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A Little Roundup 02.25.21

2/25/2021

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All you need to know about the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, courtesy of FIS. Check out event previews and highlight athletes to watch.
Track & Field News catches up with Rio 2016 1,500 meter champion Matthew Centrowitz, favored to lead the United States in the event at Tokyo 2020.

Sprint hurdler Grant Holloway is now a world record holder!

Need a primer on soon-to-be Olympic surfing? The International Surfing Association's The State of Olympic Surfing profiles the sport and its star athletes as the countdown to Tokyo continues.

Olympic medalist judoka Sally Conway announces a surprise retirement, ending a career that also included World, Commonwealth, and European medals.

Already an Olympic swimming superstar, Katie Ledecky is planning to make a big splash at Tokyo 2020.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali gets another posthumous honor with the release of a series of trading cards by Topps, starting with a commemoration of his Rome 1960 gold medal triumph.

She's already an Olympic legend, but gymnast Oksana Chusovitina is on track to appear at her eighth (!) Games and still be a medal threat.
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Chusovitina isn't the only veteran looking to make waves in today's gymnastics. AP looks at 2005 world champion Chellsie Memmel's planned comeback. And, Marian Dragalescu is set to become the oldest male Olympic gymnast ever at Tokyo 2020.

Nominees for the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards are out, and feature a number of Olympic sports athletes, including Rafael Nadal, Mondo Duplantis, Lebron James, Wendie Renard, Brigid Kosgei, Kento Momota, and may more. The awards, celebrating athletes'"impact on society" will be announced in early May. Congrats to all!

Ahead of his medal-winning mass start race at last weekend's World Championships, Olympic.org spoke with biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet about his drive and inspiration from fellow French sport legends. 

2020 Tour de France green jersey champion Sam Bennett wins an Irish accolade for his accomplishments last year.

Italian short track speed skater Martina Valcepina is In the Spotlight as ISU.org looks at how she is managing training in a pandemic-challenged bubble.

Olympians Gevvie Stone and Kara Kohler headline the U.S. Olympic Trials for rowing this week, as they vie for a single spot on the team in the women's single scull boat. "It's very exciting. It's also very nerve-wracking."
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A Little Roundup 02.22.21

2/22/2021

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I remember Seiko Hashimoto's presence at the Winter Olympics - she competed at four between 1984 and 1994 - for some reason, I was distantly charmed / impressed at her world-class success as a Japanese speed skater amidst the (East) Germans and Americans dominating the sport those years. And I was thrilled seeing her win a medal, her only one as it turned out, at Albertville 1992. And I became even more as she competed in three Summer Games, as a cyclist, She certainly has been an Olympian! And now, she's a late-arriving President of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, charged with stabilizing the organization after her predecessor's misogynist remarks and steering Tokyo 2020 toward fruition. A monumental task, but Hashimoto's Olympic and political experience will serve her well to move beyond impressions of tokenism as a female president. Congrats and best of luck!

Congrats to Greece and Montenegro! The finalists at water polo's Olympic Qualification Tournament are winners of Tokyo 2020 placements. Croatia also secured a spot also with their third place finish.
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Five skiers won two gold medals each at the Alpine World Skiing Championships over this past week - Vincent Kriechmayr, Mathieu Faivre, Sebastian Foss-Solevag, Lara Gut-Behrami, and Katharina Liensberger. But U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin was the top overall individual, with four medals...winning one in each event she entered.

More Alpine worlds: Mexico's erstwhile six-time Olympian, Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe keeps on skiing.

Meanwhile, the AP looks at the rare single-coach setup that Italy's top female skiers - Sofia Goggia, Federica Brignone, and Marta Bassino - share.

After a disappointing Rio 2016 and a horrific crash in 2019, triathlete Katie Zaferes is looking forward to cementing a comeback at Tokyo 2020.

BWF checks in on Indonesian doubles star Greysia Polii and how she has developed her forehand serve as a unique attribute in badminton.

Chelsie Giles was a surprise winner in the women's -52kg event at judo's Grand Slam in Tel Aviv, overcoming Olympic champion Majlinda Kelmendi in the semifinals en route.

Also from Tokyo 2020...a look at karate champion Alexandra Recchia, looking to add an Olympic podium to her numerous career accolades, while maintaining a legal career.
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Shortly before winning her fourth Grand Slam title, tennis champion Naomi Osaka lent her voice in support of progress at Tokyo 2020.

Norway sure provided the star power at the Biathlon World Championships last week. Breakouyt star Sturla Holm Laegreid's mass start victory yesterday gives him four gold medals at the event, including two individual. That tally pushes him past more noted teammates Johannes Tinges Bo and Johannes Dale on the men's side. Compatriot Tiril Eickhoff was the overall medal winner, though, as she earned a sixth medal with a bronze in the mass start. Her finish included four titles as well.

Six Olympics is just enough for India's luge Shiva Keshavan, as he focuses on mentoring a new generation of athletes now.

Nyjah Huston: a Tokyo 2020 skateboarding top contender in the news for hosting a Covid-19 "super spreader" party in Los Angeles.

Blanka Vasic: a champion high jumper retires.

Keep the Flame Alive's latest podcast feature interview is Jordan Gray, U.S. women's decathlete (right!) and her work to make that established,

Even more from Tokyo 2020...world champion and world record holder decathlete Kevin Mayer is using the next five months to the Games to continue fine-tuning his comeback from 2019 disappointment.
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Let's Get Social 02.12.21

2/12/2021

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Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are GQ cover models...
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A post shared by Sue Bird (@sbird10)

...as are Jutta Leerdam and Koen Verweij.
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A post shared by Koen Verweij (@koenverweij)

Alison looks ahead.
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A post shared by alisonmamute (@alisonmamute)

Sprinter Ivet Lalova with some wise words.
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A post shared by Ivet Lalova-Collio (@ivet_lalova)

Linda Cerruti takes a break.
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A post shared by Linda Cerruti (@lindacerruti)


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Let's Get Social 02.05.21

2/5/2021

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Tai Tzu-Ying is all smiles.
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A post shared by Tai Tzu Ying戴資穎 (@tai_tzuying)

Fabio Basile serves it Italian style.
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A post shared by FABIO BASILE (@fabiobasile66)

Thomas Roehler enjoys a workout.
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Race Imboden's feeling tough.
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A post shared by Race Imboden (@race_imboden)

Francesco Bonsanto doubles up.
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Let's Get Social 02.02.21

2/2/2021

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Welcome to February, Sandra!
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A post shared by Sandra Sánchez (@sandrasankarate)

Gymnast Oskar Kirmes flies.
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A post shared by Oskar Kirmes | Olympic Gymnast (@oskarkirmes)

Canoeist Marcus Cooper Walz hits the gym.
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A post shared by Marcus Cooper Walz (@marcuscooperwalz)

Johannes Vetter...portrait of an athlete...
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Richard Carapaz pays respect...
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    About This Blog

    Highlights from the world of Olympic sports, focused on the athletes, and as seen through the cheeky lens of this one particular, passionate fan.

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    ​A Little Roundup
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