Summer Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin, welcome to the record books. 

The 400-meter hurdles runner not only set the world record at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Sunday night with a time of 51.9 seconds, she also became the first woman in history to ever run under 52 seconds. 

The previous record of 52.16 seconds was set by 2016 Olympics gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad‘s at the 2019 World Championships. Muhammad finished in second on Sunday night (52.42 seconds) and Anna Cockrell was third (53.70). All three women qualified for the Tokyo Games. 

As for McLaughlin, she credited a coaching change from Joanna Hayes to Bobby Kersee in part for her record run.

“It’s truly just faith and trusting the process. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she said on the NBC broadcast. “I’m really happy I chose to go with [Kersee].”

Serena Williams announced Sunday that she will not compete in the 2021 Summer Olympics beginning next month in Tokyo.

Williams told reporters at Wimbledon that she had reasons for pulling out of Olympic consideration but didn't want to discuss them:

"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to—I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry.

"I have not thought about it. In the past [the Olympics] has been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."

The 39-year-old veteran is one of the most successful Olympic tennis players of all time, winning singles gold in 2012 and doubles gold with her sister, Venus Williams, in 2000, 2008 and 2012.

Only Venus and Great Britain's Kathleen McKane Godfree have more Olympic tennis medals than Serena with five each.

Serena last competed in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but she surprisingly left without a medal, as she was upset by Elina Svitolina in the third round of women's singles, while she and Venus lost in the first round of the women's doubles tournament.

Williams' 23 career Grand Slam singles titles are the most of any player in the Open Era, although she hasn't won a Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open.

Serena has reached four Grand Slam finals since then, losing each time. This year, she reached the semifinals of the Aussie Open and the fourth round of the French Open.

Williams is still the No. 8-ranked women's tennis player in the world and the second-ranked American player behind only No. 6 Sofia Kenin.

United States Track and Field star Allyson Felix will not be running the 200 meter at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. 

The nine-time Olympic medalist finished fifth in her USATF qualifying final on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon with a time of 22.11 while Gabby Thomas (21.61), Jenna Prandini (21.89) and Anavia Battle (21.95) took the gold, silver and bronze respectively. 

Felix, 35, had already qualified for Tokyo in the 400 meter, taking silver with a time of 50.02 last Saturday. It will be her first Olympic games since giving birth in 2018. She's previously competed at the Olympics in 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio), earning six gold medals. 

The opening ceremonies in Tokyo begin on Wednesday, July 21 on NBC. 

Hammer thrower Gwen Berry is heading to the Tokyo Olympics with Team USA after qualifying with a third-place finish Saturday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. As the 31-year-old from St. Louis stood on the podium, however, she made an even stronger statement, turning away from the American flag during the playing of the national anthem.

Toward the end of the "Star-Spangled Banner," Berry revealed a shirt with the words "Activist Athlete" written on it and placed it over her head.

Berry, who is an advocate of athletes using their platforms to speak on things that matter to them, told Tom Schad of USA TODAY  she felt "setup" and "pissed" by the playing of the anthem, which is not typical during podium ceremonies at the event.

"It was funny because they said they were going to play [the anthem] before we actually walked out, and then it just so happened that they played it when we were out there," Berry said. "So, you know, it's OK. I really don't want to talk about the anthem because that's not important. The anthem don't speak for me. It never has."

USA Track & Field managing director of communications Susan Hazzard told Schad the anthem was previously scheduled to play at 5:20 p.m. local time and was not deliberately set to run during the hammer throwing ceremony.

"We didn't wait until the athletes were on the podium for the hammer throw awards, the national anthem is played every day according to a previously published schedule," Hazzard said in an email to Schad. "We're thrilled with the women’s hammer throw team that selected themselves for the Games."

Berry was one of two American athletes reprimanded by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee for protesting on the podium during the 2019 Pan American Games by raising a fist on the platform after winning gold.

The 2016 Olympian said she plans to continue to speak out in Tokyo despite threats from the International Olympic Committee that it will punish athletes who demonstrate during the Games and ceremonies.

"Sports is entertainment. But my purpose and my voice and my mission is bigger than the sport," Berry said. "So me being able to represent my communities and my people, and those who have died at the hands of police brutality, those who have died [due] to this systemic racism—I feel like that's the important part. That's why I'm going, and that's why I was here today."

Chicago Bears wide receiver Marquise Goodwin came up short in his quest to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. 

Goodwin took part in the United States Olympic qualifiers for the men's long jump Friday. He finished in 19th place overall with a jump of 7.57 meters. 

