Olympic athletes

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Hunter Hess Doubles Down on Defending His Love for US
Olympian Slammed by Trump:
'I Love the United States'
2026 Olympics
Feb 20, 2026 7:26 AM CST

Olympian Slammed by Trump: 'I Love the United States'

American freeskier also snarked on president's criticism of him, making the 'L' sign for 'loser'

(Newser) - American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in the Olympic halfpipe qualifier, then leaned into the camera. He bent his left thumb and forefinger into the shape of an "L," lifted it to his forehead, and pointed at it with the other hand....

Eileen Gu Balks at Question on 'Lost' Olympic Golds
Eileen Gu Balks
at Question on
'Lost' Olympic
Golds
2026 Olympics
Feb 18, 2026 11:20 AM CST

Eileen Gu Balks at Question on 'Lost' Olympic Golds

Gu calls query 'ridiculous' on whether 2 silvers won at 2026 Games are really '2 golds lost'

(Newser) - Eileen Gu isn't sweating the what-ifs. After becoming the most decorated women's freestyle skier in Olympic history with five medals, the 22-year-old US citizen competing for China was asked at a Milan Cortina press conference if she viewed her pair of 2026 silver medals as "two silvers...

Norway's Klaebo Continues 'Golden Run' at Games
Norwegian Rules
Cross-Country
Slopes, Along
With a Dog
2026 Olympics
Feb 18, 2026 8:17 AM CST

Norwegian Rules Cross-Country Slopes, Along With a Dog

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo earns 5th gold medal of Games, while a pup infiltrates the women's heat

(Newser) - Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo's golden run at Milan Cortina continued Wednesday as the Norwegian cross-country ski star secured his fifth gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics—and a record 10th overall—in the men's team sprint. Klaebo beat back a challenge from the United States to improve on his...

'Quad God' on Stunning Falls: 'Felt Like I Had No Control
Malinin: I Was Hit With 'Negative
Thoughts' Before Skate
2026 Olympics
Feb 14, 2026 6:50 AM CST

Malinin: I Was Hit With 'Negative Thoughts' Before Skate

US figure-skating favorite for gold speaks on his disastrous performance in Milan

(Newser) - Ilia Malinin arrived in Milan as the man to beat. He left with a team gold medal, but also with an eighth-place finish in the event that was supposed to define his career. The 21-year-old American, dubbed the "Quad God" for his unmatched jumping ability, needed only a solid...

Olympic Village Was Apparently a Little Light on Condoms

Supply ran out in just 3 days, is blamed on lower supply than that offered in previous Games

(Newser) - Condoms at the Olympic Village didn't just go fast—they vanished in what one Italian outlet is calling record time. The Guardian reports that condoms handed out to athletes at the Winter Games were gone in three days, at least according to an anonymous competitor who spoke to the...

Athlete Convicted of Fraud Wins Olympic Gold Over Victim
Athlete Convicted of Fraud
Wins Olympic Gold Over Victim
2026 Olympics
Feb 12, 2026 12:55 PM CST

Athlete Convicted of Fraud Wins Olympic Gold Over Victim

France's Julia Simon edges past scammed teammate, who came in 80th, in 15km biathlon

(Newser) - A biathlete who admitted ripping off her teammate's credit card just skied past her to an Olympic title. France's Julia Simon, 29, took gold in the women's 15km individual biathlon in Italy's Milan Cortina Games, while Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, the teammate she defrauded, finished a distant 80th,...

US Figure Skater Channels Late Parents in Emotional Debut
US Skater at Games:
Late Parents
Had 'Hand
on My Back'
2026 Olympics
Feb 11, 2026 6:47 AM CST

US Skater at Games: Late Parents Had 'Hand on My Back'

Maxim Naumov says he felt support of mom, dad, who died in DC plane crash, in Olympics debut

(Newser) - Maxim Naumov's first Olympic skate came with an unusual sense of calm for an athlete who admits he's usually "a little jittery." The 24-year-old American figure skater delivered one of his strongest short programs to date at the 2026 Winter Games on Tuesday, scoring 85.65...

IOC Bans Ukrainian Athlete's Tribute Helmet
IOC Bans Ukrainian
Athlete's Tribute Helmet
2026 Olympics
Feb 10, 2026 8:46 AM CST

IOC Bans Ukrainian Athlete's Tribute Helmet

Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych wanted to pay tribute to fellow Ukrainians felled by Russia war

(Newser) - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych won't be allowed to slide in 2026 wearing a helmet that shows the faces of compatriot athletes killed in the war with Russia, the International Olympic Committee has told Ukraine's Olympic delegation. In a letter shared with CBS News , the IOC said it...

