Ex-Giant David Wilson sets sights on U.S. Olympic team

Former New York Giants running back David Wilson had to end his football career after a serious neck injury in 2013, but isn't leaving his dream of athletic competition back on the football field.

Wilson will participate in the triple jump at the Adidas Grand Prix NYC this Saturday and has his mind set on making the U.S. Olympic team.

The 23-year-old Wilson's promising career was cut short after being taken in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, but chose to step away from the game after less than two full seasons. The Giants officially released him in February after he was injured in a 2013 game and told that he could become seriously injured if he played football again.

"I got to live my dream," Wilson said at an emotional August press conference announcing the decision. "I'll set another dream, and be great at that."

Now Wilson's dream, competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, are closer to a reality as he makes his first professional track appearance Saturday at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island.

The New York event will be his last chance to qualify for the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Oregon later this month, according to NJ.com.

Wilson was known for his standing backflips after touchdowns and was a national champion in the triple jump when he ran track in high school and also finished sixth in the event nationally his senior year at Virginia Tech.

Wilson said that his personal best was 53 feet, 1 ¾ inches.

Saturday's grand prix event will include some of the world's best triple jumpers, including American William Claye, who won a silver medal in 2012 with a jump of 57 feet 9  ¾ inches.

Usain Bolt goes from breaking records to spinning them in DJ booth

Usain Bolt just keeps on running.  The Jamaican track star didn't waste any time after taking gold in the 4x100 relay before sprinting from Olympic Stadium to party in East London on Saturday night.

The triple gold-winning runner already showed he can break records but, at the London hotspot Puma Yard,  Bolt showed he can spin them too after he turned DJ and spun some vinyl for a packed crowd.

"He came on stage and grabbed the mike," DJ Manny Norte told The Associated Press.  "The energy went up tenfold.  It was electric.  Everyone was very excited to see him."

Whether it's at 9.63 seconds or 33 rpm's, Bolt seems to be the man.

Word is that the man who won gold in three events—100 meter, 200 meter and relay—  proved he is just as comfortable mixing music as well.

"I am happy and did what I did and I came here to be a legend," said Bolt at the club which has been used as Jamaica's home base.  "I am now, so I am very happy with myself."

Bolt's happiness carried over to the adoring crowd.

"It was an historic event," said Norte who spun alongside Bolt.  "It's not every day you get to play to a crowd with the fastest man on planet ... You can tell he loves his music— his pop and reggae.  We mixed the tracks a bit."

The fastest man in the world posed for pictures and chowed down on Jamaican food with his teammates and British hip-hop artist Clement Marfo in between sets behind the turntables.

"We always come out here and give it our best," said Bolt.  "At this Olympics we did great, so for me, it was an honor to share it with these guys and do wonderful and extraordinary things."

After attending his sponsor's party in East London's Brick Lane area, Bolt ran over to the posher Movida in London's West End. The club spokesperson Martina Pokorna said his group included Bolt's teammate Yohan Blake and British swimmer Rebecca Adlington.

She said they were given a Nebuchadnezzar— the equivalent of 20 bottles— of Aces of Spades champagne.  It has a retail value of 80,000 pounds ($125,000).

"They left at 6 o'clock this morning," she said.

It's a nice start but the real party doesn't begin until Bolt touches back down in Jamaica.

Pistorius, South Africa to run in 4x400 final after not finishing heat

Oscar Pistorius will get another shot to run at the 2012 Olympics after South Africa won an appeal to advance to the 4x400-meter relay final— even after his team failed to finish the heats of the 4x400 race.

The double-amputee was on the track but didn't get to run in the heat Thursday because a teammate  tumbled out after colliding with a Kenyan runner.  South Africa, silver medalists at the last world championships, filed an appeal to be restored to the final.

Pistorius will get another chance after a jury of appeal said South Africa "had been severely damaged" in the collision between Ofentse Mogawane and the Kenyan, Vincent Kilu, who cut across him too soon in the second section of the Thursday morning heat.

The jury of appeal decided to give an additional lane 9 to South Africa in Friday's final "even though they did not finish the race."

It was a crazy morning for the South African team after Mogawane crashed and dislocated his shoulder, leaving Pistorius waiting in the changeover lane for a baton that never came.  The frustrated runner raised his hands in the air after he realized the race was lost.

"It's not the place you want something like this to happen," Pistorius said.

South Africa launched an appeal, but Pistorius, at first, said he had little hope of his team continuing on to the final.

"Even a protest isn't any consolation," said the man who has overcome many obstacles. "It's frustrating.  It's so hard.  You have so much support from back home."

Then came the surprise ruling that Kilu had cut across Mogawane, causing the collision.  It is very rare for a team to get reinstated if it doesn't finish a race.

Pistorius now has a second chance to leave London with more than the legacy of being the first double-amputee to compete in an Olympics.

According to the IAAF, the Kenyan team looked at video replays and agreed that its runner was at fault.

Something tells me the world thinks the jury's decision was the right thing to do.

Remote-controlled Mini Coopers that retrieve track and field equipment a big hit at Olympics

The London Games are using remote-controlled Mini Coopers to shuttle track and field equipment— like javelins, discuses, hammers and shots— back to the throwing area after they are hurled by the competitors.  Even dropped relay batons are getting the V.I.P. treatment.

The fleet of three miniature cars are a big hit at the Olympics and work harder than the teen aged volunteers who control them.  The little cars run in four hour shifts and travel up to four miles a day carrying a single discus, hammer, shot and up to two javelins back to where they were tossed from.

But are they a violation of the IOC's ban on advertising?  Corporate branding is banned from athletes uniforms or on the field of play and these BMW replicas are getting a lot of screen time.




Even if the cars don't have a logo, critics claim the bright colors and novelty of them is blatant advertising.

Similar gadgets have been used before in previous Olympics but I think the problem with these blue and orange Minis is that they are so cute— even more than the real-size versions.  Who hasn't stared at one of the little buggies stuck between a couple of gas guzzling SUVs while in traffic and smiled?

It's a victory for the little, little guy.

Can't wait for the first innovative joy-sticker to use the four-wheeled butler to bring him a Red Bull from the snack bar.

Discus gold medalist Robert Harting celebrates by going 'Hulk' and clearing hurdle

Discus gold medalist Robert Harting of Germany put on a couple of shows Tuesday night in London.  The first was during the actual discus event.  The second was his victory celebration after throwing the disk 68.27 meters.

Following his win, Harting ripped off his shirt like The Incredible Hulk, flexed his muscles, then ran down the track shirtless— except for the German flag draped around his broad shoulders.

To top it all off, the 28-year old track star cleared a hurdle on the track which was set up for the upcoming  women's 100-meter race.



"If you see me coming out of a stadium without a shirt," the exuberant German exclaimed.  "You know it was good."

Harting's celebration was probably the best of the 2012 London Games so far.

Burly men can jump.