BEIJING – A slow start led to a premature finish for Exeter native Adam Craig in the Olympic men’s mountain bike race Saturday at the Laoshan Mountain Bike Park. Riding bike No. 13, Craig started in the second row among 50 riders from 32 nations,… Read More
Viktoriya Rybalko of Ukraine, who was a star sprinter and jumper at the University of Maine from 1999 to 2003, came up short in her attempt to qualify for the women’s long jump finals. Rybalko, 25, jumped 6.43 meters in her third and final attempt… Read More
Three Maine rowers earned Olympic medals Sunday as the U.S. women’s eight won the gold for the first time since 1984 and the men’s eight finished third during the final day of competition at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. Anna Goodale of Camden and Elle… Read More
BEIJING – Even Michael Phelps couldn’t believe his eyes. He said he had to take off his goggles to make sure it was his name, and not Milorad Cavic, next to the No. 1 after a thrilling finish in the Olympic 100-meter butterfly. Phelps, who… Read More
BEIJING – Anna Willard of Greenwood qualified for the final in the inaugural Olympic women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday by placing sixth in her heat. Willard, a 2002 graduate of Telstar High School in Bethel who now lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., was timed in 9… Read More
BEIJING – Michael Phelps made it 6-for-6 at the Beijing Olympics, closing in on Mark Spitz with another world-record swim Friday morning. Phelps dominated right from the start of the 200-meter individual medley and powered away to win in 1 minute, 54.23 seconds. He knocked… Read More
Rowing The U.S. men’s eight crew advanced to the final with a win in the second-chance race, keeping alive hopes of defending the Olympic title. Three members from the 2004 team are back. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Rowing Maine natives Anna Goodale of Camden and Elle Logan of Boothbay will advance with their eight-woman rowing team to Sunday’s finals after claiming victory in Monday’s heat at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, according to USRowing.org. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
The Olympics always have drawn worldwide attention, but in recent years the event has turned into something much more than a series of sporting events that pit the best athletes against one another in the quest for gold. More than a competition of pure physical… Read More
Adam Craig’s relationship with travel and terrain transcends his current occupation as an Olympic mountain biker. Life in rural Maine draws most kids to explore the great outdoors early in life, and the 26-year-old Exeter native was no exception. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Rolland Ranson knew he was witnessing a special athlete the first day he watched Viktoriya Rybalko practice at the University of Maine. “She single leg-hopped the entire [Alfond] Stadium stairs [bottom to top] many times with each leg, and then double leg-hopped, and then ran… Read More
Maine provides a natural environment for rowing, its long coastline and picturesque lakes generating opportunity and motivation. But the sport of competitive rowing is confined to a few small-college programs and an occasional private school entry. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
The roads in and around the western Maine town of Greenwood probably have been a little more cluttered with bottles and cans the past six years. Six years ago, Anna Willard left her family’s farm in Greenwood to attend Brown University in Providence. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
When Kevin Eastler crosses the finish line of the 2008 Olympic men’s 20-kilometer racewalk in Beijing later this month, he’ll truly be crossing his personal finish line. For what began at age 9 in his native Farmington watching older sister Gretchen racewalk around the track… Read More
He owns seven guitars and last year he added a new instrument to his collection: a banjo. Portland swimmer Ian Crocker, the world record-holder in the 100-meter butterfly, is preparing for his third Olympic Games and spending time playing one of his guitars between training… Read More
EUGENE, Ore. – Another Mainer is going to the Summer Olympics in China. Anna Willard set an American record in winning the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes, 27.58 seconds at Thursday night’s Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Seth Wescott, the first Mainer to take home a gold medal in Winter Olympic competition, was honored Saturday at Sugarloaf/USA, the mountain where he honed his skills as a snowboarder. Wescott, who won the inaugural snowboardcross at the Games in Italy, showed… Read More
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – The first Olympic gold medal winner in the bruising sport of snowboardcross got his start as a youngster at Maine’s Saddleback and Sugarloaf USA ski areas at a time when snowboarders were frowned upon. Seth Wescott, a skateboarder in his hometown of… Read More
BARDONECCHIA, Italy – Suspended in midair, Seth Wescott’s biggest worry was making sure he didn’t land on top of his opponent and crush him. Not exactly a typical Olympic moment. Then again, snowboardcross isn’t a typical Olympic sport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BANGOR – According to the quirky yet time-honored custom of the Pine Tree State, Seth Wescott is not, officially, a “Mainer.” That title, the most crusty residents of the state will tell you, cannot be earned through years of dedicated residence, nor bestowed upon a… Read More
CESANA, Italy – Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Turin Games and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for doping, the first athlete caught in the tightest drug net in Winter Olympics history. Pyleva, who won the 12.5-kilometer World Cup race… Read More
ATHENS, Greece – Kevin Eastler didn’t come to the 2004 Summer Olympics favored to win a medal. Just qualifying for the Athens Games in the 20-kilometer race walk was the fulfillment of a dream for the 26-year-old Farmington native. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ATHENS, Greece – After a disastrous morning of qualifying swims, the United States won’t have a single swimmer in the men’s 100-meter freestyle final for the first time in the Olympic history, excluding the boycotted 1980 Summer Games. Ian Crocker of Portland and Jason Lezak… Read More
University of Maine business professor John Mahon lived in Athens, Greece, for three years in the 1970s. When he returned for a visit last month he was pleased to see the city had built an underground subway system. But the system doesn’t really help spectators… Read More