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A Little Roundup 06.27.22

6/27/2022

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A Look At Olympic Sports Athletes In The News

"I'm so proud of all the people in Ukraine....I'm proud of the people, of the government, the president." Swimmer Mykhailo Romanchuk has thoughts on home during the World Aquatics Championships.
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Mykhailo Romanchuk (Petr David Josek/AP)
Ukrainian Olena Buryak and Polish Agnieszka pair up to promote World Rowing's fundraising efforts for Ukraine's rowing community.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic tennis player Hubert Hurkacz commits to visible financial support for Ukraine during his upcoming run at Wimbledon.

Los Angeles 1984 swimming hero-turned-star commentator Rowdy Gaines receives the 2022 Rings of Gold Award from the USOPC for his work developing the sport.

Tokyo 2020 champion swimmer Maggie Mac Neil talks with The Olympic Channel on her 2022 and 2024 goals, and life after sport.

Mollie O'Callaghan: Who is Team Australia's newest swimming world champion?

Katie Ledecky's status as the best current women's swimmer is even more solid after her multiple-record-breaking success at the World Championships.

U.S. swimming star Caeleb Dressel's 'mystery' health affliction still a mystery...
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Team India's boxers are 'ready to shine' at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

'Old man' canoe slalomist Alexander Slafkovsky shows he still has some competitive fire in him with an emotional world cup win.

Team Canada ice hockey star Jamie Lee Rattray talks her Olympic career, living a publicly out life as LGBT, and more with Olympic.ca.

Is now the time to 'relax and have fun' for French taekwondo star Magda Wiet Henin?

Can a switch to Team Austria be the catalyst for Olympic qualification for gymnast Carina Kroll?

Tour de Suisse winner Geraint Thomas may have 'nothing to prove' in the Tour de France this year, but is still 'hungry" for a good showing.

Is powerhouse Japan facing a future generation crisis in judo?
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Zhao Yunlei and Liliyana Natsir are the latest inductees to the Badminton Hall of Fame.

Double Olympic medal-winning triathlete Nicola Spirig is on the cusp of retirement from the 'intense emotions' of her career.

Alpine skiing champion Lindsey Vonn urges fellow athletes to 'keep the Olympic spirit alive' by "using your world, your platform, for good".

Peter Caruth becomes just the second Irish Olympian to be publicly out as LGBT, and the first international field hockey player.

Skeleton athlete Lizzy Yarnold highlights a roster of Olympic sports stars celebrating 'National School Sport Week' in Great Britain.
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"I think any time women's rights get taken away, it's a sad day." Sprinter Allyson Felix has thoughts.

"It's almost like he's a pogo stick." The New York Times features sprinter Erriyon Knighton.

Coastal Carolina University student Melissa Jefferson is 'ready to face Jamaica's dynamic duo' of sprinting after winning a surprise U.S. 100 meter title.

800-meter runner Marco Arop's race tactics have adjusted with success after he has learned from Tokyo 2020 disappointment.

"Shot Put Diva" Michelle Carter talks about her impending retirement after her final U.S. outdoor championship this weekend.

Beijing 2008 tennis gold medalist Stanislaw Wawrinka reflects on the injuries derailing his career of late in The Players' Tribune.

Tennis ace Coco Gauff has extra motivation for a good Wimbledon run this summer.

Soccer champion Megan Rapinoe becomes a stirring, leading voice in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's actions against abortion precedent.

Did fellow Olympic and Team USA soccer star Tobin Heath come out as LGBTQ+?

Olympian-turned coach Andrea Fuentes gives a dramatic rescue of Anita Alvarez during the artistic swimming world championships.
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16-year-old Luo Zhilu's rapid rise in sport climbing mirrors the rise in the sport's popularity in China.
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Luo Zhilu (Lena Drapella/IFSC)
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A Little Roundup 06.23.22

6/23/2022

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Olympic Sport Athletes Making Headlines

Vogue Ukraine has a roundup of Ukrainian Olympic sport athletes - from artistic swimming to fencing to rowing to track & field to canoeing and to gymnastics - recently enjoying success on the playing fields around the world. (in awkward Google Translate)
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Ukraine's artistic swimmers (@FINA1908)
Need a story with drama and hope? Read about Team Ukraine's determined participation at the women's U23 field hockey 5 Nations.

