Michael Phelps will race against a great white in Shark Week event

By Tony Mangia

Without an Olympics this summer and no other human being to beat in the pool, it seems only logical that Michael Phelps takes on one of the fastest and, just for fun, one of the most fearsome swimmers on the earth, namely the great white shark.

In what could possibly be described as Shark Week jumping the shark, the Discovery Channel announced that 23 time Olympic gold medal winner  Phelps will race a great white shark as part of its popular summer series on July 23:

"They are one of the fastest and most efficient predators on the planet: Sharks. He is our greatest champion to ever get in the water: Michael Phelps. 39 world records. 23 Olympic golds. But he has one competition left to win. An event so monumental no one has ever attempted it before. The world’s most decorated athlete takes on the ocean’s most efficient predator: Phelps V Shark – the race is on!"

According to ThoughtCo.com, sharks cruise around at around 5 mph, but great whites can reach top speeds of 25 mph — about "10 times faster than the typical human swimmer" when they are in attack mode.

One can only guess that Phelps is hoping against attack mode and won't be paddling for his life since the the Olympic chum, I mean champ, has only been clocked at a top speed of 6 mph.

But it's not like Phelps hasn't been training and researching his competition. Last week the 31-year-old went cage diving with some great whites hopefully to get a leg up and keep one out of his toothy rival's mouth:

I was able to do something that I had always wanted to do. Be in a cage and dive with great White sharks 🦈!! #bucketlist

A post shared by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on Jun 10, 2017 at 9:52pm PDT

The network is hyping this broadcast as a once in a lifetime event and is hoping their viewing audience bites.

But just in case you don't remember other "monumental" Man vs Beast competitions like Nat Geo Wild's Man vs Cheetah back in 2014 when a couple of NFL players raced a spotted speedster in separate enclosures which ended up about as exciting as watching the big cats napping at the zoo.



And speaking of dozing, there were high hopes in 2014 for the Discovery Channel's Man Gets Eaten Alive By An Anaconda which ultimately turned out to be one of TV's most laughable and epic fails.

Either way, real sports fans know a race doesn't count if the players don't compete on the same field of play, bumping shoulder to shoulder,  leg to leg or, in this case, arm to fin.

I'm sure plenty of people will tune in to watch the colorfully named Phelps Vs. Shark: Great Gold Vs Great White. Just don't expect to see any red — especially in the accounting books.

Hope Solo suspended from USWNT for 'cowards' remark towards Swedish team

Hope Solo will have plenty of time to think about choosing her words more carefully after U.S. Soccer announced it has suspended the rabble-rousing goaltender from the U.S. Women’s National Team for six months citing conduct that is contrary to the organization’s principles.

The suspension comes after Solo called Sweden cowards following the Americans’ elimination from the Olympics in the quarterfinal round. The Aug. 12 loss to Sweden on penalty kicks ended the U.S.’s run of three consecutive gold medal wins.

“The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said. “Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions.”

Hope Solo responded to the suspension:

pic.twitter.com/z4lCvGnQDq

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) August 25, 2016

Sweden, coached by former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, eliminated the U.S. on penalty kicks after the teams remained tied 1-1 after 120 minutes. Solo took exception to Sweden playing conservatively, which forced the U.S. to be in the rare position of chasing, not controlling, the pace of play.

“I think we played a bunch of cowards,” Solo said. “Sweden dropped off. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game. Exactly what they wanted and exactly what their game plan was.”

Solo sort of apologized for using that particular c-word but her post game comments were not supported by teammates, who roundly criticized the outspoken goalie.

This was the full context of my comments today. Thank you @GrantWahl. Losing sucks. I'm really bad at it. https://t.co/s5Mckg8o6B

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) August 12, 2016

And this isn’t the first time Solo has stirred up controversy.

Solo was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic violence in 2014 when an alleged drunken incident which involved her half-sister and nephew went public. The charges were dismissed in 2015 but subsequently reinstated.

The trouble-making goal keep was also suspended for 30 days last summer after taking a joy ride in the team van with her husband, former NFL tight end Jeramy Stevens — who pleaded no contest to driving the van while intoxicated.

Conveniently, that benching was over before the USNWT started play in the  World Cup. 

As a result of her most recent suspension, Solo will not be eligible for national team selection until February.

