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Jamaican bobsledders race to find sponsors

11:32 pm | August 29, 2004 | The Olympic torch is out in Athens. But it's still flickering in Jamaica.

NBC Universal's gamble on Olympics pays off

11:30 pm | August 29, 2004 | As the 2004 Athens Olympics recede into the history books, the media outfits that took a chance on the Olympics look golden.

Young Chinese team exerts its strength

9:32 pm | August 29, 2004 | With a national record 63 medals, 32 of them gold, China's athletes showed in Athens they are primed to pump up host-country passions four years from now with a serious run at the USA's Summer Games medal supremacy.

Boxer ends drought, earns gold for USA

7:39 pm | August 29, 2004 | Andre Ward was the first U.S. boxer to win a gold medal at the Athens Olympics, ending two weeks of frustration for the team that once dominated in the ring.

Security issues fade as Games roll smoothly to close

7:22 pm | August 29, 2004 | At the end of the line - having spent a record $1.5 billion, deployed 70,000 security officers and enlisted the assistance of NATO - the single greatest threat to the Games may have been broiling sun.

USA surpasses its medals goal

6:59 pm | August 29, 2004 | Steven Lopez's gold medal in the taekwondo competition was one of a flurry of medals at the Games' finish that pushed the United States over its publicly stated goal of 100 medals and kept the U.S. team on top of the medal count for a third consecutive Olympics.

South Korean gymnast appeals to arbitrator

6:43 pm | August 29, 2004 | On Sunday, South Korean gymnast Yang Tae-young filed an appeal with the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), asking the independent panel to direct the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to change the results of the men's individual all-around.

Athens games heralded as success

2:30 pm | August 29, 2004 | They opened as the Games of Controversy, for so many reasons, and they head into history as a 17-day celebration that helped Greece restore its ancient Olympic pride.

Deposed USOC chief feels pride from a distance

1:39 pm | August 29, 2004 | Lloyd Ward, the former CEO of Newton, Iowa-based Maytag, left the USOC after facing conflict-of-interest allegations that spawned the most public dispute in the organization's history.

Medal try slips away from wrestler Williams

12:47 pm | August 29, 2004 | A split-second, edge-of-mat decision became the difference between Joe Williams stepping on the mat for a shot at an Olympic medal and leaving Athens empty-handed.

Notebook: Wrestler takes gold on road

12:04 pm | August 29, 2004 | Cael Sanderson and his Olympic wrestling gold medal, it appears, will be making a road trip. Representatives of "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno want to book Sanderson this week.

Cormier outwrestled for bronze

12:01 pm | August 29, 2004 | Iran's Alireza Heidari scored the final three points of the match Sunday to stun Daniel Cormier, 3-2, at 211.5 pounds for a come-from-behind bronze medal victory.

Men's volleyball team improves, but still no medal

10:53 am | August 29, 2004 | In the clash with the Russian team, the Americans had numerous chances in the first two sets but lost all the critical points.

USA water polo team defeats Italy

10:27 am | August 29, 2004 | The men of the U.S. water polo team will not take home a medal, but after a classification match against Italy on Sunday, the team finished in seventh place.

Young track stars boost U.S. medal count

9:44 pm | August 28, 2004 | Young athletes allowed the United States to achieve its highest medal count in track and field since 1992.

Williams advances to wrestling quarterfinals

8:57 pm | August 28, 2004 | U.S. 163-pound wrestler Joe Williams advanced to a quarterfinal match on Sunday against Kazakhstan's Gennadiy Laliyev.

U.S. women cruise to 4x400 gold

8:53 pm | August 28, 2004 | DeeDee Trotter, Monique Henderson, Sanya Richards and Monique Hennagan weren't going to take chances. Their plan worked to perfection as the U.S. women's 4x400-meter relay team raced to victory.

U.S. men's 4x400 team blazes to gold

8:47 pm | August 28, 2004 | The U.S. men's 4x400-meter squad blew away the field on the final night of track and field inside Olympic Stadium.

Baton woes leave U.S. men with silver in 4x100

8:41 pm | August 28, 2004 | Team USA bobbled away almost-sure gold Saturday night in the men's 4x100-meter relay final.

Bronze consoles disappointed men's basketball team

8:36 pm | August 28, 2004 | The United States men didn't leave Olympic basketball's drastically altered landscape empty-handed Saturday.

Stringer's return aided women's gold rush

8:32 pm | August 28, 2004 | Vivian Stringer picked a good time to come back from a 13-year hiatus from USA basketball.

Sanderson achieves wrestling gold-medal

5:53 pm | August 28, 2004 | Former Iowa State star Cael Sanderson lived up to the steep Olympic expectations launched after his 159-0 NCAA career, beating Korea's Eui Jae Moon 3-1 on Saturday for an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling.

Greer flops in javelin final

5:11 pm | August 28, 2004 | American javelin thrower Breaux Greer had the confidence and the healthy attitude coming into Saturday night's Olympic final, but only one good knee and that combination turned into disaster Saturday.

Notebook: Last hurrah for Mia Hamm

4:51 pm | August 28, 2004 | Three-time Olympic medalist Mia Hamm was elected by her 2004 Olympic Team peers to be the U.S. flag bearer for Sunday night's Closing Ceremonies - the first soccer player to carry the flag at an Olympic Games.

Basketball assistant aided women's gold rush

3:08 pm | August 28, 2004 | Vivian Stringer, head coach at Rutgers and assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic team, picked a good time to come back from a 13-year hiatus from USA basketball, and helped the U.S. women win a gold medal.

U.S. women bring home more basketball gold

2:46 pm | August 28, 2004 | The U.S. women did what the men couldn't, packing up basketball gold to bring home from Athens by beating Australia, 74-63, Saturday at Olympic Indoor Hall.

Cormier breezes into wrestling semifinals

1:39 pm | August 28, 2004 | Daniel Cormier outscored his two opponents 19-1 on Saturday at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall to reach the freestyle wrestling semifinals at 211.5 pounds.

Greek pride shines in Olympic spotlight

11:39 am | August 28, 2004 | With the end of the 2004 Summer Olympics just hours away, Gina Anastasiou of Athens has a proposal for the International Olympic Committee - bring the games back to Greece every four years.

Volleyball team has medal incentive

11:14 am | August 28, 2004 | The U.S. men's volleyball team still has a goal to achieve as it plays Russia on Sunday - a medal, something that has eluded them since the 1992 Olympics, when it came away with a bronze.

Wells 19th in mountain biking

11:07 am | August 28, 2004 | Todd Wells has no regrets about his 19th place finish in the cross country mountain biking at the 2004 Olympic Games.

U.S. divers shut out after 92 years

10:52 am | August 28, 2004 | After an Olympic Games in which American divers failed to win a medal for the first time since 1912, Indiana University coach Jeff Huber is proposing changes to U.S. Diving.

U.S. women breeze in 4x400 qualifying

10:57 pm | August 27, 2004 | Monique Hennagan and Dee Dee Trotter expect to play prominent roles when the U.S. women's 4x400-meter relay team attempts to repeat its triumphs at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Games.

Liu's record run leaves Trammell with 2nd silver

10:52 pm | August 27, 2004 | Xiang Liu of China took the gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles in a record-tying 12.91 seconds, relegating Terrence Trammell to a second consecutive silver medal.

Pole-vaulter follows plan to gold-medal perfection

7:28 pm | August 27, 2004 | Timothy Mack is such a methodical pole-vaulter, he doesn't allow himself to enjoy the moment, even when it's the biggest one of his life.

Argentina knocks U.S. basketball team off pedestal

7:04 pm | August 27, 2004 | Argentina chopped down the fading giant in Friday's semifinals at the Athens Olympics, advancing to the gold-medal game against Italy with an 89-81 victory while handling the Americans their third loss of the games.

Americans furious with call for Hamm to give up gold

7:01 pm | August 27, 2004 | The U.S. Olympic Committee angrily declares that it will no longer support the idea of awarding a second gold medal to Korean Yang Tae-Young after the International Gymnastics Federation wrote to gymnast Paul Hamm asking Hamm to give up his gold medal.

N.J. equestrian gets bronze in jumping

6:50 pm | August 27, 2004 | On a star-crossed night for the U.S. equestrians in individual show jumping, Chris Kappler left with a bronze medal and an injured horse.

U.S. fill-ins qualify first in men's 4x400

5:53 pm | August 27, 2004 | The U.S. men's 4x400 relay team, despite using two substitutes - qualified for the finals Friday with a semifinal-best time of 2:59.30.

Notebook: Take our basketball medals, please

5:50 pm | August 27, 2004 | In light of the Paul Hamm controversy, Olympic officials say they know of no precedent for an athlete giving back a legitimately earned Olympic medal. But there is one stash of medals that were never claimed.

Men's volleyball will play for bronze

5:45 pm | August 27, 2004 | The U.S. men's volleyball team knew going in against Brazil it had to play near flawlessly to win - instead, as Clay Stanley put it, Team USA came up with its ``B'' game in getting swept 25-16, 25-17, 25-23 Friday by No. 1 ranked Brazil.

U.S. men set blazing pace in 4x100 relay

5:29 pm | August 27, 2004 | With Shawn Crawford and Darvis Patton running the first two legs on the U.S. men's 4x100-meter relay team Friday, Coby Miller delivered a solid third 100 and handed off to Maurice Greene, who brought it home convincingly in a 38.02-second American triumph.

Sanderson, two mates gain wrestling semis

4:28 pm | August 27, 2004 | U.S. freestyle wrestler Cael Sanderson won all three of his matches at 185 pounds on Friday to lead three of four American wrestlers into Saturday's semifinals.

U.S. outlasts Russia in women's basketball

1:39 pm | August 27, 2004 | In their first real test of the Olympic tournament, the U.S. women's basketball team held on for a 66-62 victory over Russia Friday, advancing to the gold-medal game against Australia in a battle of unbeatens.

Clausen 32nd in 50k racewalk

1:30 pm | August 27, 2004 | In his third, and possibly last Olympics, Curt Clausen, 36, of Stevens Point, Wis., finished 32nd in Friday's 50-kilometer racewalk.

Tragedy gives wrestler extra motivation

12:19 pm | August 27, 2004 | Daniel Cormier, who begins preliminary competition Saturday in the 212-pound class of Olympic freestyle wrestling, hopes to win a gold medal to honor the memory of his daughter, who was killed in a traffic accident last year.

Column: Wambach's a winner with head, heart

9:22 pm | August 26, 2004 | In the Olympic gold medal soccer game against Brazil, Abby Wambach won the game with one of her patented noggin shots. Not only was it the decisive goal, it also proved the perfect sendoff for Mia Hamm and the other members of U.S. soccer's Fab Five.

Crawford races to 200 gold, leads U.S. sweep

8:37 pm | August 26, 2004 | The crowd chanted for Greek sprinter Kostas Kederis, who wasn't even in the race, but it was Shawn Crawford who led an American sweep of the 200.

