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LeBron helps US beat Spain in tight Olympic final

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:45:21 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Sunday, the last and 16th day of the London Olympics:

—LeBron leads U.S. to gold over Spain.

—The Who closes rocking closing ceremony.

—Jake Varner wins wrestling gold for U.S.

—Joshua lands Britain's third boxing gold.

—Uganda's Kiprotich cruises to marathon victory.

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LeBron James stood with both arms in the air, then hugged Kevin Durant before they headed to the bench.

They were quite the combination all day long.

James had a huge dunk and a 3-pointer in the final 2:50 and Durant scored 30 points, helping the U.S. win its second straight Olympic title with a 107-100 victory over Spain on the final day of the London Games.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We didn't want it easy," James said. "A lot of teams have won gold easy. We didn't want it that way. We're a competitive team and we love when it gets tight. That's when our will and determination kind of shows. It was the same way in '08."

Mike Krzyzewski, who has said he's retiring as U.S. coach, emptied his bench in the final minute Sunday, then embraced James after the final horn sounded. The Americans hugged at midcourt, with guard James Harden holding a doll of the Olympic mascot.

Bolt leads 4×100 relay to world record at Olympics

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 21:57:08 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Saturday, Day 15 of the London Olympics:

—Bolt closes out world-record relay for Jamaica.

—Farah wins 5,000 meters to complete an Olympic long-distance double for Britain.

—Boudia wins diving title as United States closes in on medals table win.

—Mexico upsets Brazil to win men's soccer gold.

—The End: Coach K says gold-medal game will be final one as U.S. coach.

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Usain Bolt and Ryan Bailey got the baton at almost exactly the same time Saturday night, then sped down the stretch for the final leg of the 4x100-meter relay.

When Bolt reached his top gear, it was over.

The World's Fastest Man powered Jamaica to a world-record time of 36.84 seconds, making him 3 for 3 for the second straight Olympics. He also won the 100 meters and 200 in London and Beijing.

Bolt picked up another victory long after the record-breaking relay was over. After grudgingly handing the baton to an official right after he crossed the finish line, he got it back about 40 minutes later. He responded with a bow of thanks and kissed his new memento.

Jeter helps US break world record at Olympics

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:34:48 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Friday, Day 14 of the London Olympics:

—Carmelita Jeter powers U.S. relay to world record.

—Durant helps U.S. pull away from Argentina in hoops semi.

—Pistorius, South Africa eighth in 4x400 men's relay.

—Jordan Burroughs grabs wrestling gold for U.S.

—Strombergs defends BMX title at London Games.

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The U.S. had a big lead when Carmelita Jeter got the baton for the anchor leg of the women's 4x100-meter relay on Friday night.

She knew exactly what to do with it.

Jeter powered down the stretch and pointed the baton at the clock as she crossed the finish line, celebrating a world-record time of 40.82 seconds that gave the Americans their first victory in the event since 1996.

Tianna Madison, 200-meter champion Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Jeter combined for a perfect trip around the track that ended a string of disappointments for the U.S. in the marquee relay. At the 2008 Beijing Games, the Americans didn't even reach the final because Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams bobbled the last exchange in the semifinals.

Their final time cut more than a half-second off the old record of 41.37 run by East Germany in 1985.

Mitchell finishes Olympic relay despite broken leg

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:43:44 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Thursday, Day 13 of the London Olympics:

—American Mitchell breaks leg, completes relay segment.

—Pistorius' South African relay team advances to 4x400 relay on appeal.

—Too good: American Shields claims Olympic women's boxing gold in style.

—U.S. women wear down Australia to make women's basketball final.

—Olympic official to AP: IOC to strip Tyler Hamilton of 2004 gold, give it to Russia's Ekimov.

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Manteo Mitchell kept going after he felt something pop in his left leg halfway through the opening lap in the 4x400-meter relay preliminaries.

Turns out this was one impressive run.

Mitchell finished in 46.1 seconds and helped the Americans tie for first with the Bahamas in 2 minutes, 58.87 seconds Thursday. A few hours later, doctors told him he had a broken leg.