Just guessing there aren’t any important tournaments for Solo to miss during that six-month time-out.

U.S. Army reservist hears national anthem during pole vault, stops mid-attempt and stands at attention (VIDEO)

In an amazing moment of patriotism last week, a USA pole vaulter who was in the middle of a qualifying jump at the Olympics stopped short on the runway with pole in hand to stand at attention when he heard the Star-Spangled Banner coming from a distant loudspeaker.

US Army reservist Sam Kendricks from Mississippi, was running pole in hand when he heard the first notes of the national anthem and his love of country took precedence. 

A video released by NBC Olympics shows the second lieutenant in the midst one of his attempts to qualify that day but, instead, the 23-year-old stopped dead in his tracks and let go of the pole to respectfully stand still. 

Kendricks, a former track star at Ole Miss, looked a bit confused as he remained standing for the entire duration of the song.

When it was over, the soldier clapped and promptly picked up the pole and went on to jump.

It is unclear whether Kendricks received any penalty for stopping in the middle of a run, but he qualified and went on to win the bronze medal last week — clearing 5.85 meters — over 19 feet.

Kendricks' decision has earned him the respect of many on social media, who commended him for his respectful act.

But my question is why NBC took so long to publicize it?

French race walker poops pants, collapses and still finishes 50K Olympics race (VIDEO)

It’s easy to joke that every competitor in a race walk event looks like they are making a nervous beeline to the nearest restroom but, during Friday's Olympics, one French racer's funny gait actually signaled a bathroom emergency during a race.

Yohann Diniz built up a lead in the 50-kilometer walk but, around mid-point through the race, his No. 1 status was about to become more about No. 2 — and I don't mean positioning.

The world record holder appeared to lose control of his bowels on the course and ended up stuffing wet sponges down his shorts to help stem the tide of the gastro-intestinal inconvenience.

With 20K to go, Diniz had a healthy lead — 1 minute, 28 seconds — on the rest of the field when he pulled up complaining of stomach pain. At the 35K mark, Diniz keeled over and collapsed onto the pavement.

Race walker Yohann Diniz of #FRA collapsed, but heroically managed to finish the race. https://t.co/5qbXjgsAm1 https://t.co/IaHfnK0AH1

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 19, 2016

Officials helped the gritty high-school sports coach from France back to his feet before he doused his head with a bottle of water, rubbed himself down with ice cubes and was off again.

"His legs were wobbling like cooked spaghetti at times" reported The AP.

While food was probably the last thing on his mind at that time, Diniz didn't let Rio turn into Diarrhio and managed to finish the race in 8th place.

Suffice it to say, they might want to give a brown medal to that 9th place finisher.

Ryan Lochte 'robbery' becomes international incident after three U.S. swimmers are detained in Rio

Two of the USA Olympic swimmers who were with Ryan Lochte when he was reportedly ‘robbed’ in Rio Sunday night were escorted off a plane and prevented from leaving the country by Brazilian authorities.

Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were in their seats aboard United Airlines flight 128 to Houston at Rio's Galeao International Airport when police came for them — turning a dubious incident into a full blown international one.

The dramatic turn of events came amid mounting questions over whether the gold medal-winning swimmer really was held up at gunpoint by men with police badges as Lochte claims — and why he changed his original version of the story over the weekend for a second time.

Describing the experience as "frightening" the 21-year-old Conger and 20-year-old Bentz had their passports seized and cannot leave Brazil until they provide official sworn testimony about their alleged mugging at gunpoint along with Lochte and fourth teammate, Jimmy Feigen — who has been ordered to remain in Brazil.

Lochte won't have the same problems since he has been spotted in in Charlotte, North Carolina with his Playmate girlfriend Kayla Reid.

Brazilian authorities have turned up the heat on the swimmers after questions about the athletes' timetables and circumstances surrounding their stories didn't add up.

The diplomatic gloves really came off when surveillance video of the athletes returning to the Olympic Village the night in question showed little details like the men still wearing their watches and Lochte holding what looks like his wallet:

Upon leaving police custody early on Thursday morning, Conger and Bentz refused to answer questions about what happened.

On Sunday, Lochte told Billy Bush on NBC's Today Show that "We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge; and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground—they got down on the ground.

