Month: August 2024

It is late into a balmy summer’s evening when Sir Alex Ferguson, holidaying in Italy, welcomes a phone call from The Athletic. These days, media appearances by the former Manchester United manager, 82, are rare. But the opportunity to talk about a man he describes as “a huge personality” but also “a really good friend, […]

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Jayson Tatum hadn’t spoken publicly since the benching, and by the time he had appeared again in front of the microphones, he was no longer benched. Tatum started against South Sudan, and his 17 minutes in a 103-86 Olympic win were unremarkable, which for this discussion is beside the point. “Definitely a […]

On the eve of the French Open in May, Donna Vekic had had enough. Her results hadn’t been great but it was more than that. Her energy and motivation had gone. She told her coach, Nick Horvat, that she wanted to pull out of Roland Garros and that, at 27, she was thinking of quitting […]

NANTERRE, France — French sensation Léon Marchand continued his spectacular run at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first swimmer in history to win the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter breaststroke at the same Games. And he did it on the same night. Marchand earned his first gold medal of the day in the 200-meter […]

NANTERRE, France — American swimming star Katie Ledecky cruised to victory in an event that’s become synonymous with her name, earning her first Olympic gold medal of the Paris Games in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle Wednesday. Ledecky set an Olympic record with a time of 15:30.02. She has not lost this race in more than […]

NANTERRE, France — Léon Marchand has said he likes the silence underwater. That moment when he finishes a lap, flips his body over, presses his feet upon the wall and fires himself forward. Down there, he’s on his own, even if his country, and the world, are watching. For 15 meters Wednesday night, after coming […]

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. That’s the approach U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes appeared to take in the Group B finale against Australia on Wednesday. With a quarterfinal spot already locked down, Hayes made just one change to her starting line-up, adding Emily Sonnett to the defensive line, while center […]

A thunderclap, and a muffled thud. A thunderclap, and a muffled thud. A thunderclap, and a muffled thud. Another muffled thud. Silence. The sounds of ball on racket under the roof on Philippe-Chatrier, and the sounds of the irresistible force of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal meeting the immovable object of Rajeev Ram and Austin […]

Guatemala, a country of more than 17 million people, celebrated its first Olympic gold medal Wednesday when Adriana Ruano Oliva set a record on her way to winning the women’s trap shooting event. Ruano Oliva, 29, smashed 45 clays to break the Olympic record of 43 set by Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková of Slovakia in 2021. “I […]

Sha’Carri Richardson’s gold medal odds just got stronger. Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson, expected to be one of the top contenders in the 100-meter race, has dropped out and will focus on the 200. “Yes I’m only running the 200-meter here,” she said Wednesday morning at an event at Puma House in Paris. “Just period.” Jackson […]