Olympics FanHouse

Disaster for the U.S. Bobsled Team

Wina Sturgeon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: USA

The first bobsled World Cup of the season ended in disaster for the U.S. team, just three months away from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

Todd Hays, the former freestyle fighter, kickboxing champion and college football star, injured his hamstring badly as he jumped into his sled in the four-man bobsled race at the Park City, Utah, 2002 Olympic track. Hays and his crew were leading the race at the time. The track is the same one where Hays won the Olympic silver medal in four-man bobsled, the first bobsled win for the U.S. in nearly half a century.

Disaster for the U.S. Bobsled Team originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeremy Bloom Retired to Grant Wishes

Wina Sturgeon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:04:00 EST

by Wina Sturgeon

Filed under: USA, FanHouse Exclusive

Mogul champion Jeremy Bloom has been training non-stop to get ready for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. So why did he suddenly announce his retirement from the U. S. team on Nov. 11, less than three months before the Olympic Games?

"It was a combination of a lot of things," Bloom told FanHouse. "Over time, the meaning and all the work of training six to eight hours a day didn't have as much purpose as it once did. Skiing still holds a very special place in my life, but my passions have shifted to other areas."

Jeremy Bloom Retired to Grant Wishes originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Obama Effect On the 2016 Olympics

Sportz Assassin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:11:00 EST

by Sportz Assassin

Filed under: Americas, USA

Forget the economy, the war in Iraq, health care and all that other stuff. President-Elect Obama needs to focus on bringing the Olympics back to the United States.

Okay, that isn't the most important item on Barack Obama's honey-do list. However, Obama's victory over John McCain on Tuesday should have a positive effect on the games returning to America in 2016.

Chicago, the city Obama calls his hometown, is one of the frontrunners to win the bid to host the 2016 games. The Windy City is up against Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Obama has already pitched Chicago to the International Olympic Committee and may do so again.

Obama's victory was met with a positive response from nearly every corner of the globe. Like I said, the Olympics aren't the most pressing need right now but being able to win the bid and showcase the U.S. in this manner is huge. We have an image problem as both a player on the world stage and in the eyes of the IOC.

The Obama Effect On the 2016 Olympics originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing

Sportz Assassin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:28:00 EST

by Sportz Assassin

Filed under: China, USA

USA Today is reporting that the Chinese government listed nine United States athletes and one assistant coach as potential troublemakers during the recent Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials felt this group of people posed a threat to ignite demonstrations against the country during the Games.

The names included softball players Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza and soccer player Abby Wambach, who broke her leg and missed the Olympic Games. It also included two Paralympians, one athlete who wasn't a member of the 2008 softball team and a top female collegiate golfer. Golf is not an Olympic sport.

"We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail Wednesday. "As such, we rejected the request to address this with our athletes or transmit the letter to them. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this."

Did You See That?

The field clears a fence during the New Season Handicap Steeplechase during the at Ludlow Racecourse on September 16, 2008 in Ludlow, England.

Emanuele Canonica of Italy helps his caddie in the rescue of a pigeon from the water around the 18th green during the first round of the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 16, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

A multiexposure image showing Britain's Andy Murray returning to Croatian Marin Cilic during a last sixteen tennis match at the Madrid Masters in Madrid on October 16, 2008. Andy Murray won 7-5, 7-6.

English football fans dressed in armours and tunics play in a friendly match against Belarus fans in Minsk on October 15, 2008 before the start of the Belarus vs. England 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier of European group 6 match.

Travis Brigley (R) of Hamburg fights with Matt Keith (L) of Ingolstadt during the DEL match between Hamburg Freezers and ERC Ingolstadt at the Color Line Arena on October 14, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko returns a ball to US Robby Ginepri during a second round tennis match at the Masters in Madrid on October 15, 2008.

A golf ball which has been enveloped by the tree over many years is pictured during the pro-am for the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 15, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays football during his training session prior to his thrid round match tomorrow at the Madrid Masters tennis tournament at the Madrid Arena on October 15, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Samuel Peter from Nigeria gets a punch from Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine during their WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Herbert Knosowski, AP

Japan's Kyoko Hamaguchi (lower) fights with China's Hong Yan (red) during the semi-final of the 72kg class of the Women's Wrestling World Championships in Tokyo on October 13, 2008. Hong defeated Hamaguchi and will face Bulgaria's Stanka Zlateva in the final.

Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Here is the entire list: Softball players Finch, Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, assistant softball coach Karen Johns, women's soccer player Abby Wambach, cyclist Jonathan Page, paralympic basketball player Jen Howitt, paralympic wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet and golfer Laura Goodwin.

Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Letterman Questions Usain Bolt on Premature Celebrations

Michael David Smith — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:58:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Americas

The world's fastest man, Jamaican gold medalist Usain Bolt, visited David Letterman last night, and Letterman asked Bolt why he didn't run hard through the finish line instead of slowing down at the end of the 100-meter dash:

"Before the finish line you're dancing and whirling around and flapping your arms in celebration," Letterman said. "Now that's not technique. That's something different from running technique, isn't it?"

Bolt tried to make a joke that he wanted to fly, but Letterman wouldn't let it go.

David Letterman Questions Usain Bolt on Premature Celebrations originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympic Gold Medalist Challenges Chad Johnson to a Race

Sportz Assassin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:53:00 EST

by Sportz Assassin

Filed under: USA

Above is a short video of Olympic gold medalist Mary Wineberg challenging Chad Johnson Ochocinco to a race.

Wineberg ran track at the University of Cincinnati. She ran the first leg of the women's 4 x 400 relay team that won the gold for the United States.

Chad Johnson/Ochocinco drew glares when he challenged Michael Phelps to a swimming race last month. He also ran a race against a horse at Florence, KY's Turfway Park last year.

Maybe someone should challenge Chad Johnson to being a better receiver. Through three games this season, he has caught just eight passes for 88 yards and no touchdowns.

Olympic Gold Medalist Challenges Chad Johnson to a Race originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Member of the Other Olympic Relay Team Had Gold Medal Stolen In Philadelphia

Shane Bacon — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:17:00 EST

by Shane Bacon

Filed under: Americas

While authorities still check to see if Tatum Bell has taken a job with the TSA, one Olympian sits waiting for his gold medal to be returned after it was snagged from his backpack.

Brendan Hansen, member of the the 4x100 medley relay with Michael Phelps, had his gold medal in his backpack in Philadelphia but after arriving in Austin, Texas, couldn't locate it.

Hansen told authorities that he knows the medal at Philadelphia International Airport, when a TSA official checked his backpack.

It's not clear whether the medal went missing in Philadelphia, Nashville or Austin. Police said they are trying to determine whether Hansen took the medal out on the plane or whether it might have been stolen.

See, this is exactly why I insist that athletes always wear the medal around their necks, like Phil Mickelson did with his first green jacket in 2004. No matter the situation, a gold medal goes with anything, even this.

Update: Looks like they found the medal. Convenient.

Member of the Other Olympic Relay Team Had Gold Medal Stolen In Philadelphia originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Lewis Suggests Usain Bolt Uses Steroids: 'If You Don't Question That, You're a Fool'

Michael David Smith — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:50:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Americas, USA

Carl Lewis won nine gold medals in four Olympic Games and is considered by many to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time.And while Lewis is impressed with Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing, he's also skeptical that Bolt is doing it without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs.

Steroid Nation passes along this quote from the London Times, which apparently began with a Sports Illustrated interview Lewis conducted:

"When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period."

It's a shame that athletes like Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and the entire East German athletic program of the 1970s and 1980s make us feel this way, but Lewis is right: There's no proof that Bolt used steroids, but you're a fool if you don't at least acknowledge that it's possible.

Carl Lewis Suggests Usain Bolt Uses Steroids: 'If You Don't Question That, You're a Fool' originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USC's High-Profile Fans Are More Than Ready For Ohio State

Elie Seckbach — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:13:00 EST

by Elie Seckbach

Filed under: Beijing, USA

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

No. 1 ranked USC takes on Ohio State (ranked 5th) this Saturday. This is the first meeting between these two juggernauts in 18 years. In this video we visit a USC pep rally and hear from high-profile Trojans, such as former NFL stars Marcus Allen, Curtis Conway and Daylen McCutcheon. Find out what gold medal-winning Olympic swimmers Larsen Jensen and Erik Vendt have to say to the Buckeyes, and former track star Quincy Watts says he expects a blowout. Oh ... and do you know how to do the "Sanchez Dance"? Find out here.

Youtube link.

USC's High-Profile Fans Are More Than Ready For Ohio State originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shawn Johnson Tells Ellen: Creepy Old Men Give Her Phone Numbers, Marriage Proposals

Michael David Smith — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:52:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: USA

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson visited The Ellen Degeneres Show, and it was mostly the kind of lighthearted banter that you'd expect:

But we did learn that there are some down sides to being an Olympic gold medalist.

