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The U.S. men’s basketball “Redeem Team” ended a frustrating eight-year stretch and regained international basketball prominence by beating Spain 118-107 and winning the gold medal on Sunday. After winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, the Americans missed the podium entirely at the 2002 world championships and settled for bronze after they were knocked out of the semis at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2006 worlds. Spain made things difficult for the Americans. They came out strong, led for most of the first quarter, and fought to keep within reach for the entire game. But the Americans managed a...

Just saw Kerri Walsh pause the interview after winning the gold to thank W for his inspiration, Class.

BEIJING (Reuters) - American Rebecca Soni broke the world record to win the women's 200 meters breaststroke final on Friday to collect her first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Soni surged to victory in two minutes 20.22 seconds, wiping 0.32 off the previous world record set by Australia's Leisel Jones at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Jones, who won the 100 earlier in the week, faded on the last lap to finish second in 2:22.05 while Norway's Sara Nordenstam was third in 2:23.02. Soni became just the second American female swimmer to win gold in Beijing after Natalie Coughlin won...

<p>FORT MYERS, Fla. - Al Oerter was destined to become an athlete, although he often wondered what he might have been if not for a chance meeting with a discus.</p> <p>"I could throw a baseball, a football or a golf ball a country mile," Oerter told the Associated Press in an interview last year. "It was just easy to throw anything."</p>

Dear Mark, I don't know whether you noticed that the U.S. Senate actually was able to reach unanimous(!) agreement about something yesterday. Of course it took as near to divine intervention as one could get to do it. They voted unanimously to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama ("The Dalai Lama Gold Medal Act"). I'm sure you'll agree that China will be thrilled. Any time we can stick it to China I'm thrilled. Regards, Mike Post

Today's events include biathlon,Womens Halfpipe Snowboard, Women's curling and hockey, Speed Skating Men's 500m, Women's luge runs 1 and 2 and Figure Skating Pairs final. The pairs skating begins at 1 pm est. NBC OLYMPICS HOME PAGE Complete Olympic Schedule (Presumably updated with Results) TV SCHEDULES usolympicteam.com TOPICS: TOPICS: TOPICS:

NBC OLYMPICS HOME PAGE Complete Olympic Schedule (Presumably updated with Results) TV SCHEDULES usolympicteam.com TOPICS:

With jumps, spins and those majestic spirals, Michelle Kwan showed she is good -- and healthy -- enough today and earned one more run at that elusive Olympic gold medal. Kwan, a South Bay native who resides in Manhattan Beach, sealed the spot on the U.S. Olympic team that she was handed two weeks ago, proving to a five-person monitoring committee that she's recovered from the groin injury that kept her out of the national championships. She performed both her long and short programs in less than 12 minutes, a quick practice session, and did every one of her jumps...

Ted Kennedy is the latest in what has become a line of Democrats to get a smack-down on their historical revisionism. [RUSSERT, reading quote:] We know [Iraq is] developing unmanned vehicles, capable of delivering chemical and biological warfare agents … all U.S. intelligence experts agree that they are seeking nuclear weapons. There is little question that Saddam Hussein wants to develop them. … In the wake of September 11th, who among us can say with any certainty, to anybody, that those weapons might not be used against our troops or against allies in the region? Who can say that this...

LINKOPING, Sweden - The United States beat Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout to win the Women's World Hockey Championship on Saturday, ending the defending champions' run of eight straight titles. Natalie Darwitz, Angela Ruggiero and Krissy Wendell scored for the Americans after regulation and a 20-minute overtime ended 0-0. Sarah Vaillancourt scored Canada's goal in the shootout, the first in championship history. "It was amazing out there, both teams battled so hard and both goalies obviously played outstanding," said Ruggiero, a two-time Olympian who also played against men in the Central Hockey League in January. "To finally win a...

The rink where (Herb) Brooks coached the U.S. Olympic hockey team to its stunning gold-medal victory 25 years ago now bears his name. It was renamed Wednesday night in his honor: 1980 Rink, Herb Brooks Arena. The announcement came 18 months after Brooks was killed in a car accident, which made the moment so very poignant.