Architects of women's soccer movement treated to fitting farewell

8:34 pm | August 26, 2004 | The U.S. women's soccer team beat Brazil 2-1 Thursday in an overtime thriller that paid fitting tribute to a national program that produced two golds medals, one silver and a sport-changing World Cup title in 1999.

Gatlin takes bronze as U.S. sweeps 200

8:33 pm | August 26, 2004 | Justin Gatlin, trying to duplicate Carl Lewis' 1984 feat of gold in the 100 and 200 meter runs, fell short in his quest of becoming only the second sprinter in 20 years and seventh all-time to accomplish it.

Jersey girls enjoy golden moment

8:00 pm | August 26, 2004 | Christie Rampone was about to receive her first Olympic gold medal, on one of those memorable nights in a faraway country, and she couldn't believe who was standing at her side -- a familiar face from New Jersey.

Parlow picks up gold in Athens

7:41 pm | August 26, 2004 | Cindy Parlow said she was happy to be part of the gold-medal winning women's soccer team, even though she didn't get to play in the squad's 2-1 win over Brazil.

Gold medal is payday for Mitts family

7:25 pm | August 26, 2004 | Cincinnati’s Heather Mitts didn’t get a chance to play in the gold-medal soccer match between the United States and Brazil, but from her family’s perspective, she is the star on the team.

Trammell lone American in hurdles finals

6:30 pm | August 26, 2004 | Terrence Trammell is the lone American left in the 110-meter high hurdles, the Olympic track and field event the U.S. has most dominated over the years.

Notebook: Gebrselassie switching to marathon

5:11 pm | August 26, 2004 | Ethiopian distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie, 35, said Thursday he's finished with track and field ... but not running; he'll shift his focus to the marathon and hopes to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

U.S. women's basketball: Tough acts to follow

4:43 pm | August 26, 2004 | Pressure is mounting for the U.S. women's basketball team, but it isn't coming from their opponents in the Olympic tournament - it's coming from other U.S. women's Olympic teams who have done well.

Greer leads javelin qualifiers

4:19 pm | August 26, 2004 | Making it a short night, Breaux Greer qualified for the javelin finals on Saturday with his one and only throw as it traveled 286.25 feet - best of the qualifying round.

Cello-playing wrestler pins technical foes

3:54 pm | August 26, 2004 | Kerry McCoy, chiseled with muscle at 6-feet-2, 250 pounds, doesn't fit the stereotype of ``kind of a techno geek,'' but that's what the U.S. freestyle heavyweight wrestler calls himself.

Senior's pentathlon comeback ends

3:32 pm | August 26, 2004 | Chad Senior of Fort Myers, Fla., completed a two-year comeback in the modern pentathlon Thursday with a 13th-place finish at the 2004 Olympics.

Sanderson, Williams seek wrestling medals

2:25 pm | August 26, 2004 | Cael Sanderson and Joe Williams each could end up with a medal as the Olympics enters its final weekend, but when the sport is freestyle wrestling - not track and field, swimming or gymnastics - there's often more toil than attention.

Marbury leads U.S. into basketball semis

2:22 pm | August 26, 2004 | Stephon Marbury's American Olympic record 31 points were the foundation for a 102-94 United States win over Spain Thursday in front of a noisy crowd of 14,500 at the Olympic Indoor Hall.

Wadlow, Spaulding finish fifth in sailing

2:21 pm | August 26, 2004 | Former New Jersey residents Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding finished in fifth place overall in the 49er sailing class after the 16th and final race Thursday at the Summer Olympics.

Surging men's volleyball team chasing gold

11:43 am | August 26, 2004 | Three-time Olympian Lloy Ball has never been in this situation before with his United States men's volleyball team - on the threshold of a possible medal.

Kayakers fail to advance

9:00 am | August 26, 2004 | U.S. kayaker Kathryn Colin ended her competitive career Thursday after she and partner Lauren Spalding failed to advance to the finals of the women's K-2 500m flatwater race at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

After Games, no firm plans for venues

10:42 pm | August 25, 2004 | With just four days remaining until the close of the Olympic Games, there is no public plan for the continued use of the sprawling network of costly venues, a government spokesman acknowledged Wednesday.

Felix flashes to silver

10:28 pm | August 25, 2004 | Eighteen-year-old Allyson Felix sprints to a world junior record in winning the silver medal in the women's 200-meter final.

Phillips' old injury spurs great leap forward

10:13 pm | August 25, 2004 | Dwight Phillips' dream to run the 400 meters at the Olympics was crushed - not by the accident leaving him with two broken legs that doctors feared might incapacitate him, but by a late career switch -- to the long jump.

`All business' now, Iverson says of games

9:42 pm | August 25, 2004 | All the struggles of the U.S. men's basketball team can be made right in the next three days if they can get the three wins it will take to win the gold medal.

200 final shapes up as dynamite 100 rematch

7:28 pm | August 25, 2004 | If Sunday night's men's 100-meter final was dynamite, the 200 final on Thursday night should be a double blast as four of the eight principal cast members return.

Richmond comes up short in long jump

7:24 pm | August 25, 2004 | Although Rose Richmond didn't reach her goal of qualifying for the Olympic finals in the long jump, she says this first experience will benefit her as she plans to make her next trip to the Summer Games in 2008.

Mack advances to pole vault finals

7:20 pm | August 25, 2004 | Timothy Mack, despite bad timing Wednesday night, qualified for the Olympic finals, along with fellow Americans Derek Miles and Toby Stevenson, who will be among 16 vaulters all of whom cleared 18 feet, 8 1/4 inches in qualifying.

Dorival qualifies for 110-hurdles semifinals

7:16 pm | August 25, 2004 | Dudley Dorival is in Thursday's 110-meter high hurdles semifinals but fellow New Jersey resident Todd Matthews Jouda won't be joining him.

Johnson takes surprising tumble in hurdles

7:01 pm | August 25, 2004 | The U.S. high hurdles team will soldier on without its captain; in one more stunner at these Olympic Games, Alan Johnson went down and out Wednesday night at Olympic Stadium.

Taylor struggles to 7th in 400m hurdles

6:16 pm | August 25, 2004 | Brenda Taylor wanted to leave her first Olympics with something more tangible than memories. Unfortunately, she missed winning some precious medal after a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles.

U.S. men edge Greece in volleyball marathon

5:18 pm | August 25, 2004 | Team USA survived a match-for-the-ages, beating host Greece, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 17-15 in front of 9,300 screaming fans to advance to the men's volleyball semifinals.

Gardner leaves shoes, wrestling legacy

4:57 pm | August 25, 2004 | A bronze medal ensured, 265-pound, barrel-chested Rulon Gardner sat down like a child Wednesday and untied the laces on his size-13 shoes - America's athletic icon from the 2000 Olympics said it without saying a word: He was retiring.

Notebook: Greece's golden goddess

4:46 pm | August 25, 2004 | From a Greek perspective, the individual highlight of the Games has been 400-meter hurdler Fani Halkia, who set an Olympic record with a time of 52.77 seconds in the semifinals, then easily won the gold medal in 52.82.

McDonald just short of equestrian bronze

3:15 pm | August 25, 2004 | Former show jumping rider Debbie McDonald of Hailey, Idaho finshed fourth Wednesday aboard Brentina, her trusty mare, just missing an Olympic bronze medal in equestrian dressage.

Column: Women's soccer final could get rough

2:48 pm | August 25, 2004 | Thursday's women's soccer final between the U.S. and Brazil is sure to be physical and there's nothing wrong with that - but one has to wonder - will it cross the line?

Wells ready for mountain bike race

1:41 pm | August 25, 2004 | Not so long ago, Toddd Wells put aside his bicycle racing dreams on hold to get a degree in management information systems from the University of Arizona and a job with IBM, but he's returned to the sport and will compete in Saturday's Olympic mountain bike race.

Injury hampers Soldati in diving event

1:14 pm | August 25, 2004 | U.S. diver Kimiko Soldati, suffering from a lingering shoulder injury, failed to qualify Wednesday for the semifinals of the women's 3-meter springboard at the Summer Olympics.

U.S. captain may miss women's soccer final

1:03 pm | August 25, 2004 | She ditched her crutches Wednesday and is gimping around on a bum right ankle but U.S. team captain Julie Foudy isn't ruling out playing in Thursday's gold medal women's soccer match against Brazil.

U.S. routs Greece in women's basketball

11:55 am | August 25, 2004 | The United States' march toward a medal in women's basketball met minimal resistance Wednesday as the U.S. routed Greece 102-72 at the Summer Olympics.

Lindquist finishes ninth in triathlon

11:18 am | August 25, 2004 | Barb Lindquist, who lives and trains on the Idaho-Wyoming border, finished ninth in the triathlon Wednesday on a postcard kind of day at the Summer Olympics.

Women's kayak team ousted in semifinals

9:34 am | August 25, 2004 | The four women that made up the U.S. K-4 kayak flatwater team were in disbelief Wednesday after their boat failed to qualify for the finals of the 500m flatwater race.

Controversy mars wrestler's elimination

9:15 am | August 25, 2004 | A videotape review of a call that could have tied Garrett Lowney's overtime Greco-Roman wrestling match with Hungary's Lajos Virag Wednesday instead awarded points to his opponent and ended Lowney's Olympic career.

Kayak team fails to advance

9:08 am | August 25, 2004 | The hopes for a set of Olympic medals ended Wednesday for the two-man kayak team of Andrew Bussey and Jeffrey Smoke, who competed in the semifinal round of the K-2 1,000 meter flatwater race.

Ward upsets Russian to stay in boxing medal hunt

11:20 pm | August 24, 2004 | It’s no fun to be an American boxer at the 2004 Olympics but light-heavyweight Andre Ward made a lonely last stand Tuesday in a hostile arena and put U.S. humiliation on hold for at least awhile with a gutsy upset of two-time world-champion Evgeny Makarenko.

Quest for gold won't end with Olympics

10:55 pm | August 24, 2004 | For most Olympians, the most lucrative gigs after the Athens Games will be public speaking opportunities.

Amidst the glitz and sand, U.S. stars shine brightest

10:13 pm | August 24, 2004 | As in Atlanta and Sydney, beach volleyball finally became the place to be at the Olympics on Tuesday night, with a packed house, celebrities and a party atmosphere, Misty May and Kerri Walsh put an exclamation point on their total domination of the sport.

Nasty curse of decathletes claims Pappas

9:58 pm | August 24, 2004 | The USA's Tom Pappas limped off the track Tuesday, forced out of competition by an injured left foot and also by the Olympic decathlon curse.

U.S. women hurdle to gold, bronze

8:50 pm | August 24, 2004 | In one of the most eventful moments of this meet, American Joanna Hayes set an Olympic record by winning the 100 hurdles in 12.37 seconds while teammate Melissa Morrison picked up the bronze and Ukraine's Olena Krasovska won silver.

Clay takes decathlon silver

8:44 pm | August 24, 2004 | By decathlon standards, 73 points is absolutely minuscule, but to Bryan Clay, 73 points meant the world.