"I refused. I was like we didn't do anything wrong so I'm not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down.' And I put my hands up. I was like 'Whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet; he left my cellphone, he left my credentials."

Things escalated after Lochte called his mom and told her he had been robbed. Then she, of course, went to the press. The 32-year-old swimmer claims he didn't go to the USOC with his story at first because "We were afraid we'd get in trouble."

And mommy knows best.

Pictured: Shaken Ryan Lochte after gunpoint robbery at #Rio2016 https://t.co/d4q6PCcJx6 pic.twitter.com/RLfttzs5D7

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) August 16, 2016

Attorney Sergio Viegas says Conger and Bentz did not testify and left police custody Thursday morning for an unspecified location in Brazil. Both men refused to answer questions about what could possibly be the most convoluted night out since the "The Hangover."

But, according to the USOC, Feigen "intends to make further statements regarding the incident on Thursday."

"There was a confusion, they are very scared by this," said Viegas. "They didn't understand what was happening or why they couldn't embark."

So while Conger and Bentz try and dog-paddle their way out of Rio, Lochte is freestyling it back home with his girl.

JFK air terminal shut down after cheers for Usain Bolt are mistaken for gun shots: Report (VIDEO)

Usain Bolt's historic victory in Rio was felt all over the world Sunday night, but maybe not as dramatically as in New York City after passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport were told to take cover behind "anything" they could find by police after reports of gunfire caused mass panic in Terminal 8.

Every passenger ended up being evacuated from two terminals, some onto the runway, as an army of heavily armed police moved in to hunt for an apparently non-existent gunman as travelers scrambled for cover and hid behind anything they could find.

Authorities are now claiming the confusion was a "false alarm" and the "gunshots" are being attributed to "cheering" and clapping for the Jamaican sprinter who just won a Gold Medal at the Olympics.

One passenger said an officer screamed: "If you're forgetting anything it's not worth your life, everyone move now!"

Video shows scene inside NYC's JFK Airport as police order bystanders 'down on the ground.' https://t.co/2KY6SG4aj0https://t.co/EaQgMVEaSM

— ABC News (@ABC) August 15, 2016

Flights were held up for several hours and authorities spent four hours searching the terminal — as well as Terminal 1, where there was also a report of gunfire.

Port Authority police said travelers should contact their carriers and warned of a "substantial PAPD and NYPD presence" at JFK and LaGuardia due to the investigation.

Bolt easily won the signature event in track and field and became the first person to capture three straight 100-meter Gold medals at the Olympics.

Woah what a night 😳 #JFK #jfkairport pic.twitter.com/bhPEeixIho

— Zack Young (@ThisIsZackYoung) August 15, 2016

Passengers did a little sprinting of their own — attempting to catch connecting flights and gather their belongings. Luckily, no one was injured during the airport scare.

Dagmara Wozniak helps lead U.S. fencing team to Bronze medal

The U.S. women's fencing contingent came into the Olympic team sabre event Saturday with a chip on their shoulders after coming away relatively disappointed in the individual competitions. But as team, they found reason to celebrate after winning the bronze medal, beating Italy 45-30 and matching the 2008 bronze-medal finish in Beijing.

Led by a duo of determined Olympic veterans Dagmara Wozniak — the purple-haired St. John's alum who earned her first Olympic medal after being an alternate in Beijing and placing eighth individually in London — and Mariel Zagunis — who was on the 2008 team and now adds a fourth Olympic medal to her collection. They were joined by Ibtihaj Muhammad and Monica Aksamit, both appearing in their first Olympic Games.

Muhammad, who became the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab during competition earlier this week, can now proudly bring a bronze medal back home to New Jersey with her.

After losing a close semifinals match, 45-42, against eventual Gold medal winner Russia, team USA built up a lead against Italy before Muhammad started to lose ground against her Italian opponent, Irene Vecchi, in the third bout.

 Zagunis, the most decorated U.S. fencer of all time, yelled support “It’s OK, it’s OK” from behind the piste and Muhammad ended the third bout in a 5-5 tie with Team USA still in the lead at 15-11.

While the Italians drew closer in the seventh bout, winning for the first time 8-5, it was Wozniak who extended the lead again to 40-27 overall. Zagunis anchored the team, closing out with a 5-3 bout, and leading the team in a well deserved group hug after the victory.

