The Sports Portal
Sportis a form ofphysical activityorgame.Oftencompetitiveandorganized,sports use, maintain, or improve physical ability andskills.They also provide enjoyment to participants and, in some cases,entertainmentto spectators. Many sports exist, with different participant numbers, some are done by a single person with others being done by hundreds. Most sports take place either inteamsor competing as individuals. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others providetie-breaking methodsto ensure one winner. A number of contests may be arranged in atournamentformat, producing achampion.Manysports leaguesmake an annual champion by arranging games in a regularsports season,followed in some cases byplayoffs.
Sport is generally recognised as system of activities based in physicalathleticismor physicaldexterity,with major competitions admitting only sports meeting this definition. Some organisations, such as theCouncil of Europe,preclude activities without any physical element from classification as sports. However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, activities claim recognition asmind sports.TheInternational Olympic Committeewho oversee theOlympic Gamesrecognises bothchessandbridgeas sports.SportAccord,the international sports federation association, recognises five non-physical sports: chess, bridge,draughts,Goandxiangqi.However, they limit the number of mind games which can be admitted as sports. Sport is usually governed by a set ofrulesorcustoms,which serve to ensure fair competition. Winning can be determined by physical events such as scoringgoalsor crossing a line first. It can also be determined by judges who are scoring elements of the sporting performance, including objective or subjective measures such as technical performance or artistic impression. (Full article...)
Selected articles
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A Halkett boat-cloak in use
AHalkett boatis a type of lightweightinflatable boatdesigned byLt Peter Halkett(1820–1885) during the 1840s. Halkett had long been interested in the difficulties of travelling in theCanadian Arctic,and the problems involved in designing boats light enough to be carried over arduous terrain, but robust enough to be used in extreme weather conditions.
Halkett's first design was a collapsible and inflatable boat made of rubber-impregnated cloth. When deflated, the hull of the boat could be worn as a cloak, the oar used as a walking stick, and the sail as an umbrella. This was followed by a two-man craft that was small enough to fit into aknapsack,and when deflated served as a waterproof blanket. (Full article...) -
Ian William Geddes Johnson,CBE(8 December 1917 – 9 October 1998) was an Australiancricketerwho played 45Test matchesas a slowoff-breakbowlerbetween 1946 and 1956. Johnson captured 109 Testwicketsat anaverageof 29.19runsper wicket and as a capablelower orderbatsman made 1,000 runs at anaverageof 18.51 runs perdismissal.HecaptainedtheAustralian teamin 17 Tests, winning seven and losing five, with a further fivedrawn.Despite this record, he is better known as thecaptainwho lost consecutiveAshesseries againstEngland.Urbane, well-spoken and popular with his opponents and the public, he was seen by his teammates as a disciplinarian and his natural optimism was often seen as naive.
Aged 17, Johnson made hisfirst-class cricketdebut forVictoriain the 1935–36 season but did not establish a permanent place in the team until 1939–40. His career was interrupted by theSecond World War;he served with theRoyal Australian Air Forceas a pilot and later as aflight instructor.He returned to cricket after his discharge and was selected to tour New Zealand with the Australian team, making his Test debut. Johnson was part ofDon Bradman'sInvinciblesteam;undefeated on tour in England in 1948. He was a regular member of the national side until poor form saw him left out of the Australian squad for the1953 tour of England.(Full article...) -
Donald Bradman failed to score any runs in his final innings, being bowled for a duck. Had he scored just four, Bradman would have retired with a Test average of exactly 100.
TheFifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series,held atThe Ovalin London, was the finalTestin thatcricket seriesbetweenAustraliaandEngland.The match took place on 14–18 August, with a rest day on 15 August. Australia won the match by an innings and 149runsto complete a 4–0 series win. It was the last Test in the career of Australian captainDonald Bradman,generally regarded as the best batsman in the history of the sport. Going into the match, if Australia batted only once, Bradman needed only four runs from his final innings to have a Testbatting averageof exactly 100, but he failed to score,bowledsecond ball for aduckbyleg spinnerEric Hollies.
