiness that annoyed teammates and was accused of mind games—while Phelps is sociable and popular. More»

Beijing recruits foreign coaches, targets medal-rich sports in quest to win, win, win

(NEWSER) - China wants to impress the world during this summer's Olympics, and not just by hosting a seamless Games. Determined to finish with more gold medals than any other nation, the country is bringing in foreign coaches like Igor Grinko, reports the New York Times. “Silver? It means nothing here; you might as well finish last,” the Russian says. More»

Based on projections and medals so far, US could edge out Canada

(NEWSER) - Based on an analysis of Olympics projections from across the board, the US could come out on top of the medal count at this year’s games for the first time since Lake Placid—in 1932. Nate Silver averaged medal projections from 9 sources; after two days the US has medaled 6 times, which is 3.3 more than was expected. That puts the final projection at 32.9, barely topping Canada, at 32.8. 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.