Americans out-jump Sweden for equestrian silver

8:00 pm | August 24, 2004 | Germany breezed to equestrian gold in the team jumping competition Tuesday night, leaving the United States to out-duel Sweden in a jump-off for the silver medal.

Wood vows to improve at Beijing Games

7:45 pm | August 24, 2004 | Sgt. Oscar Wood has assigned himself mental marching orders after being knocked out of the Olympics -- he plans to use the mat as his classroom as he aims for the 2006 Games in Beijing.

Gatlin sets sights on 200-meter gold

7:31 pm | August 24, 2004 | Justin Gatlin is a strong candidate to join a list of track luminaries, including Carl Lewis, who have won both the 100 and 200 meters, but taking a 200 gold won’t be easy.

Brazilians too tough for American women’s volleyball squad

7:14 pm | August 24, 2004 | The U.S. women’s volleyball team fought to the bitter end, but couldn’t pull off a victory against Brazil Tuesday night.

Rulon Gardner rules day one of wrestling

6:31 pm | August 24, 2004 | Rulon Gardner swept all three of his matches Tuesday to reach the 264.5-pound Greco-Roman wrestling semifinals - four years after snapping Russian legend Alexander Karelin's 13-year unbeaten international streak in Sydney.

Split matches keep Hall from advancing

6:19 pm | August 24, 2004 | A much-debated international wrestling rule called “the clinch” led to the end of Dennis Hall’s lifetime quest for Olympic gold.

American women stymied in 400 meters

5:55 pm | August 24, 2004 | The 400 meters bit the American women again Tuesday night in Athens, even though they had three spots in the finals.

Column: `Marathon' takes toll on reporter

3:26 pm | August 24, 2004 | After 10 flights, 19 cab rides, 19 bus rides, two train rides, 35 stories, 15 weblogs, 100 miles worth of walking, 10 pounds lost and zero days off in two weeks here, I'm running on empty - but that's the nature of covering an Olympics.

Notebook: Horse injured in team jumping

2:41 pm | August 24, 2004 | In the equine equivalent of the star quarterback tripping on his way out of the huddle in the big bowl game, a 12-year-old Argentinian mare named Who Knows Lilly, ridden by Frederico Sztyrle, went lame in the left forelimb Tuesday and was taken to a veterinary hospitbal by ambulance.

U.S. women's basketball team faces Greece

1:57 pm | August 24, 2004 | The medal round starts Wednesday, and a U.S. women's basketball squad that hasn't been challenged faces a stiff quarterfinal test against a surprising and popular Greece team.

Wadlow, Spaulding won't sail into final

1:40 pm | August 24, 2004 | A first-place finish was little consolation for Tim Wadlow and Peter Spaulding on the afternoon their Olympic medal dreams washed away on the Saronic Gulf Tuesday.

Ross, Johnson, Trammell advance in hurdles

1:37 pm | August 24, 2004 | Team Carolina, alias the USA 110-meter high hurdles contingent, passed its first-round Olympic test Tuesday at Olympic Stadium - but not exactly with flying colors.

Olympic spirit, Charles Barkley style

12:59 pm | August 24, 2004 | When the U.S. men took out some frustration on Angola in their final preliminary round basketball game in Athens on Monday, it brought to mind the 1992 Barcelona Games, when Charles Barkley drilled a frail-looking Angolan forward in the chest with an elbow.

New Jersey hurdlers advance

12:49 pm | August 24, 2004 | Two thirds of the New Jersey connection to the Olympic 110-meter high hurdles race is hanging in there with the world's best at Olympic Stadium.

U.S. to play Greece in men's volleyball

11:27 am | August 24, 2004 | Clay Stanley isn't worried about any home court advantage when the U.S. men's volleyball team faces Greece on Wednesday at Peace and Friendship Stadium.

Colin, Spalding advance to kayak semifinals

10:58 am | August 24, 2004 | U.S. kayakers Kathryn Colin and Lauren Spalding beat two boats in the preliminary round of the two-woman kayak 500-meter flatwater competition Tuesday to advance to the semifinals at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Amid controversy, Hamm adds silver

11:38 pm | August 23, 2004 | Despite talk of compromise and amid more judging controversy on a night that saw Paul Hamm claim a silver medal in high bar, the head of the International Gymnastics Federation tried to close the door on a second gold medal being awarded in the men's all-around competition.

U.S. men sweep 400 meters

9:24 pm | August 23, 2004 | Jeremy Wariner must have been oblivious to the freight he carried as the 20-year-old led an American sweep of the 400 meters medals.

Career-best day puts Clay third in decathlon

7:47 pm | August 23, 2004 | Hawaii's Bryan Clay has registered the best first-day decathlon score of his life, and while he stands in third place, his bid for an Olympic medal is no sure thing.

Colorado's Malone finishes 7th in discus

7:20 pm | August 23, 2004 | American Casey Malone was in no rush to leave Olympic Stadium on Monday night after finishing seventh in the final of the men's discus throw.

Hall willingly pays price for shot at Olympic glory

7:06 pm | August 23, 2004 | Dennis Hall has already beaten a major opponent — weight-cutting — heading into his Greco-Roman opener Tuesday at 121 agonizing-to-reach pounds.

Harris runs to silver in U.S. 400 sweep

6:56 pm | August 23, 2004 | The U.S. made it a clean sweep in the men's 400 meters Monday night, with medalists Jeremy Wariner, Otis Harris and Derrick Brew breaking out the red, white and blue for a victory lap around Olympic Stadium.

Morrison plans to let it rip in hurdles final

6:45 pm | August 23, 2004 | For Melissa Morrison of Columbia, S.C., being in Tuesday's final of the women's 100 meter hurdles at the Olympics beats working as a teller at the credit union any day.

Pappas behind in bid for decathlon

6:41 pm | August 23, 2004 | World decathlon champion Tom Pappas' bid to add the Olympic gold medal to his array of major honors is in trouble as he stands fifth after the first day's events.

Column: O’Reilly’s kick was a torch passed

6:00 pm | August 23, 2004 | On a hot Monday night, 19-year-old Heather O'Reilly gave her soccer idol something she'll definitely remember, banging home a pass from Mia Hamm for a game-winning goal.

McMann narrowly beaten for wrestling gold

5:28 pm | August 23, 2004 | Japan’s Kaori Icho scored three unanswered points on Monday — the last with 22 seconds left — to stop American Sara McMann 3-2 in the 138.5-pound gold medal wrestling match at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.

Miles-Clark outkicked in run for gold

5:27 pm | August 23, 2004 | In the fifth and likely final Olympic appearance of her career, Jearl Miles-Clark came within one desperate homestretch sprint of taking the gold medal Monday night.

American women to face Brazil for soccer gold

5:19 pm | August 23, 2004 | The U.S. women's soccer team, sparked by several of its up-and-comers, defeated Germany 2-1 in an epic match that required two 15-minute overtime periods to decide.

U.S. completes softball domination

3:36 pm | August 23, 2004 | Team USA concluded its domination at the Athens Olympics by defeating Australia 5-1 on Monday, giving coach Mike Candrea a gold medal just five weeks after his wife, Sue, died of a brain aneurysm.

Kretschman stands for softball gold

3:10 pm | August 23, 2004 | Kelly Kretschman won't admit to a tear, but she will say she got emotional when the national anthem started while she was on the podium after Team USA beat Australia, 5-1, to win the gold medal in softball at the 2004 Athens Games.

2-man kayakers down but not out

2:41 pm | August 23, 2004 | A seventh-place finish for kayakers Andrew Bussey and Jeffrey Smoke in the preliminary two-man kayak flatwater 1,000-meter competition Monday means the two will advance to Wednesday's semifinals.

Rittman part of gold-medal softball team

2:18 pm | August 23, 2004 | New Mexico State graduate John Rittman is a world champion coach. His U.S. softball team - he's an assistant coach - beat Australia 5-1 on Monday to win its third gold medal in as many Olympics.

For Iverson, the fun hasn't begun

2:06 pm | August 23, 2004 | Team USA's busy schedule of games and practices has prevented Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson from enjoying his first Summer Olympics as much as he'd like.

U.S. basketball team defeats winless Angola

2:01 pm | August 23, 2004 | The African champions, with three starters out injured and two other players hobbled, were no match for the Americans, who coasted to an 89-53 victory at the Helliniko Indoor Arena.

Women kayakers advance despite last-place finish

1:01 pm | August 23, 2004 | Despite finishing last in its race, the U.S. four-women kayak flatwater team will move on to the semifinals in the 500-meter event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Column: The little-known stories behind the headlines

12:19 pm | August 23, 2004 | A lot of interesting stories have unfolded at these Olympic Games, but we're not sure you've been given all the details.

Notebook: Iraq soccer team carries a nation's dream

12:04 pm | August 23, 2004 |

New Yorker comes in 43rd in women's racewalk

11:51 am | August 23, 2004 | It took more than a dozen years to reach the Olympic Games, but Teresa Vaill wasn't exactly satisfied with her one-hour, 38-minute, 47-second performance in the 20-kilometer racewalk Monday.

Athens earns high midterm marks

11:48 am | August 23, 2004 | Although organizers worked furiously to catch up on an embarrassing lack of preparation, Athens faced a world of skepticism before lighting its torch. But its first-week performance verges on perfection.

Mahon fails to qualify for hammer finals

10:34 am | August 23, 2004 | The 29-year-old Orange, Conn., resident and Yale assistant coach was unable to reach the 12-woman Olympic hammer throw final Monday and announced she was going to take a break from track and field.

Idaho's McDonald moves up to 4th in dressage

10:31 am | August 23, 2004 | In the second of three stages of individual dressage grand prix competition, Debbie McDonald moved from fifth to fourth place among the 25 entries in Monday's competition.

Medal ceremonies weave in Greek history

9:50 am | August 23, 2004 | Accompanying the athletes in each ceremony are a group of volunteers dressed in authentic period clothing from the different regions of Greece.

All-American semifinal has beach teams set for battle

10:33 pm | August 22, 2004 | Well, the third time was the charm, as three-time beach volleyball Olympian Holly McPeak finally got out of the quarterfinals -- and now, she'll find out if the 14th time is the charm.

Nice guy finishes first this time

10:17 pm | August 22, 2004 | As sprinters go, Justin Gatlin could get lost in the shuffle of intimidating stares, trash talking or flamboyance -- all he does is win.

NBC's track crew is off to running start

9:51 pm | August 22, 2004 | NBC's Olympic track and field production and announcing unit needed just three days of competi-tion to show it is one of the network's best groups in Athens.

Kastor charges through heat for bronze

9:17 pm | August 22, 2004 | With a little more than a half-mile left Sunday in the women's Olympic marathon, the United States’ Deena Kastor glided past an Ethiopian and was running at a faster pace than anyone in the field, but there was a problem -- she wasn't sure whether she was in position to win the United States’ first Olympic marathon medal since 1984.