"The door is always open" for veterans Anna O'Flanagan and Chloe Watkins to return to Team Ireland's field hockey squad, despite a 'new-look' team for the upcoming World Cup.

Meanwhile, Michelle Struijk hopes "to play some really nice hockey" at the World Cup as she helps guide Team Belgium to its third consecutive appearance.

Olympic champion bobsledder Francesco Friedrich adds speed to his push team with Felix Straub.

Boxer Rashida Ellis is the first American woman to win world championship lightweight gold...and she credits her "mental fortitude".

"Taekwondo has changed my life." Syrian refugee athlete Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj takes another go at Olympic qualification as he meets with sports officials.

How are some of Team Great Britain's Olympic sports athletes celebrating 'National School Sport Week'?

FIS takes a look at some of the cross-country skiers with recent family announcements...

A feature from last month in Numero focuses on fencer and 'modern day Renaissance Man' Race Imboden: Olympics, life in Paris, modeling, and more.

The Medal Count: Who were some of the artistic gymnasts that got married recently?

So...why didn't star gymnast Urara Ushiakawa not make Team Japan's 2022 world championship squad?

Figure skater Nathan Chen's memoir, "One Jump at a Time", takes readers to his childhood and his Olympic success.

Speed skater Kai Verbij honored with the VISA Award for best exemplifying 'the values of friendship, acceptance, and inspiration' during Beijing 2022.

Double Olympic basketball medalist Mitch Richmond is the latest guest on the "Knuckleheads" podcast: playing on the Dream Team II, the Hall of Fame, and more.

Star basketball-er Brittney Griner's dire predicament in Russian jail continues to take a toll on her wife's patience, to say the least.

Will super star Steph Curry make a return to Team USA? An Olympic gold is the one major basketball medal missing for him.

Four-time Olympic medalist Lauren Jackson set to return to Team Australia's basketball team after a nine- year (!) international retirement.

​And...is boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. actually helping Griner's release?

Rio 2016 Olympian Philipp Kohlschreiber on the brink of the end to a "great and wonderful career".

Hana Kuma: Tennis ace Naomi Osaka turns media mogul alongside basketball-er LeBron James.

Newsweek's coverage of the historic Title IX legislation's 50th anniversary features words from Olympians Venus Williams (tennis), Lisa Fernandez (softball), Megan Rapinoe (soccer), Janet Evans (swimming), Sheryl Swoopes (basketball), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track & field), and Misty-May Treanor (beach volleyball), amongst other voices.

Team USA's ice hockey star Angela Ruggiero talks business in retirement, the Sports Innovation Lab project, and more, on the Five Rings to Rule Them All podcast.

World Athletics features star Allyson Felix's legacy as the sprinter runs out her last competitive season.

YouTube: How is decathlete Thomas van der Plaetsen's injury recovery going?

Long jump Olympian Tara Davis talks encountering mental health struggles in college with Spikes.

Looking for a hardcover 'photo and written essay' documenting select athletes' journeys to Tokyo 2020? Check out Alex Palombo's "The 20 2020 Project".

Montreal 1976 decathlon gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner weighs in on FINA's new approach to transgender women in competition.

It's official - Katie Ledecky is the most-decorated-ever female swimmer in World Championship history.

Did teenager David Popovici evoke memories of legends Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps with his swimming exploits at the World Aquatics Championships?

This week, Team Chile's Kristel Kobrich marked history as the only swimmer to have competed in 10 (!) long-course FINA World Championships.
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Kristel Kobrich (FINA.org)
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A Little Roundup 06.20.22

6/20/2022

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Take a Look At Which Olympic Sports Athletes Are in the News

The town of Takasaki in Japan steps up to host 25 members of Team Ukraine rhythmic gymnasts and coaches, displaced by the Russian war at home.
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Anna Bessonova is part of Ukraine's rich history in rhythmic gymnastics (Kyodo)
Former Olympic shooter Daria Tykhova is briefly mentioned as just one of many evacuees helped by a determined fellow Ukrainian.

