U.S./World Sports category, Page 222
American Sunisa Lee wins all-around gold in women’s gymnastics
TOKYO — Sunisa Lee wanted to quit during quarantine. It all had become too much. The lingering pain from a broken foot. The deaths of two family members from covid-19. Her father’s slow recovery from an accident that left him paralyzed. The urge eventually passed. It always does. Still, less...
U.S. trio puts NBA Finals behind, turns focus to Olympic gold
SAITAMA, Japan — There was plenty of time to talk about it, had they wanted to. Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton were together on a plane to Tokyo, just days after they had played in the hard-fought NBA Finals. They had roughly nine hours in the air to...
U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel lives up to hype, wins 1st individual gold medalVideo
TOKYO — In an Olympics where many of the favorites have faltered, Caeleb Dressel lived up to the hype. Dressel claimed the first individual Olympic gold medal of his career with two furious laps of the pool Thursday morning, winning the 100-meter freestyle over defending champion Kyle Chalmers. As is...
U.S. volleyball star David Smith revels as role model for deaf kidsVideo
TOKYO — Growing up nearly completely deaf provided a challenge for David Smith as he tried to integrate with other kids at school or on the playground. Whatever Smith may have lacked in hearing was more than made up with empathy, compassion, and most of all, athletic ability. Smith was...
Big 12 accuses ESPN of trying to ‘destabilize’ conferenceVideo
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused ESPN of pushing other conferences to pick apart the league so Texas and Oklahoma can move to the SEC without paying a massive buyout. “I have absolute certainty they (ESPN) have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members,” Bowlsby told...
Basketball diplomacy: U.S., Iran meet on court at Tokyo Games
SAITAMA, Japan — The Americans applauded the Iranian national anthem. The Iranians applauded the U.S. anthem. There were a few handshakes before, plenty more handshakes after, and words of sportsmanship between the sides throughout the game. For two hours, it was basketball diplomacy. It’s still somewhat rare for the U.S....
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham headlines list of top prospects in NBA draft
Cade Cunningham spent years honing his game for a shot at becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. The Oklahoma State one-and-done star could accomplish that goal Thursday night as the headliner of a class that includes scorers, playmakers and potentially elite defenders at the top. “I’ve...
What a day: U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky experiences defeat, victory, perspective
TOKYO — Katie Ledecky will be the first to concede that her standards are almost impossible to meet, especially at this stage of her stellar swimming career. She always wants to go faster, faster, faster — a singular vision that has carried her to the pinnacle of her sport. Yet...
‘OK not to be OK’: Mental health takes top role at Olympics
TOKYO — For decades, they were told to shake it off or toughen up — to set aside the doubt, or the demons, and focus on the task at hand: winning. Dominating. Getting it done. For years, Simone Biles was one of the very best at that. Suddenly — to...
Olympic golf: A team feel turns back into individual quest
KAWAGOE, Japan — Justin Thomas is playing in his first Olympics and it all feels so familiar. Thomas played another practice round with his fellow Americans — two of them, anyway, with Patrick Reed a late arrival as an alternate. They have matching uniforms and “USA” stitched on their blue...
Olympic champ Simone Biles withdraws from all-around competition
TOKYO — Simone Biles will not defend her Olympic title. The American gymnastics superstar withdrew from Thursday’s all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being. USA Gymnastics said in a statement on Wednesday that the 24-year-old is opting to not compete. The decision comes a day after Biles removed herself...
This date in sports history: July 28Video
1913 — The United States wins its first Davis Cup since 1902 by beating Britain, three matches to two. 1928 — The Summer Olympics open in Amsterdam, and the Olympic flame is lit for the first time. 1929 — The Chicago Cardinals become the first NFL team to train out...
