Category: Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Poland Grants Visa to Belarus Olympian Who Fears for Safety

TOKYO—Poland granted a visa Monday to a Belarusian Olympic sprinter who said she feared for her safety and that her team’s officials tried to force her to fly home, where the autocratic government was accused of diverting a flight to arrest a dissident journalist. An activist group that is helping athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya told The…


American BMX Racer Connor Fields Suffered Brain Hemorrhage, Moved From ICU

American BMX racer Connor Fields suffered a brain hemorrhage after the defending gold medalist was involved in a serious crash during the Tokyo Olympic Summer Games’ semifinals on July 30, his team confirmed. “The doctors reported that Fields sustained a brain hemorrhage at the venue,” USA Cycling said in a medical update on the condition of the…


US Gymnast Jade Carey Wins Gold as Simone Biles Announces She’ll Compete in One Event

Team USA’s Jade Carey won gold in the floor gymnastics finals at the 2020 Olympics on Monday, shortly after Simone Biles announced she’d compete in an event after dropping out of several others. Carey, 21, of Arizona, edged Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari and Japan’s Mai Murakami for her first-ever Olympic medal. Carey rebounded from a disastrous…


US Gymnast Jade Carey Wins Gold as Simone Biles Announces She’ll Compete in 1 Event

Team USA’s Jade Carey won gold in the floor gymnastics finals at the 2020 Olympics on Aug. 2, shortly after Simone Biles announced that she would compete in an event after dropping out of several others. Carey, 21, of Arizona, edged Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari and Japan’s Mai Murakami for her first-ever Olympic medal. Carey rebounded…


Simone Biles to Compete in Balance Beam Final

TOKYO—Simone Biles will compete in Tuesday’s balance beam final, the last women’s event on the Tokyo Olympics gymnastics schedule, officials confirmed on Monday. “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow—Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!” USA Gymnastics said…


Olympic Committee Looking Into Gesture American Made on Podium

The International Olympic Committee is reviewing a gesture a Team USA silver medalist made on the podium, which could violate rules the panel announced in April. Raven Saunders made an “x” above her head on Sunday in Tokyo while on the podium after winning the silver medal in shot put. Saunders told The Associated Press…


Are the Olympic Games Sustainable?

Commentary “Alea iacta est,” the die has been cast. This famous statement, attributed by ancient Roman historian Suetonius to Julius Caesar just as he was leading his army across the Rubicon River, came to mind when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Brisbane as the Olympic Host City for the 35th Games in 2032. The announcement was…


Texas-Born Italian Sprints From Unknown to Bolt’s Successor

TOKYO—The 100 meters at the Olympics is the event that turns sprinters into kings: Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt. On one of the most unusual nights the sport has ever seen, fans, experts, and even the racers themselves needed a lineup card. The race that has long defined Olympic royalty went to a Texas-born…


Germany’s Zverev Cruises Past Khachanov to Olympic Tennis Gold in Tokyo

TOKYO–World number five Alexander Zverev won the biggest title of his career when he crushed Russian Karen Khachanov 6–3 6–1 on Sunday to win the men’s singles tennis gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old, who has yet to win a Grand Slam title, was in stunning form as he demolished Khachanov in 79…


Belarus Runner Alleges Olympic Team Tried to Send Her Home

TOKYO—A Belarus track sprinter alleged her Olympic team tried to remove her from Japan in a dispute that led to a standoff Sunday evening at Tokyo’s main airport. An activist group supporting Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she believed her life was in danger in Belarus and would seek asylum with the Austrian embassy in Tokyo. Tsimanouskaya…