2008 Beijing Olympics

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

Phelps Lands Book Deal, Condo, Girl

(Newser) - Michael Phelps hasn't exactly rested since his eighth medal triumph Saturday night: The swimming sensation not only signed a $1-million deal to pen a behind-the-scenes book on his training regimen and bought a $1.7 million Baltimore condo, he was caught in a steamy make-out session with Australian swimmer Stephanie...

US Men Take Gold in Beach Volleyball
 US Men Take Gold
 in Beach Volleyball
Olympics

US Men Take Gold in Beach Volleyball

(Newser) - The weather was more like California than China, and Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser played like they were right at home today in the Olympic beach volleyball final. In blazing sunshine at the Beijing Games venue nowhere near a real beach, Rogers and Dalhausser won the gold medal by beating...

China Detains Americans Protesting Over Tibet

AP photographers also roughed up

(Newser) - Six Americans protesting China's rule over Tibet have been given 10-day detentions, in a rare instance of such punishments being meted out to visitors, the New York Times reports. Such extrajudicial detentions are common for Chinese dissidents, but foreigners at the Olympics have until now been quietly and instantly deported....

US Grabs BMX Silver, Bronze
 US Grabs BMX Silver, Bronze
olympics

US Grabs BMX Silver, Bronze

Latvia's Strombergs wins men's gold; French women top their race

(Newser) - Mike Day and Donny Robinson secured America's first medals in the men's BMX competition, placing second and third behind Latvia's Maris Strombergs. Injured teammate Kyle Bennett failed to make the finals, AP reports. In the women's race, Jill Kintner took advantage of crashes to move up into bronze position behind...

IOC to Probe Chinese Gymnast's Age
 IOC to Probe
 Chinese Gymnast's Age
OLYMPICS

IOC to Probe Chinese Gymnast's Age

US computer experts uncovers Chinese documentation listing age as 14

(Newser) - The International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation to determine if Chinese gymnastics gold medalist He Kexin is under the minimum age of 16, after a computer security expert turned up a document indicating that she's 14. Mike Walker yesterday posted an account of his search, in which he found...

US Men Sweep 400
 US Men Sweep 400
Olympics

US Men Sweep 400

Merritt shocks Wariner to take gold

(Newser) - LaShawn Merritt stunned teammate and rival Jeremy Wariner in the men's 400-meter race today, eclipsing the favorite by nearly a full second to take gold in the US medals sweep. Wariner, the defending champion, turned the final corner to find Merritt far in front of him, reports the Los Angeles ...

How the Decathlon Got Stuck in the Mud
 How the Decathlon
 Got Stuck in the Mud
OPINION

How the Decathlon Got Stuck in the Mud

Drugs, fan demand for broken records to blame of 10-discipline event

(Newser) - Once upon a time, the decathlon was it: The king of Sweden called 1912 Olympic champ Jim Thorpe “the world’s greatest athlete, and gold medalists such as Bruce Jenner became superstars. So what happened? Drugs, Robert Weintraub writes in Slate: Track events occupy the same space as the...

China Blocks iTunes Over Pro-Tibet Album

Compilation was offered free to Olympians

(Newser) - The Chinese government has blocked access to Apple’s iTunes music store for providing free downloads of a pro-Tibet compilation to Olympic athletes, the Telegraph reports. Users reported a blackout Monday, shortly after the Campaign for Tibet notes that 40 Olympians had downloaded the record. Only the Chinese iTunes store...

US Relay Teams Drop Batons
 US Relay Teams Drop Batons
OLYMPICS

US Relay Teams Drop Batons

Hand-off gaffes disqualify both men and women

(Newser) - US track and field was hit by two nearly identical disasters today, when both the men’s and women’s teams flubbed the last handoff of the preliminary 400-meter relay, the Los Angeles Times reports. A wet, slippery night in the Bird’s Nest proved tough for the relay squads,...

US Women's Soccer Claims Gold
 US Women's Soccer Claims Gold
OLYMPICS

US Women's Soccer Claims Gold

Team beats Brazil 1-0 in extra time

(Newser) - The US women’s soccer team claimed Olympic gold today, besting Brazil 1-0 with a goal scored in extra time, the AP reports. Carli Lloyd scored the crucial goal, but goalkeeper Hope Solo was the star of the game, shutting down shot after shot from Brazil’s unrelenting offense. It...