The top 12 finishers in today's competition advanced to the final on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. The U.S. National Olympic Committee can enter up to three qualified athletes into the field for next month's event in Tokyo. 

Goodwin told Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune leading up to the U.S. qualifiers he was optimistic about his chances. 

"My chances (of making the team) are always high because you never know what could happen on that day," Goodwin said.

Goodwin previously competed on the U.S. Olympic team during the 2012 Games in London. He finished first in Group A and second overall in the qualifying event at the Olympics with a jump of 8.11 meters. 

In the final, Goodwin came in 10th out of 12 competitors with a jump of 7.80 meters. The 30-year-old attempted to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but came up short in the finals with a seventh-place finish. 

Prior to joining the NFL in 2013, Goodwin was a multi-sport athlete at the University of Texas. He played football and was a member of the track and field squad. The Texas native won two NCAA titles in the long jump (2010, 2012) and was a four-time track and field All-American for the Longhorns. 

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards isn't headed to the Tokyo Olympics, but he'll be part of Team USA's preparations for the trip.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Edwards, who finished as runner-up to LaMelo Ball for the league's Rookie of the Year award, will play on the USA Basketball Select team.

That team will join Team USA for practices and scrimmages at their training camp in Las Vegas next month.

The national team finalized its roster Wednesday, with Kevin Durant and Draymond Green returning to the group that won a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum will be first-time Olympians, and 2012 gold medalist Kevin Love will join the group.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, in his first run with USA Basketball, will help coach the USA Select team. He was discussing the opportunity with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich—who will lead the Olympic team for the first time—for several months.

"I really just want to be a part of the program," Spoelstra said, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. "I'm always pushing myself to get better in the offseasons; I go visit people and all that stuff. This is going to be a basketball immersion. I mean, the dinners, the team meetings ... for where I am right now in my career, I think this is the perfect thing for a summer of development."

Spoelstra will not travel to Tokyo with Popovich and assistant coaches Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), Jay Wright (Villanova) and Lloyd Pierce (formerly of the Atlanta Hawks).

Edwards appeared in all 72 games this season for the Timberwolves, who finished 23-49. The Georgia product averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 32.1 minutes per game.

His teammates on the USA Select roster will be finalized "in the coming days," according to Reynolds. Team USA starts training camp in Las Vegas on July 4.

Los Angeles Sparks head coach Derek Fisher voiced his frustration with USA Basketball's decision to omit Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike from the final roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Fisher told reporters Tuesday he and the organization were "pissed" about the news.

"The thing about Nneka is nothing has to be given to her," he said. "She earned it. She deserves it. That's the most frustrating and disappointing part. That's the part that makes you angry the most."

Sparks star Chiney Ogwumike echoed the sentiment, listing her older sister's accolades and noting the 2016 WNBA MVP was under the impression she was doing everything required to get selected:

The older Ogwumike has been limited to five games during the 2021 season and was diagnosed with a left knee sprain earlier in the month. However, Fisher said he was "calling BS" on that as a justification for leaving the 30-year-old out.

That line of reasoning also doesn't make sense because Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi made the cut. She hasn't played since May 21 because of a fractured sternum.

Over the past three seasons, the 39-year-old guard is also averaging 15.3 points on 37.2 percent shooting while putting up 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. That production is solid but not exceptional relative to others in the U.S. Olympic pool.

During the same span, Ogwumike is shooting 53.2 percent while averaging 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Devereaux Peters, who spent six seasons in the WNBA, provided a series of tweets explaining why this situation is a microcosm of what many believe to be larger issues within USA Basketball:

Ogwumike is 15th all-time in win shares (51.8) and a six-time All-Star, and she had one of the best seasons ever in 2016 en route to winning MVP. By the time she retires, the power forward will be thought of as one of the greatest players of her era.

The fact that she hasn't been positioned to earn a gold medal in the Olympics is a head-scratcher, and the sting of her snub this year is magnified because she may not get another crack at the Olympic team given her age.

Cleveland Cavaliers veteran power forward Kevin Love has committed to playing for Team USA at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, his agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.

Previously, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported there was mutual interest since Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich "was interested in bringing [Love] aboard."

Love was one of 57 players to be named finalists for Team USA, making him eligible for the team. He is also a former Olympian, as he played for the gold medal-winning American team at the 2012 Summer Games.

In addition to playing for Team USA at the 2012 Olympics, the 32-year-old veteran helped lead the United States to gold at the FIBA World Championships in 2010.

When Love was part of the Olympic team nine years ago, he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and had established himself as one of the best young bigs in the game with averages of 26.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in 2011-12.

Love has changed a lot since then, slimming down and becoming more of a floor-stretching big than someone who spends a lot of time in the paint.