With the series already lost, the England selectors continued to make many changes, on this occasion, four. In all, they had used 21 players for the series and were severely criticised for failing to maintain continuity. England captainNorman Yardleywon the toss, and elected to bat on a pitch affected by rain. After a delayed start due to inclement weather, the Australian pace attack, led byRay Lindwall,dismissed England within the first day for just 52. Lindwall was the main destroyer, taking sixwicketsfor 20 runs (6/20). The English batsmen found it difficult to cope with his prodigiousswingandpace;four of his wickets were eitherbowledorleg before wicket.Len Huttonwas the only batsman to resist, making 30 before being the final man dismissed. In reply, Australia's opening pair ofArthur MorrisandSid Barnespassed England's score on the same afternoon with no loss of wickets. Theopening standended at 117 when Barnes fell for 61 and Bradman came to the crease to a standing ovation and three cheers from his opponents. He fell second ball, but Australia reached 153/2at stumpson the first day. (Full article...) -
Keke Rosberg won his first and onlyDrivers' ChampionshipwithWilliamswith 44 points, despite having trailed for most of the season and having only won one race.
The1982 FIA Formula One World Championshipwas the 36th season ofFIAFormula Onemotor racing. It included two competitions run over the course of the year, the 33rdFormula One World Championship for Driversand the 25thFormula One World Championship for Constructors.The season featured sixteen rounds between 23 January and 25 September. The Drivers' Championship was won byKeke Rosbergand the Constructors' Championship byScuderia Ferrari.
The Championship started with a drivers' strike atthe season opener in South Africaand saw a partial race boycott as part of the ongoingFISA–FOCA warat theSan Marino Grand Prix.Two drivers died during 1982:Gilles Villeneuveduring qualifying for theBelgian Grand PrixandRiccardo Palettiat the start of theCanadian Grand Prix.Championship front-runnerDidier Pironialso suffered a career-ending accident while qualifying for theGerman Grand Prix.These incidents and several other major accidents led to regulation changes to increase driver safety forthe 1983 season.Motorsport journalistNigel Roebucklater wrote that 1982 was "an ugly year, pock-marked by tragedy, by dissension, by greed, and yet, paradoxically, it produced some of the most memorable racing ever seen". (Full article...) -
Fleetwood Parkwas a 19th-centuryharness racing(trotting) track in what is now theMorrisaniasection ofthe Bronxin New York, United States. The races held there were a popular form of entertainment, drawing crowds as large as 10,000 from the surrounding area. The one-mile (1.6 km) course described an unusual shape, with four turns in one direction and one in the other. For the last five years of operation, Fleetwood was part of trotting'sGrand Circuit,one travel guide calling it "the most famous trotting track in the country".
The track operated under several managements between 1870 and 1898. Most notable was theNew York Driving Club,consisting of many wealthy New York businessmen, including members of theVanderbiltandRockefellerfamilies as well as former US presidentUlysses S. Grant.Robert Bonner,owner and publisher of theNew York Ledger,was a member, as was his brother David, who at one time served as president. (Full article...) -
The2007 Dr. PepperACC Championship Gamefeatured theBoston College Eaglesand theVirginia Tech Hokiesin a regular-seasoncollege footballgame that determined the conference's champion for the2007 season.Virginia Tech defeated Boston College 30–16 to win theACCfootball championship. The game, held atJacksonville Municipal StadiuminJacksonville, Florida,was a rematch of a regular-season game that took place on October 25, inBlacksburg, Virginia.In that game, Boston College, courtesy of a late-game comeback byquarterbackMatt Ryan,won 14–10.
Following the loss, Virginia Tech won five straight games to win the Coastal Division of the ACC, while Boston College stumbled, losing two games before defeating the Clemson Tigers to win the Atlantic Division and representation in the Championship Game. Most pre-game media coverage of the event cast the game as an opportunity for Virginia Tech to avenge its earlier loss. In addition, the winner of the game would be awarded an automatic bid to theBowl Championship Series2008 Orange Bowlgame inMiami, Floridaon January 3, 2008. Despite Boston College's earlier win over Virginia Tech,spread bettorsfavored Virginia Tech by five points. (Full article...) -
The2019 Tour Championship(officially the2019 Coral Tour Championship) was a professionalsnookerrankingtournament that took place from 19 to 24 March 2019 atVenue CymruinLlandudno,Wales. Organised byWorld Snooker,it was the first edition of theTour Championshipand the third and final event of the inauguralCoral Cup.It was the eighteenth ranking event of the2018–19 snooker season.
