Sports

Armless Archer Matt Stutzman Describes How He Shoots A Bow — And Wins Medals

Bill Chappell — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:18:00 +0000

American Paralympian Matt Stutzman won the silver medal in archery this week, a feat he accomplished despite being born without arms.

Pistorius Falls To Britain's Peacock In 200 Meters; American Browne Is Second

Joseph Shapiro — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:07:00 +0000

In one of the most closely watched events at the London Paralympics, South African Oscar Pistorius failed in his attempt to win the 100-meter sprint and regain his title as the world's fastest amputee today.

Great Britain's Jonnie Peacock took the lead early and kept it, winning in 10.90 seconds, a Paralympic record. American Richard Browne, 21, of Jackson, Miss., won the silver medal.

Pistorius, the double amputee who ran in the Olympics this year, came in fourth. He finished in 11.17 seconds.

Peacock, a single amputee, is just 19; he calls Pistorius his hero.

Oscar Pistorius Seeks Redemption In Race To Be The World's Fastest Amputee

Joseph Shapiro — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:23:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Wlp1sTnoY

Racer Alex Zanardi Wins Gold Medal At London Paralympics

Bill Chappell — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Alex Zanardi, who was a star racecar driver when he lost his legs in a 2001 crash, has won a gold medal in the London Paralympics. The Italian, 45, beat Germany's Nobert Mosandl by more than 27 seconds to win the men's handcycle time trial.

Navy Lieutenant Swims To Gold In London Paralympics, Months After Injury

Bill Chappell — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:28:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7PAxzAbcLk

Doing It To Win: Veterans Raise Bar At Paralympics

Quil Lawrence — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:18:00 +0000

On a placid summer morning last month, before the Virginia heat could hit them, a former U.S. Marine and his partner lifted their rowing scull into the glassy water of the Rivanna River, near Charlottesville.

"First thing I do is take these legs off," said Rob Jones, who like his rowing partner, Oksana Masters, is a double, above-the-knee amputee. They're the U.S. team for mixed-doubles rowing at the 2012 London Paralympics, which started Wednesday.

They sit, take off their legs on the dock, balance on their torsos, lift, twist and gently drop the boat in.

Paralympics Set To Begin In London, Near 'Spiritual Home' Of Games

Bill Chappell — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:34:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4FgGSY5BY

Medalist Claressa Shields Gets A Hero's Welcome

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Hundreds gathered in Flint, Mich., Tuesday, to celebrate the return home of Olympian Claressa Shields. At 17, Shields became the first U.S. woman ever — and the only American this summer — to win a gold medal in boxing.

In a rare moment of joy, Flint greeted the high school student with a marching band and a motorcycle escort.

Shields had spent a long day traveling and being stuck in airports. But this day, she was no ordinary traveler.

Doping Can Catch Up To Olympians Eight Years Later

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:53:00 +0000

On Monday, a woman from Belarus was stripped of her gold medal in the shot put because she failed a doping test. A hammer thrower, also from Belarus, was sent home before competing due to suspicions of doping in the 2004 games. Melissa Black talks with T.J. Quinn, an ESPN investigative reporter, about the state of drug testing in sports, and how long samples can be kept for later testing when technology improves.

The Torch Is Out: Olympic Moments Will Burn On

Bill Chappell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:10:00 +0000

It's time to extinguish The Torch, and end NPR's three-week marathon of Olympic coverage. From the London Games' opening ceremony through 302 medal events, these Summer Olympics have fed fans a rich diet of history and spectacle. I only wish I'd been able to eat it all — but part of the Olympics' allure is that its smorgasbord is over-stuffed with intense competition.

But the buffet is now closed.

London 2012 Games Set A Viewership Record, At 219.4 Million

Bill Chappell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:51:00 +0000

It's nearly time to extinguish The Torch, and end NPR's little marathon of Olympic coverage. Before we do, we must note that the games have now become the most-watched television event in U.S. history, with a total of 219.4 viewers over 17 days of coverage.

Those high ratings push the London Games past Beijing 2008, which held the previous record of 215 million viewers.

Gabby Douglas Gets One More Gold, For Winning Facebook Fans

Bill Chappell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:56:00 +0000

They've been called the first "Social Games" — and the London Summer Olympics have delivered on that promise, making social stars out of athletes like gymnast Gabby Douglas, who saw her Facebook fanbase grow by nearly 4,000 percent during the games.

Gymnasts Marcel Nguyen and Jordyn Wieber were also among the big winners on Facebook, according to a research firm that tracked athletes' fan numbers during the games.

Douglas took the Olympics and Facebook by storm when she coolly led her team to an all-around gold and then winning the

The Losers

The Stiff Upper Lip

It helped the British tough out their more painful moments during centuries of empire and world wars, but the Stiff Upper Lip is now officially obsolete.

Olympics Closing Ceremony: Both Well-Received And Anger-Inducing

Bill Chappell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:33:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAz84ZV7xF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8smO4VS9134