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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Olympians

Olympians stories: 16 news summaries

 Ski Champ Concocts 
 'Smell of Victory' 

Michelle Roark loves the smell of rose oil
in the morning

Oct 15, 09 4:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ski champ and chemical engineer Michelle Roark has put together a line of perfumes she insists can give athletes the winning edge. Roark, the 2009 US freestyle skiing champion, credits her scents like "Confidence"—which includes grapefruit oil and rose oil—with helping her succeed. Other scents include... More »

MORE ABOUT:
smell • skiing • perfume • Olympians • professional athletes • Michelle Roark

 Phelps Unhurt  
 in Car Crash; 
 Other Driver 
 Shaken Up 

Cops say alcohol
not a factor in Olympic swimmer's collision

Aug 13, 09 11:31 PM CDT
(AP) - Michael Phelps was uninjured after the car he was driving collided with another vehicle in Baltimore tonight. The female driver of a Honda Accord was "shaken up" and taken to a hospital as a precaution. Two passengers in Phelps' Cadillac Escalade were unhurt. A police spokesman says Phelps has... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • car accident • car crash • Baltimore • Olympians • USA Swimming

 Olympian Johnson 
 Crowned Dancing Queen 

Gymnast Johnson claims the mirror ball to wrap up Season 8

May 19, 09 11:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Shawn Johnson now has a Dancing With the Stars' mirror ball trophy to put alongside her Olympic medals, Extra reports. The gymnast—at 17, the youngest star to compete on the show—took first place along with dancing partner Mark Ballas, leaving Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke in second place,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
reality TV • Dancing with the Stars • gymnast • Shawn Johnson • Olympians • US Olympic athletes • Melissa Rycroft

Retesting Nails 6 Olympic Drug Cheats

New technique
exposes athletes'
use of banned
blood booster

Apr 29, 09 6:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Six Olympic drug cheats have been exposed long after the end of the 2008 Beijing Games, CNN reports. The IOC—which keeps test samples on file for eight years after events finish—rechecked 948 samples after a new test for a banned blood booster was developed. Silver medal-winning Italian cyclist... More »

MORE ABOUT:
2008 Beijing Olympics • doping • drug test • Olympians • Olympic athletes • IOC • Davide Rebellin

 Phelps 
 Chugs Vodka 
 While Mom 
 Plugs Book 

Swimmer backs mom in NYC, up-ends bottle of Grey Goose

Apr 9, 09 10:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Phelps, well on his way to reclaiming his All-American image, was spotted at a New York hotspot “drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose,” a source tells the Daily News. At one point, “he got up, started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • alcohol • 2008 Beijing Olympics • memoir • Olympians • Olympic athletes • US Olympic athletes • Debbie Phelps

Olympian Could Be the Dancing Queen

Gymnast Johnson, 17, may earn $365K from reality show contest

Mar 27, 09 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Shawn Johnson could rake in a bundle if she succeeds as a reality star, TMZ reports. The Dancing with the Stars contestant, whose contract to appear on the show had to be approved by a judge because she’s a minor, made $125,000 just for being a contestant. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Dancing with the Stars • stalker • gymnast • Shawn Johnson • Olympians • US Olympic athletes

 More Pot-Smoking Celebs 

Olympic swimmer isn't only celeb to let life 'go to pot'

Feb 2, 09 6:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Elisabeth Hasselbeck may be up in arms over Michael Phelps' bong workout, notes Jezebel, but he's not alone. The View host speculated that today’s pot could spin into tomorrow's steroid use, even though the site notes that sponsors Omega and Speedo don't seem to care. Other stars who’ve... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • marijuana • marijuana legalization • Olympians • Kimora Lee Simmons • Mariah Carey • Woody Harrelson • Bill Maher Grid

Phelps Splashes Into World
of Video Games

iPhone-ready product, due in spring 2010, will include, if not feature, swimming

Dec 18, 08 4:07 PM CST
(Newser) - It was probably inevitable: Michael Phelps, video game star. The Olympic swimmer is teaming with 505 Games to launch a Phelps-themed game in the spring of 2010, the Baltimore Sun reports. Swimming will play a role, but it won't be the main event. Beyond that, the game-maker is not revealing... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • iPhone • swimming • Olympians • video games

US Olympic Medalist Details Sex Abuse

Swimmer Hoelzer goes public in hopes of helping other victims

Sep 16, 08 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Olympic medalist Margaret Hoelzer was sexually abused, she tells the AP in the hopes of helping other victims. The abuse by the friend of a father started when she was 5 years old, the swimmer says, and did not stop until the family moved 2 years later. The abuser was... More »

MORE ABOUT:
2008 Beijing Olympics • child abuse • sexual abuse • athlete • Olympians • USA Swimming • Margaret Hoelzer

 Phelps
 to Kick Off
 SNL Opener

Gold medal star makes comedy debut
as host next month

Aug 28, 08 6:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Super swimmer Michael Phelps will be trying his hand at making comedy gold as host of the season premier of Saturday Night Live, E! Online reports. The 23-year-old Olympic champ will be making his acting debut when the program's 34th season kicks off September 13. The swimmer will be joined... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Saturday Night Live • television • Michael Phelps • 2008 Beijing Olympics • comedy • Olympians • USA Swimming • gold medalist

Olympics

China's Gold Rush
Pays Off Nicely for Athletes

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

Aug 23, 08 11:04 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • 2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • Chinese athletes • Olympians • gold medal • corporate sponsorship • Olympic athletes • gold medalist

 Spitz Starts Life
 as Second-Greatest

1972 Olympic champ stays gracious after record falls to Phelps

Aug 21, 08 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Outspoken and prickly in the best of times, Mark Spitz is slowly adjusting to being the second-greatest Olympian of all time, the Wall Street Journal reports. Mustering a little grace for the occasion, Spitz says he's relieved at the downgrade. "He's got the burden of inspiring the youth as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • 2008 Beijing Olympics • world record • swimming • Olympians • USA Swimming • Mark Spitz

 At 41, Torres Makes
 5th Olympics 

Ageless US swimmer makes a splash in the record books

Jul 5, 08 6:05 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
2008 Beijing Olympics • athlete • swimming • Olympians • Dara Torres

Dolphin Kickers Sink Swimming Records

Revived technique
is propelling
swimmers to victory

Jun 20, 08 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dozens of world swimming records have fallen in the last 18 months and many credit the explosion in speed to a technique invented by a scientist who worked on the A-Bomb, reports the Washington Post. Swimmers say the underwater dolphin kick, which has been revived and polished in recent years,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michael Phelps • athlete • swimming • Olympians

Olympian Indicted for Dealing Heroin

Accusation is latest of many legal troubles for track star Montgomery

May 2, 08 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Olympic gold-medalist Tim Montgomery has been indicted for dealing heroin, the Virginian-Pilot reports. “They said I sold 100 grams of heroin to an informant,” Montgomery told the paper in a jailhouse interview, noting that he has “no idea” why he’s been charged. The sprinter, now 33,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
drugs • heroin • drug dealing • track and field • Marion Jones • Olympians • Tim Montgomery

China Shines Image for Olympics

Bureaucracy in full spin mode with Games less than 200 days away

Jan 30, 08 2:29 PM CST
(Newser) - With less than 200 days to go before the Summer Olympics, Der Spiegel takes an in-depth look at China’s feverish preparations and finds a sprawling bureaucracy working overtime to project the perfect image to the world. But while Beijing might clean the smog, and even prevent rain, making communist... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • human rights • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Communist Party • Olympic Games • Chinese athletes • Olympians

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