Modest Sebrle Wins Decathlon Gold Medal

By Parke Brewer Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic confirmed his status at the world's best all-around athlete when he won the Olympic decathlon gold medal Tuesday night. Most Olympians specialize in

Women's Pole Vault Provides Stirring Drama at Olympics

By Parke Brewer The women's pole vault provided one of the stirring dramas of the 2004 Olympic track and field competition. Until the mid 1990s, women's pole vault was not taken very seriously, mainly

Olympic Ticket Sales Brisk, Hours Ahead of Opening Ceremony

By Rebecca Ward City workers in Athens were putting fresh coats of paints on the concrete barrier along the main road leading to the Olympic Village just days before Friday's opening ceremonies. Tens

Olympics Construction Projects Push Athens Archaeologists to

By Rebecca Ward Bringing Athens' transportation up to speed ahead of the summer games proved more difficult than what most modern cities usually endure, as massive construction projects turned into ex

Athens Olympic Mascots Are Big Hit With Kids

By Rebecca Ward Phevos and Athena, the brother and sister mascots of the 2004 Olympics, might be considered a step above the usual stuffed toy Olympic merchandisers come up with every two years, if on

Security for Olympics Successful, Greek Defense Minister Say

By Roger Wilkison Greece's defense minister says his country's security preparations for the Athens Olympics have been so successful that it is now in a position to advise China, the host of the 2008

Swatch Helps Keep Olympic Scores Straight

By Rebecca Ward The 2004 Olympics, now in its second week, has been mired in controversy from almost the start, from a number of highly-publicized doping cases to several controversial judgment calls.

Mistakes Prove Olympic Judging Not Foolproof

By Rebecca Ward Heading into the last week of Olympic games in Athens, a number of judging mishaps have caused some hard feelings and, in at least one case, the suspension of three judges. But, this i

Athens Passes Olympic Flag to Beijing

By Rebecca Ward The summer games in Athens ended with a bang - but not the kind most feared, as in terrorism. No, the bang was a grand finale of fireworks, song and dance, bringing an end to the Olymp

American Olympic Champ Competes But Can Not Duplicate Past S

American track and field star Marion Jones will not duplicate her 2000 Olympic five-medal performance when she competes at this month's Athens Games. Jones only qualified to compete in the women's lon

China's Liu Xiang Hopes for Good Showing in

By Parke Brewer Liu Xiang burst on the track scene in 2002 when he set an Asian and world junior record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.12 seconds. Last year, Chinese sports journalists vot

South African Olympic High Jumper 'Reaches

By Parke Brewer South African Hestrie Cloete has won the last two women's high jump titles at the World Athletics Championships. Now she is looking for gold in the Olympics. The 1.85 meter-tall Hestri

Olympics: Men's 800-Meter Hotly Contested

By Parke Brewer The men's 800-meter run is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races at the Athens Olympics. Most of the favorites are from Africa. The 800 meters is two laps around the tra

US Women Take First-Ever Gold in Olympic Beach Volleyball

By Rebecca Ward Misty May and Kerri Walsh gave the United States its first-ever women's gold medals in beach volleyball at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The Brazilian team of Shelda Bede and Adriana Be

Argentines Celebrate First Olympic Gold in Half Century

By Brian Byrns Argentina has won its first Olympic gold medal in more than 50 years in Athens, and in Buenos Aires, people are in the streets celebrating the Argentine men's football team's 1-0 victor

Perseverance Pays Off in African-American Rower's Quest for

By Julie Goldberg Aquil Abdullah is set to become the first African-American male rower to compete for the United States at an Olympics. Aquil Abdullah failed to make the 2000 Sydney Olympics team, bu

Controversial Greek Sprinters Withdraw from Olympics

By Roger Wilkison Greece's two top track and field stars have pulled out of the Athens Olympics after apologizing to their embarrassed nation for a scandal that arose after they missed drug tests next

American Phelps Wins Gold, Sets 400m Individual Medley Recor

By David Byrd American Michael Phelps hopes to surpass Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals and the 19-year-old American took the first step Saturday in record time. Phelps won the men's 400-meter

Hong Kong Hopes for Another Olympic Medal in Windsurfing

By Parke Brewer Lee Lai Shan competes in women's windsurfing, or Mistral, competition. Her first Olympics was in 1992 in Barcelona, where she placed 11th. But she won the gold four years later in Atla

Michael Phelps Wins 6 Gold Medals in Swimming in Athens

By Parke Brewer The eight days of Olympic swimming competition ended Saturday night at the Athens Summer Games. And the big star was American Michael Phelps. On Sunday he met with members of the media