Sports

HAVANA Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Monday defended a Cuban taekwondo athlete banned forever from the sport for kicking a referee during the Beijing Olympics. Castro, in a column on the Internet, said Angel Valodia Matos already was ... [full story]

BEIJING Finishing last at the Olympics is as big a triumph as winning medals for many athletes from Africa. "I'm really proud of myself for coming this far," said Botswana's Amantle Montsho, who ended up in last place in the ... [full story]

BEIJING American Bryan Clay outclassed the opposition to win gold in the Olympic decathlon on Friday, leading from start to finish in the two-day competition. His winning margin of 240 points was the most convincing in the multi-disciplined event ... [full story]

BEIJING Usain "Lightning" Bolt powered the Jamaican men to a world record victory in the 100 meters relay on Friday, sealing his place as the dominant track athlete of the Beijing Olympics. It was the third world record for ... [full story]

BEIJING Sinchronized swimmers flew to Beijing with suitcases full of sequin-spangled swimsuits, waterproof makeup, nose clips and gelatin to make sure that underwater each hair would stay in place. When speed swimmers were fretting about whether a new hi-tech ... [full story]

BEIJING World champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser beat Brazil to win the men's Olympic beach volleyball on Friday, making it two out of two for the United States who also won the women's event. The US pair some ... [full story]

BEIJING Ukrainian heptathlete Lyudmila Blonska has been stripped of her Beijing Olympics silver medal after testing positive for an anabolic steroid, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday. Blonska now faces a lifetime ban after what was officially her ... [full story]

BEIJING The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into allegations Chinese authorities falsified the age of a double gold medal winning gymnast because she was too young to compete. China's He Kexin, who won team gold in artistic ... [full story]

BEIJING French defending Olympic champion Julien Absalon is the strong favorite to win gold in the men's mountain bike race on Saturday though a muddy course may lead to upsets in both the men's and women's race. The difficult ... [full story]

BEIJING US defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh beat China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie to win the women's Olympic beach volleyball gold medal on Thursday. The triple world champions screamed, leapt into each other's arms and fell ... [full story]