Category: 2016 Rio Olympics

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program RIO DE JANEIRO – I had been waiting for the Olympic Games to start. I attended the Opening Ceremony and saw interim Brazil interim president Michel Temer declare the first Olympic Games in South America open. I saw spectators flock into the Olympic Park and watched …

By Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris RIO DE JANEIRO — As he was being chased down, nearly tripping off of the strip entirely, American saber fencer Daryl Homer somehow snuck his blade into German fencer Matyas Szabo’s ribs for a point during his quarterfinal bout. The point was heralded with chants of “U-S-A” from the audience, …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola RIO DE JANEIRO – Josh Prenot couldn’t tell where he was in the water in relation to the other seven swimmers. He saw glimpses of the other racers, but that meant nothing to him. So, not long after making the turn at the 100-meter wall, he started sprinting. An 80-meter …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program RIO DE JANEIRO – Shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani had to stop himself from crying. He was standing on top of the podium, gold medal around his neck. He should have been the happiest person Wednesday at the Olympic Shooting Center. But he had to hold back his …

By Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris RIO DE JANEIRO — Standing on the platform before their final dive Monday at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, David Boudia and Steele Johnson recited Philippians 4:6, a Bible verse about anxiety. They smiled, fist-bumped and executed a back 2 ½ somersault with 2 ½ twists in the men’s 10-meter …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Glenn Eller is excited to be representing the United States on multiple fronts during the Olympic Games. Eller will be a face of Team USA when he shoots in the double trap on Aug. 10 at the Olympic Shooting Centre in Deodoro. The Sgt. First Class will also be a …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola RIO DE JANEIRO – Olympic boxer Gary Russell already knows what he’s going to do with his light welterweight gold medal if he wins it: he’s going to dedicate it to Muhammad Ali. Ali was many things to many people. He was a boxer, an activist, a humanitarian and much …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Two Team USA judokas will have a special guest, dear friend and distinguished coach in attendance as they seek gold medals in Rio. Yoshihiro Uchida coached Olympic qualifiers Marti Malloy and Colton Brown at San Jose State University. The 96-year-old coach plans to be in attendance for their matches in …

By Rebecca Harris | @MsRebeccaHarris RIO DE JANEIRO — Carmel High School graduate Rajeev Ram’s improbable Olympic journey will continue.Ram and his men’s doubles tennis partner, Brian Baker, won their first-round match against French pair Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Despite an extended delay created by high winds earlier in the day, the pair breezed …

By Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola Sports Capital Journalism Program RIO DE JANEIRO – Adam Krikorian gathered his women’s water polo team Thursday morning in the Olympic Village. He shared with the team the news he had learned the previous night: Blake Krikorian, one of his two older brothers, had died unexpectedly at the age of …