olympics
Phelps eases into butterfly semis
ESPN Aug 14, 08 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Roger Federer’s lackluster year continued today, as American James Blake knocked him out of the Olympics, 6-4, 7-6 (2), ESPN reports. Blake had won just a single set against the once-invincible Federer in their previous eight meetings. The women’s side also saw big upsets, with Serena Williams falling to Elena Dementieva of Russia and Li Na of China bouncing Venus Williams.
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OLYMPICS
Golden-boy swimmers are only similar in the pool
New York Times Aug 14, 08 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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OLYMPICS
Olympic swimmer gorges on 4K calories at each meal
New York Post Aug 13, 08 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps gorges on 12,000 calories a day—pounds of pasta, trios of fried-egg sandwiches, and an entire pizza—to keep his body fueled for his gold medal performances, reports the New York Post . "Eat, sleep, and swim. That's all I can do," said Phelps, who has racked up five gold medals so far in Beijing.
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OLYMPICS
Phelps' sport is underappreciated
NBC Aug 13, 08 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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With his 10th and 11th gold medals making him the most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps is also arguably the greatest American athlete of his generation, writes Alan Abrahamson of NBC. And despite the Olympic hype, he’s underappreciated. That's because his sport is not, say, golf, but swimming, which surfaces only every four years. And he makes it look easy.
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updated
Associated Press Aug 12, 08 9:23 PM CDT
(AP)
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Michael Phelps now has more gold medals than any athlete who's ever competed in the Olympics. The 23-year-old American swimmer won his fourth and fifth golds of the Beijing Games with world-record victories in the 200 butterfly and the 4x200 relay. He now has 11 gold medals in his career, two more than any other Olympian. He's not done yet, of course. Though he won't speak of it publicly, Phelps has a chance to win a record 8 golds in a single Olympiad.
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OLYMPICS
All primates share body language of pride, shame: researchers
Los Angeles Times Aug 12, 08 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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OLYMPICS
Swimmer smashes 200-meter freestyle record, matches Spitz in career medals
Baltimore Sun Aug 12, 08 2:58 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Michael Phelps racked a third gold medal today, this one in the 200-meter freestyle, and obliterated another world record in the process. His time of 1:42.96 seconds shaved nearly a full second off his previous best, reports the Baltimore Sun . The gold, his ninth overall, ties him with Mark Spitz and three others as the winningest Olympians.
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OLYMPICS
Olympian favored in 200-meter freestyle, on track for 8 medals
Baltimore Sun Aug 11, 08 4:59 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Michael Phelps is gunning for a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, but the one that would mean the most is in the 200-meter freestyle, his hometown Baltimore Sun reports. He insisted on competing in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and it was the only individual event he lost. "I wanted to be in that race," says Phelps, who finished third behind Australia's Ian Thorpe.
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Phelps inches closer to eight gold medals
ESPN Aug 11, 08 3:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Jason Lezak pulled ahead in the final moments of the 400-meter freestyle relay to win a gold for the US men’s swimming team and push Michael Phelps one step closer to a record eight golds, ESPN reports. Lezak, 32, swam the fastest leg in history—46.06 seconds—finishing a mere .08 seconds before the second-place French as the US team set a new world record of 3:08.24.
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Reuters Aug 9, 08 9:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Michael Phelps won his first gold medal of the Summer Olympics with a decisive victory in the 400-meters individual medley, Reuters reports. Phelps, who has a chance to win a record 8 golds in the Games, smashed his own world record—it lasted less than a day—with a time of 4:03.84. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary finished second, and USA's Ryan Lochte third.
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olympics
Wins 400-meter individual medley preliminary
Washington Post Aug 9, 08 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Michael Phelps has set a new Olympic record before the race for medals has even begun, the Washington Post reports. The American swam the 400-meter individual medley preliminary in 4 minutes, 7.82 seconds. “I'm happy to get the first-race jitters sort of out," the swimmer said. "The first race is probably one of the most important ones, to get it out of your system."
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OLYMPICS
Phelps, Bolt, Xiang take sport's center stage
BBC Aug 7, 08 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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US athletes hit 'manners training' to avoid Bode fiascos
Wall Street Journal Aug 6, 08 3:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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US Olympians are getting a new type of training: lessons in how to behave in Beijing, reports the Wall Street Journal . In a required course the USOC calls the "ambassador program," US athletes are receiving instruction on topics ranging from appropriate chopstick use to the correct way to hold the American flag during a victory lap.
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Baltimore Sun Aug 3, 08 3:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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At 23, Michael Phelps is poised to win the most gold medals ever by an individual at the Beijing Games, and earn some $5 million in endorsement deals for companies such as Visa and Speedo. Yet Phelps’ journey—from an 8-year-old throwing a temper tantrum after his first swimming loss to arguably the best swimmer of all time—has been a slow maturation, reports the Baltimore Sun .
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Galaxy of stars aims to seize golden opportunities in Beijing
Time Jul 28, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With the Beijing Olympics right around the corner, Time lists the top 100 athletes to watch. A sampling of stars gunning for gold, from the court to the pool to the track: LeBron James, basketball: This determined athlete's golden guarantee is raising hopes for the US team, which has lost to the likes of Greece and Puerto Rico in recent years. Dara Torres, swimming: No swimmer has qualified a fifth Olympic run—until now. This American broke that record and may break other ones, even at age 41.
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