French Olympic runner Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad assaulted a 14-year-old girl in a mascot costume after winning the European Athletic Championships' 3,000-meter steeplechase in Helsinki on Friday. After crossing the line, the Algerian-born Benabbad slapped a gift bag from “Appy” the mascot's hand and shoved her with both hands. The girl recovered quickly, but the European Athletics Association has not ruled out the possibility of reprimanding Benabbad. In 2010, after winning the s... Read More
American swimmer Dara Torres narrowly missed out on her sixth Olympic Games after finishing fourth in the 50-meter freestyle Monday night by nine-hundredths of a second. Torres, 45, won three silver medals at the Beijing Olympics and is tied with Jenny Thompson as the most winning U.S. female swimmer. She is the first American to swim in five Olympics and also the oldest female to ever swim at the Games. Torres had pinned her London hopes on the 50-meter freestyle after undergoing knee surgery... Read More
On Monday, California resort town Mammoth Lakes announced that it will file for bankruptcy after being unable to pay $43 million to a developer. The city council voted to submit to bankruptcy after Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition won a court order requiring the city to make payment in a contract dispute. The developer had sued the town for allegedly reneging on a deal that would allow the company to build homes and commercial properties near the Mammoth Yosemite Airport. The judgment was almost... Read More
In an email to USA Track & Field officials sprinter Jeneba Tarmoh announced she will not compete in Monday's scheduled runoff with training partner Allyson Felix. The race was designed to break a third-place tie between the two runners for a spot at the London Games in the women's 100 meters. USA Track & Field has drawn criticism for having no procedure in place for deciding the tie. The athletes were given a choice between a coin-flip and a runoff. "This decision was really hard for m... Read More
Slovakian rider Peter Sagan took the first stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, reeling in Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland in a sprint finish in Seraing, Belgium. "I was the only one who could follow [Cancellara]," Sagan said. "I was tight behind him. I was just happy to stay on his wheel." At 22, Sagan is the youngest cyclist to win a Tour stage since 1993, when a 21-year-old Lance Armstrong took stage eight. Cancellara, who won Saturday's prologue in Liege, maintains the overall lead.
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