Ariarne Titmus wins again at Tokyo; Katie Ledecky doesn’t medal in 200 metersVideo
TOKYO — Ariarne Titmus has beaten Katie Ledecky again at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. In fact, Ledecky didn’t even win a medal — the first time that ever has happened to her at the Olympics. The Terminator gave the Australian women their third individual swimming gold of these games with...
Column: For Simone Biles, it finally becomes too much at OlympicsVideo
Finally, it all became too much. Simone Biles felt it hours before she took the floor in Tokyo, a nervousness she couldn’t explain as she waited to deliver what everyone except her was sure would be a gold medal for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. “I was just like shaking,...
Indycar rookie Johnson aims for Indianapolis 500 run in 2022Video
IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson is hopeful of testing in August on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a path toward running in next year’s Indianapolis 500. The seven-time NASCAR champion jumped this season to IndyCar and has competed in seven races for team owner and Fox Chapel native...
Big 12’s Texas, Oklahoma make request to join powerhouse SEC
Texas and Oklahoma made a request Tuesday to join the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey saying the league would consider it in the “near future.” A day after the Big 12 schools notified the league that they would not be extending an agreement that binds conference members...
U.S. women’s soccer advances to quarterfinals after draw with Australia
KASHIMA, Japan — The United States did what was necessary to advance at the Tokyo Olympics, it just wasn’t exactly the high-flying offensive juggernaut that the Americans are known for. The U.S. women made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s soccer tournament after a 0-0 draw with Australia...
After fall, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo try to help U.S. men’s basketball get up again
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Damian Lillard was nearly flat on his back, trying to save a possession the U.S. couldn’t afford to lose. He not only couldn’t recover the ball after slipping but made matters even worse when he extended his leg and inadvertently tripped up France’s Evan Fournier, getting...
‘A bit much’: Naomi Osaka cites pressure in Olympic loss
TOKYO — It wasn’t the ending that Naomi Osaka — nor her multitudes of fans across Japan and worldwide — had expected. The start of the Tokyo Olympics, however, will forever be a bright memory for the tennis superstar. Osaka herself said after lighting the Olympic cauldron during last week’s...
U.S. women win 50th straight Olympic basketball game, beat Nigeria
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — The U.S. women won, as usual. It just wasn’t in the dominant fashion that the Americans are accustomed to. The winning streak for the world’s top-ranked team is now 50 games and counting in Olympic competition. A’ja Wilson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in...
Tokyo reports record virus cases days after Olympics begin
TOKYO — Japan’s capital, Tokyo, reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, days after the Olympics began. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged people to avoid non-essential outings but said there was no need to consider a suspension of the Games. Tokyo reported 2,848 new covid-19 cases, exceeding...
With Simone Biles out, Russians win Olympics women’s gymnastics gold
TOKYO — The ROC has won the gold medal in women’s gymnastics after U.S. star Simone Biles exited with a medical issue. The Russian team posted a score of 169.528, ahead of the U.S. in second place at 166.096. The American team of Sunisa Lee, Grace McCallum and Jordan Chiles...
Simone Biles says she withdrew from gymnastics final after not being in right mental place
TOKYO — Simone Biles came to Tokyo as the star of the U.S. Olympic movement and perhaps the Games themselves. She convinced herself she was prepared for the pressure. That she was ready for the spotlight. Only, as the women’s gymnastics team final approached on Tuesday night, something felt off...
This date in sports history: July 27Video
1920 — Resolute defeats Shamrock IV of Britain to defend the America’s Cup title for the United States. 1937 — The United States wins the Davis Cup by beating Britain four matches to one. 1954 — Chick Harbart beats Walter Burkemo 4 and 3 in the final round to win...
Northern lights: Alaska teen Lydia Jacoby shocks with Olympic swim goldVideo
TOKYO — Alaska, of all places, has an Olympic champion at the pool. Seventeen-year-old Lydia Jacoby gave the United States a victory in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke, knocking off teammate and defending champion Lilly King on Tuesday. Jacoby was the first swimmer from the Arctic state ever to make the...