Hunter Hess Defends Free Speech After Trump Criticism

Skier affirms love for US while defending right to criticize it

(Newser) - Hunter Hess says he's ready to ski for his country—and to keep saying that country can do better, CBS News reports. The US freestyle skier and first-time Olympian clarified his views Monday after President Trump blasted him as a "real loser" for earlier remarks that he had...

7 US Athletes to Watch at the Olympics

Among them: speed skater Jordan Stolz, who's aiming for 5 golds

(Newser) - The Olympics are underway and among the talented pool of US athletes competing across 32 sports are a figure skating "god" with insane odds of winning gold, a young speedskater with a shot at five medals, and a legendary skier pushing on despite a banged-up knee. Seven US athletes...

Vonn Had One Knee Replaced, Just Hurt the Other One

Injury raises doubts about Olympics, but 41-year-old says she knows something about comebacks

(Newser) - Lindsey Vonn's planned Olympic comeback suffered a jarring setback on Friday in Switzerland, just seven days before the Milan Cortina Games open in Italy. The 41-year-old American ski champ crashed in a World Cup downhill at Crans-Montana after losing her balance coming out of a jump on the second...

US Olympians, Paralympians Now Have a $100M Incentive

Financier Ross Stevens pledges $200,000 to every Team USA competitor going forward

(Newser) - American Olympians who come home without a medal are about to get the kind of payout usually reserved for champions. Beginning with the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month, Wall Street financier Ross Stevens plans to give every US Olympic and Paralympic athlete $200,000 per Games—no podium finish...

Olympic Snowboard Pioneer Dies Doing What He Loved

Swiss avalanche takes out bronze medalist, X-Games champion Ueli Kestenholz, 50

(Newser) - Olympic snowboarding pioneer Ueli Kestenholz has died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps at age 50. Swiss authorities say Kestenholz was snowboarding with a friend around midday Sunday on an eastern slope of the Lötschental valley in southern Switzerland when an unexpected avalanche hit. Police said the skier...

Team USA's 2026 Outfits Are Designed to 'Wear Forever'

Knit sweaters, vintage callbacks make up Ralph Lauren offerings for Winter Games in Italy

(Newser) - Ralph Lauren revealed Team USA's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics looks on Thursday, complete with Americana knit sweaters and plenty of vintage callbacks. The formal opening ceremony look pairs a patterned red, white, and blue knit sweater with tailored cream trousers and a matching wool coat. Moving sportier, the closing...

Champion Runner Caster Semenya Gives Up Her Fight

She abandons her 7-year legal fight against sex eligibility rules in track and field

(Newser) - Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya is ending a seven-year legal challenge against sex eligibility rules in track and field, her lawyers said Thursday, despite winning a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights in July. Patrick Bracher, a lawyer for Semenya, said in an email to the AP that...

Greg Louganis Sells His Medals
Greg Louganis Sells His Medals
in case you missed it
Sep 6, 2025 11:52 AM CDT

Greg Louganis Sells His Medals

'I needed the money,' says famed Olympic diver, who also sold home to start life anew in Panama

(Newser) - Five-time Olympic medalist Greg Louganis is now down three of those medals, reports NJ.com , saying in a Facebook post that he's leaving the country and that "I needed the money" to make that happen. The fabled American diver, who won gold medals in the 1984 and 1988...

Olympic Swimmer Announces Rehab Stint, Sobriety

Ryan Lochte shares about 'really dark year' plagued by addiction, divorce proceedings

(Newser) - Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is opening up about his latest battle with substance abuse. In a video posted Friday to Instagram , Lochte, 41, revealed he'd completed a rehab program and is now 54 days sober. The swimmer said his road to recovery began after a 2023 car accident...

Olympic Gold Medalist Dies in Climbing Accident

German athlete Laura Dahlmeier, 31, was caught in a rockfall on Pakistan's Laila Peak

(Newser) - German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan following a climbing accident , and efforts are underway to retrieve her body, a local government spokesman said Wednesday. Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medalist, was climbing Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday when she...

Olympian Suspended Over 'Most Awful Video'

Dressage competitor Heath Ryan says he administered 40+ lashes in Nico's best interests

(Newser) - An Olympic equestrian just earned himself an indefinite suspension after a video emerged showing him whipping the horse he was riding dozens of times. The clip , which has been circulating on social media, shows Heath Ryan, a 66-year-old dressage competitor, riding Nico, reports TMZ , which counts upward of 40 lashes...

Man Sentenced for Stray Bullet That Killed Olympian's Mom

Jasper Greene, 23, gets 33 years for death of mother of rifle shooter Yarimar Mercado Martinez

(Newser) - A Connecticut man was sentenced to 33 years in prison on Tuesday for the stray-bullet killing of a Puerto Rican Olympic athlete's mother. Jasper Greene, 23, of New Haven was one of three men charged in the death of Mabel Martinez Antongiorgi on April 9, 2022. The 56-year-old woman...

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