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Inspiring Athletes

In 1984, Jesse Williams went to his first Summer Games. It was a memorable moment for many aspiring American athletes who were able to watch the world’s greatest competitors go head-to-head in their proverbial backyard. Forgive Williams if he doesn’t remember too much about his first Olympic encounter. After all, he was only a few…

Temeka Johnson has spent most of her life as an underdog. The 5-3 point guard from New Orleans, however, fought through nagging misperceptions that she wasn’t tall enough to play big time college basketball much less make it to the WNBA. Along the way, Johnson won All-SEC honors at LSU, broke the school’s all-time assists…

Brittany Viola narrowly missed the Olympic diving team in 2004 and has been fighting to get to the Games ever since. Earlier today, the two-time NCAA champion from the University of Miami dominated the competition and punched her ticket to London where she will represent the United States in the 10-meter platform event. Viola has…

To the average onlooker, archery might seem to be one of the most tedious if not strenuous sports at the Summer Olympics. But to Arizona native Brady Ellison, pulling back the string and aiming at a target roughly 75 yards away can be as peaceful as bow hunting in the great outdoors. In this Inspiring…

It’s no wonder that Tamika Catchings is one of the WNBA’s most popular players. She’s accessible to the fans, she’s active in the community, she plays with as much heart as any athlete to ever step foot on the court, and her smile is an infectious reminder of her genuinely kindhearted personality. This summer, the…

Mike Edwards won his second NHRA race of the season and extended his winning streak at Bristol to four. With a near perfect .005-second light and his 6.674-second pass was enough to hold off Allen Johnson’s Dodge Avenger, which clocked a quicker but losing 6.661-second. “I don’t even know how you can describe something like…

Webb Simpson charged from the back of the pack to overtake leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell and win his first career PGA major at the 112th U.S. Open in San Francisco, Calif. His two under par performance on a stingy Olympic Club course was good enough for the one-stroke victory. He finished at plus…

Like most Olympians, Kendrick Farris had an epiphany—that moment in time when it all clicks and dreams come into crystal clear focus. But for Farris, it wasn’t while training in the gym, lifting in a competition or getting a pep talk from a coach. No, the Olympic weightlifter caught a glimpse of his future while…

Words like “prodigy” and “phenom” get thrown around a lot when discussing young athletes, but in Missy Franklin’s case, those descriptive monikers can be legitimately used. Franklin started swimming at the age of five and by the age of 16 had broken two short course world records (200-meter backstroke and 4×100-meter medley relay). Now with…

It might not sound like much fun to the average non-athlete type out there, but for the tri-athlete, a mile-long swim in choppy waters, a 25-mile bike ride along a hilly path and a six-mile run on worn out legs is the stuff dreams are made of. Perhaps that’s why triathlon specialists like Hunter Kemper…
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