Summer Olympics

Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner is looking to make it back to the Summer Games at age 51.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Gardner said he's been training with the goal of competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

"I still wanna give more back to the sport, the sport that I love and that's wrestling. When you have a goal like wrestling it makes you get into shape so I've lost a substantial amount of weight, getting healthy again, getting back after it, and now it's getting on the mat. Every day it hurts like heck but it's so fun to be able to get out there and throw with these young kids. It's crazy 'cause I'm wrestling kids half my age."

Gardner said he's lost about 150 pounds in training, with the goal of being able to show he "can still compete with the top-level wrestlers of the world."

This isn't the first time Gardner has attempted to make an Olympic comeback. He was training for the 2012 Games, but he missed the maximum weight limit allowed before the U.S. Olympic Trials.

It's not unheard of for an athlete over age 50 to compete at the Olympics, though it's often in sports that don't require the same type of physical ability as wrestling.

Laura Kraut, 55, became the oldest U.S. woman to medal since 1904 when she won a silver as part of the equestrian jumping team with Jessica Springsteen and McLain Ward at the Tokyo Games.

Sweden's Oscar Swahn is the oldest athlete to compete and medal at the Olympics. He won silver at age 72 as part of the 100-meter running deer shooting team double shots at the 1920 Games in Stockholm, Sweden.

More recently, Dara Torres was 41 years old when she won three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Chris Campbell is the oldest American wrestler to medal at the Olympics. He won bronze in the freestyle 90-kilogram weight class as a 37-year-old in 1992.

Gardner became an Olympic legend for his performance during the 2000 Games in Sydney. The Wyoming native upset Russia's Aleksandr Karelin, who was the reigning three-time Olympic champion and had a 13-year unbeaten streak, in the finals of the 130-kilogram Greco-Roman event.

Four years later, Gardner won bronze in the 120-kilogram weight class. He will be 53 years old when the Paris Games begin.

The qualification period for wrestling at the 2024 Olympics runs from September 2023 through May 2024.

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Albanian long jumper Izmir Smajlaj is facing a ban from competition after being accused of submitting false information to help secure a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

Per the Associated Press, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Friday that Smajlaj, along with Albanian track federation president Gjergj Ruli and general secretary Nikolin Dionisi, has been charged with disciplinary offenses stemming from a competition held in the country in May 2021.

"It is alleged that false information was submitted to World Athletics and the AIU in support of this competition result," the AIU said.

According to the AP, Smajlaj won the competition with a jump of 8.16 meters, a national record in Albania.

Smajlaj didn't qualify for the Olympics based on the result, but was given the opportunity to persuade officials through the "universality" rule that allows countries to send one male and one female athlete to Olympic track events.

"Those athletes still have to apply with evidence of their 'technical level' and experience of international events to persuade officials to grant them a place," per the AP.

Smajlaj failed to qualify for the final with a jump of 7.86 meters in Tokyo.

Friday's announcement from the AIU comes after the organization published its competition manipulation watch list in September. Albania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia were the seven countries on the list after being cited for reports of suspicious competition results during the Olympic qualifying period.

Smajlaj, Ruli and Dionisi have all been provisionally suspended until the case is resolved.

The 29-year-old Smajlaj finished tied for 17th in qualifying at the Tokyo Games. He previously won the long-jump competition at the European Indoor Championships in 2017.

Albania had a total of nine athletes compete at the 2020 Olympics in athletics, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, weightlifting and judo.

Eliud Kipchoge continues to set the bar in long-distance running.

The 37-year-old Kenyan won the Berlin Marathon with a final time of two hours, one minute, nine seconds Sunday. He set a new world record in the process, besting the mark (2:01:39) he set in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

"My legs and my body still feel young," Kipchoge told reporters. "But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I'm so happy to break the world record."

The two-time Olympic gold medalist thought he could've posted an even better time as well, explaining he "went too fast" in the first half of the marathon.

Kipchoge initially claimed the world record from fellow countryman Dennis Kimetto, who crossed the finish line at the 2014 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:57. A Kenyan has held the fastest marathon time since 2011.

Assuming he competes in the 2023 Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge can again rewrite the record books. A fifth win would move him past Haile Gebrselassie for the most all-time in the event.

Ryan Lochte's two bronze medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics sold for $89,423 on Thursday at RR Auction, according to Darren Rovell of the Action Network.

Lochte put all of his Olympic silver and bronze medals up for auction with the proceeds going to the Jorge Nation Foundation, which raises money for children with serious illnesses to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a destination of their choosing.

"I don’t want people to think I didn’t care about the medals," Lochte told Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports earlier this month. "I cherish them, but they’re just sitting in my closet collecting dust."

"The Ryan Lochte Collection" listed by RR Auction included his lone silver medal from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, his two bronze medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and his two silvers and one bronze from the 2012 London Games.

The auction also included his custom 14-karat white gold Olympic ring and his Breitling watch.

Lochte also said he will probably auction some of his Olympic gold medals in the future for charity, per Zaccardi. He won six gold medals over his Olympic swimming career.

Twelve-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte is auctioning off half of his medals for charity.