The draw for the Tour Championship comprised the top eight players based on the single year ranking list, taking part in a single elimination tournament. Each match was played over a minimum of two sessions, the final as best-of-25-framesover two days. The winner of the tournament won £150,000 out of a total prize fund of £375,000. The event was sponsored by betting companyCoral.(Full article...) -
TheMetacomet Ridge,Metacomet Ridge Mountains,orMetacomet Rangeof southernNew Englandis a narrow and steepfault-blockmountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas,microclimateecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. The ridge is an important recreation resource located within 10 miles (16 km) of more than 1.5 million people, offering four long-distance hiking trails and over a dozen parks and recreation areas, including several historic sites. It has been the focus of ongoing conservation efforts because of its natural, historic, and recreational value, involving municipal, state, and national agencies and nearly two dozen non-profit organizations.
The Metacomet Ridge extends fromBranford, Connecticut,onLong Island Sound,through theConnecticut River Valleyregion ofMassachusetts,to northernFranklin County, Massachusetts,2 miles (3 km) short of theVermontandNew Hampshireborders for a distance of 100 miles (160 km). It is geologically distinct from the nearbyAppalachian Mountainsand surrounding uplands, and is composed of volcanicbasalt(also known astrap rock) andsedimentary rockin faulted and tilted layers many hundreds of feet thick. In most cases, the basalt layers are dominant, prevalent, and exposed. The ridge rises dramatically from much lower valley elevations, although only 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level at its highest, with an average summit elevation of 725 feet (221 m). (Full article...) -
The Gliders (in green and white) line up for the national anthem in the match with Canada (in red).
TheAustralian women's national wheelchair basketball team,known as the Gliders, played in the2012 Summer Paralympicsin London. The team of twelve included nine Paralympic veterans with fifteen Paralympic Games between them:Bridie Kean,Amanda Carter,Sarah Stewart,Tina McKenzie,Kylie Gauci,Katie Hill,Cobi Crispin,Clare NottandShelley Chaplin.There were three newcomers playing in their first Paralympics:Amber Merritt,Sarah VinciandLeanne Del Toso.Carter returned to the Gliders' lineup after being sidelined by a crippling elbow injury at the2000 Summer Paralympicsin Sydney. The Gliders had won silver in Sydney and the2004 Summer Paralympicsin Athens, but had never won gold.
The first stage of the Paralympic competition was the group stage, around-robin tournament.The Gliders faced a formidable task just to make the finals, as theirpoolincluded Brazil, Great Britain,Canadaand the Netherlands. Canada had beaten the Gliders in 2010, and the Netherlands was rated as one of the competition's best teams. After a narrow victory over Brazil, and an easier one against Great Britain, the Gliders were again defeated by Canada, but won their final match against the Netherlands to finish at the top of their pool. The Gliders went on to win the quarterfinal against Mexico and the semifinal against the United States, but lost to Germany in the final, winning silver. (Full article...) -
Peter Maxwell Evans(born 1 August 1961) is an Australianbreaststrokeswimmer of the 1980s who won fourOlympic medals,including a gold in the4×100 m medley relayat the1980 Moscow Olympicsas part of theQuietly Confident Quartet.He also won consecutive bronze medals in the 100 m breaststroke at the 1980 Olympics and the1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The son of prominentWestern Australianbusinessman and politicianMax Evans,Evans had a late start to his swimming career, making his debut at theAustralian Championshipsin his hometown ofPerth,aged 17. Despite placing second in the 100 m breaststroke, he was not selected for Australia, and instead travelled to the United Kingdom to train underDavid Haller.During this period, he quickly improved his times and rose from outside the top 200 into the top 25 in the world rankings. Evans returned to Australia in 1980 and qualified for the Olympics in both the100 mand200 m breaststroke.A sprinter, he won the 100 m in an Australian record time and showed a preference for shorter events, which required less training mileage. Evans gained a reputation for often doing fewer training laps than his coach asked of him. Having rebuffedAustralian governmentpressure toboycott the Moscow Olympicsin response to theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan,Evans won bronze in the 100 m breaststroke. His career peak came in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, when he outsplit his opponents in the breaststroke leg of the relay, bringing Australia into contention for its eventual win, which remains the only time thatthe United States has not won the eventat Olympic level. (Full article...) -
Reginald Fairfax Harrison(March13, 1869 – February2, 1938) was an American lawyer, businessman, and author. A son ofthe secretarytoConfederatePresidentJefferson Davis,Harrison studied law atYale UniversityandColumbia Universitybefore becoming a lawyer for theSouthern Railway Companyin 1896. By 1906, he was Southern's vice-president of finance, and in 1907, he helped secure funding to keep the company solvent. In 1913, he was elected president of Southern, where he instituted a number of reforms in the way the company operated.