Japan Upsets US for Softball Gold
 Japan Upsets US
 for Softball Gold
Olympics

Japan Upsets US for Softball Gold

Americans denied top prize for first time since sport's Olympic debut in 1996

(Newser) - The US softball team was denied a chance for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal today, beaten 3-1 by Japan in the sport's last appearance in the Olympics for at least 8 years. Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno shut down an American squad that ruled the sport since its Olympic debut...

Speedy, but Disrespectful: IOC Chief

IOC chief criticizes sprinter's winning attitude

(Newser) - Usain Bolt has reached the level of track great Jesse Owens, but the 22-year-old Jamaican needs to show more respect to fellow competitors, says the head of the IOC. Although Jacques Rogge expects more amazing feats from Bolt, whom he calls "another dimension in sprint," he censured the...

Spitz Starts Life as Second-Greatest

1972 Olympic champ stays gracious after record falls to Phelps

(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...

BMX Olympic Debut Sees 4 US Riders Advance

Super sweep remains possible as men survive flashy crashes

(Newser) - BMX proved that it deserves its debut as an Olympic sport, with an exciting day full of crashes and injuries. All three American men made it through their qualifying heats, some more battered than others. On the women's side, Jill Kintner won the right to represent the US in the...

Gold Medal Is Priceless, But Metal Is Worth $215

(Newser) - Michael Phelps’ eight Olympic golds may be priceless, but they're not worth that much to a commodities trader, MarketWatch notes. This year's gold medals are made mostly of silver and coated with less than a quarter-ounce of gold, putting their value around $215. But people are, of course, willing to...

Phelps' Ties to Timekeeper Raise Doubts
Phelps' Ties
to Timekeeper Raise Doubts
OLYMPICS

Phelps' Ties to Timekeeper Raise Doubts

Sponsor Omega won't release images of race No. 7 finish

(Newser) - Michael Phelps' razor-thin victory in his seventh race is raising sticky ethical questions because the Olympics' official timekeeper is also one of Phelps' sponsors, the New York Times reports. Making matters worse, the timekeeper, Omega, and swimming's governing body won't break with protocol and release underwater images of the finish....

Phelps' Bond With Dad Hardly Golden
Phelps' Bond With Dad
Hardly Golden

Phelps' Bond With Dad Hardly Golden

Pop a Beijing no-show; Mike's also getting no love from Beard

(Newser) - Michael Phelps’ estranged dad, who’s had a peripheral role in the swimming sensation’s life since divorcing his mom when the boy was 9, has not contacted his son once during the Olympics, Fred Phelps tells the New York Post. "He's so busy, I'm sure not even his...

NBC's Olympic Ratings: Gold
 NBC's
 Olympic
 Ratings:
 Gold
ANALYSIS

NBC's Olympic Ratings: Gold

Phelps' record-breaking swim is highlight of network's bonanza

(Newser) - NBC’s Olympic coverage smashed the competition last week, in what Variety suggests could be the most decisive rout in television history. Viewership was buoyed by Michael Phelps’ record-breaking gold-medal performance Saturday; in addition, NBC’s various networks reached a staggering 83% of the US. The margins were the biggest...

Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record
 Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record
OLYMPICS

Golden Bolt Breaks 200 Record

Jamaican sprinter first since Carl Lewis to win 100 and 200 meters

(Newser) - Usain Bolt of Jamaica raced to a gold medal and a world record of 19.30 seconds today in the 200 meters, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics—and the first to ever break world records...

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11
 Britain Bumps 
 Medal Count on Day 11 
OLYMPICS

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11

3 more golds give 2012 host nation total of 16, best haul since 1908

(Newser) - Britain’s Olympic team added a 16th gold medal today, a total not seen since the 1908 Games, Reuters reports. Christine Ohuruogu took first in the women’s 400 meters—the country’s first track victory in Beijing. Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi won the men’s 1,500 meters, giving...

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