The former UCLA standout, who is a five-time NBA All-Star, has spent the past seven seasons with the Cavs. He is currently a veteran leader on a young and inexperienced team that hasn't done much winning, but his tenure in Cleveland started off much more successfully.

Love was the third member of Cleveland's Big Three along with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and helped lead the Cavs to four consecutive NBA Finals and one championship during that time.

In Cleveland, Love's rebounding has been down, but his three-point shooting has been up compared to his time in Minnesota.

During his 374-game run with the Cavs during the regular season, Love is averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 three-pointers made while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Injuries have been an issue for him in recent years, and he is coming off a 2020-21 season in which he was limited to 25 games. He averaged just 12.2 points per game, which was his lowest scoring output since his rookie season, and 7.4 rebounds, which was a career low.

Love did shoot the ball fairly well from downtown, though, making 2.3 trifectas per game and connecting on 36.5 percent of his long-range attempts.

While Love is no longer one of the 12 best American basketball players by most measures, he benefits from the fact that Team USA doesn't have many enticing bigs to choose from.

Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis is undoubtedly Team USA's best big, but he opted out of the Olympics. Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat is likely next, and he will be part of the team, but there isn't much to speak of behind him.

Vardon noted that when the United States finished a disappointing seventh in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, it didn't get the type of production it needed from its bigs in Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Mason Plumlee of the Detroit Pistons.

Most of those who have committed to play for Team USA at the Tokyo Games thus far are excellent offensive players and shooters, including Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets duo of Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Because of that, spreading the floor will give the Americans their best chance to succeed, and Love is one of the few American bigs who excels at doing that.

Love hasn't enjoyed much individual or team success with the Cavaliers over the past few seasons, but he could be the ideal fit for Team USA at the end of the bench given his skill set and experience in big games both at the international and NBA levels.

Laurel Hubbard made the New Zealand weightlifting team for the 2020 Olympics and in the process became the first out transgender woman to individually qualify for the Games, per Emily Adams of USA Today.

Adams noted the Olympics have featured an inclusion policy for trans athletes since 2003, but Hubbard became the first by lifting a net weight of 628 pounds across two lifts during the qualifying process.

Hubbard is both competing against world-class athletes and making sure she is in compliance with the rules the International Olympic Committee has placed on transgender women just to be a part of the Games.

As Adams explained, transgender women must declare their gender as female for at least four years, have their testosterone levels test at below 10 nanomoles for at least 12 months and then maintain such levels throughout their eligibility.

Hubbard is also the oldest weightlifting qualifier at 43 years old and coming back from a broken arm she suffered in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games.

"I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders," she said in a statement. "When I broke my arm at the Commonwealth Games three years ago, I was advised that my sporting career had likely reached its end. But your support, your encouragement, and your [love] carried me through the darkness."

She may be joined by other transgender athletes in Tokyo, as Chelsea Wolfe is an alternate on the United States' BMX freestyle team, and Nikki Hiltz is competing to make the United States track and field roster.

"This landmark moment comes amid a slew of legislative attacks on transgender participation in youth and collegiate sports across the United States," Adams wrote. "Thirty-six states have introduced or passed bills that limit the ability of trans athletes to participate on teams that affirm their gender identity despite the damaging social and psychological impacts that LGBTQ+ advocates say exclusion can cause for transgender youth."

The Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Games is scheduled for July 23.

The Tokyo Olympics arenas can have up to 10,000 local fans in attendance despite low COVID-19 vaccination rates in Japan and against the advice of the country's top medical adviser.

Olympic organizers announced Monday that they are planning to allow 50 percent capacity at events. The Games are set to go ahead amid a wave of criticism and safety concerns within Japan and around the wider world.

A poll conducted in May found that 83 percent of Japanese people did not support hosting the Olympics.

Dr. Shigeru Omi, Japan's leading medical adviser, recommended holding the Games without fans to ensure the safety of citizens and athletes. A host city does not have the option of canceling or postponing the Games once selected; only Olympic organizers can make such a call.

Originally planned for 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were moved to this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccinations have led to sharply declining infection rates in some countries, Japan is not expected to reach widespread vaccination until October. Currently, only 17.7 percent of the Japanese population has received at least one shot of the vaccine.

Organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said it's possible the Games will eliminate fan attendance if a state of emergency is called.

"We need to be very flexible. If there is any abrupt change in the situation, we will hold five-party meetings again to make other decisions," Hashimoto said. "If there is an announcement of a state of emergency during the Games, all the options like no-spectator games will be examined." 

Fans will be banned from cheering and must wear masks to attend the Games.