By 1916, under Harrison's leadership, the Southern had expanded to an 8,000-mile (13,000 km) network across 13 states, its greatest extent until the 1950s. In December 1917, months afterthe United States enteredWorld War Iin April, the federal government took control of the railroads, running them through theUnited States Railroad Administration,on which Harrison served. An economic boom after the war helped the company to expand its operations; Harrison worked to improve the railroad's public relations and to upgrade the locomotive stock by introducing more powerful engines. Another of his concerns was to increase the amount of the railroad's track and to expand the area it served. Harrison struggled to keep the railroad industry afloat during theGreat Depression,but by 1936, Southern was once again showing a profit. Harrison retired in 1937, intending to focus on his hobby of writing about historical subjects, including the roots of the AmericanThoroughbredhorse, but he died three months later in February 1938. (Full article...) -
The2008ACC Championship Gamewas acollege footballgame between theVirginia Tech Hokiesand theBoston College Eagles.The game, sponsored byDr Pepper,was the final regular-season contest of the2008 college football seasonfor theAtlantic Coast Conference.Virginia Tech defeated Boston College, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, 30–12. Until2021,this was the last ACC Championship Game to not featureClemsonorFlorida Statefrom the Atlantic Division.
The Virginia Tech Hokies were selected to represent the Coastal Division by virtue of a tie-breaking head-to-head victory against division rivalGeorgia Techand came into the game with an 8–4 record (5–3 in ACC play). Representing the Atlantic Division was Boston College, which had a 9–3 record (5–3 ACC). The two teams were the victors of a closely contested season in the ACC. Neither team clinched a spot in the game until the final week before the championship, and both had to rely on conference tie-breaking rules to earn a spot. The game was a rematch ofthe previous year's contest,which Virginia Tech won, 30–16. (Full article...) -
Orval Leroy Grove(August 29, 1919 – April 20, 1992) was an American professionalbaseballpitcherinMajor League Baseballwho played for ten seasons in theAmerican Leaguewith theChicago White Sox.In 207 career games, Grove pitched 1,176inningsand posted awin–loss recordof 63–73, with 66complete games,11shutouts,and a 3.78earned run average(ERA).
The only freshman on theProviso Township High Schoolvarsity baseball team, Grove's pitching ability attracted the attention of the White Sox. After signing with the team in 1937, Grove moved between the major leagues andminor leaguesfor a few seasons until 1943, when he found a solid place in the White Sox's pitching rotation. Grove had a career-year in 1943, finishing the season with career-bests in ERA, wins, and complete games; in 1944, he made his onlyAll-Starappearance. (Full article...) -
During the1913–14 English football season,Gillingham F.C.competed in theSouthern LeagueDivision One. It was the 20th season in which the club competed in the Southern League and the 19th in Division One. At the start of the season, the club appointedSam Gilliganasplayer-manager.Gillingham's performances during the first half of the season were mixed and at the end of 1913 they were 12th out of 20 teams in theleague table.They were undefeated in January and rose to 7th in the table, but then had a winless run of five games, including the team's heaviest defeat of the season. Gillingham won only one of their final seven games of the campaign and finished in 13th position, an improvement of two places on the previous season.