For St. John's, that means two former Red Storm fencers went home with medals in Rio.

Daryl Homer took home a Silver earlier in the week. Homer, a 26-year-old from the Bronx, born in the Virgin Islands, became the first American to win a silver medal in men’s individual sabre in 112 years.

Transgender athletes can compete in Olympics without having gender reassignment surgery: Report

The International Olympic Committee has reportedly adopted a new policy which will open the field of competition to transgender athletes who will be able to participate in events — even without having gender reassignment surgery.

According to OutSports, the IOC upgraded its guidelines in November from its "Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism," which allow for broader policies already adopted by other regulatory sports organizations including the NCAA. 

The new transgender guidelines have not been confirmed by Olympic officials, but are available on the organization's website and expected to be adopted in time for the 2016 Summer Olympic games. 

The updated language specifically says:

“To require surgical anatomical changes as a pre-condition to participation is not necessary to preserve fair competition and may be inconsistent with developing legislation and notions of human rights. It is necessary to ensure insofar as possible that trans athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competition.”

Simply explained, the previous requirement of surgery was probably intended to prevent transgender female athletes with testicles, and thus higher testosterone levels, from competing in women’s Olympic games.

Prior to the updated guidelines, the Stockholm Consensus adopted in 2004 required transgender athletes to change their gender both physically and legally in order to compete in the Olympic games. In addition, transgender female athletes had to undergo two years of post-surgery hormone replacement therapy prior to competing. 

Joanna Harper, chief medical physicist, radiation oncology at Providence Portland Medical Center, was one of the people at the Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism. She is also transgender, and said her opinion was important in determining the new guidelines.

"The new IOC transgender guidelines fix almost all of the deficiencies with the old rules," Harper said wrote in an email to OutSports. Hopefully, organizations such as the ITA will quickly adapt to the new IOC guidelines and all of the outdated trans policies will get replaced soon.

"The waiting period for trans women goes from two years after surgery to one year after the start of HRT," Harper added. "This matches up with the NCAA rules and is as good as anything. The waiting period was perhaps the most contentious item among our group and one year is a reasonable compromise."

This decision will allow female athletes with naturally elevated levels of testosterone to also compete. 

While the proposal won't disrupt the playing field right away, it might open doors for transgender athletes like Chris Mosier, who last year qualified for the US Sprint Duathlon team, to compete against men in the Olympics.

Mosier has not undergone gender reassignment surgery but now fulfills the hormone replacement guidelines.

Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender athlete to qualify for Team USA in the gender with which he identi… pic.twitter.com/gHSuXtxVig

— Proud To Play NZ (@ProudToPlayNZ) October 30, 2015

Caitlyn Jenner won a gold medal at the Montreal Summer Olympics in the Men's Decathlon event forty years ago when she was then known as Bruce Jenner.

If she were to compete today — if she had undergone one year of hormone replacement therapy — she could compete in the women's event.

Caitlyn Jenner won’t face felony charges in deadly crash: Report

Caitlyn Jenner will likely not face felony charges for a fatal California car crash in February, a report said.

LA County Sheriff’s investigators viewed a video of Jenner’s SUV hitting a Lexus, back when the transgender Olympic great was still known as Bruce, and determined the accident to be ordinary negligence, TMZ said.

Jenner was not intoxicated or texting during the horrific accident, which killed 69-year-old Kim Howe.

The highest charge Jenner could face is misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter but, according to TMZ, these cases typically get dismissed altogether.

The news comes right before Jenner is scheduled to receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs on Wednesday night.

Showboating cyclist celebrating first stage win wipes out, will miss rest of event (VIDEO)

British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead crashed while celebrating winning the first stage of the Women’s Tour of Britain on Wednesday and will now miss the rest of the event.

After crossing the line with her arms in the air in the eastern England town of Aldeburgh, the 2012 Olympic road race silver medalist loses control, takes down about a dozen other riders and clips a few photographers in the process.

Armitstead was taken to a hospital but was later released without any serious injuries.

She later tweeted out to her fans.

