"World's Greatest Athlete" Kevin Mayer speaks with Olympic.org on goals for Tokyo 2020, Japanese culture, his world record, and much more.

Tamyra Mensah-Stock defeats Adeline Gray in a rare marquee matchup, and previews what is sure to be a tough Olympic trials for the lone 76kg spot in women's wrestling.

Race walkers Damian Blocki and Alana Barber have unique challenges in this pandemic: maintaining an enforced long-distance relationship while still each striving for Tokyo 2020.

Steeplechaser Emma Coburn is the latest profile on The Olympic Channel's podcast, sharing thoughts on her 2021 outlook, the new Athletics Association, and more.

Cold Water: Australian soccer star Steph Catley tells the The Sydney Morning Herald her reservations on seeing the Olympics happen this year, given the current state of the pandemic.

Ever want to see a 300lb+ bodybuilder try gymnastics? Let Nile Wilson show you the training.

Canadian Cynthia Appiah strives to represent her community in sport, as she pushes through barriers as a bobsled pilot.

More Canada: Sara Groenewegen is aiming for softball success at Tokyo 2020, after overcoming a coma in the run-up to qualification.

Kamila Stormowska opens up to isu.org on her recent struggles with focus and motivation, as she looks to "have fun" with her short track speed skating.

The Olympic Channel asks Willy Hernangomez what the secret to Spanish success in basketball is.

Multiple-time world and European medalist Damian Quintero sees an Olympic medal as the "jewel in the crown" to his career in karate.

Need some heartwarming news these days? CNN's latest "African Voices" includes a look at Ugandan boxer Hellen Baleke's work to empower women in her community through her sport and trade.

Rugby sevens player Camille Grassineau offers tips to fellow athletes on training in warmer weather.

Jessie Diggans becomes not just the first American, but the first non-European to win the prestigious Tour de Ski. (Thanks, Norway!)

Erin go Bragh! It's not often that Ireland is mentioned in elite winter sports. Congratulations to Thomas Maloney Westgaard's cross-country success this weekend.

Mondo Duplantis makes the cover of Cafe magazine for a wide-ranging interview on sports usccess, family, golf, and more.

Middle-distance runner Halimah Nakaayi shares with Spikes her rise from a "small village" upbringing to world champion.

Laetitia Guapo has her eyes set on proving her #1 ranking in 3x3 basketball at Tokyo 2020.

One trend that 2020's pandemic lockdowns have caused is a disruption in local training options. Suddenly, more U.S. water polo players take to overseas opportunities to find competition.

​Table tennis...the new bookie's favorite?

​Amanda Chidester and Anissa Urtez are an Athletes United couple, but will be rivals on the softball pitch at Tokyo 2020.

After 91 World Cup podium finishes and 63 wins across ten straight years, freestyle skier Mikael Kingsbury is sitting out the start of this season to recover from injury.

Take a look at a short track speedskater's weekly regimen, through the eyes of Slovakian Petra Rusnakova.

​Karl Geiger isn't just this year's Ski Flying World Champion...he's also a new dad.

Dissension rising in Australian field hockey?

​Can Team USA make it out of last place at their next Handball World Championship appearance next year, and showcase the sport to potential U.S. fans?

OMG: Olympedia.org debuted late last month, and I'm just now finding it. A digital encyclopedia for Olympic athletes and results, Olympedia offers a destination true Olympic fans and researchers will pore over. Produced by noted Olympic historians and with some collaboration with the IOC, the site is a companion to any fan's curiosity about results.

One might consider the site an online successor to the analog The Complete Book of the Olympics series. I certainly spent many hours - days, weeks - enjoying Olympic details in David Wallechinsky's opus, which provided such inspiration for me to follow the Games. It was such a disappointment when that series ended after 2012, as Wallechinsky moved on to less time-consuming projects. I had bought every edition since 1988!

Kudos to the team members of the Scrap Yard Fast Pitch softball team, who quit en masse this week in response to the insensitive politicalization of their team by management. Players, including past and hopeful Olympians, reacted to a pro-President Trump message on Twitter that implied team consensus. It's not often one finds such strength of conviction in athletics that stirs mass action, but here is one for the books.

New Zealand field hockey star Gemma McCaw retires.

As does Slovenian cross country skier Vesna Fabjan.

What was that about Isaiah Thomas and the 1992 Dream Team? David Beckham in the news lately as Team Great Britain's football manager from 2012, Stuart Pearce, recently revealing the intense pressure received to include Beckham in the London 2012 squad. I remember what a story it was - his not being selected, despite his prominent profile in the sport and being named to the provisional team. But I applaud Pearce's holding to a best-player-available policy, if that's how he saw it, and I actually shudder at the sideshow the tournament would have been had Beckham played, and the tabloid spotlight there would have been.

A Little Roundup

The CBC checks in with Olympian couple Georgia Simmerling and Stephanie Labbe as they negotiate the coronavirus lockdown together at home and face an extended wait for their last Games.

A quick look at the state of baseball and softball's return to the Olympics.

Weightlifting: to be fair, it's a sport that needs to spend that level of revenue to improve itself.

Let's Get Social

Congratulations to the super couple of modern pentathlon!

Decathlete Martin Roe shows off the Norwegian landscape.

Joey Mantia continues his leg show.

World Taekwondo presents either a very cool GIF or a flicker vertigo gift.

Nicholas Roche: who can't be happy riding alongside that view?

Rower Marcos Sarraute returns to the water with inspiration.

France Wins European U-19's Again
The annual European U-19 championship finished this week in Sinsheim, Germany with France winning their third-ever title with a 4-0 victory over Italy. France had previously won in 2005 and 2010, and had won four other titles in earlier iterations of the tournament. Seven other nations participated, including Portugal (losers to France 1-3 in the semifinals), England (1-2 loss to Italy in the other semifinal), Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Croatia.

The U.S. Dominates Athletic U-20's
The World U20 Championships in athletics ended this week in Bydgoszcz, Poland with a familiar presence at the top of the overall medal table - the United States, with 21 total. That total far outclassed the field, with Ethiopia a distant second with ten and then Kenya in third with nine overall. In all 47 nations won at least one medal, including Jamaica's eight total, Qatar with three (including two gold), Barbados, British Virgin Islands, India with a gold in javelin, and Ecuador with a silver from Jhonatan Amores in the 10m walk, continuing a walk tradition for that nation.

​U.S. Wins Tenth World Softball Title
Team USA won its tenth-ever title at the World Softball Championship this week, after ​a 7-3 win over Japan in the gold medal match. Japan was the two-time defending champion, but before that, the United States had won seven straight titles dating back to 1986. Host Canada (Surrey) won the bronze medal in a tournament featuring 31 (!) nations, including Uganda, Ecuador, Austria, Ireland, and Kenya in the opening round. 

Chris Froome Wins Tour de France a Second Time
Great Britain's Chris Froome won his second-straight Tour de France, and his third-ever (his first was 2013). Coming into this year, he already had been the first Briton to win the Tour more than once; in fact, the only other British winner was Bradley Wiggins in 2012. The 103rd Tour featured 21 stages over 3,529km. Frenchman Romain Bardet finished second, just over 4minutes behind, followed by Colombian Nairo Quintana and Brit Adam Yates.