A small glimpse of the 'unique' travails today as an Ukrainian athlete, through the lens of hurdlers Anna Ryzhykova and Viktoriya Tkachuk.

44 refugee athletes spanning origins from 12 countries named as recipients for Olympic scholarships.

Olympic champion Sunisa Lee remains humble - about rising viewership of collegiate gymnastics.

Five-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Sue Bird announces an impending retirement from the WNBA. (And note four-time gold medalist Sylvia Fowles has done the same...)

Tennis player Sloane Stephens gives an assist to V.P. Kamala Harris in the fight against online abuse.

London 2012 tennis quarterfinalist Caroline Wozniacki announces another child on the way with retired basketball husband David Lee.

OneVision: Tokyo 2020 tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas talks building the 'future of the sport' with the ATP.

Artistic swimming champion Ona Carbonell talks with The Olympic Channel about motherhood as an elite athlete, and more.

The New York Times: The World Aquatics Championships are here. So where's swimmer Ariarne Titmus?

Mack Horton: Memories of Thomas Fahrner and Los Angeles 1984 with a shortfall in the 400 meters free at the World Swimming Championships.

What does the Juneteenth holiday mean for Team USA rugby sevens player Naya Tapper?

Team Finland's Maisa Kuusikko has eyes on all-around competition at European and World Gymnastics Championships this year after a limited 2021 Worlds.

British gymnasts subjected to 'systemic physical and mental abuse', per an independent report.

Olympic Alpine skier Allison Forsyth has 'now made it her life’s work to make sure her kids and other athletes are safe in sport'.

Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor adds a personal mission to her new role as spokesperson for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

Rising 'black bomber' boxer Theophilus Allotey gets support from fans after his Commonwealth Games omission from Ghana's team draws outrage.

Captain Katie Mullan looks forward to seeing how Team Ireland's mix of both experienced and 'excited young players' perform at the upcoming field hockey World Cup.

Episode 76 of the "I am an Equestrian" podcast features Team Ireland veteran Cian O'Connor; take a look at the transcript. O'Connor also provides some show jumping rules thoughts for World of Show Jumping.

More podcast: Team USA Nordic combined athlete Anna Malacinski talks possible Olympic inclusion, and looking at the Games from the outside on 'Keep the Flame Alive'.

Double Olympic track cycling medalist Elinor Barker is back in competition after giving birth.

LGBTQ+ Pride Month: Dame Kelly Holmes makes a surprise announcement. "I feel like I'm going to explode with excitement."

Rio 2016 heptathlon medalist Brianne Thiesen-Eaton honored with a hall of fame nod at her alma mater.

Distance runner Luis Grijalva makes history for Guatemala at Oslo's Diamond League event.

It's award season for NCAA track and field, as sprinters Abby Steiner, Joseph Fahnbulleh, and hurdler Trey Cunningham pick up honors.

Chris Nilsen only turned to track & field for soccer fitness - he's now one of the world's top pole vaulters.
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Chris Nilsen (Getty Images)
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A Little Roundup 06.16.22

6/16/2022

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Olympic Sports Athletes In Recent Headline Features

Would-be Olympic boxer and current mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko set to receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage from ESPN later this summer.
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Vitali Klitschko (Press Office of Vitali Klitschko)
'Choose Courage': Tokyo 2020 boxer Ramla Ali honored with a mural in Bethnal Green.

Still wrongfully detained: Basketball star Brittney Griner's WNBA team takes a visible show of support in work for her release....which is definitely not soon.

Five-time Olympic basketball player Andre Gaze is officially a Team Australia 'legend'.

"It's something that has never left me...": Montreal 1976 gold medalist Wendy Boglioli remembers that 4x100 freestyle race.