I remember winning with the help of my team mates and then not much else, but I am ok, nothing broken just very sore, thank you for all your

— Lizzie Armitstead (@L_ArmiTstead) June 17, 2015

kind messages and to the NHS staff who took care of me so well. I won't start tomorrow in the hope of recovering properly for the Nationals.

— Lizzie Armitstead (@L_ArmiTstead) June 17, 2015

Britain’s road championships will be held later this month.

Bruce Jenner graces Vanity Fair cover as 'Caitlyn' (PHOTO)

Bruce Jenner has revealed a new female identity on the cover of the July issue of Vanity Fair and now calls himself "her."

“Call me Caitlyn,” the cover reads, revealing the former U.S. Olympic star's new preferred name.

In the image taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, the 65-year-old Jenner poses in a cream-colored body suit with her hands behind her body.

Caitlyn Jenner poses for Annie Leibovitz on the cover of Vanity Fair #CallMeCaitlyn http://t.co/NRyh6R09RR pic.twitter.com/GO1ZgJJKBR

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 1, 2015

The cover story follows Jenner's transition from male to female in an article written by “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger after a string of rumors had dogged the former athlete in recent years.

“If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life,'” Jenner said.

On Monday, Caitlyn Jenner’s Twitter account shared a few words to introduce the world to her new look.

I'm so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me.

— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015

The issue hits newsstands June 9.

Las Vegas approves Olympic betting: Report

This summer, while the best athletes climb podiums wearing gold, silver and bronze medals in Rio de Janeiro, gamblers in Las Vegas will be cashing in their betting slips at casino windows.

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission voted to allow the state's sports books to offer bets on the Olympics for the first time in over a decade.

Prior to yesterday's reversal, betting on the Olympics was discouraged because of it involved amateur athletes, but professional athletes now also compete. 

And it didn’t take long for Nevada sports books to begin offering betting lines on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Within minutes after the Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved the regulation on Thursday, William Hill US established Jamaica’s Usain Bolt as a -200 favorite for the men’s 100 meters and said the USA men’s basketball team is a -320 favorite to win the gold medal for the third consecutive games.

The new regulation allows bookmakers to place betting lines on Olympic sporting or athletic events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. The chairman of the Gaming Control Board has the authority to remove an event or contest from betting activity.

After discussions in public workshops, the only question going into Thursday’s meeting was whether or not the Gaming Commission would prohibit wagers on events such as figure skating that are scored by judges. That notion was never addressed.

International sports books in Great Britain, Ireland and Australia and offshore Internet sites already allow such bets. South Point Hotel Casino pushed for the change with the support of other sports-book operators.

So start handicapping those little gymnasts. Because that next 10 may win you 20.

Bruce Jenner involved in fatal California car crash: Report

Bruce Jenner was involved in a fatal multi-car collision in Malibu, CA. on Saturday. One person was killed in the crash and eight others were injured, reported the N.Y. Post. 

Jenner, a reality TV star and 1976 Olympic gold medalist, is reportedly in the midst of a sex change procedure. Jenner claims he was being chased by five paparazzi vehicles when the wreck occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway, said law enforcement sources.

@TMZ Bruce Jenner in bad accident on PCH in Malibu. He's aight, but others involved not so much. #tmz #BruceJenner pic.twitter.com/cf2KDLgK9J
— Fernando (@unclenandough) February 7, 2015

Via The Post:

Jenner’s vehicle reportedly rear-ended a white Lexus driven by a woman. That woman’s car spun into oncoming traffic. The impact killed the woman, said the sources. Jenner’s blue Cadillac Escalade suffered damage to its front. A black Hummer was also damaged.

The accident happened shortly after noon.

Jenner’s Escalade was towing an off-road dune buggy, said witness Keoni Picerno.

“He was up walking around, and he returned to his car once he realized the severity of the accident,” Picerno told The Post.

Jenner was still at the scene at about 1:30 p.m. California time, when a rescue helicopter took away one victim of the crash.

Oscar Pistorius found not guilty of murder — awaits verdict on manslaughter charge: Report

Oscar Pistorius has been cleared of all murder charges over the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He will still have to wait for a verdict on a less serious manslaughter charge.

The Paralympian sat sobbing in a packed courtroom with tears streaming down his cheeks while Judge Thokozile Masipa delivered her verdicts Thursday morning, reported the Daily Mail.

