Sports & Competitions

RIO DE JANEIRO — A look back at day seven of competition at the Rio Olympics. ——— We love the Canadians If you have to have a country next door, you would want it to be Canada. Everybody loves them. They talk like we do but with some funny affectations, eh! And they are just

RIO DE JANEIRO — Among the 32 events contested at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, none came with less drama than Katie Ledecky’s final race of the Summer Games. The 19-year-old’s biggest competitor in the 800-meter freestyle Friday — the clock — hung from the stadium’s rafters high above blue and green seats. The question wasn’t

RIO DE JANEIRO — A completely transformed Michael Phelps came to his fifth Olympics determined to do it right. If London 2012 was drudgery then Rio 2016 would be joyful, a final chance to savor his life as the greatest swimmer of all time, an amphibian Olympian unlike any other. Phelps didn’t intend to be

RIO DE JANEIRO — Elliotte Friedman ran his hands through his head and hair. It was 4:10 p.m., and he had just signed off from the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. He looked exhausted. And he was. A sleepless night will do that to you. And he had to be back on the air to call the

Simone Manuel, who became the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic gold, said her victory Thursday night was particularly important to her because of the issues black Americans face today. The 20-year-old swimmer took home the gold in Rio after tying for first place with 16-year-old Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — In a world awash in religious and sectarian tensions, the three Olympic victors in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition delivered a multi-faith mosaic on the medals podium Thursday in Rio, with a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim taking gold, silver and bronze respectively. US sensation Simone Biles, 19, added

RIO DE JANEIRO — The showdown between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte brought the thousands of fans inside the Olympic Aquatics Stadium to their feet, twirling T-shirts over their heads, waving flags and roaring in anticipation of the final act in a rivalry that’s extended more than a decade. But this one wasn’t even close.

RIO DE JANEIRO — The final showdown between longtime rivals Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte in the 200-meter individual medley instead turned into another display of Phelps’ dominance at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Thursday. Phelps touched the wall almost two seconds ahead of Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, who finished second, to win his fourth gold

RIO DE JANEIRO — The youngest member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team paused in a stuffy hallway this week at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium minutes after winning another gold medal. Katie Ledecky had just gutted out 200 meters of freestyle that hurt her entire body. She considers this fun. The 19-year-old resisted the urge

RIO DE JANEIRO — In a world of Olga, Nadia and Mary Lou — where the first name is the only necessary identifier — we give you Simone. Simon Biles is the full name, but in reaching the top of the gymnastics mountain by winning the Olympic all-around women’s title, the last name was rendered

The 2016 Olympic Games have been billed as an opportunity to put politics aside in the spirit of international camaraderie, but that’s not necessarily how it’s working out for Israeli athletes. Animosity toward the 47-athlete delegation has already triggered a reprimand from the International Olympic Committee and alarm from Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League,