Team USA's Claire Curzan enjoys a Croatian training camp as she 'fine-tunes' for the swimming worlds.

Breaststroke swimmer Arno Kamminga may be a favorite at the upcoming worlds, but he'd prefer his top competition be there to push him.

Olympians Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramone Quinn settle in to their new roles as USA Gymnastics 'plots a way forward' with their direct help.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic road cyclist Antonio Bettiol has a forgettable celebration at the end of Monday's Tour de Suisse stage.

Meanwhile, double Olympic road cyclist Evelyn Stevens puts her sports experience to use as a new board member with Right to Play.

​Who is the greatest South Korean archer ever?

Take a look at a gallery of action from last weekend's Marca Sports Weekend in Malaga, featuring a collection of Olympic sports stars - including Gary Payton (basketball), Mireia Belmonte (swimming), Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (judo), Edwin Moses (track & field), and others - showcasing sports for the community.

The road to Paris 2024 has a kick off for 55 of Hong Kong's breakdancers.

More Hong Kong: Five-time Olympic track cyclist Wong Kam-po headlines a slate of sports personalities promoting a sports institute's roving exhibition.

Torino 2006 curler Jamie Korab has family support in his 'Shave for the Brave' charity campaign.

Outsports: Team USA's Kristie Mewis shares thoughts on being a publicly out athlete, the Olympics, and more on the 'Five Rings to Rule Them All' podcast.

One to watch? 25-year-old Tim van Rijthoven had a 'tournament to remember' as he defeats the top three seeds for a remarkable tennis win.

Tokyo 2020 tennis player Liam Broady 'opens up about LGBTQ+ allyship during Pride Month'.

Retired tennis star and Tokyo 2020 medalist Ashleigh Barty experiences a 'Big Freeze' for charity.

More Australian tennis: Sydney 2000 Olympian Jelena Dokic reveals a serious battle with mental health. "I will be back stronger than ever."

And even more tennis: Serena Williams teases a much-welcomed Wimbledon return.

Back to Barty, as she is included as one of four Australian Olympians in this year's Queen's Birthday Honors, alongside Jakara Anthony (freeskiing), Lee Naylor (track & field), and Colin Coates (speed skating).

Get to know Charlotte Hoing, Team Germany's high hope for this summer's Youth Equestrian Games.

Did Tokyo 2020 golfer Rory McIlroy cast shade at a golfing legend? (Yes)

As a 'Sustainability Ambassador' with the IBU, biathlete Jules Burnotte is 'finding ways to use his voice'.

Tokyo 2020 medalist rower Eimear Lambe talks role models in the 'Dare to Believe' school program.

24-year-old U.S. rhythmic gymnast Serena Lu is back in competition after five years.

Check out decathlete Kevin Mayer's journey onboard the Blue Panda with the World Wildlife Federation in the Mediterranean. (in French)

How is budding NFL player Devon Allen juggling his new career with sprint hurdling? (Very well)

Can Tokyo 2020 champion Peres Jepchirchir set a course record this year at the New York City Marathon?
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Peres Jepchirchir (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Let's Get Social 06.14.22

6/14/2022

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Looking at the Social Media Life of Olympic Sports Athletes

Sloane Stephens is a Black Bride covergirl.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sloane Stephens (@sloanestephens)

Irene Schouten shows us why she got that recent FHM honor...
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Irene Schouten (@ireneschouten1)

Mathieu Faivre is back training.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mathieu Faivre (@mathfaivre)

Anders Antonsen has a pool moment.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anders Antonsen (@anders_antonsen)

Nauris Miezis caught a big one.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nauris Miezis (@miezis_n)


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    About This Blog

    An Olympics fan blog celebrating the athletes of the Olympic Games and Olympic sports

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    Navigate It

    Random highlights of Olympic sport athletes - news, social links, and more, seen through the cheeky lens of this one particular, passionate fan.
     A Little Roundup
    Links to select Olympic sports headlines & news that catch my eye and focused on celebrating the stories of athletes

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    What are Olympic sport athletes up to on social media, away from competition?
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