Gold Medal Molester Olympic Gold Medal track star Angelo Taylor is charged with children molestation. Police say they found the 26-year-old having sex with a 15-year girl in a back seat of a vehicle in Ellenwood earlier Thursday morning. 1-14-05 10:15am

The Court of Arbitration HAS Ruled that US Gymnast Paul Hamm WILL KEEP his Gold Medal. Finally.....can he get on with his life now?

Colorado Springs, CO (Sports Network) - American cyclist Tyler Hamilton, the champion in the road time trial at this year's Olympics, may lose his gold medal due to a blood doping violation. Gerard Bisceglia, the CEO of USA Cycling, said Tuesday that the organization was waiting for the 'B' sample results to come back from another doping test. The follow-up tests were to be conducted on Tuesday. USA Cycling was informed last week that Hamilton had tested positive shortly after he captured the gold medal on August 18. Hamilton reportedly also tested positive at the Spanish Vuelta on September 18,...

Paul: I'll start it out. You earned the gold and should be proud. What some are trying to do is unconscionable. The judges made an error in degree of difficulty, and they made an error in missing a mistake. Those offset each other. Your comeback and the character you showed will certainly inspire other young American gymnasts. ============================================= FReepers, I am asking you for a personal favor. This is like a greeting card. I hope you will join me with congratulatory messages so we can send it to Paul. If you want to debate, please do it on another thread....

This thread is to debate whether Paul Hamm should keep his gold medal. I am putting up another thread for those who wish to join me in sending him a message of congratulations.

Striving to do one's best is at the core of the military, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers told members of the World Military Games gold-medal modern pentathlon team here Feb. 17. "There's a correlation between what you do on your field, and how (the military) works in other fields," the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman told the three members of the team. "We all want to be world-class. We think we are world-class in what we do." The team took the gold at the 3rd Military World Games in Catania, Italy, in December. The members of the team are...

Anaheim, California-AP -- A string of injuries didn't stop the U-S women's team from striking gold at the World Championships in Anaheim, California. The gold is the first for any American team at the worlds, men or women. It also gives the team a major boost as it heads into the Athens Olympics next year. The margin of victory was just one-point-74 points over U-S women bag gold at Gymnastics Championships the Romanians. Chellsie Memmel carried the Americans, who lost Annia Hatch and Courtney Kupets to injuries. Memmel was an alternate until being pressed into service late last week. She's...

The House of Representatives has voted to award a congressional gold medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Although most lawmakers supported the action, some opposed it and used the opportunity to renew calls for a full investigation into the issue of intelligence information used to justify the war in Iraq. The resolution recognizes Mr. Blair's support for the United States in the war in Iraq, and after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. New York Congressman Peter King, a Republican, is a primary supporter of the award to Mr. Blair and said, "The...

Concerned his parents in Caro, Mich., would worry too much, Mike Ellsworth didn't tell them he was going to Iran. Now the family is celebrating. He's back in the USA after winning a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling last week in the Takhti Cup tournament. The only glitch: His return luggage, including his medal and two Persian rugs for his mom, was lost. ''I'm still calling the airport like five times a day,'' says Ellsworth, 31, who trains in Colorado Springs. With U.S. troops in neighboring Iraq (news - web sites), Ellsworth and T.C. Dantzler wrestled for the USA. They...

United States lawmakers are to award Prime Minister Tony Blair the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honours. Senator Elizabeth Dole, wife of the former presidential candidate Bob Dole, has proposed legislation to recognise the Prime Minister's "outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining security of all freedom-loving nations". The bill has 78 supporters in the 100-seat Senate - 11 more than is required - and could be passed next week. Mr Blair would follow Winston Churchill to become only the second Briton to receive the award. Previous winners also include Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Pope John...

<p>President Bush on Thursday bestowed the highest civilian honor from Congress on former President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, and praised the nation's 40th chief executive as a man whose life has been "a tribute to the power of great ideas."</p>

Wonderful coverage of this beautiful event.

<p>Abraham Lincoln called it 'the silent artillery of time'-the relentless manner in which the passing of years inalterably changes previous beliefs, reduces error to rubble and brings about a more complete consideration.</p> <p>This reflective mood is surely present on this day, as Ronald and Nancy Reagan recieve the Congressional Gold Medal, which the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate describe as 'the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.'</p>