According to ESPN, all six of Lochte's silver and bronze medals are up for auction until July 21. The proceeds will go to the Jorge Nation Foundation, which is a "nonprofit that raises money to send children with a terminal illness and their families on a dream trip from South Florida to a destination of their choice."

Lochte's 12 Olympic medals are tied for second-most among swimmers, behind Michael Phelps' record of 28.

"I'm not one to be all sentimental about medals," Lochte said. "My medals are just sitting in my closet collecting dust. The memories that I have is what means the most."

The 37-year-old swimmer, who has competed in four Olympics, will be holding on to his six gold medals for the time being. Lochte also put up for sale his 14-karat white gold Olympic ring and a Breitling watch with black diamonds, both of which he bought for himself at the London Games in 2012.

Lochte confirmed that he is not the direct seller and gave the medals to a third party, as they are being sold through Boston-based RR Auction. The estimated combined total value of all six medals is $82,000.

"They're in perfect condition. They have beautiful ribbons," RR Auction executive vice president Bobby Livingston said, noting that the medals were cosigned by someone who wishes to remain anonymous. "Ryan's are obviously extremely interesting to people who collect medals."

Lochte has worked with the Jorge Nation Foundation for over 10 years, and his agent is a member of the board of directors. He said he has more plans to continue his charitable efforts.

"This year I really wanted to focus on giving back. I'm loving it," he said. "I've been teaming with my dad doing swim clinics and I'm coming out with my own sunscreen."

Lochte didn't make the team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He said he has considered parting ways with his gold medals at some point in the future, though he will keep his first individual gold and another one for his father, Steve.

"Those medals mean a lot to me; I worked my [rear] off for them, but helping other people out is more important to me, especially because I have kids of my own," Lochte said.

One year after attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Games, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf said he is still intent on making it to the Olympics.

Appearing on Kevin Hart's Cold as Balls, Metcalf said he will "for sure" compete in track and field events again with the goal of "trying to make the Olympics" and win a gold medal (starts at 10:48 mark):

Speaking to B/R's Taylor Rooks in February, Metcalf said he will train in the 2023 offseason with the goal of making it to the Olympics in 2024. He noted the 100- and 60-meter dashes, though the latter is not an event in the Games.

Metcalf's track skills jumped out to NFL fans during the 2020 season. The 24-year-old hit a maximum speed of 22.6 mph and ran 114.8 yards to chase down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker after an interception in a Week 7 game.

Metcalf parlayed that into competing in the men's 100 meters at the USA Track and Field Golden Games and Distance Open in May 2021 in an attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials.

In a field of 17 entrants, Metcalf's 10.36-second time ranked 15th. The Athletic noted he needed to finish in 10.05 seconds "with a legal tailwind of no more than two meters per second" to qualify for the trials.

While Metcalf continues to think about his Olympic dreams, he will also keep causing havoc on the football field. The Ole Miss alum has 3,170 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in 49 career games.

Philadelphia Eagles receiver Devon Allen continues to showcase his speed, winning his third 110-meter hurdles race in a span of a week.

The 27-year-old finished first in the Diamond League event in Paris on Saturday, posting a time of 13.16 seconds, per Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. He also won races Thursday and last Sunday, with the latter's 12.84 representing the third-fastest time ever.

Allen is a three-time United States champion in the 110-meter hurdles and finished fourth at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

In addition to his track success, Allen is attempting a return to the football field after stepping away in 2016 following his junior season at Oregon. He signed with the Eagles this April and has been adamant he can continue with two disciplines.

"During the football season, I’m going to play football," Allen said this week, per WorldAthletics.org. "And once February comes along and we’ve won the Super Bowl, hopefully I’m going to come back and start training for track and get ready for the major championships."

He plans to attend the Eagles training camp, which starts July 26.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill believes he is faster than the fastest man on earth. 

Appearing on Kevin Hart's YouTube series Cold as Balls (starts at 11:20 mark), Hill said "of course I am" when asked if he was faster than Usain Bolt. 

Hill and Bolt have had some good-natured fun over the years about who is the faster runner. 

Bolt told TMZ Sports in August he would put up one of his eight Olympic gold medals if Hill wagered his Super Bowl ring in a one-on-one race. Hill responded three months later by accepting the challenge when he spoke to TMZ. 

Thus far, nothing has come of their online back-and-forth. 

Bolt, who retired from competition in 2017, holds individual world records in the 100 meters (9.58 seconds) and 200 meters (19.19 seconds). He was also part of the Jamaican team that set the 4x100m world record at the 2012 Olympics. 

Prior to Super Bowl LIII in February 2019, two years after his retirement, Bolt ran an unofficial 4.22-second 40-yard dash. 

If that time is accurate, it's .07 seconds faster than Hill ran at his pro day (4.29 seconds) in 2016. 

Per WorldAthletics.org, Hill's fastest recorded time in the 100 meters is 10.19 seconds. 

Hopefully, one day we will get to see them settle the debate once and for all. Until that happens, though, fans will have to keep speculating about what might happen in a race between Hill and Bolt.