to move up and down
Bicycle pack rides tight — Cyclists ride during the 48th edition of the road bicycle race in Valkenburg on April 14, 2013. (BAS CZERWINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
(via nationalpost)
Kimi Raikkonen of Finland drives on his way to winning the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images). Find more of the weekend’s best photos here: http://natpo.st/TtNfc8
99 reasons to start running, right now
The dog days of summer are upon us, but that’s no reason to give up on your exercise routine — quite the contrary, in fact, as Ben Kaplan details below (in 99 concise points).
Oscar Pistorius is going to the Olympics: Oscar Pistorius has been selected to run in both the individual 400 metres and the 4×400-metre relay at the London Olympics and is set to become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any games.
In a surprising last-minute decision Wednesday, South Africa’s Olympic committee and national track federation cleared the double amputee to run in his individual event. The Olympic committee earlier announced that Pistorius had been picked only for the relay.
Olympic committee chief executive Tubby Reddy tells The Associated Press that the track body asked for permission to also allow Pistorius to run the 400, even though he had not met their qualifying criteria.
Paying homage to Forrest Gump at the Tour de France: Pumping his arms in victory, Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday as cycling’s showcase race returned to its home country.
Sagan, at 22 one of cycling’s brightest stars, won his second stage in his debut Tour by bolting from the splintered pack with less than 300 metres left. He crossed the line several lengths and one second – ahead of runner-up Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and third-place finisher Peter Velits of Slovakia.
Sagan enjoys putting on a show for fans. He churned his arms, as a runner might, in a nod to the title character in the movie “Forrest Gump.”
“It’s a thing I’d discussed with my teammates about what kind of gesture I’d do on the line,” said Sagan, who rides for Liquigas-Cannondale. “Everybody said, ‘Do a Forrest Gump’ because when he was told to run, he ran. And when I’m told to win, I win.”
What can’t she do? Jessica Zelinka set a record in the women’s heptathlon this week at the Canadian Olympic track trials. But she also won the 100-metre hurdles on Saturday, and now will compete in both events in London.
The giants of men’s tennis are not happy about the Madrid Open’s blue court. No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic lost to Janko Tipsarevic on Friday, vowing never to return to the tournament unless they get rid of the controversial surface.
Rafael Nadal is not the first player to complain about the blue-clay court, but today he blamed it for his third-round exit from the Madrid Open. Is he being a sore loser?
We can’t do this. Can you? Students stretch during a training session at a gymnastic course at Shenyang Sports School in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China. Some 60 students, between the ages of 6 to 15, undergo a nine-year gymnastics program which includes foundation courses and gymnastic training courses at Shenyang Sports School, and those who are outstanding may be selected to join the national team.
The blue clay at the Madrid Open makes for a great photo, but a few tennis stars have complained about the swap.
“The only thing that is a little bit disappointing from a player’s standpoint is that this is decided without players agreeing on it,” Novak Djokovic said Monday. “If you don’t have, especially, top players testing the court and agreeing for this change, that should mean something. They should have value in what they say.”
After a few days of play, the main criticism has been that the surface is too slippery.
The ATP said it approved the move after all necessary tests were performed on the Madrid court, and that the surface’s future will be evaluated after it receives feedback from players this week. The ATP calls the change “innovative” and says the color makes it easier for players, fans and TV viewers to follow the ball.