Shawn Johnson Tells Ellen: Creepy Old Men Give Her Phone Numbers, Marriage Proposals originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Golden Child: Michael Phelps Is LA-LA-Loving Life

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:50:00 EST

by Elie Seckbach

Filed under: USA

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

In this exclusive video, we find out what life is like for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. During the Olympics, millions around the world were in awe when Phelps won a record eight gold medals, but these days -- thanks to hanging out with everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Demi Moore -- Michael is the one that is starstruck. We caught up to Phelps while he was in Los Angeles, and asked him a bunch of questions, including who he thinks is the greatest athlete of all time.

Youtube link.

Golden Child: Michael Phelps Is LA-LA-Loving Life originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oscar Pistorius Wants to Be the Amputee Usain Bolt, Goes for 3 Golds at Paralympics

Michael David Smith — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:26:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Africa

A month after Jamaica's Usain Bolt won three sprint gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius is looking to do the same at the Beijing Paralympics.

Early this year Pistorius successfully challenged the International Olympic Committee's ban on runners with prosthetic legs but failed to achieve a qualifying time for the Olympics. Today he ran an 11.16-second 100-meter dash, the fastest time in the 100-meter preliminary heats at the Paralympics.

Americans Jerome Singleton, Brian Frasure and Marlon Shirley had the next-best times, but all were well behind Pistorius.

Pistorius will also run the 200 and 400 meters. Bolt won the gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay.

Oscar Pistorius Wants to Be the Amputee Usain Bolt, Goes for 3 Golds at Paralympics originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Braylon Edwards and Michael Phelps Make a Bet on Medal Count Versus Touchdowns

Will Brinson — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST

by Will Brinson

Filed under: USA

Attempting to compare Olympic gold medals and NFL touchdowns is an apple-orange type debate. One is a four year culmination of hard work (unless you're a backstroker, then you just need to learn how to swim on your belly like everyone else) condensed into several hundred seconds celebrated on a world stage. The other is a week's worth of hard work condensed into several seconds celebrated on a ... Oh.

Well, maybe they are kind of similar, value and frequency aside. Which would explain why pool-pals Michael Phelps and Braylon Edwards are making a bet on quantity, which was confirmed by an NBC halftime report during the Notre Dame - San Diego State game.

The foot injury wasn't a complete loss. Edwards used the time on his couch to catch up with swimmer Michael Phelps' chase for history at the Olympics.

Edwards and Phelps have University of Michigan ties and struck up a friendship. Edwards bragged before Beijing that he would more than double Phelps' gold-medal total with touchdown catches. After Phelps' record eight golds, Edwards needs to set another franchise record.

So, as you can see, they actually made this bet before the Olympics. Whoops, Braylon.

Braylon Edwards and Michael Phelps Make a Bet on Medal Count Versus Touchdowns originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Phelps Is Human, Appears to Enjoy Touching the Skin of Playboy Playmates

Will Brinson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST

by Will Brinson

Filed under: USA

If you have eight Olympic Golds, millions of dollars and you could just spend the rest of your life swimming metaphorical laps, what are you interested in? (Yes, you are Michael Phelps.) How about Playboy Playmates? Because that's something that might pique my interest for the remaining 60 years of my life.

And, according to Radar Online, Phelps may also have some interest in women who are paid to take their clothes off doing just that.

Radar Staff Writer Neel Shah spent the evening in Las Vegas (more on that later), and was kind enough to send along these fine photos of Olympic hero Michael Phelps "massively skeeving on girls at the Playboy Club" in that city's Palms Casino. Neel notes that the Olympian was accompanied by an entourage of striped-shirted schmucks, one of whose sole duties appeared to be pointing a flashlight at anyone attempting to photograph the swimmer during his efforts to obtain a gold medal in ass-grabbing. ("It was unreal," says Neel. "Within moments of entering the club he summoned two girls over... I've never seen such an aggressive grip.")

Sure, it's a little creepy that he's so over the top grope-y and whatnot, but come on; dude is rich and famous beyond his imagination.

Have you ever heard him talk about his social life and its non-existence based solely on the fact that he swims five miles a day and needs about four hours just to pound 12,000 calories?

The guy is dedicated enough to kill off 90 percent of the things he enjoys just to train so our freaking country can continue its worldwide athletic domination; if he wants to take a year and spend all 365 days in a strip club fondling Playmates before getting back on the exercise wagon, well, I'm all for that.