Gatlin sprints to hotly contested 100 gold

7:56 pm | August 22, 2004 | Justin Gatlin delivered big for spectators at the Olympic 100-meter final Sunday night when he blazed to triumph in 9.85 seconds over one of the fastest fields of sprinters ever gathered.

Hennagan, Trotter among top qualifiers in women’s 400

7:11 pm | August 22, 2004 | Team USA hasn’t had an Olympic medalist in the women’s 400 meters in 20 years, a situation that Monique Hennagan, DeeDee Trotter and Sanya Richards intend to amend Tuesday night.

Bell, Davis fail to qualify in triple jump

7:07 pm | August 22, 2004 | Louisiana triple jumpers Kenta Bell and Walter Davis had disappointing performances for different reasons at the Summer Olympics on Sunday night -- neither qualified for the second half of the final round inside Olympic Stadium.

Taylor sneaks into 400 hurdles final

6:25 pm | August 22, 2004 | Brenda Taylor qualified for the finals in the women's Olympic 400-meter hurdles Sunday night, and she's smart enough to figure out that her semifinal performance isn't gold-medal material.

Vargas' medal quest goes unfulfilled

5:54 pm | August 22, 2004 | Beads of perspiration that trickled down Devin Vargas' flushed, puffy cheeks mixed with tears Sunday night, a vivid indication that his dream of an Olympic boxing medal had gone unfulfilled.

Talks center on second gymnastics gold

4:23 pm | August 22, 2004 | U.S. Olympic Committee officials and their South Korean counterparts may seek to solve the dispute over Paul Hamm's gold medal in the gymnastics all-around by asking that a second gold be awarded to Korean Yang Tae-young.

Morrison takes easy route in hurdles qualifying

4:01 pm | August 22, 2004 | The game plan: Keep it easy, keep it smooth, advance into Monday night's semifinals inside Olympic Stadium. Mission accomplished for U.S. hurdler Melissa Morrison.

U.S. woman finishes 14th in Europe sailing class

3:49 pm | August 22, 2004 | Meg Gaillard finished 19th in Sunday's final race in the Olympic Europe sailing competition, ending up in 14th place overall in a field of 25.

Men's epee team settles for sixth place

3:35 pm | August 22, 2004 | The Summer Olympics ended for the U.S. men's epee team with a sixth-place finish in competition Sunday.

McMann wrestles a spot in history

3:21 pm | August 22, 2004 | Sara McMann's body language, facial expressions and halting answers seemed to indicate an Olympic dream ended, even if the women's wrestling results sheet indicated otherwise.

U.S. show-jumping team off to good start

3:09 pm | August 22, 2004 | Ten perfect qualifying scores were produced on the first day of individual jumping at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre on Sunday - and two of them were by Americans.

Wrong target costs shooter gold

2:54 pm | August 22, 2004 | He took careful aim, fired ... bull's eye -- only Matt Emmons' shot pierced the wrong target, resulting in a score of 0 and costing the New Jersey resident an Olympic gold medal.

Women's sculls finale disappointing

2:35 pm | August 22, 2004 | It wasn't the storybook ending that the U.S. rowers had hoped for in the 2004 Olympics as the women's quadruple sculls finished sixth in Sunday's finals.

Graves fails to reach skeet finals

2:21 pm | August 22, 2004 | Todd Graves missed the finals of men's Olympic skeet shooting Sunday and didn't get a chance to defend the bronze medal he won in Sydney.

U.S. women wrestlers advance

2:10 pm | August 22, 2004 | Every time a member of the U.S. women's freestyle wrestling team stepped on a mat Sunday, history was being written faster than the ink and sweat could dry as the U.S. placed two of its four competitors in Monday's semifinals.

U.S. goes for softball gold

1:58 pm | August 22, 2004 | Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter over Australia in Olympic play Sunday, winning 5-0, and putting Team USA in Monday's gold medal round against the Aussies.

U.S. women's eight rows to silver

1:21 pm | August 22, 2004 | Sunday was a huge day for U.S. rowing at the Olympics as first the women rowed to silver in the women's eight and twenty minutes later, the men's eight claimed their first gold in 40 years.

U.S. men's eight ends 40-year gold-medal drought

1:02 pm | August 22, 2004 | The U.S. men's eight rowed to Olympic gold Sunday for the first time in 40 years, the best showing by Americans in the event since the boycotted 1984 Games in Los Angeles, where the men won silver.

Mitts comfortable with soccer role

12:45 pm | August 22, 2004 | Heather Mitts thought running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, was nerve-wracking but that was a stroll down the street compared to what she was feeling when she came off the bench last week to play in her first Olympic soccer game.

U.S. men's beach volleyball team loses

12:32 pm | August 22, 2004 | Stein Metzger and Dax Holdren, the last American men left in beach volleyball, lost in the quarterfinals Sunday ending a run of gold medals in the event for the U.S.

No worries on mat for Lowney

12:07 pm | August 22, 2004 | A blow to a disc in Garrett Lowney's spine during a match seemed to spell the end of his wrestling career, but when the Greco-Roman competition begins Tuesday, Lowney will be on the mat.

Wrestler's long journey finally reaches Olympics

11:59 am | August 22, 2004 | Ten years ago, Oscar Wood was the can't-miss phenom in United States high school wrestling, but after an unexpectedly long, difficult decade, he's finally reached the Olympics.

Column: For soccer's Chastain, celebration long time coming

11:18 am | August 22, 2004 | Brandi Chastain racked her brain for just the right words to capture the emotions she was feeling being back in the U.S. Olympic soccer team's starting lineup, "It felt terrific. It's been awhile," she said.

U.S. soccer women want win - and revenge

11:03 am | August 22, 2004 | The Olympic women's soccer semifinal Monday between the United States and Germany does not lack for compelling story lines, including the revenge angle as it was the Germans who defeated the U.S. in the 2003 World Cup semifinals.

Column: Men's basketball team turning off fans

10:38 pm | August 21, 2004 | Many Americans are rooting against its 12 millionaire hoopsters, but they're still our team.

Column: Dimas golden in any finish

9:55 pm | August 21, 2004 | Bronze-medal-winning Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas is a national hero in a nation that could use one about now.

Notebook: Iraq celebration prolonged

9:48 pm | August 21, 2004 | Iraq's soccer team, the feel-good story of the Athens Games, brought another round of celebrations to the streets of their country with Saturday's 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Australia.

Age means little as Miles-Clark advances

9:44 pm | August 21, 2004 | Like fine wine, track star Jearl Miles-Clark gets better with her advancing years.

Defending champ Dragila fails to reach pole vault finals

7:14 pm | August 21, 2004 | Stacy Dragila will not repeat as Olympic gold medalist in women's pole vault.

U.S. basketball rep takes another hit

6:26 pm | August 21, 2004 | The Americans' loss to Lithuania heaps more humiliation on the team from the land where basketball was born.

Lott-Hogan fades to 20th in heptathlon

6:21 pm | August 21, 2004 | Tiffany Lott-Hogan of Springville, Utah, a Brigham Young University graduate, faltered in the 800 meters, the final event of the heptathlon, and finished 20th in the 34-athlete worldwide field.

Joyce adds 2nd silver to collection

6:21 pm | August 21, 2004 | Swimmer Kara Lynn Joyce of Rochester, N.Y., arrived in Athens an Olympic rookie. She will return home a two-time silver medalist.

Perez fails to advance in triple jump

6:13 pm | August 21, 2004 | Yuliana Perez's performance was down but her spirit was up after failing to qualify for the finals in the women's Olympic triple jump Saturday night.

Crawford, Gatlin advance in 100 meters

5:38 pm | August 21, 2004 | The world record in the 100-meter - Tim Montgomery's time of 9.78 seconds in 2002 - seems ready to fall, after two rounds of 100-meter racing Saturday set up a Sunday final that includes Clemson grad Shawn Crawford and ex-Tennessee star Justin Gatlin.

Harris could lead 400-meter medal sweep

5:26 pm | August 21, 2004 | Otis Harris believes the United States' trio of 400-meter runners has a chance to sweep the podium when the finals are run at the Summer Olympics on Monday night.

Thompson bows out as top swim medal winner

5:00 pm | August 21, 2004 | Though Jenny Thompson failed to add another gold to her impressive haul Saturday, the silver she acquired in the 4x100-meter medley relay gave her 12 medals in her illustrious career, which made her the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history.

Idaho equestrian sparks U.S. to bronze

2:26 pm | August 21, 2004 | Debbie McDonald of Hailey, Idaho, keyed the United States' bronze medal finish in the equestrian grand prix team dressage competition that concluded Saturday at the Summer Olympics.

Tucker, Ruckman take seventh in rowing doubles

1:56 pm | August 21, 2004 | The boat of Steve Tucker of Mooresville, Ind., and Greg Ruckman of Cincinnati, Ohio, beat five other pairs to win the B final in lightweight men's double sculls Saturday and gave the U.S. a seventh-place overall finish.

Poor discus effort leaves Rome baffled

1:13 pm | August 21, 2004 | American discus thrower Jarred Rome picked a bad time to have one of his worst meets of the year and the most frustrating part is he doesn't know why it happened.

Johnson, U.S. archery team fail to medal

1:01 pm | August 21, 2004 | The U.S. men's archery team, including four-time Olympian Butch Johnson of Woodstock, Conn., just missed out on a medal Saturday, losing to Ukraine 237-235 in the bronze-medal match.

Rower blazes path for African-Americans

12:42 pm | August 21, 2004 | Aquil Abdullah, the first African American on the U.S. Olympic rowing team, says ``if people see rowing as a sport they can try, something they can do, then my job is done.''

Three-woman 400-meter team advances

12:03 pm | August 21, 2004 | America's three-woman 400-meter team of Monique Hennagan, DeeDee Trotter and Sanya Richards competed in Saturday morning's qualifying round and advanced to the semifinals.

Quad sculls crew takes 11th place

11:41 am | August 21, 2004 | The U.S. men's quadruple sculls team finished 11th overall Saturday at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Center.

Judges suspended but Hamm keeps gold

11:33 am | August 21, 2004 | The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) admitted Saturday an error was made in the scoring of the men's all-around, but emphasized it never considered taking away the gold medal from American Paul Hamm or awarding a second gold medal to Korea's Yang Tae-young, who finished third.

U.S. women ready for softball medal round

11:24 am | August 21, 2004 | The U.S. women's softball team has ``a clean slate'' when it comes to achieving a three-peat in its quest for gold, because the No. 1 seed's 7-0 record means nothing when it faces No. 2 seed Australia Sunday in the medal round.

Kayaker competing despite family concerns

10:49 am | August 21, 2004 | Despite concerns for her mother, who is recovering from breast cancer and an injury to her twin sister and canoeing partner, Marie Mijalis will make her Olympic debut Monday in the four-woman kayak flatwater competition.