The relay final is set for Friday. The Americans have won the last eight long relays they've entered at the Olympics.

"I figured it's what almost any person would've done in that situation," Mitchell told The Associated Press.

Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius and his South African teammates also reached the 4x400-meter relay final.

Twitter admits mistake in reporter case

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:16:12 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Twitter is acknowledging a mistake in how it handled a tweet by a Los Angeles-based journalist that included the email of the NBC Olympics president.

Alex Macgillivray, general counsel for the social media website, wrote in a blog post Tuesday that the company's team working with NBC for their Olympic partnership "proactively" identified the tweet it said was in violation of its rules and encouraged the network to report it.

"This behavior is not acceptable and undermines the trust our users have in us," Macgillivray wrote. "We should not and cannot be in the business of proactively monitoring and flagging content, no matter who the user is — whether a business partner, celebrity or friend."

Guy Adams, a correspondent for British newspaper The Independent, was upset with NBC's decision to broadcast the opening ceremony on tape delay when he sent his critical tweet Friday afternoon.

"The man responsible for NBC pretending the Olympics haven't started yet is Gary Zenkel. Tell him what u think!" it read, before going on to provide his corporate email listing.

Adams' account was suspended but he said Tuesday it had been reinstated — announcing his return on Twitter of course.

Phelps, Lochte advance to 400 IM final

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 17:54:04 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Saturday, Day 1 of the London Olympics:

—Lochte wins first U.S. gold, Phelps fourth in 400 IM.

—Brits struggle in cycling as Vinokourov wins road race.

—Serena, Federer advance at All England Club.

—U.S. men lead surprising Britain in gymnastics qualifying.

—Hey, there's the new Bond Girl! It's the queen.

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Ryan Lochte won the 400-meter individual medley, China collected a couple of gold medals and Australia set an Olympic record while winning the women's 400-meter freestyle relay.

Oh, and Michael Phelps went without a medal in an Olympic race for the first time since 2000.

It was quite the opening night at the pool.

After barely qualifying for the final, Phelps struggled to a fourth-place finish and was denied his 17th career Olympic medal. When it was done, he could barely get out of the pool.

Lochte took the gold with a time of 4 minutes, 5.18 seconds. Brazil's Thiago Pereira (4:08.86) settled for silver, while Japan's Kosuke Hagino (4:08.94) claimed the bronze.

"I think I'm kind of in shock right now," Lochte said. As for his defeated rival Phelps, "I know he gave it everything he had. That's all you can ask for."

Phelps-Lochte set for first London duel

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:59:00 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Saturday, when 12 gold medals are awarded on Day 1 of the 2012 Olympics:

—Phelps-Lochte headed for first London showdown.

—Surprise torch lighters highlighted a dazzling start to the games.

—Legally blind archer has a new world record.

—A headscarf standoff poses a problem for a Saudi judo fighter.

—The IOC calls London's prep for games "excellent."

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The opening ceremony provided a rousing start to the games, but the focus quickly shifts to the pool.

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte face off Saturday in the 400-meter individual medley, a grueling race encompassing all four strokes and an appropriate next chapter in this most intriguing of rivalries.

"A very rough race," said Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman. "It will be a coach's dream, but also a spectator's dream. It will be fantastic."

Phelps wants to add to his record total of 14 gold medals and become the first male swimmer to win the same event at three straight Olympics. But Lochte is the defending world champion and defeated Phelps rather easily at the U.S. trials last month.

Lochte is certainly not lacking for confidence.

Mets’ Beltran confirms meeting with feds

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:25:00 +0000

Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran says he talked to federal investigators last week about a Canadian doctor accused of selling an unapproved drug.

Beltran says he went to Toronto to consult with Dr. Anthony Galea while he was sidelined last summer with a painful bone bruise on his right knee. He says he's not worried about the investigation because he didn't do anything wrong.

Galea is facing four charges in his country related to the drug known as Actovegin, which is extracted from calf's blood and used for healing.

Investigators talked to Mets shortstop Jose Reyes last week and New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said Monday that he had been contacted about the probe.

Beltran says he recommended Galea to Reyes.