Athletes and Playboy Models

Olympic legend Michael Phelps has certainly lived the good life after his record-breaking performance in Beijing. Among his numerous party appearances, Phelps was also seen getting cozy with some Playboy Playmates. But Phelps isn't the only current or past athlete to be connected to Playboy models.

Timothy Clary, AFP / Getty Images

St. Louis Blues player Dan Hinote recently married Playboy playmate Amy McCarthy, sister of 1994 Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy, at the Keystone Ranch in Colorado.

Getty Images (2)

NFL safety Adam Archuleta is currently engaged to Jennifer Walcott, who was the Playmate of the Month for August 2001. They had their first child together, Jett James Archuleta, on April 10.

Getty Images (2)

MLB outfielder and former All-Star Scott Podsednik, now with the Colorado Rockies, has been married to July 1998 Playmate of the Month Lisa Dergan since February 2006.

WireImage.com (2)

Michael Andretti, former Formula One driver and son of racing legend Mario Andretti, married former beauty queen and 2000 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jodi Ann Paterson on October 7, 2006 in Napa, California.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

NFL washout and former No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch is married to the 1999 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Heather Kozar. Tim and Heather have a son together, Chase Scott Couch, who was born on August 5, 2005.

Sam Riche, Getty Images

On January 29, 2005, retired MLB star Mike Piazza married Alicia Rickter, who was selected Miss October 1995 and the 500th Playmate in history. Rickter gave birth to the couple's first child, Nicoletta Veronica Piazza, on February 5, 2007.

Diane Bondareff, Hard Rock Cafe / Getty Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia married Carmella DeCesare, the 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year, on April 21, 2007 in California. They have a daughter together, Presley, who was born on April 28.

Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images

Former NFL linebacker Glenn Cadrez recently married Brande Roderick, who was a 'Baywatch' star and the 2001 Playmate of the Year.

Getty Images (2)

Not too long after NFL legend John Elway divorced his wife Janet Buchan in 2003, he reportedly had a short romance with Carrie Stevens, who was selected Playboy's Playmate of the Month in June 1997.

Evan Agostini, Getty Images

Michael Phelps Is Human, Appears to Enjoy Touching the Skin of Playboy Playmates originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Terrell Owens: 'I Could Beat Usain Bolt If I Got a 20-Yard Head Start'

Michael David Smith — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:51:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Americas

On tonight's episode of Hard Knocks, the HBO show that chronicles the Dallas Cowboys, the cameras followed wide receiver Terrell Owens and a few others when they went out to dinner, and Owens was telling his fellow diners about his speed.

Owens first claimed that if he were in the Olympic 100-meter dash, he wouldn't come in last, which everyone at the table (and in the viewing audience) realized was patently ridiculous. Owens is fast, but he couldn't come close to out-running an Olympic sprinter.

But then he made a more interesting claim, saying that he could beat Usain Bolt -- if he got a 20-yard head start.

So could he? Bolt can run 100 meters in 9.69 seconds. Can Owens run 80 meters (actually about 82 meters, since Owens expressed his head start in yards) in less than 9.69 seconds?

I think he can. Owens can run 40 yards in about 4.6 seconds, and based on my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I figure he ought to be able to run 82 meters in somewhere between 9.0 and 9.5 seconds. So yes, he'd beat Usain Bolt in the 100 meters. As long as he got a 20-yard head start.

Terrell Owens: 'I Could Beat Usain Bolt If I Got a 20-Yard Head Start' originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Irish Sports Minister: 'Unless You're Black and African You're Not Going to Do Well in Sprint'

Michael David Smith — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:21:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Europe

The man at the right is Martin Cullen, Ireland's Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. In discussing his views on how Irish Olympians can win more gold medals, Cullen expressed some interesting viewpoints about which sports Irish people can excel at and which sports they can't.

From the Irish Independent:

"Obviously, unless you're black and African you're not going to do well in sprint or middle distance," he says. "We'll get the odd one coming through, like a Sonia [O'Sullivan] or an Eamonn Coghlan, but we'll deal with them as they come. But the likes of the javelin, the discus, the pole vaulting, these are the ones being won by white Europeans. Physically and mentally we're suited to them, and it's easy to see how we could do well here."

Almost as surprising as those quotes is the way they're presented in the Irish Independent, which is Ireland's top-selling daily newspaper. In the United States, a government official who made such comments would probably lose his job, but the Irish Independent praises him for speaking a "vaguely politically incorrect truth."

Via Deadspin.

