New top story from Time: With Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka Off TV Screens, Who Will Be the New Olympic Stars?

https://ift.tt/3BNLClE

If something like this—the stunning premature absence of two global icons from the Olympics—was ever going to happen, really, it would happen here, in Tokyo, in these troubled 2020 Olympic Games.

Assuming the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t going to completely overrun the whole affair once it began—and caution, we’re not in the clear yet— these Olympics were supposed to belong to Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, full stop. Or Naomi and Simone—with the single-name status, in whichever order you prefer.

Gymnastics is a quadrennial television obsession, and Biles delivered like no one has before or since. She had nothing else to prove, but was back for another Olympic run to thrill an adoring audience once more. She was the surest of bets.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Biles pulled out of the team competition on Tuesday and will skip Thursday’s all-around individual competition. In a statement, USA Gymnastics said Biles had withdrawn “in order to focus on her mental health.” She could still take part this weekend’s individual event finals; USA Gymnastics said she will “continue to be evaluated daily.”

So Biles might not be gone from the Tokyo Olympics for good. But the gymnastics team and individual all-around events are the key TV draws for U.S. audiences during the first week of the Games. With Biles’ exit from the marquee events, the Olympics took a stunning turn.

And they were already reeling from Osaka’s shocking third-round loss on Tuesday to no. 42-ranked Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, in straight sets. Normally, the Olympic tennis tournament feels like a bit of an add-on; the world’s best already gather four times a year to compete in Grand Slams. Do we really need to do it again?

But Osaka, a four-time Slam champ, was the face of the Tokyo Olympics for the home country, and she has a passionate following in the U.S. She lit the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony. And her mere presence carried even more importance after she withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon to tend to her mental health and prepare for the Games. She made a statement, heard loud around the world, on the pressing need for self-care. With that backdrop, millions were pulling for her.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” Osaka said after her exit. “I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year (it) was a bit much.”

Make no mistake; combined, Osaka and Biles have propelled mental health to the forefront of sports, and society, like no one else before them. In the long run, this will prove more valuable than any gold medal.

But that doesn’t mean fans can’t feel disappointed. If the Olympics weren’t going to mark a global victory over COVID-19, as imaged by organizers when they postponed them last March, they could at least serve as a welcome distraction from a persistent pandemic. Simone and Naomi were the key distractions.

Outside the U.S., there’s plenty to cheer. Japan, for example, has established itself as a skateboarding powerhouse and stands near the top of the medal count. China is succeeding in its quest for gold and continues to dominate sports like synchronized diving.

But who fills the superstar void for the American audience? Katie Ledecky proved human, finishing fifth in the 200-m freestyle and second in the 400-m freestyle, before winning 1,500-meter freestyle gold on Wednesday. She’s still an all-time great; maybe just not in Tokyo.

The U.S. men’s basketball team lost to France in its opening game; despite rebounding for an expectant win over Iran, Kevin Durant and Co. are vulnerable. The U.S. women’s soccer team, still trying to win a World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back, has so far been uninspiring, going 1-1-1 in pool play.

Novak Djokovic is here, but at this point he’s practically winning machine; while his talent deserves the upmost respect, the Olympics aren’t banking on him.

Track and field starts Friday; it would have been nice to have Sha’carri Richardson in town. Noah Lyles has swagger, Sydney McLaughlin set a world record at the Olympic Trials, offering hope that she can repeat that feat. Travyon Bromell could be crowned the world’s fastest man. Allyson Felix is writing her final chapter, and chasing the all-time medals mark for a female track and field Olympian.

They all may shine. But these weren’t their Olympics. We can only wish Osaka and Biles well. And can’t help but wonder what might have been, during an Olympics we can never get back.

Comments

Mumbai rains: Heavy waterlogging in Dadar, low-lying areas; route at Hindmata, Parel diverted https://ift.tt/30TQ9RI

Parts of Mumbai continued to receive downpour since early Monday. According to the details, transport and buses in several low-lying areas in the city were diverted, as some areas witnessed heavy waterlogging due to rains. Routes at Hindmata and Parel were also diverted. The BMC authorities had put barricades on roads and had blocked commuters due to heavy rains and waterlogging. Market areas in Dadar were waterlogged which posed a challenge for the locals.

Delhi: 27-year-old doctor dies of COVID-19 after month-long struggle https://ift.tt/39s6hOe

After a month-long struggle, a 27-year-old doctor has succumbed to the deadly novel coronavirus at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in New Delhi. Joginder Chaudhary had been battling the infection since June 28 after he was tested positive a day earlier.

