Lilly King is nothing if not candid. In the lead-up to the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, the two-time Olympic gold medalist boldly asserted that American women have the talent required to win every individual gold medal in Tokyo — a feat last accomplished in 1920, when there were only two individual swimming events for women. […]
Selecting the Olympic gymnastics team is a bit like a Swarovski crystal-strewn game of “choose your own adventure.” Is your priority the highest possible team placement or team score? Then go for door one. Are you most concerned with bringing home the most medals? Then door two might be the one for you. Or is […]
When the coronavirus pandemic delayed the Tokyo Olympics until 2021, it disrupted every athlete training for the Games, but one group in particular. For athletes whose window of elite performance was closing, the extra year made qualifying that much more difficult — at least in theory. A few American athletes seem poised to defy that […]
Days after her 20th birthday, Simone Manuel made history in the pool at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics when she earned gold in the 100-meter freestyle. The result was both a surprise and an unprecedented triumph. American female swimmers had competed in the Olympics for nearly 100 years when Manuel hit the wall at 52.70 […]
Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast ever and probably the most dominant active athlete in the world. Last October, she won her fifth all-around title at the World Championships, part of a five-medal blitz that brought her career total of gold medals at the Worlds to 19 — more than double the total […]