Word: goldings
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Athens' first modern Olympics, it was impossible not to be taken aback by her almost imperceptible pace. More than an hour had passed since Japan's Mizuki Noguchi, a 40-kg wisp, had fluttered into the stadium, vomited and smoothed back her hair to accept the gold with a time of 2:26:20. Even earlier, 16 competitors, including British world-record holder Paula Radcliffe, had left the historic town of Marathon, only to abandon the race because of the brutal hills and 35?C heat. (A few days later, Radcliffe would also fail to finish...
...Summer Games are designed to resist the imposition of narrative. Two hundred and two countries, 301 medal events, 10,500 competitors - one story line? Not likely. And so the teams of Athens 2004 head home telling very different tales. For the Chinese, with their best-ever haul of gold medals, this was the year when the global balance of athletic power shifted east - just in time for the Beijing Games of 2008. For the Russians, many of whom found themselves co-stars or also-rans on stages their nation once dominated, Athens 2004 felt like a poignant salute...
...once came from its hefty medal tallies, it can still take delight in outstanding individual performances - smaller stories, perhaps, but precious because of their rarity. Britain, shocked by Paula Radcliffe's twin flameouts in the marathon and 10,000 m, was lifted by 34-year-old Kelly Holmes' double gold success in the 800 m and 1,500 m. Russia celebrated a memorable 1-2-3 sweep in the women's long jump, while Germany rejoiced with canoeist Birgit Fischer, 42, who earned a gold and a silver, becoming the first woman ever to win medals over a 24-year...
...controversy. The race was delayed six minutes. Although the sprinters admitted the delay irked them, after Crawford, Bernard Williams and Gatlin placed 1-2-3, the American's didn't seek revenge on the jingoistic fans. There was no chest thumping, no taunting. Says Williams, who ran on the gold-medal 4X100 team in Sydney that embarrassed itself after an excessive celebration: "I've learned from my mistakes...
...Another rare sight was Jeremy Wariner, track's Eminem, running away with two golds. He's the first white sprinter to represent the U.S. in the 400 meters since 1964. Unlike Marshall, Wariner is not angry about his background. And while Larry Bird says basketball needs more white superstars to broaden its appeal, Wariner won't carry that unseemly mantle for his sport. "I really don't listen to any of that racial stuff," says Wariner, 20, who just finished his sophomore year at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. "If you've got speed, it really shouldn't matter." Unless...