New Jersey hurdler carries Liberia's hopes

10:40 am | August 21, 2004 | The weight of Liberia's Olympic aspirations rest on the sturdy shoulders of Sultan Tucker - a resident of Glassboro, N.J. who was born and raised in the U.S. but is eligible to compete for the west African nation because his mother was born there.

Olympic medals carry special value

10:37 am | August 21, 2004 | There are few things more intoxicating and glorious than Olympic gold - athletes train their whole lives just for a shot at it and the hopes of an entire nation ride on it.

Malone advances to discus finals

10:32 am | August 21, 2004 | Casey Malone, an assistant track and field coach at the University of Colorado, became the only American to survive qualifying in the discus throw Saturday at the Summer Olympics.

U.S. women hurdlers advance to semifinals

9:29 am | August 21, 2004 | The first and quarterfinal round of the 400-meter hurdles was a breeze for Lashinda Demus, Brenda Taylor and Sheena Johnson as all three advanced to the semifinals Saturday morning at Olympic Stadium.

Column: Wambach takes golden opportunity

10:26 pm | August 20, 2004 | The woman with the golden shoes continues her emergence as the golden girl of U.S. soccer.

Harris eliminated in high jump

9:14 pm | August 20, 2004 | As a dozen of the world’s top high jumpers were rising to the occasion Friday night at Olympic Stadium, Tora Harris was enduring one of his least successful meets in years.

S.C.’s Harris advances in 400

8:13 pm | August 20, 2004 | U.S. 400-meter star Otis Harris didn't lean into the finish line, and it cost him a first place Friday. But he'll get another chance.

Lott-Hogan gets second chance in heptathlon

8:05 pm | August 20, 2004 | After a strong start in the women's Olympic heptathlon Friday, U.S. fans were stunned to see Tiffany Lott-Hogan's heat of the 200-meter dash go off with her stranded in the starting blocks.

Notebook: A finishing kick

7:39 pm | August 20, 2004 | Kenyan Bernard Lagat gave new meaning to the term finishing kick in his 1,500-meters heat.

Column: Wambach aims to help U.S. soccer team deliver gold

7:21 pm | August 20, 2004 | Five matches into these Games, Abby Wambach continues her emergence as the golden girl of U.S. soccer.

Miles-Clark breezes into 800 semis

7:18 pm | August 20, 2004 | Jearl Miles-Clark ran her 800-meter qualifying heat in 2:01.33 Friday night at Olympic Stadium, placing second to Great Britain's Kelly Holmes and breezing into Saturday night's semifinals.

U.S. soccer women advance to semifinals

4:51 pm | August 20, 2004 | Veteran midfielder Shannon Boxx set up Amy Wambach's deciding goal as the United States beat Japan 2-1 Friday and advanced to the women's Olympic soccer semifinals.

U.S. team closer to sailing medal

4:19 pm | August 20, 2004 | Having just earned their first Olympic sailing victory Friday in the ninth race of the 16-race series, Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding thrust themselves into medal contention.

Joyce advances to 50-freestyle finals

4:18 pm | August 20, 2004 | Kara Lynn Joyce accomplished what she had hoped Friday night, winning her heat in the 50-meter freestyle and moving on to Saturday's final.

Metzger advances in men's beach volleyball

3:56 pm | August 20, 2004 | Even though Stein Metzger struggled with the sun, lack of energy and his own play, his teammate's effort was good enough Friday to advance them to the quarterfinals in men's beach volleyball.

Poor start costs Schoeman gold in 50-freestyle

3:46 pm | August 20, 2004 | Roland Schoeman, 24, finishes the 2004 Games with a bronze, a silver and a gold, which he won Sunday when he and his fellow South Africans took the 4x100 freestyle relay in world record time. He won silver in the 100 freestyle.

U.S. equestrian team optimistic

3:35 pm | August 20, 2004 | The optimism is high and the news is good for the United States Olympic show jumping team, which opens three days of competition Sunday at the Markopoulo Equestrian Centre.

Non-traditional events boost ticket sales

2:30 pm | August 20, 2004 | The sun-and-skin appeal of beach volleyball, the prim-and-proper world of equestrian and the quiet focus of shooting have at least one thing in common - they are among the ticket-selling surprises of this Summer Olympics.

Jacobi, Taylor ousted in canoe semifinals

1:56 pm | August 20, 2004 | U.S. canoer Joe Jacobi and his partner Matt Taylor failed to make the finals Friday in the two-man canoe slalom race.

Parsons finishes sixth in kayak finals

1:40 pm | August 20, 2004 | Seconds after crossing the finish line sixth at the men's single kayak slalom finals of the 2004 Summer Olympics, U.S. kayaker Scott Parsons pumped his fist in the air and gave his boat three good pats.

Heyl bows out in single kayak semifinals

1:38 pm | August 20, 2004 | Brett Heyl of Norwich, Vt., was unable to match his fifth-place qualifying position in the men's single kayak and failed to make it out of Friday's semifinal round at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Top U.S. triple jumper fails to advance

1:33 pm | August 20, 2004 | Melvin Lister headed into the Olympic Games with the longest triple jump in the world this year but Friday morning at Olympic Stadium, he never got his approach steps together and ended up 18th.

'Today' flexes its muscles, freestyle-style

12:41 pm | August 20, 2004 | NBC's "Today" show also helps humanize athletes who can seem deified in prime time.

U.S. men's eight rowing crew chasing gold

12:26 pm | August 20, 2004 | There is no mystery about Sunday's mission for Dan Beery and his boatmates - to win a gold medal, something the U.S. has not achieved at the Olympic Games in men's eight rowing since 1964.

Puerto Rico basketball player ready to retire

11:20 am | August 20, 2004 | All the dribbling, all the running, all the weightlifting and all the airplanes have caught up to Puerto Rico's Jose Ortiz and the 40-year-old former Oregon State men's basketball player says these Olympics, his fourth, will be his last.

Ailing Parker fails to advance in hammer

11:11 am | August 20, 2004 | James Parker landed in Athens earlier this week and immediately got sick - and he didn't feel any better after Friday's performance in the Olympic hammer throw.

Nunn fades to 26th in 20K walk

10:53 am | August 20, 2004 | John Nunn set a hot early pace and was the number one U.S. competitor past the halfway post of the Olympic 20-kilometer racewalk Friday on the roads outside Olympic Stadium, but the heat of the racing tempo and the morning sun took its toll and he finished 26th.

Hamm's medal win under review

10:39 am | August 20, 2004 | The International Gymnastics Federation is investigating the scoring of the men's all-around competition, and a USA Gymnastics spokesman said in a ``worst case'', American Paul Hamm might have to share his improbable gold medal with a Korean.

Iowa hammer thrower bows out with a smile

10:24 am | August 20, 2004 | Iowa hammer thrower Alfred Kruger had a bad day in his Olympic debut Friday, though you wouldn't know it from the smile on his face.

U.S. softball perfect as pool play ends

10:05 am | August 20, 2004 | The unbeaten United States softball team concluded an impressive roll through Olympic pool play Friday with a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei - its seventh consecutive shutout.

U.S. women wrestlers set for Olympic debut

9:23 am | August 20, 2004 | A far-flung set of trailblazers known as the U.S. women's freestyle wrestling team - Patricia Miranda, Toccara Montgomery, Tela O'Donnell and Sara McMann - begin competing Sunday for the first Olympic medals in the history of the sport.

Lochte gets silver; Joyce places 5th

12:21 am | August 20, 2004 | Had Ryan Lochte been swimming in a different era, this Olympic experience might have been even more golden.

Column: Phelps could tie record 8 medals

12:18 am | August 20, 2004 | With two races in two hours, Michael Phelps could pick up two more medals.

U.S. gold medalist Hamm nabs instant fame

12:11 am | August 20, 2004 | In one of the most dramatic comebacks in sports, in the closest margin of victory (.012) in Olympic history, Paul Hamm became a U.S. men's gymnastics legend and created his own Greek lore, all in one fell swoop.

Men's beach volleyball team not giving up

12:03 am | August 20, 2004 | The Americans have suffered some setbacks but are still in the medal hunt.

U.S. swimmers race to more gold

8:56 pm | August 19, 2004 | Thursday was ultimately the best night of the Olympics for American swimmers, who set three Olympic records in the gold haul.

Patterson completes U.S. gold sweep

8:53 pm | August 19, 2004 | Don't call her the next Mary Lou Retton anymore. Carly Patterson made a name for herself Thursday. She's the Golden Girl of gymnastics now.

U.S. sprinters hope to join select company

4:18 pm | August 19, 2004 |

Smallish decathlete says big gains in reach

3:25 pm | August 19, 2004 | At 5-foot-11, 174 pounds, Bryan Clay might be easy to overlook by decathlon standards; Clay says that would be a mistake.

Schoeman qualifies first in 50 freestyle

3:17 pm | August 19, 2004 | Former University of Arizona swimmer Roland Schoeman of South Africa established himself as a strong candidate for a third medal at these Olympic Games by swimming the fastest time in the men's 50-meter freestyle semifinals Thursday night.

Tennessee grad seeks steeplechase history

3:07 pm | August 19, 2004 | Anthony Famiglietti, the University of Tennessee grad who took his first racing strides as a student at New York's Patchogue-Medford High on Long Island, will run the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase Sunday.

U.S. runner chasing 10,000 meter medal drought

2:41 pm | August 19, 2004 | Abdi Abdirahman is trying to become the first American since Billy Mills won the gold in 1964 to medal in the Olympic 10,000 meters.

Marion sparks U.S. men's basketball win

2:11 pm | August 19, 2004 | Shawn Marion scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and keyed a second-half surge as the United States beat Australia, 89-79, in a Group B men's basketball game.

U.S. track and field begins medal chase

12:58 pm | August 19, 2004 | If the United States performs poorly in track and field at the Olympic Games, it won't be because of banned athletes left behind but because of the youth of the team and the global nature of the sport.

Arizona shooter fades to seventh

12:05 pm | August 19, 2004 | Adam Saathoff ended his Olympic shooting career on a disappointing note, finishing in a three-way tie for seventh place in the men's 10-meter Running Target Thursday.

Lindquist bids for women's triathlon medal

12:01 pm | August 19, 2004 | Barb Lindquist is bidding for the first U.S. medal in the triathlon, which is being held for just the second time in the Olympics.

Hammer thrower hopes to nail medal

11:29 am | August 19, 2004 | Anna Norgren Mahon reached a major milestone with a seventh-place finish in the World Track and Field championships last August and she's planning to do a lot better in the Olympic Games.

Heyl fifth after first day of single kayak

11:26 am | August 19, 2004 | All it took was one good heat Thursday for American kayaker Brett Heyl to put himself in a good position for an Olympic medal.

Rower Pat Todd and team knocked out in semifinals

10:42 am | August 19, 2004 | The top three finishers -- Italy, Australia and Canada -- go into the final.

Age gap can be fun for O'Reilly, soccer mates

10:32 am | August 19, 2004 | She is 19, almost young enough to be their daughter, so it's no surprise that the age difference between Heather O'Reilly and her thirty-something teammates on the U.S. women's soccer team leads to some interesting experiences.

