athlete

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China's Gold Rush Pays Off Nicely for Athletes
China's Gold Rush
Pays Off Nicely for Athletes
Olympics
Aug 23, 2008 11:04 AM CDT

China's Gold Rush Pays Off Nicely for Athletes

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...

An Olympic Medal, but Then What?

Many athletes experience a vacuum when they withdraw competition

(Newser) - When Olympic careers end, many athletes endure emotional stress or cope with the comedown by turning to drugs, the New York Times reports. Few can expect the multi-million-dollar endorsement deals that await Michael Phelps, and many fail to redirect their focus. The fix, says one sports psychologist, is to identify...

Phelps' Victory Dance: It's Evolutionary
 Phelps'
 Victory Dance:
 It's Evolutionary
OLYMPICS
Aug 12, 2008 10:36 AM CDT

Phelps' Victory Dance: It's Evolutionary

All primates share body language of pride, shame: researchers

(Newser) - 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...

10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians
 10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2008 11:49 AM CDT

10 Buzz-Worthy Olympians

Phelps, Bolt, Xiang take sport's center stage

(Newser) - 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
...

Some Runners Leave a Cloud of More Than Dust

Poll finds serious athletes may still light up—on the sly

(Newser) - Though many athletes prefer to keep it hush-hush, a number of devout runners are also devout smokers. The LA Times takes a look at the unlikely phenomenon, moved to investigate by a recent Runner’s World poll which found that 2% of responders smoked without their running friends’ knowledge, while...

Top 100 Olympians to Watch
 Top 100 Olympians to Watch
Jul 28, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

Top 100 Olympians to Watch

Galaxy of stars aims to seize golden opportunities in Beijing

(Newser) - 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
...

Athletes Got Nothin' on Rock 'n Roll Drummers

Sports scientists say they're like Olympians

(Newser) - Sure, the lead singer gets all the attention, but how about a little respect for the drummer? Sports scientists are taking up the cause with a new study that says the rockers are as fit as Olympic athletes, the Times of London reports. The best of them lose 2 quarts...

Chinese Athletes Destitute After Glory Days

80% are jobless, injured, or impoverished

(Newser) - Zhao Yonghua was a Chinese national skiing champion and won several gold medals. But now, at 31, she is bedridden from diabetes, exacerbated by overtraining. With no hope of recovery or employment, the former star finally had to sell one of her gold medals to raise money for treatment. As...

Olympians Fearful of Chinese Food Chemicals

Athletes worried about mystery additives plan to pack their own food

(Newser) - In addition to concerns about air quality in Beijing this August, many Olympic athletes are worried about contaminants and chemicals in the food, ABC News reports. With many of China's agricultural products boosted by growth stimulants, or steroids, or amped by antibiotics, athletes are particularly concerned that they might unwittingly...

India's Growing Riches Buoy Olympic Hopes

Billionaire bankrolls effort to increase medal haul in 2012

(Newser) - India is not a nation known for its Olympic prowess—it's never even won more than two medals in one Games—but Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal wants to change all that, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Mittal Champions Trust is spending millions to train and prepare India's elite—often...

How to Be an Olympic Athlete
 How to Be an Olympic Athlete 
Jul 9, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

How to Be an Olympic Athlete

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
...

At 41, Torres Makes 5th Olympics

Ageless US swimmer makes a splash in the record books

(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...

World's Best Athlete? Never Heard of Her

Move over, Bo Jackson: Sheila Taormina has conquered 3 sports

(Newser) - The greatest athlete in the world today is 5'3'', 115 pounds, and named Sheila Taormina. You've probably never heard of her, but you should give this "force of nature" your attention now, writes ESPN the Magazine. Poised to become the first woman ever to compete at the Olympics in...

The Best Athlete on the Planet

WSJ panel picks Czech decathlete Sebrle to represent Earth at Intergalactic Games

(Newser) - If Earth could only send one guy to a galactic Olympics, who would it be? The Wall Street Journal had a panel of sports experts hash it out, and its top 10 might surprise:
  1. Roman Sebrle: Czech decathlon champion wins on versatility.
  2. LeBron James: What can’t the NBA star
...

Dolphin Kickers Sink Swimming Records

Revived technique is propelling swimmers to victory

(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,...

China's Quest for Glory Pushing Athletes Past Limits

Injured athletes pressured to keep training

(Newser) - China is going all-out in a sometimes destructive push to top the medal table at the Beijing Olympics, the New York Times reports. Athletes are risking their health by training while injured, and potential medal-winners are being pressed out of retirement. Olympic hopefuls are well aware that victory will bring...

City Rebuilds Flooded Gym for Gymnast
City Rebuilds Flooded Gym
for Gymnast
Jun 19, 2008 11:31 AM CDT

City Rebuilds Flooded Gym for Gymnast

US champion can't let anything distract her in Olympic trials

(Newser) - When storms inundated Shawn Johnson's hometown of West Des Moines, they also left a foot of water in her gym. But the 16-year-old couldn't use that as an excuse to take a break from workouts: The reigning world champion gymnast was preparing for this week’s Olympic trials, the Houston ...

Justices Don't Buy MLB's Fantasy Pitch

Using players' real names in for-profit leagues is free speech, Supreme Court rules

(Newser) - The Supreme Court refused today to hear an appeal by Major League Baseball against a ruling that allowed fantasy sports leagues to use real players' names and stats without paying a licensing fee, the Los Angeles Times reports. MLB contended such leagues shouldn't "exploit players' identity for commercial gain;...

Ex-Olympian Gets 46 Months for Check Fraud

Tim Montgomery, former 100m record holder, jailed

(Newser) - Disgraced Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery was sentenced to 46 months yesterday for his part in a check-fraud scam, the Washington Post reports. Montgomery, who still faces heroin-dealing charges, once held the 100m world record but was stripped of it for doping. He has a son with Marion Jones, who...

Road to NFL Often Starts at High School Bowl Game

Small company identifies future stars

(Newser) - For many of the top prospects in this year’s NFL draft, the path to stardom didn’t begin in college. Instead, it started at the US Army All-American Bowl, an annual high-school all-star game that’s been remarkably good at spotting future NFL talent. Since 2005, 69 participants have...

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