track and field
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It's Official: Sha'Carri Richardson Won't Compete in Tokyo Olympics
USA Track and Field has declined to add the rising star to its Olympic roster.
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With New Ruling Against Semenya Caster, Track and Field Upholds Restrictive Gender Norms Rooted in Racism
South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya experienced another setback in her years-long struggle to compete on her terms—which is to say, to simply run without having to conform to restrictive, arbitrary and racist perceptions of what a woman’s body ought to be like. On Tuesday, a Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court dismissed her appeal of a…
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A New Race to Win: With a New Brand Sponsor, Alysia Montaño Is Ready to Change the Game for Women Athletes
“The marathon continues” may have been Nipsey Hussle’s signature line (may he rest in peace), but it is equally applicable to champion American middle-distance runner and fellow 2019 Root 100 honoree Alysia Montaño. One of the most decorated women in track and field, Montaño began shifting paradigms in the sport in 2014, when she competed…
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With a New Baby, Sponsor and Mission, Olympian Allyson Felix Is in the Race to Save Black Mothers
When runner Allyson Felix read fellow Olympian Alysia Montaño’s explosive Mother’s Day op-ed in the New York Times, calling out Nike for the lack of support and protection it offered to its sponsored female athletes in the event of pregnancy, it struck a chord. After all, aside from both being world-class athletes sponsored by Nike,…
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Fast and Fierce: Is the World's Fastest Woman En Route to Being One of Its Most Fashionable?
Give me a workout session, but make it fashion. That’s what Olympian Tori Bowie did for fashion site Coveteur, which covered the world champion runner in a fashion-fueled stretch, pose and sprint session just prior to her appearance on the red carpet as one of Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50 on July 12. The 27-year-old Bowie,…
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Michael Phelps' Gold Medals Can't Outshine Usain Bolt's Black Brilliance
Michael Phelps is an amazing athlete. The most-awarded Olympian of all time, he has collected an incredible amount of hardware for his display case: 23 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals are nothing to scoff at. He’s an icon, an ambassador for his sport and, to quote Jay Z, not just a…
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Usain Bolt Withdraws From Olympic Trials Because of Hamstring Injury
The “fastest man in the world,” Usain Bolt, withdrew from the Olympic trials on Friday because of a torn hamstring, reports USA Today. The Jamaican sprinter says he still hopes to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On Thursday, Bolt, 29, complained of a tight hamstring after a preliminary race, and the…