Double sculls rowers knocked out in semis

10:29 am | August 19, 2004 | Defending Olympic champ Poland, Greece and Denmark out-rowed the United States.

Quadruple sculls team eliminated in semifinals

10:14 am | August 19, 2004 | The Czech Republic, Russia, Belarus and Estonia out-rowed the United States, which finished only ahead of Switzerland.

U.S. softball team scores sixth shutout

10:12 am | August 19, 2004 | Leah O'Brien-Amico, marred in a 2 for 15 slump at the 2004 Olympics, hit a two-run single in the fourth inning to help Team USA to a 7-0 victory over the host Greeks Thursday, the team's sixth consecutive shutout.

Time for U.S. women to play best soccer

10:09 am | August 19, 2004 | Christie Rampone said she could sense a different feeling on the bus ride home following the United States' 1-1 tie with Australia in Olympic women's soccer Tuesday - one-and-done time had arrived - time to get down to business.

Hamm rallies for closest win in Games history

10:41 pm | August 18, 2004 | When he walked over to the high bar at Olympic Indoor Hall, the final gymnast in the final event of the men's gymnastics all-around competition Wednesday, Paul Hamm had no idea he needed to score more than 9.825 to pull himself out of fourth place and take home the gold medal.

Athletes 'honored' to compete at Ancient Olympia

10:20 pm | August 18, 2004 | For the first time in almost 2,000 years, the sun-blasted hills of Olympia echoed with the cheers of Olympic spectators -- the Games have come home.

Cyclist Hamilton turns his luck around

10:20 pm | August 18, 2004 | Tyler Hamilton had been having a bad year, but his golden finish in Greece has changed all that.

Roddick, Venus Williams ousted in tennis

9:52 pm | August 18, 2004 | The United States’ top tennis players, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams, considered gold medal contenders, were ousted Wednesday in the third round in straight sets.

U.S. women smash oldest relay record

8:28 pm | August 18, 2004 | One night after Americans buzzed about a dramatic victory over Australia in the men's 800 freestyle relay, they celebrated a Wednesday blowout when the U.S. women struck gold in the same event, smashing swimming's oldest relay record.

Schoeman just short of freestyle gold

6:19 pm | August 18, 2004 | In a drama-filled Olympic 100-meter freestyle race Wednesday night not decided until the final meter, Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, the defending Olympic champion, edged out University of Arizona alumnus Roland Schoeman of South Africa.

Joyce reaches final in 100 freestyle

6:12 pm | August 18, 2004 | Kara Lynn Joyce, already owner of a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle, remained on track to bring back four medals Wednesday by qualifying for Thursday night’s final in the 100 freestyle.

Notebook: All for Ali

4:16 pm | August 18, 2004 | Iraq light flyweight boxer Najah Ali got a big assist from the U.S. Olympic Committee in his Olympic effort.

Ancient tradition blooms with olive leaf crowns

3:25 pm | August 18, 2004 | A group of Greek florists are working to be a part of Olympic history, producing the olive leaf crowns and flower bouquets that are being presented to every medal-winning athlete of the 2004 Summer Games.

U.S. extends softball win, shutout streak

2:56 pm | August 18, 2004 | Another game meant another shutout rout for the United States softball team - this time a 7-0 five-inning, mercy-rule victory over Canada Wednesday, giving the U.S. five straight wins - all by shutout.

Iowa cyclist edged for bronze

2:20 pm | August 18, 2004 | As the Swiss coaches exploded into celebration behind her, American cyclist Christine Thorburn flashed a half-hearted smile - she knew the Olympic bronze medal in the women's cycling time trial had been lifted from her neck on Wednesday - by the last rider on the course.

Rubin eliminated in tennis by Mauresmo

2:05 pm | August 18, 2004 | Rubin jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first set, but Mauresmo, the world's second-ranked player, overpowered her from that point on.

U.S. routs Korea in women's basketball

1:17 pm | August 18, 2004 | The United States women's basketball team needed a defensive stopper against Korea on Wednesday and found one in Tamika Catchings, who shut down Korean sharp-shooter Yeong Ok Kim in the second half as the Americans rallied for an 80-57 victory.

Knee injury may hamper javelin thrower

12:25 pm | August 18, 2004 | The status of Breaux Greer's left knee - and its completely torn anterior cruciate ligament - will be one of the big question marks when the world's finest javelin throwers compete in preliminaries Aug. 26 and finals two days later.

Wilkinson back in chase for diving gold

12:03 pm | August 18, 2004 | Laura Wilkinson is back in the Olympics, the best hope for a U.S. diving team that counts her Sydney gold as its only medal in the last two Games.

Wisconsin kayaker wins Olympic silver

11:57 am | August 18, 2004 | After placing fifth in the preliminary competition for women's single kayak slalom Tuesday, 26-year-old Rebecca Giddens, a native of Green Bay, Wis., returned Wednesday and won the silver medal.

Vargas cruises into boxing quarterfinals

11:10 am | August 18, 2004 | Devin Vargas, who survived boxing's grueling Olympic qualifying process to become the American heavyweight,dominated Morocco's Rachid El Haddak Wednesday in their first-round Olympic bout and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Salchow reaches rowing final

10:42 am | August 18, 2004 | Two-time Olympian Kelly Salchow and her boatmates in women's quad sculls advanced to Sunday's final by a mere two-hundreths of a second Wednesday.

Arizona shooter hits running targets

9:50 am | August 18, 2004 | Adam Saathoff is tied for second after Wednesday's first round of Olympic 10-meter running target competition.

Arpin, Canada nip U.S. in women's water polo

9:42 am | August 18, 2004 | Marie Luc Arpin has played in hundreds of water polo games since her first at age 11, but never one resembling Wednesday's at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, when Canada ralled to edge the United States, 6-5.

Stumbles cost U.S. women gold in gymnastics

10:35 pm | August 17, 2004 | For Americans, there was room for one error — maybe two — in the Olympic women’s gymnastics final, but not three, especially not against Romania, which claimed its third gold since 1976 at the United States’ expense on Tuesday.

American swimmers buoyed by upset over Australians

10:31 pm | August 17, 2004 | Klete Keller, who snow skis when he says he isn’t sky-diving, held off Ian Thorpe and a mounting wave of uncertainty about American fortunes Tuesday in dramatic finish to the 800 freestyle relay.

Shot putters take toss at history

10:26 pm | August 17, 2004 | The men’s and women’s shot put will be held Wednesday at the revered site of the ancient Games, near where the flame for each modern Olympics is lighted.

200 individual medley fits Beard perfectly

10:19 pm | August 17, 2004 | Amanda Beard is at her third Olympics, but the 200 individual medley might as well be a new pair of shoes.

LeBron James racks up gold with ad deals

10:10 pm | August 17, 2004 | NBA Rookie of the Year LeBron James is raking in the gold, despite the struggles of the U.S. Olympic team he's playing on.

Editorial: U.S. team's loss should not be surprising

9:48 pm | August 17, 2004 | If USA TODAY thought our U.S. team would easily win the gold medal in basketball at the Athens Olympics, then it has not been reading its own sports pages.

Women go 2-0; leisurely beach pace a test

8:33 pm | August 17, 2004 | On a typical weekend AVP pro beach volleyball tournament, Kerri Walsh and Misty May would finish their second match about four hours into the first day; here at the Olympics, they won their second match on the fourth “day” of the leisurely competition.

Iverson steps up despite fractured thumb

7:43 pm | August 17, 2004 | Nobody was surprised that Allen Iverson played, nor that he played well, despite having a fracture in his right thumb.

Defense makes difference in tough U.S. hoops win over Greece

7:21 pm | August 17, 2004 | The Greeks arrived with their flags of deep blue and white, their strongest voices and their highest hopes Tuesday night at the Helliniko Indoor Arena; the United States came with just enough idea of how to play winning basketball.

Oregon fencer wins gold after late invitation to Games

7:02 pm | August 17, 2004 | In what might be the biggest underdog story of these Summer Games, 19-year-old Mariel Zagunis won the women's individual saber Tuesday night.

Parlow frets over missed scoring chances

6:56 pm | August 17, 2004 | There were a few shots Cindy Parlow wishes she could have back,
like the one that Australian goalkeeper Cassandra Kell snared at the 17-minute mark, or the one Parlow launched a wee bit to the right of goal on a pass from Mia Hamm 40 minutes into Tuesday’s game.

Shot putters could sweep at ancient venue

6:37 pm | August 17, 2004 | The U.S. shot putters say they are inspired by the ancient stadium at Olympia. Just as important, they say the facility meets modern standards, increasing the USA's chance of a medal sweep.

Games return to village where they began

6:29 pm | August 17, 2004 | On Wednesday the Games return all the way home, to their ancient birthplace of Olympia, Greece.

Oregon fencer learns painful Olympic lesson

6:03 pm | August 17, 2004 | Cody Mattern and his U.S. fencing coach, Michael Marx, aren’t big fans of Hungarian nemesis Ivan Kovacs -- ovacs eliminated Marx from a previous Olympic tournament, and on Tuesday he was at it again, taking out Mattern in the men’s individual epee at the Summer Games.

U.S., Australia tie in women's soccer

4:24 pm | August 17, 2004 | Forward Joanne Peters flicked in a header at the 81st minute to give the Australian women's Olympic soccer team a 1-1 tie with the United States Tuesday night at Kaftantzoglio Stadium.

U.S. duo defeated in beach volleyball

3:49 pm | August 17, 2004 | History repeated itself for Stein Metzger and Dax Holdren Tuesday, as Norway's Iver Horrem and Bjorn Maaseide came back from a one-set deficit Tuesday to beat the USA's duo, 14-21, 21-16, 16-14, at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre.

Tucker, Ruckman row through to semis

3:41 pm | August 17, 2004 | Steve Tucker, of Mooresville, Ind., and teammate Greg Ruckman of Cincinnati advanced to the semifinal in lightweight men's double sculls Tuesday, part of a perfect five-for-five day for U.S. crews in the day's second-chance races under much calmer conditions than earlier in the week.

Oregon fencer ousted in first round

3:35 pm | August 17, 2004 | Seth Kelsey was more nervous than he should have been, and it cost him his Olympic dream, at least for now, when the 1999 graduate of Oregon Episcopal School in Portland dropped his first-round bout in men's individual epee Tuesday.

U.S. quadruple rowers cruise into semis

3:05 pm | August 17, 2004 | The U.S. quadruple sculls team of Kent Smack, Brett Wilkinson, J. Sloan DuRoss and Ben Holbrook made the semifinal of the men's quadruple sculls with a comfortable first-place finish Tuesday.

U.S. stays unbeaten in water polo

2:44 pm | August 17, 2004 | The U.S. men's water polo team, which brought the military-like practice training of two-time gold medal winning coach Ratko Rudic to Greece, wore down Kazakhstan, 9-6, on Tuesday at the Olympic Aquatic Center to stay unbeaten after two games in Group A.