Gillingham also competed in theFA Cup.After victories in two qualifying rounds and the first round proper, they playedLiverpoolof theFootball League First Divisionin the second round; the attendance of 42,045 was the largest recorded crowd in front of which Gillingham had ever played,homeoraway.Gillingham held their opponents for over 75 minutes but conceded two late goals and lost the game. The team played 42 competitive matches, winning 16, drawing 9, and losing 17.Charlie Hafekostwas the team's top goalscorer, with 10 goals.Tom LeslieandJack Mahonmade the most appearances, both playing in every one of the team's 42 competitive matches. The highest attendance recorded at the club's home ground,Priestfield Road,was 12,000 for a game againstSwindon Town,the eventual Southern League champions. (Full article...) -
TheHudson Valley Rail Trailis a paved 4-mile (6.4 km) east–westrail trailin thetown of LloydinUlster County,New York,stretching from theHudson Riverthrough thehamlet of Highland.The trail was originally part of thePoughkeepsie Bridge Route,a railcorridorthat crossed the Hudson via thePoughkeepsie Bridge.Controlled by a variety of railroads throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the bridge was damaged and became unusable after a May 8, 1974 fire. By the 1980s, the corridor's then-owner,Conrail,had routed all rail traffic in the regionnorth through Selkirk Yardand was eager to relieve itself of the bridge and adjoiningrights-of-way.In 1984, it sold the entire property for one dollar to a felon who did not maintain it or pay taxes on it. The section of the corridor west of the Hudson was seized by Ulster County in 1991 and transferred to the town of Lloyd.
During the 1990s, abroadband utilityseeking to layfiber opticcable paid the town to pass through the former corridor. The town used part of its payment to pave the route and open it as a public rail trail in 1997. The creation of the trail was supported by a localRotary club,which built a pavilion along the trail. The pavilion includes a donated antiquecaboose.While the trail originally ended at Route44–55,it was extended eastward between 2009 and 2010, intersectingRoute 9Wand continuing to the Poughkeepsie Bridge. The extension was paid for bystimulus funding.(Full article...)
Selected pictures
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Photo credit:Fir0002Two racers cross the finish line of the250ccclass at the 2007Swifts Creeklawn mower races.In thismotorsport,competitors race modifiedlawn mowers,usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. Original mower engines are retained but blades are removed for safety. Lawn mowers have also been used inkart racing,a different sport. -
Hurdlingis the act of running over an obstacle at high speed or in a sprint. It is a highly specialized form ofobstacle racing,and forms part oftrack and fieldin thesport of athletics.In hurdling events, barriers known as hurdles are set at precisely measured heights and distances. This photograph shows the Austrian athlete Leon Okafor taking part in the men's110-metre (120 yd) hurdlesat the Leichtathletik Gala inLinzin 2018. -
Boxingis asportwhere two participants of similarweightattack each other with theirfistsin a series of one to three-minute intervals called "rounds". Modern boxing began in 1867 with theMarquess of Queensberry rules.Currently, there are two distinct branches of boxing: Professional and Olympic, which have different rules, but are similar in execution. -
Kiril Lazarov(b. 10 May 1980) is a Macedonianhandballplayer active since 1991. He currently plays forHBC Nantesand is also the captain of theNorth Macedonia men's national handball team. -
Photograph credit: Platon ShilikovYekaterina Skudina(born 21 March 1981) is a Russian world champion and Olympic sailor. She was awarded theRoy Yamaguchi Memorial Trophyfor winningthe world championshipsin the women'sSnipeclass in 1998, and the bronze medal at theYnglingopen world championships in 2007. At the2011 World Championships,Skudinafinished fourthin theElliott 6mclass. In addition, she has competed in three Olympic Games, finishing eighth in the Yngling classin 2004,sixth in the same classin 2008,and fourth in the Elliott 6m classin 2012.
