Sport

Rickie Fowler took to Twitter to say he’s going to the Olympics. Patrick Reed confirmed at the Scottish Open that he will join him in Rio. Now it’s up to Jordan Spieth. With one day before the deadline to submit the American team for Rio, Spieth still has not made up his mind whether the threat of Zika and other security concerns are enough to keep him out of the…

The men’s basketball field for the 2016 Rio Olympics is set, and the 12 teams have been broken into two groups for competitions. The final three teams — France, Serbia and Croatia — earned spots by winning qualifying tournaments Saturday and Sunday. The teams have been separated into Group A and Group B with the former consisting of the United States, Australia, China, Venezuela, France and Serbia and…

American golfer Dustin Johnson is citing concerns over the Zika virus as his reason for withdrawing from the upcoming Rio Olympics. Johnson, 32, is the father of an 18-month-old son, Tatum, with fiancée Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey great Wayne Gretzky. The couple plan to expand their family. “This was not an easy decision for me, but my concerns about the Zika virus cannot be ignored,” the U.S. Open…

Despite his eighth top-10 finish of the season in the Quaker State 400 Saturday night, Martin Truex Jr. left Kentucky Speedway still fuming about a ruling NASCAR made that went against him. Truex was running second in the race behind leader Kevin Harvick when both came to pit road during a caution on Lap 196. As he came down pit road and approached his pit stall, Truex dove in front…

The race to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup took another interesting twist Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, where Brad Keselowski nursed his fuel mileage in the final laps to win the Quaker State 400 over Carl Edwards. Keselowski’s victory was his second straight and fourth of the year, tops in the Cup series. Eleven drivers have won races already this year and are all but…

Carl Edwards fully expected Brad Keselowski to run out of fuel in the closing stages of Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway, and Keselowski thought his tank had hit empty with two laps remaining. But Keselowski had enough fuel in reserve and managed to cross the finish line on fumes to take the Quaker State 400, his series-best fourth victory of 2016 and second consecutive win. Keselowski need…

Bernard Lagat crosses the line first in the 5000 meters on Saturday, ahead of Hassan Mead. The 41-year-old Lagat will compete in his fifth Olympics.(Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports) Bernard Lagat showed that his 41-year-old legs still have some spring. And speed. The veteran came from behind with a 52.8-second final lap to win the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday in Eugene, Ore., and he will…

Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson spun and hit the wall in Turn 4 on Lap 31 of 267 in the Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts on Saturday at Kentucky Speedway, one of multiple wrecks in the race. For Johnson it was the second time during the race weekend that the No. 48 Chevrolet SS found the wall at the 1.5-mile track. Johnson wrecked during…

The U.S. women’s soccer team faced off against South Africa in the team’s penultimate friendly before the 2016 Olympics.  In a matchup of two teams heading to this summer’s Olympics, the U.S. beat South Africa 1-0 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill.  The U.S. almost scored within the first minute of the match. Christen Press took a pass from Meghan Klingenberg and had a one-one-one with South African goalkeeper Roxanne…

Justin Gatlin and LaShawn Merritt are going to be busy in Rio. Both sprinters will run two individual races at the 2016 Olympics after taking the top two spots in the 200m final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Saturday.  Gatlin, who will also run the 100m in Rio, won the 200m final in 19.75 seconds from lane eight. “I was running blind the whole time,” Gatlin…

Maggie Pierce and Emily Turgeon have more in common than it seems – and it all starts on the soccer field. Pierce is a 14-year-old Raleigh soccer player in the early stages of her athletic career. Turgeon, 34, has already had her chance at playing and coaching high school and college soccer. Both play for the Raleigh-based Oak City FC, a Women’s Premier Soccer League team. The inaugural season will…

In a week filled with tragic and horrific news, Brad Keselowski understands that in the grand scheme a mid-summer NASCAR race is trivial. But the former Sprint Cup champion also recognizes that Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway offers an opportunity to provide a distraction from recent events — even if it’s just for a short period of time. Keselowski views himself as an entertainer in some…

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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email print comment DALLAS — U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson withdrew from the Rio Games on Friday because of concerns over the Zika virus, costing golf three of the world’s top four players for its return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. Jordan Spieth is the only player from the top four who has not said whether he is going to Brazil. A decision could come…

NASCAR’s youth movement his hitting on all eight cylinders right now. Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway, 18-year-old William Byron won his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in just 10 career starts. In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, the current points leader is 24-year-old Daniel Suarez. And at the top of the sport, two rookies and one third-year driver are in championship contention. With nine races left in the NASCAR…

Two years ago, Gabby Douglas moved to Columbus, Ohio to train at Buckeye Gymnastics under the gym’s director, Kittia Carpenter. Carpenter has been by Douglas’ side through every competition since, from the 2015 World Championships last October, where Douglas earned an all-around silver medal, to the P&G Championships in late June. Carpenter has also been heavily featured on Douglas Family Gold, the Oxygen docu-series that has followed Douglas’ journey to the Rio…

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The seemingly endless flow of top golf talent pulling out of the 2016 Rio Olympics has been well-documented here, but it was still a harsh blow for the United States and the sport in general when, late Friday, the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world announced that he would also be withdrawing his name for consideration from his country’s national team. Dustin Johnson, winner of back-to-back tournaments including his first…

NASCAR on Friday announced the dates and locations of the post-season championship banquets for all three of its national touring series. For the eighth consecutive year, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards banquet will take place at the Wynn Las Vegas, with the date set for Dec. 2. The complete lineup of talent and activities for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week will be announced at a later date. “We…

NASCAR’s youth movement his hitting on all eight cylinders right now. Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway, 18-year-old William Byron won his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in just 10 career starts. In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, the current points leader is 24-year-old Daniel Suarez. And at the top of the sport, two rookies and one third-year driver are in championship contention. With nine races left in the NASCAR…