This week: A couple of U.S. teams won world championships (one official, one nearly official), and we had a track meet with a series of dizzying performances.
We are the champions (I): U.S. men in the World League volleyball final.
We are the champions (II): U.S. women’s saber team in the fencing world championships.
And individually, Mariel Zagunis rocks on …
Don’t say I didn’t warn you: Remember when I did a few posts on the War on Nonrevenue Sports? (No you don’t, please don’t lie.) Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, also a U.S. Olympic Committee board members, sees a post-O’Bannon suit future in which men’s Olympic sports are gone.
Best doping excuse: Want to know why athletes often claim they doped accidentally or tested positive because of a contaminated supplement? Because it happens. Just ask biathlete Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle.
Speaking of the complex morality of doping …
“Daddy, can we ride the white elephant?”: No, because Barcelona is actually making good use of its Olympic venues.
Big things that happened at the Herculis Diamond League meet:
Take a look — Gatlin goes so fast he can hardly stay in his lane …
(Always a cynic …)
Over to the women’s 5,000 …
[youtube-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo58gX-ML9c]
Then the women’s 800 for a big upset in a world-leading time by American Ajee Wilson, which you wouldn’t have expected even with 200 meters left …
And the men’s 1,500, where most of the top nine set some sort of mark …
And Tori Bowie — from unknown quantity on the track to dominance …
See the Daily Relay wrap.
Fond farewell: Thanks to Betsey Armstrong, you’ll no longer think of your 100-year-old distant cousin when you hear the name “Betsy.”
Duresport.com 