Pistorius had been accused of deliberately shooting the 30-year-old model during a violent incident at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year.

But he had always maintained — often through bouts of wailing during his six-month trial — that he shot the law graduate in self-defense after mistaking her for an intruder.

In coming to her decision, Masipa described the 27-year-old as a "very poor" and "evasive" witness.

But she said those circumstances did not mean the track star was necessarily guilty of murder and pre-meditated murder in a case she said was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.

"The state has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of pre-meditated murder," Masipa told the Pretoria High Court.

"There are just not enough facts to support such a finding."

She then proceeded to absolve Pistorius of the lesser charge of murder without pre-planning.

"Clearly he did not subjectively foresee this as a possibility that he would kill the person behind the door — let alone the deceased — as he thought she was in the bedroom," she told the crowded courtroom.

Masipa has yet to decide on a lesser charge of culpable homicide — similar to manslaughter — and a variety of weapons charges.

Appearing tense with a green vomit bucket by his side in the dock, the world-class sprinter looked on quietly as Masipa called Pretoria's High Court to order at the start of the hearing.

During her summary of the case, Masipa dismissed a series of heated text messages between the couple which the prosecution claimed was evidence they were in a volatile relationship.

Whatever the final verdict, the one-time poster boy for disabled sports will likely see an end to his sparkling career in track and field.

Canadian skier Yuki Tsubota injured in frightening crash during slopestyle run (VIDEO)

Women's slopestyle skier Yuki Tsubota of Canada was taken off the course on a stretcher following a frightening crash at the end of her second run in the finals.

Tsubota was attempting to land the third of three jumps at the end of the challenging and slushy course Tuesday when she crashed into the crest of the landing zone. The 20-year-old Tsubota slid down the hill while her goggles and skis scattered on the snow.

Replays appeared to show that her head made contact with her knee on first impact.

She laid still for several minutes while being treated by a medical team before being carried off the course. A Canadian team official said Tsubota is being examined for a possible fractured jaw but was otherwise okay.

Tsubota finished sixth with a score of 71.60 during her first run at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Teammate Dara Howell won gold.

Olympic ski jumper Thomas Morgenstern hospitalized after frightening crash (VIDEO)

Three-time Olympic ski jump champion Thomas Morgenstern of Austria was hospitalized with skull injuries and a bruised lung on Friday after crashing during training for this weekend’s ski flying World Cup.

“Thomas Morgenstern is conscious and well responsive,” the Austrian ski federation said in statement hours after the incident, adding the athlete’s condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours, reported Yahoo!Sports.

Morgenstern’s injuries were not life-threatening, head of clinic Josef Obrist told the Austria Press Agency.

“He has a serious injury and he has to be monitored fulltime,” said Obrist, adding that Morgenstern was responsive and gave clear answers.

During his second training jump of the day, the 27-year-old Morgenstern lost his balance in the air, turned over to the left and landed on his back and head. He briefly lost consciousness but was able to speak shortly afterward.

“Fortunately he was responsive, Thomas can move arms and legs. That’s very important,” team physician Herbert Leitner said. “He asked me what happened.”

Morgenstern received first aid on the hill and was flown by helicopter to the hospital, head coach Alexander Pointner said.

“We can only hope for the best,” Pointner said. “This really hurts because we are all very close. Thomas is the heart of this team.”

It’s the second big crash for Morgenstern in the Olympic season.

He crashed into the snow following a jump at the World Cup in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany, on Dec. 15. That crash came one day after Morgenstern had won his first World Cup event in almost two years. He suffered several bruises, face cuts and a broken finger from that mishap, but recovered quickly and finished runner-up to Austrian teammate Thomas Diethart in the Four Hills Tour last week.

Vonn on Tiger: 'I decide what happens in my life'

Tiger Woods may be the man in charge on the golf course but — when it comes to his relationship with Lindsey Vonn off the links, he should know one thing— nobody messes with the strong-willed Olympic skier.

Looking back at the important men in her life — like her father, ex-husband and Tiger — Vonn told the sports magazine The Red Bulletin that she's her own person.

"Tiger is a strong character, but I decide what happens in my life," proclaimed Vonn. "Even Tiger isn’t going to change that." 