This photograph of Skudina, taken in 2009, is part of a collection of 500 images of Russian sportspeople released toWikimedia Commonsby Bolshoi Sport. -
Photo: Bolshoi SportKsenia Semenova(b. 1992) is a Russianartistic gymnast.She was the2007 World Championon theuneven bars.At the2008 European Championships,she was a member of the silver-medal-winning Russian team, as well as champion on the uneven bars and thebalance beam.She followed this up by winning the all-around championship at the2009 European Championshipsand was part of the gold-medal Russian team at the2010 Europeanand2010 World Championships.Injuries have prevented her from competing since then. -
Photograph:Pierre-SelimWheelchair basketballisbasketballplayed by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the majordisabled sportspracticed. Depicted here is a game from the first round of the 2012Euroleague tournament,showing players from Toulouse (in red) and Roma (in white). -
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'sHendrick Motorsportspit crewexecute apit stopat aSprint Cup Seriescompetition atDarlington Raceway,South Carolina,inMay 2008.Inmotor sport,pit stops are when the racing vehicle gets more fuel, new wheels, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above. -
Photo:Pavel.ryclTony Estanguet(b. 1978) is a French slalom canoeist who has competed since the mid-1990s. Before announcing his retirement, he competed in fourOlympic Gamesand, with his win at the2012 London Games,became the first French Olympian to win three gold medals in the same Olympic discipline. -
Credit:Fir0002Horsesrace on grass at the 2006 Tambo Valley Races inSwifts Creek, Victoria,Australia.Horseracingis the third most popularspectator sportin Australia, behindAustralian rules footballandrugby league,with almost 2 million admissions to the 379 racecourses throughout Australia in 2002–03. -
Nasser Al-Attiyah,a Qatarirally driver,in aFord Fiesta S2000at the2010 Rally Finland.He is the only Arab to have won theDakar Rally,which he did in2011.In addition to driving, Al-Attiyah is asport shooterand won a bronze medal in the2012 Summer Olympicsinskeet. -
Credit: Fernando FrazãoThebalance beamis a rectangularartistic gymnasticsapparatus, as well as the event performed using the apparatus. Pictured isDaniele Hypólitoin the final of the women's artistic gymnastics competition at theRio 2016 Olympic Games,where Brazil finished in 8th place. -
Credit:Ralf RoletschekMartin Sesaker representing Norway incurlingat the2012 Winter Youth Olympics. -
Photo credit: Christopher BattJuuso Pykälistö,driving aPeugeot 206 WRCat the2003Swedish Rally,lands a high-speed "yump"on two wheels in thesnow.Thisrallycompetition is part of theWorld Rally Championshipand was the first rally to be held on snow. -
Restoration:Lise BroerA late 1930sFederal Art Projectposter advertising thebobsledtrackinLake Placid, New York,United States, which had been used in the1932 Winter Olympics.Thevillageis located in theAdirondack Mountainsand is known as atouristdestination forwinter sports,mountain climbing,andgolf.It is one of the three places to have twice hosted theWinter Olympic Gamesand the first location inNorth Americato host two Olympic games. -
Mara Friton in ahandballmatch in the GermanHandball-Bundesliga. -
Robbie McEwen,Australian professional road cyclist, wearing hisTeam Katusha(Russian: Катюша) cycling kit at the start of the 2010Jayco Bay Cycling Classic.McEwen's accolades include winning themaillot vert (green jersey) overall Points Classificationin theTour de Francethree times, along with winning 12 individual stages, and competing in three Olympic Games. The green and gold bands around his arms identify him as anAustralian National Cycling Champion. -
Credit:ChePriit Naruskin the qualification for the Tour de Skicross-country skiingcompetition in Prague. -
Motocrossis form ofmotorcycleorATVracing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The tracks are often quite large, natural, terrains with very few man made jumps, unlikeSupercross,a sport that was originally derived from Motocross and is executed on a smaller track with many more extreme man made obstacles. -
Photograph credit:Carlos DelgadoRichèl Hogenkamp(born 16 April 1992) is a professional tennis player from the Netherlands. Her highestWTAsingles ranking is 94, which she reached on 24 July 2017. On theITF Women's World Tennis Tour,she has won 16 singles and 14 doubles titles. This photograph depicts Hogenkamp competing at the 2015Madrid Open. -
Photograph: John Sherwell,Australian Paralympic CommitteeMaddison Elliott(b. 1998) is an Australian swimmer. She isS8 classified,having right sidecerebral palsyas a result of aneonatal stroke.At the2012 Summer Paralympicsin London, she became the youngest Australian Paralympic medallist by winning bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 100 m freestyle S8 events. She then became the youngest Australian gold medallist when she was a member of the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay 34 points team. -
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Photograph: D. Bernard & Co; restoration:Adam CuerdenEugen Sandow(1867–1925) was a pioneering Germanbodybuilder.Born inKönigsberg,Prussia,he joined a circus to avoid military service. Fellow strongman Ludwig Durlacher urged Sandow to travel toLondonand take part in astrongmancompetition, which he handily won. Sandow rose rapidly to fame and was soon touring Europe and the United States, being featured in ashort film seriesthat depicted him flexing. After a bout of ill health, Sandow focused on opening public gyms, inventing or improving exercise equipment, and training would-be military recruits as well asKing George V.Sandow is now known as the "father of modern bodybuilding". -
Did you know...
