You can't get more autumnal than Aisuluu Tynybekovahere...
...while Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk's head is in the clouds over summer...
Johannes Vetter picks up a racket.
Simone Biles tries a new look.
Benny Karl gets comfortable in Dubai...
"...getting to the top (in hiking) is super metaphorical to the journey to success in skating." Figure skater, and hiker, Vincent Zhou eyes Beijing 2022. Elsewhere...pairs skater Vanessa James finally comments on the abuse allegations against her ex-partner Morgan Cipres.
And in more skating news...Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have quickly become a pair to watch as they put Japan on the podium watch this season. This weekend's ANOC Awards 2021 honored "inspiring performances" of Tokyo 2020, including Team New Zealand's rugby sevens gold, Team Estonia's surprise fencing gold, marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, and more. Rio 2016 basketball gold medalist Klay Thompson finds solace and recovery help in a boat, as he looks to return from a long injury timeout. Can Shamier Little 'bounce back' next year at Eugene's Hayward Field, the site of many successes for the U.S. hurdler? Hammer thrower Gwen Berry pens an explainer for The Players' Tribune. Kudos to her pen to paper. How did sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah 'tame the demons' to take multiple Tokyo 2020 gold? Meanwhile, South African sprinter Carina Horn looks to restart her career after a provisional AIU suspension ends. Ecuadorian sprinter Alex Quinonez: Another elite track athlete is gone too soon. Can Pyeongchang 2018 champion Andreas Wellinger come back fully this season from injury to defend his ski jumping title? Track cyclist Alex Porter's bike mishap at Tokyo 2020 is the inspiration for investigation, and introspection, at AusCycling. Harrie Lavreysen is making a three-peat in track cycling global titles a regular occurrence...(in Dutch) Skateboarder Aori Nishimura gets a magazine feature in Numero Tokyo's upcoming December edition: fashion, sports, and more. Sydney 2000 gold medalist in the 470 class, Jenny Armstrong now takes the helm at Yachting New Zealand, promoting the sport to girls in the country. Can the "greatest giant slalom racer" Marta Bassino continue her dominance and make the Beijing 2022 skiing podium? Retired short track speed skating star Yang Yang (A), now chair of the Beijing 2022 Athletes' Commission, reflects on the unique experience the Olympics provide. Between Sam Bennett, Eddie Dunbar, amongst others, Team Ireland might survive the retirements of road cycling stars Dan Martin and Nicholas Roche. Federer Express: Tennis champion Roger Federer gets a unique train-inspired honor in his hometown. Simone Biles: "Still scared to do gymnastics" after her bout of the 'twisties' at Tokyo 2020. Snowboarder Jarryd Hughes has no plans to let a still-to-heal injured ankle impact his Beijing 2022 goals. Chloe Kim chats with ESPNW ahead of Beijing 2022, after taking a break from studies at Princeton last season to return to a focus on snowboarding. An Alpine Skiing World Cup Begins Without Lindsey VonnLindsey Vonn: The Final Season (2019) A Quick Film Review As the 2021/22 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup gets underway this weekend, it occurred to me that, as both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, this season will be the first full one without Lindsey Vonn since 2000. And, it's the first Olympic season since then to start without at least expecting her to compete in the Games. It also struck me that it would be fitting to finally watch Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, an HBO Sports documentary from 2019, filmed in appreciation of her last few months in competition. A four-time Olympian between Salt Lake 2002 and Pyeongchang 2018 (she missed Sochi 2014 with injury), Vonn's three Olympic medals, eight World Championship medals, and 137 World Cup podiums made her the elite of elite athletes on the circuit. Add in her telegenic personality and cover-model looks, and she easily became the poster-child of winter sports for Team USA. But she had a competitive drive that powered her to all that ski slope success. And, The Final Season is unflinching in its look at Vonn's attempt to improve on her women's record of 82 World Cup wins and overtake men's legend Ingemar Stenmark at 86. Just five wins in the 2019/20 season of 13 stops would get her past Stenmark...but it's in a year in which her injuries and years of competition finally get the better of her. One supposes that such a documentary was planned to showcase her 87th win, and a retirement in the glow of establishing herself as the all-time greatest. But what's that they say about best laid plans? In the end, though, we're offered a gripping, sympathetic look at an athlete pushing herself toward a goal, and reckoning with this one goal just not in reach anymore. It's tough to watch at times, but rewarding for the chance to see Vonn in this competitive, fighting light. Superstar athletes are often 'superstar' because their success looks natural and easy. Add in the celebrity spotlight, particularly in Vonn's case, and it's easy to not realize the grit and fortitude behind the champion. The Final Season shows us that determination, and the emotional stress of a career end. Rather than the strived-for fairytale ending, the struggle at the end is far more common across sports. That she does end the season with a final podium finish is testament to her strength. Kudos to Vonn for an exceptional run in her chosen sport, and for showing us the true, human, last months of a skiing champion.
Stefanos Ntsoukos lights the way.
Chris Goulding is mural-ized.
Nikolaj Majorov is as creative with a camera as on ice.
Cheeky Lucas Eguibar is recharged.
Allyson Felix renews vows in style.
"The most successful SBX athlete around", Alessandro Haemmerle feels prepared for his third Olympics coming up in Beijing. USA Speed Skating catches up with 2018 breakout short track star Maame Biney: her Tokyo 2020 viewing, TV watching, and more.
Which Team USA swimmers will win a Golden Goggle Award for 2021 at the end of the year? Textron Aviation: U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes get post-sport career support from a unique sponsorship. U.S. sabre fencer Kamali Thompson is a modern renaissance woman, as Sports Illustrated shares. Curler Bruce Mouat looks forward to the opportunity for medal success at Beijing 2022's Water Cube venue, where his fellow Brit Rebecca Adlington scored Beijing 2008 gold. New women's tennis champion at Indian Wells - and Tokyo 2020 Olympian - Paula Badosa gets new attention for her model boyfriend. After a surprise world championship last season, Martin Ponsiluoma looks to secure an Olympic medal in Beijing 2022's biathlon. Three-time Olympic ice dancer Evan Bates speaks up on the human rights controversy engulfing Beijing 2022's approach. And...ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron responds to pointed, homophobic comments made in anticipation of Russian challenges to French gold ambitions. From an inline career to a surprise Pyeongchang 2018 appearance, speed skater Erin Jackson looks to move past a tough last season in Beijing 2022. Lisa Brennauer - after a 'stellar year' in both track and road cycling - is ready to defend her success at the upcoming track cycling worlds. Rio 2016 gold medalist Svenja Huth looks to now lead Team Germany as team captain to World Cup success in 2023. "Some days are harder than others", says rower Fintan McCarthy of trying to adjust to the transition from the Tokyo 2020 high of competition to the intervening years until Paris 2024. Jamaica's top sprinting women among honorees of the nation's Order of Distinction. Pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw embraces her opportunity to be a role model after coming to terms with body positivity confifdence. |
Above: Athens' Kallimarmaro, the site of the 1896 Summer Olympics
About This BlogAn Olympics fan blog celebrating all things Olympic sport athletesRead about me.
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