Irish Sports Minister: 'Unless You're Black and African You're Not Going to Do Well in Sprint' originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asafa Powell Runs 9.72-Second 100 Meters, Fastest Non-Usain Bolt Time Ever

Michael David Smith — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:40:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Americas

Where was this Asafa Powell in the Olympic 100 meter finals?

That was Powell blowing away the field -- a field that did not include fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt -- with a 9.72-second sprint at the IAAF Super Grand Prix event.

If Powell had run that well in Beijing, he might have forced Bolt to run a little harder in the 100-meter dash finals and shave a little more time off his world record. As it happened, Bolt coasted to the finish line in 9.69 seconds, while Powell finished fifth in 9.95.

Powell's 9.72-second 100 is the second-fastest time in history, but it's a sad fact of life as a sprinter that if you run the second-fastest time in history at any meet other than the Olympics, no one notices.

Asafa Powell Runs 9.72-Second 100 Meters, Fastest Non-Usain Bolt Time Ever originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two Jamaican Track Stars Implicated in Steroid Ring, No Ties to Usain Bolt

Michael David Smith — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:19:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Americas

Two members of Jamaica's Olympic track team received performance-enhancing drugs they ordered over the Internet, Sports Illustrated is reporting.

According to SI, documents show that hurdler Delloreen Ennis-London received two shipments of Human Growth Hormone and one shipment of Estrogen in late 2006 and early 2007. Ennis-London finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles in Beijing.

SI also reports that a shipment containing Testosterone, Testosterone Aqueous, and the oral steroid Oxandrolone were sent to another Jamaican hurdler, Adrian Findlay, who was an alternate in Beijing.

Although neither Ennis-London nor Findlay won medal in Beijing, this will become a huge story because of the tremendous success the Jamaican track team as a whole had at the Summer Olympics. And SI is already asking whether this story taints Jamaica's biggest star, Usain Bolt.

Based on what we know now, it strikes me as an enormous leap to think that just because two other Jamaicans are tied to steroids, that somehow means Bolt is as well. But whether it's fair or not, these questions will haunt Bolt. I hope he has good answers.

Two Jamaican Track Stars Implicated in Steroid Ring, No Ties to Usain Bolt originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Phelps Kicks It With Vinny Chase, Makes Cameo on HBO's Entourage

Will Brinson — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:10:00 EST

by Will Brinson

Filed under: USA

Michael Phelps, fresh off winning a medal or two at the Olympics, is doing what every American celebrity sports superstar does when they return home: make money and appear on television. He's already locked down to host Saturday Night Live for the show's season premiere, and now it appears as if he will be making a guest appearance on HBO's Entourage. Also, he may be popular.

When Michael Phelps shot an impromptu cameo for the new season of Entourage this week, the HBO comedy's fab four got a taste of what hanging out with the original Fab Four might have been like.

"It was like being in New York City with one of the Beatles," Kevin Connolly told E! News Friday about shooting a scene with the 14-time Olympic gold medalist, who's been the toast of seemingly every town since returning to the U.S. from Beijing.

"People were stopping in the streets and climbing up things to see him. They were going nuts. He's like a superstar."

The Beatles, Jesus parables, whatever works for you, Connolly. The Entourage spot appears to be a pretty big deal these days, what with Phil Mickelson dropping in for some Pro-Am golf lessons at some point in the season, although there's probably a reasonable point to be made that the show just, well, isn't that great.

Don't get me wrong, I watch the hell out of it (I am, after all, easily entertained). And I'm pumped for Phelps' cameo. But I'm also willing to bet that Drama and Turtle chase some women around while smoking pot, Vince and E have drama with a movie that involves Walsh and Ari swears a lot.

h.t Game On

Michael Phelps Kicks It With Vinny Chase, Makes Cameo on HBO's Entourage originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gold Medalists Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Lose, 112-Match Winning Streak Snapped

Michael David Smith — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:10:00 EST

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: USA

The beach volleyball gold medal duo of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh were portrayed by NBC as an all but unbeatable team during the Olympic Games. But in their first match after the Olympics, they were beaten.

May-Treanor and Walsh lost a match for the first time in more than a year on Sunday, as Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh beat them in a tournament in Mason, Ohio.

The loss snapped May-Treanor and Walsh's winning streak at 112 matches. Their last lost was on August 19, 2007, against Branagh and Youngs. May-Treanor and Walsh are 10-2 in finals matches against Branagh and Youngs.

The fans got their money's worth in the match, which at 1 hours, 45 minutes, was the second longest women's match in the history of women's pro beach volleyball.

Gold Medalists Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Lose, 112-Match Winning Streak Snapped originally appeared on Olympics FanHouse on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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