Kayaker advances to semifinals

12:41 pm | August 17, 2004 | American slalom kayaker Rebecca Giddens made maneuvering her boat through raging waters and strategically-placed gates look easy Tuesday at the Women's K-1 slalom whitewater competition, placing fifth and advancing to Wednesday's semifinals.

North Carolina canoe racer flips out

12:34 pm | August 17, 2004 | Representing the United States on the men's C-1 Canoe/Kayak whitewater slalom competition, Chris Ennis jr. flipped his boat during the first heat Tuesday, which put him dead last.

U.S. softball team blanks another foe

11:41 am | August 17, 2004 | The unbeaten Team USA softball continued to blank the competition Tuesday, scoring a 4-0 win over China to improve its record to 4-0, all shutouts.

S. African swim record has U.S. roots

11:29 am | August 17, 2004 | Frank Busch found his interests both delightfully and distressingly split Sunday night at the Aquatic Centre outdoor pool for the Olympic 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay.

Heigh-ho, silver for male gymnasts

10:56 pm | August 16, 2004 | The U.S. men’s gymnastics team came to the Athens Olympics with a unified motto: “One Team, One Dream,” but check that, and make it read: “One Team, One Silver Dream.”

From Hera to modernity: Women shine

10:48 pm | August 16, 2004 | Back in the good ol’ boys club of the ancient Olympics, circa 776 B.C., women were not permitted to participate, or watch for that matter, so 16 Greek women started their own version of the Olympics called the Herea Games, after the Greek goddess, Hera, wife of Zeus.

Indiana volleyballer hopes time is right for U.S. victory

7:04 pm | August 16, 2004 | Phil Eatherton, the tallest player ever to play college volleyball at Ball State, laughs at his quirky past, which includes being a contestant on The Price is Right, a massive McDonald’s Happy Meal toy collection and a family television that never moved from one channel.

Wilson's lofty hopes take unexpected tumble

6:54 pm | August 16, 2004 | American Ellen Wilson entered her second Olympics with lofty hopes of a top-seven finish, perhaps even a medal, in judo; instead, she was thrown for a loss, dropping both of her matches.

Carly Patterson stands at the edge of fame

5:05 pm | August 16, 2004 | The Courtneys beat her at the Olympic Trials, but there was never any doubt that the leader of the U.S. women's gymnastics pack is Carly Patterson -- the 16-year-old Texan was second all-around in the world last year and reinforced that by leading all qualifiers for the Olympic all-around final on Thursday.

Ariz. runner ready to chase Ethiopians

4:07 pm | August 16, 2004 | For the past four years, Abdirahman has lugged a videotape of Billy Mills' stunning upset 10,000-meter triumph at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in his luggage.

Conn. archer blown off course in medal quest

4:03 pm | August 16, 2004 | Since archery was reintroduced in the Olympic Games in 1972, the U.S. has won 13 medals, second to the Koreans' 21.

Organizers unfazed by low turnout

3:58 pm | August 16, 2004 | The organizers are hopeful that ticket sales will increase.

Ticket brokers struggling for profit

3:55 pm | August 16, 2004 | With seats empty, brokers are eating unsold tickets

Thorpe wins gold; Phelps sets record

3:52 pm | August 16, 2004 | Phelps' shot at Mark Spitz's record is Thorpedoed

Wrestlers here to work, not gawk

3:50 pm | August 16, 2004 | U.S. wrestlers are saving their Kodak moments for the medal stand.

Notebook: A pointed sibling rivalry

2:39 pm | August 16, 2004 | Fencing's version of Venus and Serena Williams are hoping to make history at these games.

Men's basketball team can learn plenty from women

2:32 pm | August 16, 2004 | The U.S. women's team plays the game as though five hearts were beating was one.

Wambach ready to sit out next soccer contest

2:19 pm | August 16, 2004 | Under soccer rules, Abby Wambach will be forced to sit Tuesday because she picked up her second yellow card in as many matches against Brazil.

Utah heptathlete thrives on event's togetherness

2:04 pm | August 16, 2004 | Injuries, missteps, false starts, fouls and mess-ups of varied descriptions have all been part of this event over the years.

Leslie leads U.S. women over Czech Republic

2:00 pm | August 16, 2004 | The Americans dominated inside, out-rebounding the 2003 European Cup silver medalists, 43-22.

Ill-timed peek costly for teenage trap shooter

1:54 pm | August 16, 2004 | She missed out on a potential medal by one point because she broke a simple family rule: Never look at the scoreboard.

Technical problems help push Parker to 8th

1:47 pm | August 16, 2004 | The American shooter and 1996 Xavier University graduate had technical problems with his $2,000 rifle, which led to a mental letdown and an eighth-place finish.

U.S. softball coach teaches deeper lesson

1:37 pm | August 16, 2004 | Coach Mike Candrea publicly analyzes life without his wife, who died suddenly last month from a brain aneurysm.

Tragic past steels wrestler for Olympic challenge

12:17 pm | August 16, 2004 | Daniel Cormier has packed equal parts success and sorrow in his 25 years of life.

Carrick, Williams unflappable in dressage

12:03 pm | August 16, 2004 | Going into Tuesday's cross-country journey, Williams was in 21st place while the U.S. team was 4th.

Hennagan enjoys low profile in women's 400

11:56 am | August 16, 2004 | Monique Hennagan, a graduate of Spring Valley, S.C., High School and the University of North Carolina, doesn't need any extra pressure as she prepares for the first round of the 400.

Softball team survives challenge from Japan

11:50 am | August 16, 2004 | Japan is a strong medal contender, and five of the last seven games between the two teams have gone to extra innings.

N.J. fencer foiled in second round

10:20 am | August 16, 2004 | Kellner now prepares for Saturday's men's foil team competition in which the United States is seeded seventh among eight teams.

Clemson's Allen hopes for Canadian relay spot

9:30 am | August 16, 2004 | Allen is representing Canada in the men's 110-meter hurdles and is in a pool of runners vying for a spot on the men's 4 x 100 relay team in Athens.

Odamura eager for Canada softball win

9:20 am | August 16, 2004 | Next up for Canada's softball team is Japan on Tuesday and then Team USA on Wednesday.

First Olympics has table-tennis player hungry for more

9:17 am | August 16, 2004 | The ride ended for Mark Hazinski with Monday's 4-1 loss to China.

Phelps, Thorpe to go toe-to-toe

11:50 pm | August 15, 2004 | Much more than the heavyweight title of world's greatest swimmer awaits Monday at the Olympic pool.

Men’s volleyball takes positives out of loss to Italy

7:39 pm | August 15, 2004 | Despite having lost to Italy on Sunday, Clay Stanley says the match proved that he and his U.S. men's volleyball teammates "can play with any team."

Metzger, Holdren hold off Australians

7:21 pm | August 15, 2004 | Stein Metzger had several reasons to draw what he termed "extreme satisfaction" from his Olympic beach volleyball debut, not all having to do with victory: In a match that was as close and competitive as possible, Metzger and part-ner Dax Holdren slipped past Australia's Andrew Schacht and Joshua Slack 22-24, 24-22 and 15-13.

Coaching Dutch team suits Johnson just fine

7:10 pm | August 15, 2004 | After a major league playing career that saw him earn All-Star honors four times and a managing career that saw him lead four teams to divisional titles, Davy Johnson now finds himself serving as a bench coach for the Netherlands.

Puerto Rico topples big, bad United States

5:39 pm | August 15, 2004 | The United States was officially overthrown as ruler of the basketball world on Sunday, toppled by one of its own subjects, the tiny U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico.

Cyclist pleased with 8th-place finish

5:01 pm | August 15, 2004 | Upset with USA Cycling for being left out of Wednesday's upcoming time trial, cyclist Kristin Armstrong sent a message Sunday afternoon at the Summer Olympics by finishing as the top American in the women's road race.

Greeks revel in first softball victory

4:53 pm | August 15, 2004 | The Greek softball team changed roles Sunday from Olympic hosts to celebrants as it upset Canada 2-0 at Helliniko Stadium to win its first-ever international softball game.

Inconsistent archer no match for winds

4:27 pm | August 15, 2004 | Consistency was gone with the gusts breezing through the site of the Olympic archery competition as the knockout phase of the women's tournament began Sunday, claiming Stephanie Arnold of Portland, Ind., as one of the 32 first round KO's.

Rubin not satisfied with tennis win

3:42 pm | August 15, 2004 | Even after defeating Australia's Samantha Stosur on the first day of women's singles tennis at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Athens, Chandra Rubin is still looking to playing better, harder and smarter.

Notebook: Multi-tasking hurdler

3:03 pm | August 15, 2004 | Brenda Taylor, a 400-meter hurdler from Chula Vista, Calif., didn't take up track and field full time until she was a student at Harvard, where she graduated magna cum laude with a major in cognitive neuroscience.

Judo medal hopes end in first round

2:46 pm | August 15, 2004 | Alex Ottiano's quest for an Olympic judo medal ended early on Sunday when he lost to third-ranked Magomed Dzhafarov of Russia in the 145-pound half lightweight class.

U.S. softball team shows no mercy

2:13 pm | August 15, 2004 | U.S. softball pitcher Lisa Fernandez went five innings in a surprisingly lopsided 10-0 win over the Australians Sunday, making it two games in a row where Team USA disposed of its opponent by the seven-run no mercy rule.

Women second in quadruple sculls heat

12:42 pm | August 15, 2004 | Kelly Salchow of Cincinnati helped her crew finish second behind Germany in Sunday's heat of the women's quadruple sculls.

Wind hinders men's quadruple scullers

12:34 pm | August 15, 2004 | Kent Smack, whose hometown is Clinton, N.J., and Brett Wilkinson of Lawrenceville, N.J., finished fourth in their heat of the men's quadruple sculls Sunday at the Olympic Regatta.

Rower sparks record-setting effort

12:25 pm | August 15, 2004 | Dan Beery will be on a crew going for gold next Sunday after winning a heat and claiming a world best time of 5:19.85 in the men's eight at the Olympic Regatta.

Rower second in double sculls heat

12:17 pm | August 15, 2004 | Steve Tucker of Mooresville, Ind., finished second in his heat in the lightweight double sculls Sunday at the Olympic Regatta.

U.S. rowers advance in record time

12:07 pm | August 15, 2004 | The USA will row for gold in the men's eight and women's eight next Sunday after winning their heats Sunday in world-best times at the wind-whipped Olympic Rowing Regatta.

Ping, Reed out of table tennis contention

11:04 am | August 15, 2004 | Minutes after losing four matches to Singapore in women's doubles table tennis Sunday, 17-year-old Whitney Ping looked and sounded disappointed.

Senior Olympian gets second medal shot

10:43 am | August 15, 2004 | Elizabeth ``Libby'' Callahan, 52, the senior member of the entire U.S. Olympic team, still made some rookie mistakes Sunday morning that cost her any chance of advancing to the final round of the women's 10-meter air pistol competition.

