Summer Olympics

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Meet the Olympics' Youngest Male Track Star Ever

Quincy Wilson, 16, broke 2 world records during trials last month; now he's heading to Paris

(Newser) - "WE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS" read Quincy Wilson's excited Instagram post on Sunday, announcing the 16-year-old's successful bid to make it to the Summer Games in Paris as the youngest American male track star ever at the Olympics, reports NBC News . The Team USA relay roster won'...

Simone Biles Secures Her 3rd Trip to the Olympics

She nabs the only automatic spot on the 5-woman team

(Newser) - Simone Biles is heading back to the Olympics and the white-hot spotlight that comes with it. The gymnastics superstar earned a third trip to her sport's biggest stage by cruising to victory at the US Olympic trials on Sunday night, posting a two-day all-around total of 117.225 to...

It Won't Be Al Michaels' Voice at Olympics, but It's 'Close'

NBC to package highlights with version of his voice generated by artificial intelligence

(Newser) - During the upcoming Olympics, it might be more appropriate to refer to famed sportscaster Al Michaels as AI (artificial intelligence) Michaels. The Thursday Night Football sportscaster who previously worked on Olympic broadcasts for NBC and ABC has agreed to let NBC use a version of his voice generated by artificial...

Check Out Team USA's Olympics Attire

Outfits for American athletes have been designed by Ralph Lauren

(Newser) - If you're going to compete in the fashion capital of the world, you'd best be dressed for the part. Team USA doesn't have to worry in that regard, as athletes vying for medals at the Paris Olympics this summer will be decked out for the opening and...

With Olympic Water Sports Looming, Bad News on Seine

River in Paris has levels of E. coli bacteria that are beyond limits determined to be safe for humans

(Newser) - Water in the Seine had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday. Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris,...

Simone Biles Easily Wins Her 9th US Championship

No one else has more than 7 national gymnastics titles in the US

(Newser) - Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles won her ninth US Championship on Sunday, leaving little doubt that at 27 and a decade-plus into her run atop the sport, she is as good as ever, the AP reports. Biles posted a two-day all-around total of 119.750, nearly six points clear of runner-up...

Gabby Douglas Will Not See Her Third Olympics in Paris

Gymnast withdraws from USA Gymnastics Championships with ankle injury

(Newser) - Gabby Douglas' long-shot bid to make the US women's gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics is over. As the AP reports, the 2012 Olympic all-around champion withdrew from the USA Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, citing an ankle injury. The 28-year-old Douglas, who helped the US win gold in the...

Goldman Bankers Need OK to Travel to Paris This Summer

Investment firm wants to stop employees who are trying to catch Olympic Games on company's dime

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs apparently doesn't completely trust its bankers when it comes to how they handle expenses, and this summer's Olympics are presenting a new reason for the company to be keep an eye on its wallet. Bloomberg reports that the investment firm has laid down the hammer on...

No Thanks to Apollo, Olympic Flame Is on Its Way

Traditional lighting ceremony in Greece suffered a bit of a glitch, but fire happened anyway

(Newser) - Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in Greece. Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver...

France Readies a Plan B for Olympic Ceremony

Amid heightened security concerns, opening of Paris Games may be moved

(Newser) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics planned on the River Seine could be shifted instead to the country's national stadium if the security threat is deemed too high. France is on a high security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and...

As Olympics Loom, Eyes on France's Mystery 'Invader'

Street artist's mosaics have appeared in more than 4K locations around the globe

(Newser) - For the Paris Olympics, it could almost be a new sport: Score points by hunting down mosaics that a mystery artist who calls himself "Invader" has cemented to walls across France's capital, the world, and even had carried aloft to the International Space Station. Vincent Giraud, one of...

Paris' Olympic Medals Feature a Little Something Special

Yep, that's an actual piece of the Eiffel Tower going home with victorious athletes

(Newser) - An Olympic medal with an inlaid piece of the Eiffel Tower. How's that for a monumental prize? A hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the iconic landmark is being embedded in each gold, silver, and bronze medal that will be hung around athletes' necks at the July 26-Aug....

Ahead of Paris Olympics, a Pesky Issue: 'No One Is Safe'

Bedbugs are overrunning France, with the Games less than 10 months away

(Newser) - The Summer Olympics kick off in Paris in a little under 10 months, but France is now contending with a pesky issue it hopes it can contain before then. NPR reports on a nationwide "resurgence of bloodsucking bedbugs," six-legged insects about the size of an apple seed that...

2 Big Names Return to Gymnastics Competition

Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee are looking ahead to the 2024 Olympics

(Newser) - Next year's Summer Olympics in Paris could be particularly epic for fans of US gymnastics: Two huge names are returning to competition, with the Paris games in mind. Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee will participate in the US Classic on Aug. 5 outside Chicago, NPR reports. It's the...

Olympics Booze Ban Has an Elite Exception

VIPs will get to swill alcohol, while the masses will drink water, soft drinks

(Newser) - Paris has deemed that the hoi polloi will not be getting a buzz on at its 2024 Olympics—but there's a notable exception to its booze ban, and that is the folks in the VIP section. As the Guardian reports, VIPs can swill champagne to their hearts' content under...

Olympic Medal Sells for $488K: 'Hitler Must Have Gone Crazy'

Silver medal won by Germany's Luz Long, who embraced gold winner Jesse Owens at '36 Games

(Newser) - The silver medal captured by Luz Long, the German long jumper who befriended Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, sold at auction for more than $488,000, a sum the auction house said was a record price for a publicly sold second-place prize. Long walked arm in arm...

Track Dad Who Helped Son Finish Memorable Race Has Died

Jim and Derek Redmond participated in 'one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history'

(Newser) - Jim Redmond wasn't supposed to be on the track at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He wasn't even an athlete, yet he played a key role in what the Olympic Committee calls "one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history." Per NPR, Jim Redmond died...

Hurdler Who Won Gold Thanks Volunteer Who Got Him to the Race

Hansle Parchment almost missed his chance at Olympic medal after he went to wrong venue

(Newser) - If your mother always told you give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, or to your Olympic 110-meter hurdling competition, we hope you've listened. Hansle Parchment will likely leave the house way early from now on, after the Jamaican hurdler almost missed his chance to compete...

Fleeing the Games, Sprinter Made a Last-Minute Switch

Wary of security, Belarus sprinter changed flight plans from Warsaw to Vienna at last minute

(Newser) - Change of travel plans for Krystsina Tsimanouskaya—she's headed to Vienna instead of Warsaw, at least initially. The Washington Post reports on the continuing drama swirling around the 24-year-old Olympic sprinter, who boarded a plane bound for Poland on Wednesday, less than three days after Belarus authorities took her...

Both Beat the World Record, but Only One Could Win Gold

Sydney McLaughlin of the US wins Olympics' 400-meter hurdles event

(Newser) - Sydney McLaughlin broke the world record. Dalilah Muhammad broke it, too. Only one of the world's best hurdlers could win the Olympic gold medal—and McLaughlin came out ahead in the latest installment of the best rivalry in track, the AP reports. The 21-year-old out of East Orange, NJ,...

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