When softball helped kick off the Olympics on Wednesday in Tokyo, it was a triumphant return, if only a temporary one. After a 13-year absence, the sport is making its first appearance at the Summer Games since Beijing in 2008. Softball and baseball were eliminated from the official program in the mid-2000s because of a […]
A quartet of WNBA players wants to change the way Americans think about basketball — and bring home Olympic gold in the proces. The inaugural U.S. women’s Olympic 3-on-3 basketball team will hit the spotlight in Tokyo this weekend with dreams of winning its first gold medal. “To bring home the gold — our first […]
Do you think you could tell a good skateboarding trick from a great one? The difference between a perfect ollie and a poor one? Do you even know what an ollie is? With skateboarding coming to the Olympics for the first time, it’s about time to learn (or freshen up) on your knowledge of the […]
How Good Was That Skateboarder’s Kickflip? You Be The Olympic Judge. By Anna Wiederkehr Skateboarding is known for its scrappiness, stunts and general public antics. But it’s also beloved for its creativity, freedom and inclusivity, as Olympian Alana Smith pointed out last month while surrounded by their American teammates. The Tokyo Olympics will bring both […]
Paralympian Matt Stutzman, born without arms, has become a world-class archer by shooting with his feet. He trains in remote Iowa, where his only competition is in his mind. So he imagines matches in extreme detail, from the feel of the wind to the sound of a crowd — a technique scientists have shown can […]