Tag: Olympian

Man Convicted in Stray-Bullet Killing of Puerto Rican Olympian’s Mother in Her Connecticut Home

A Connecticut man has been convicted of murder in the stray-bullet killing of the mother of a two-time Olympian rifle shooter from Puerto Rico. A jury found Franklin Robinson, 40, guilty Friday in the death of Mabel Martinez Antongiorgi. The 56-year-old was in her sewing and crafts room in Waterbury when a bullet flew through…


Canada’s Wickenheiser, Virtue, Hughes Among 42 Former Olympians Banned From Russia

Hayley Wickenheiser, Tessa Virtue and Clara Hughes are among dozens of former Canadian Olympians banned from entering Russia for signing a statement encouraging the removal of Russian athletes from next year’s Paris Olympics amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was closing its borders to 333 Canadians,…


Trans Athletes Could ‘Compete Against Each Other’: Aussie Swimming Icon Dawn Fraser

Swimming legend Dawn Fraser has dived into the transgender sporting debate, becoming Australia’s third high-profile female swimmer to speak up on what has turned into a controversial issue amid the 2022 federal election campaign. Her comment comes after Australia’s most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon and Olympic gold medallist Emily Seebohm this week aired their concerns about…


American Felix Says She Will Run Final Track Season

Seven-times Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix said on Wednesday that she would run one final track season, months after competing in her fifth Games. The most decorated American track and field Olympian picked up bronze in the 400 metres and gold in the 4×400 metres relay in Tokyo last year, having already confirmed that it…


Police: Olympian’s Mother Unintended Victim of Drug Dispute

The mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian killed by a stray bullet in her Connecticut home was an unintended victim of a drug dispute that erupted into the firing of more than 20 gunshots, a police official said Tuesday. Mabel Martinez, 56, was shot in the head inside her Waterbury home on Saturday afternoon when…


Former Alabama Track Star, Olympian Killed in Shootout

BESSEMER, Ala.—A former University of Alabama track star and Olympian was killed in a shootout with another man, authorities say. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified Emmit King and Willie Albert Wells as the two men who died after exchanging gunfire in Bessemer on Sunday, AL.com reported. King, 62, was a sprinter and…


For Sanctity of Life, ‘Move the 2022 Games,’ Olympian Once Arrested in Beijing Says

When an Australian Olympian ran into Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2002 waving a 1964 Tokyo Olympic banner with the words “truthfulness, compassion, tolerance” written on it as a stand against human rights abuses in China, she already knew that the communist country had been awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics. Five years later, in 2007,…


Orange Recognizes Gold Medal Olympian Resident, Celebrates Chamber’s Anniversary

Dozens of residents of Orange, California, gathered in the town’s historic square to celebrate the Chamber of Commerce’s centennial anniversary. The chamber also recognized the city’s gold medal volleyball Olympian Annie Drews, on Aug. 17.  The Orange Chamber of Commerce, founded on Aug. 17, 1921, is a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of businesses and focuses on boosting…


New Zealand Mourns Death of Olympic Cyclist Podmore at 24

New Zealand cycling was plunged into mourning on Tuesday after Olympian Olivia Podmore’s sudden death at the age of 24. Podmore represented her country at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games but was not part of New Zealand’s team at the recent Tokyo Games. A New Zealand police spokesman said police attended…


Japan Says US Travel Warning for Virus Won’t Hurt Olympians

TOKYO—The Japanese government Tuesday was quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan would have an impact on Olympians wanting to compete in the postponed Tokyo Games. U.S. officials cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan caused by virus variants that may even be risky to vaccinated people. They…