High noon for swimming's top guns

10:38 pm | August 14, 2004 | Swimming's first two gold medalists at the 2004 Olympics, Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe, are about to confront each other, almost as if it had been planned.

China tops U.S. in women's volleyball

6:54 pm | August 14, 2004 | The Chinese stamped themselves as strong gold-medal contenders Saturday by beating the top-ranked Team USA women's volleyball team in four games: 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-18.

Aussies set relay record, edge U.S.

6:44 pm | August 14, 2004 | Jenny Thompson was red hot, but Jodie Henry was absolutely sizzling, the bottom line on a great women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final that brought down the curtain on the first day of Olympic swimming.

Bruised Wambach won't back down

6:36 pm | August 14, 2004 | Abby Wambach lifted her T-shirt and pointed to a gruesome, three-inch gash on the left side of her abdomen, the result of one of her many close encounters with Brazilian soccer defenders.

Phelps wins first gold in 400 IM

6:03 pm | August 14, 2004 | Michael Phelps won his first Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley on the first day of the Athens Games on Saturday, breaking the world record in the event for the third time this year.

U.S. advances with win over Brazil

4:32 pm | August 14, 2004 | Abby Wambach sparked the United States to a 2-0 victory over Brazil Saturday in a first-round Olympic soccer game, advancing the Americans to the medal round.

New York sailor prepared for shifty Athens winds

4:26 pm | August 14, 2004 | Meg Gaillard, a member of both the American Yacht Club in Rye, N.Y. and the Newport Yacht Club in Rhode Island, will be America's representative in the Europe Class of the Olympic sailing regatta, which opens Sunday, and has solid medal prospects.

Course, heat get best of American cyclists

4:19 pm | August 14, 2004 | Geore Hincapie found out how difficult it is to win an Olympic gold medal with one leg, especially if you have to pedal a bike through already brutal conditions, finishing 24th in the 139.4 mile road race through downtown Athens on a scorching summer Saturday afternoon.

Cyclist says she's ready to compete

4:00 pm | August 14, 2004 | United States cyclist Kristin Armstrong gets to compete twice Sunday - in her first Olympic road race in the afternoon and again at night in an arbitration case against USA Cycling.

U.S. women dispatch New Zealand

1:56 pm | August 14, 2004 | Team USA, winner of the last two Olympic gold medals in women's basektball, demonstrated its immense depth and versatility against the overmatched Kiwis.

Shooter cleans up, but not in medals chase

1:52 pm | August 14, 2004 | Turner will get another shot at an Olympic medal on Tuesday in the free pistol competition.

Catchings approaches life, basketball at full throttle

12:25 pm | August 14, 2004 | The Indiana Fever forward has been awarded for her community projects three times by the WNBA and was 2002 rookie of the year.

Army marksman doesn't make the cut

12:17 pm | August 14, 2004 | Szarenski tied for 13th in the men's 10m air pistol competition.

USA softball shows no mercy in opener

10:07 am | August 14, 2004 | Team USA jumped on the Italians from the start, scoring once in the first inning and three more in the second.

Nerves sink Hoff in preliminaries

9:19 am | August 14, 2004 | At the trials in Long Beach, Calif., last month, she swam 4:37.67, the fastest time in the world this year, marking her as a strong candidate for a medal.

U.S. men romp through gymnastics qualifications

9:07 am | August 14, 2004 | After a nasty fall from the high bar, Team USA's Blaine Wilson nailed the rings and floor exercise during the gymnastics qualifications.

Games open with rousing display of unity

7:36 pm | August 13, 2004 | For one emotional evening, the world came together Friday to honor Iraqis and Americans together and to mix Greece's ancient history with a dazzling display of modern technology.

Notebook: Currency at the ready

4:14 pm | August 13, 2004 | The Olympic Superstore, official purveyor of all things licensed, opens for business.

Iverson embraces Olympic challenge

4:07 pm | August 13, 2004 | Olympic preliminary-round play begins Sunday with a game against Puerto Rico.

World Series rings give way to Olympic rings

3:55 pm | August 13, 2004 | The United States isn't here to defend the Olympic baseball crown but a heap of other Americans are here to play for the host country.

Shooter Turner pictures success

2:45 pm | August 13, 2004 | It helped that he had a very good Pan Am Games last year, making him one of the up-and-coming shooters for Team USA.

Softball team counts on pitching depth

2:42 pm | August 13, 2004 | Team USA, riding a 167-game win streak, is well aware that the competition has improved and become more aggressive.

'Mission' comes before ceremony for soccer team

2:33 pm | August 13, 2004 | The U.S. women's soccer team did not march in Friday's Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Golden glory changed Spitz's life

2:26 pm | August 13, 2004 | Spitz has met Michael Phelps, who could win up to eight gold medals in Athens, and wished him well.

Phelps' 'bar extremely high'

2:05 pm | August 13, 2004 | By that standard, only eight will be enough.

U.S. seeks table-tennis breakthrough

1:54 pm | August 13, 2004 | The American team has three athletes who have won table tennis medal winners for other countries.

Confidence grows for men's basketball team

1:50 pm | August 13, 2004 | A much-scrutinized 95-78 loss to Italy two weeks ago has only strengthened the team's resolve.

Greece ready to light the torch

10:58 pm | August 12, 2004 | The Greeks, accustomed as they are to the presence of historic remnants, will hardly recognize them as the Olympics officially return to the site of ancient origin Friday.

Net supremacy at the beach

10:27 pm | August 12, 2004 | Beach vollyeball teammates Kerri Walsh and Misty May should provide some of the more exciting action during the Athens Olympics.

U.S. gymnasts look bound for glory

10:17 pm | August 12, 2004 | Four years after an Olympics in which no U.S. woman won a gymnastics medal — the first time that had occurred since 1976 — an entire team of highly regarded Americans says it is ready for powerhouses from Russia, Romania and China.

Hincapie's attention shifts from yellow to gold

8:23 pm | August 12, 2004 | Last month, George Hincapie raced through the streets of Paris as one of Lance Armstrong's trusted lieutenants on Armstrong's historic quest to win a sixth Tour de France yellow jersey, but on Saturday, the Greenville, S.C., resident will pursue Olympic gold through the streets of Athens.

2000 experience puts shooter on target for improvement

8:10 pm | August 12, 2004 | Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, a Saginaw, Mich., native, will use what he learned four years ago at Sydney to improve on his 25th place finish and perhaps medal in the air and free pistol events.

Diver aching for Olympic opportunity

7:57 pm | August 12, 2004 | Kimiko Soldati's right shoulder is aching - again - but the 30-year-old, Longmont diver vows it won't affect her Olympic performance.

Olympics TV coverage gets personal

7:19 pm | August 12, 2004 | Count on NBC's 226 hours to feature competition that studies show women prefer.

Armstrong plans assignment protest

7:12 pm | August 12, 2004 | Cyclist Kristin Armstrong will make her Olympic debut in Sunday's road race, but the distraction of a potential arbitration case has suddenly become a big part of her first Olympic experience.

Kellner never foiled by security

7:10 pm | August 12, 2004 | Fencers carry weapons to compete in their sport, but Dan Kellner of Warren, N.J., said he has never had any problem getting through security.

Gymnastics judge ready to monitor the mats

7:09 pm | August 12, 2004 | Jackie Fie has been part of 11 Olympics.

McCartney steps up to the spotlight

7:06 pm | August 12, 2004 | In the last-name world of elite road cycling, where severa U.S. names are synonymous with the Tour de France, he’s just Jason -- Jason McCartney, the Hawaiian-born rider whose training includes the dusty gravel roads outside his home in Coralville, Iowa.

Basketball takes Chancellor on moving journey

7:04 pm | August 12, 2004 | Van Chancellor, coach of the United States women's basketball team, reflected Thursday on a life of the game, humbled by where it had taken him and eager for the next chapter to commence.

Coach’s competition loss motivates Mattern

7:03 pm | August 12, 2004 | If Seth Kelsey wins gold in men's epee at the 2004 Olympics, look for that old recruitment pitch about “Join the Navy and see the world” to get a slick update featuring the Air Force.

Athletes can't escape security question

7:01 pm | August 12, 2004 | The only thing more prevalent in Athens, Greece, than the smothering security seems to be media bombarding athletes with The Question: Are you nervous about being in Athens?

Women’s cyclist to appeal selection process

7:00 pm | August 12, 2004 | Boise, Idaho, cyclist Kristin Armstrong said she is in the process of hiring a California attorney and plans to file an appeal after being left off the two-woman U.S. team for the Olympic time trial.

American can't forget 1972 Munich terrorism

5:36 pm | August 12, 2004 | Even after 32 years, Tommy Burleson has vivid memories of what he saw during the hostage takeover of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic Summer Games in Munich, Germany.

Sailor dad unknowingly groomed an Olympian

8:15 pm | August 11, 2004 | Bill Haberland never dreamed he was shaping a future Olympian that spring day when he loaded his family aboard a new 21-foot Venture for its first cruise on Lake Michigan, when his daughter Nancy was only 8.

Hamms see double gold

8:01 pm | August 11, 2004 | On the eve of their second Olympics in a row, Paul and Morgan Hamm are the youngest male gymnasts - and the only set of twins - on Team USA.

NBC's Olympic coverage spans 7 networks

7:32 pm | August 11, 2004 | The 24-hour per day coverage will span seven networks under the NBC umbrella, including NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and NBC's new HDTV network.

Some events aren't your father's games

7:24 pm | August 11, 2004 | The Athens Games will host some sports with an X-Game feel and X-appeal.

Little-known sports require big effort

7:18 pm | August 11, 2004 | Leisure activities that might be backyard, basement or state-park pursuits for most Americans are Olympic sports, contested diligently and on an international scale.

U.S. wrestlers bring compelling plots

7:08 pm | August 11, 2004 | Wrestling plot lines for the Athens Games include the improbable life story of Rulon Gardner, the international rise of quiet Iowa college star Cael Sanderson and four American women who hope to make history.

Judges, technology team to guard sports

6:53 pm | August 11, 2004 | Judges in some sports aim to avoid scoring scandals.

Olympic-related Web sites

6:50 pm | August 11, 2004 | When TV coverage isn't enough, there's always the Internet.

Drug allegations shadow U.S. track team

6:33 pm | August 11, 2004 | The U.S. track and field team must outrun allegations of use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The smog that will affect athletes

6:28 pm | August 11, 2004 | Olympians are prepping to run not only against each other but also against the heat, humidity and smog of Athens.

Companies' gear gives athletes an edge

6:25 pm | August 11, 2004 | The athletic attire that will be worn during the 2004 Summer Olympics has come a long way from the ancient days.

Last hurrah for women's soccer veterans

6:04 pm | August 11, 2004 | Although that celebratory scene of Brandi Chastain peeling off her jersey after scoring the game-winner in the World Cup finals occurred just five years ago, it feels as ancient as the Acropolis to many of the players on this year's U.S. Olympic women's soccer team.

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