New top story from Time: Caster Semenya Is Barred From Her Best Race. But She Won’t Give Up On Tokyo.

https://ift.tt/2R9s9c0 Caster Semenya’s fight continues. In February, the South African runner filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, for the right to run in the Tokyo Olympics in her preferred event: the 800-m, a race in which Semenya is the two-time defending Olympic champ. In 2018 World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field, ruled that female athletes with differences of sex development, competing in races from 400 m to the mile, must reduce natural testosterone levels through medical intervention in order to run in those races. Semenya, who was born a woman and is legally recognized as a woman, has said that from around 2010 to 2015 she took birth control pills to lower her testosterone: she said she suffered from side effects like fevers and experience abdominal pain, among other symptoms. She has since refused to take any more medication to comply with the World Athletics rules. Semenya took her case to the Court of Arbitration for...

New top story from Time: As COVID-19 Surges in South Dakota, Medical Groups Urge Masks Despite Gov. Kristi Noem’s Skepticism

https://ift.tt/2JadCcd (SIOUX FALLS, S.D.) — South Dakota’s largest medical organizations on Tuesday launched a joint effort to promote mask-wearing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the state suffers through one of the nation’s worst outbreaks, a move that countered Gov. Kristi Noem’s position of casting doubt on the efficacy of wearing face coverings in public. As the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have multiplied in recent weeks, the Republican governor has tried to downplay the severity of the virus , highlighting that most people don’t die from COVID-19. Noem, who has staked out a reputation on refusing to issue any mandates to stem the virus’ spread, has repeatedly countered recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear masks in public settings. Shortly after the Department of Health reported that the number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 broke records for the third straight day on Tuesday, peop...

5 things that make Perseverance NASA's strongest and smartest Mars rover yet https://ift.tt/3hIkHN6

After eight successful Mars landings, NASA is all set for another mission with its newest rover. The spacecraft Perseverance — set for liftoff this week — is NASA’s brawniest and brainiest Martian rover yet. It sports the latest landing tech, plus the most cameras and microphones ever assembled to capture the sights and sounds of Mars. Its super-sanitized sample return tubes — for rocks that could hold evidence of past Martian life — are the cleanest items ever bound for space. A helicopter is even tagging along for an otherworldly test flight.

FOX NEWS: Crossword Puzzle of the Week: July 28 Take Fox News' Crossword Puzzle of the Week and test your knowledge of the Olympics.

Crossword Puzzle of the Week: July 28 Take Fox News' Crossword Puzzle of the Week and test your knowledge of the Olympics. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3zJBKaB

New top story from Time: A Woman of Color Cannot Save Your Workplace Culture

https://ift.tt/39GFaQC “The ideal candidate would be a woman of color.” I’ve been hearing this from several hiring managers lately, and something about it wasn’t sitting well. On the one hand, workplaces are finally confronting the lack of diversity in their ranks and getting explicit and intentional about what they need to do. On the other: WTF? For decades, white managers ascended, wrote mission statements without centering equity, built teams off existing networks—and now they are ready to be inclusive? The phenomenon isn’t new. Researchers call the expectations on women of color, specifically Black women, “ superwoman schema ”; others dub it an extension of “ strong Black woman syndrome .” We cheer and tweet the heroics of women of color (from caregiving within their families to the loftier, say, saving of democracy by getting out the vote) without mentioning the toll this burden takes. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The idea of women of color now saving the modern...

New top story from Time: Why India’s Most Populous State Just Passed a Law Inspired by an Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theory

https://ift.tt/3pZtgYR India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh , introduced a law outlawing so-called “Love Jihad” on Tuesday, the first of at least five states led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that are considering new legislation targeting interfaith relationships in the world’s largest democracy. Love Jihad is a baseless conspiracy theory that Muslim men are attempting to surreptitiously shift India’s demographic balance by converting Hindu women to Islam through marriage. The narrative has been pushed by Hindu nationalist groups close to India’s ruling BJP since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was first elected in 2014. Since Modi came to power, his government has introduced several other measures that target India’s minority Muslim community. The conspiracy has received renewed attention after a Hindu woman in Haryana was murdered in October by a Muslim man who, her family said, had pressured her to convert and marry him. The new law was ...

21-year-old student jumps to death from 22nd floor of Ghaziabad highrise https://ift.tt/302bKs6

A 21-year-old man died after allegedly jumping from the 22nd floor of a residential condominium in Indirapuram locality in Ghaziabad on Monday, police said. According to police, the victim was under depression. However, no suicide note was recovered from the spot. Police said that the incident happened at one of the residential towers of Saya Zenith, a high-rise society in Ahinsa Khand II of Indirapuram. The family of the man was present at home when the incident occurred.

Covid-19 stressing you out? 8 ways you can sleep better https://ift.tt/2CNNFN2

No matter who and where you are, your circadian rhythm (the basic sleep-wake cycle or body clock) is the internal process that determines your physical, mental and behavioral changes throughout the day and night. Sleep is a critical part of this circadian rhythm and any disruption in the sleep cycle can affect your overall health. While getting sufficient sleep every night is important, many have reported difficulty in achieving it during the pandemic. A study published in 'Current Biology' in June 2020 revealed that even though people working from home during the pandemic are likely to be getting more sleep time, their sleep quality is often poor and disrupted.

My precise view

Search This Blog