- ...that the2000Black Coaches AssociationClassic was postponed by anelectrical stormduring whichlightningstruckESPNbroadcasterLee Corso's rental car?
- ...thatHomer Mensch,thedouble bassistwho played the theme forJaws,originally wanted to be atennisplayer?
- ...that onMother's Day,May 14,2006,theLouisville SluggerCompany produced more than 400pink baseball bats(pictured)for game use by more than 50professional baseball players?
- ...that althoughKylie Gauciis a2 point player,she was the only player on her team to score a three point basket at the2012 Paralympics?
- ...thatMatthew Robinson,older brother ofBaseball Hall of FamememberJackie Robinson,was a world-class sprinter and won a silver medal in the1936 Summer OlympicsinBerlin?
Selected quote
Selected athlete
Wilt Chamberlain in a Harlem Globetrotters uniform
The 7 foot 1 inch Chamberlain weighed 250 pounds as a rookie before bulking up to 275 and eventually to over 300 pounds with the Lakers. He played thecenterposition and is widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history.
Chamberlain holds numerousNBA all-time recordsin scoring,reboundingand durability categories. He is the only player toscore 100 points in a single NBA gameor average more than 40 and 50pointsin a season. He also won seven scoring, ninefield goal percentage,and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league inassists.Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game and 20 rebounds in a season, a feat he accomplished nine times. He is also the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.
Chamberlain had a successful career, winning twoNBA championships,earning four regular-seasonMost Valuable Playerawards, theRookie of the Yearaward, oneNBA Finals MVPaward, and being selected to several all star teams. He was inducted in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famein 1978, elected into the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the50 Greatest Players in NBA Historyof 1996.
After his basketball career ended, Chamberlain playedvolleyballin the short-livedInternational Volleyball Association,was president of this organization, and is enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame for his contributions. Chamberlain also was a successful businessman, authored several books, and appeared in the movieConan the Destroyer.He was a lifelong bachelor, and became notorious for his claim to have had sex with over 20,000 women. (Full article...)
Selected team
Paul London and Brian Kendrick during a show of the WWE SmackDown Live Tour
They first began teaming together in 2003 as a part of WWE, but Kendrick left the company shortly thereafter. When he returned in mid-2005, he and London reunited as a tag team. In May 2006 the duo won theWWE Tag Team ChampionshipfromMNM;it was Kendrick's first title victory with the company, and London's third. Their reign was the longest since WWE created the title in 2002, and they became the fourth longest-reigning tag team champions in the company's history, finallydroppingthe titles toDeuce 'n Dominoin April 2007.
Later in 2007, London and Kendrick were drafted fromSmackDownto theRawbrand, where they briefly held theWorld Tag Team Championship.They would continue to work together until Kendrick was drafted back to SmackDown in the2008 supplemental draft,thus disbanding the team until 2010, when they reunited inPro Wrestling Guerrillafollowing their releases from WWE. They have since reunited on several occasions. In 2010 they defeated thePWG World Tag Team ChampionsGeneration MeinPro Wrestling Guerrilla's part of the aptly titledWrestleReunion 4show in a non-title match, their first match back together. Later that year London and Kendrick made an appearance in an event forDragon Gate USA,however Kendrick had to leave the company when the duo lost aPinfall Loser Leaves Company match.They reunited most recently in an October 2012pay-per-viewevent forFamily Wrestling Entertainment.(Full article...)
In this month
- February 4, 1925 – TheinauguralNordic World Ski Championshipsbegins inJanské Lázně,Czechoslovakia
- February 9, 1895 –Volleyball(pictured),originally called Mintonette, is created byWilliam G. MorganinHolyoke, Massachusetts
- February 20, 1992 – ThePremier League,the top division of theEnglish football league system,is founded
- February 21, 1948 –NASCARis founded by a consortium of drivers led byBill France, Sr.
- February 22, 1980 – TheUnited States ice hockey teamdefeats theSoviet Union teamin theMiracle on Iceat the1980 Winter Olympics
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