Vonn admitted her golfer boyfriend does help make her a better competitor though.

"A better athlete, I would say, yes. One example: I wouldn’t say I’m unprofessional, but the consistency that Tiger shows in his professionalism – wow. No one has any idea how hard Tiger works. Tiger says he wants to be fitter than all the others, that’s his way. So he pushes himself a lot further than he perhaps needs to, and to see that pushes me in turn. The other unbelievable thing about Tiger is his mental toughness. There were moments in golf tournaments where I said to myself, 'Okay, Lindsey, this is the next level of self-confidence, concentration, control. When you make it to this level, it will make you a better skier.'"

The 2010 Olympic downhill champ, has hit the slopes again after injuring a knee to see if she’s healthy enough to compete in February’s Olympics. The mag's photo spread proves Vonn's back in top shape.

Vonn goes on to say she tries not to think about the accident that sidelined her during the Alpine World Ski Championships in February. She has, however, watched it "a few times" on YouTube. "I wanted to know if it looked the way it felt," she says, noting that seeing it again made her "pissed."

"It looked exactly the way it felt," she explains. "My right ski came to a stop in the soft snow, my lower leg twisted to the right, my body fell over my knee, which dislocated."

There is a silver lining to her story, however: taking a break from training gave Vonn a better understanding of her body's limitations. "Before, I could always push my way through injury, but I couldn't this time. For the first time I had an injury which was greater than my will," she tells the magazine.

"In the first three weeks that was extremely hard to accept. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't go get a coffee. I could only sit. There was no pushing—only waiting."

Tom Daley, British Olympic diver, comes out on YouTube (VIDEO)

Olympic diver Tom Daley says he is in a relationship with a man.

In a video released for his fans on YouTube, the 19-year-old British Olympian says "come spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe ... That someone is a guy."

Daley says in the five-minute video clip, which he published Monday, that he wanted "to put an end to all the rumors and speculation, and just say it, tell you guys," adding "is it a big deal? I don't think so."

Daley won the 10-meter platform gold at the 2009 world championships when he was 15. He took bronze in the same event at last year's London Olympics.

He has high hopes for Rio in 2016.

Usain Bolt filled up with sex and McNuggets at Beijing Olympics: Report

During the Beijing Olympics, a then 22 year-old Usain Bolt thought that Chinese food was “odd.” So the Jamaican sprinter ran to the nearest McDonald’s in search of his favorite food: chicken McNuggets — and ending up eating 1,000 pieces of the fried chicken parts over the course of the Games.

Besides his Kobayashian feat (and Olympic gold), this is just one of the tidbits the international track and field star reveals in his new memoir, “Faster Than Lightning” (Harper), out next week.

“At first I ate a box of 20 for lunch, then another for dinner. The next day I had two boxes for breakfast, one for lunch and then another couple in the evening. I even grabbed some fries and an apple pie to go with it,” the N.Y. Post writes about the book.

Bolt estimates that during the 10 days he spent in Beijing, he downed 100 nuggets every 24 hours. That equals 1,000 chunks of chicken. “Man, I should have gotten a gold medal for all that chowing down,” he writes.

He also had a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy with his first girlfriend.

Bolt was already dating his first serious girlfriend, Jamaican runner Mizicann Evans when he arrived in Beijing.

But after becoming an overnight sensation, he found that the “ladies threw themselves” at him, he writes.

“I was able to get any lady I wanted . . . I could walk into a party and take my pick,” he writes. “I would go into a club and think, ‘Hmm, a’ight, which one? You . . . ? You . . . ? Oh, you! Let’s do this.’ ”

So, how did the couple stay together?

“We had one rule: If I was doing my thing with someone else and Mizzi didn’t know, then she was cool. But if she found out that something had happened between me and another girl, then that person had to go,” writes Bolt.

After five years together, the couple has since split.

He also says "Bolting" — the runner’s go-to celebration, where he pulls his arm back like an archer and aims an imaginary bow at the heavens — wasn’t his idea.

The flamboyant Bolt first struck this pose when he set the world record in the 100 meters during the Beijing 2008 games. And though it looked like an impromptu celebration, it was actually planned in advance with a dancer friend from Jamaica.

“I’d made a deal that if I won the 100, I would bust some crazy dance move. It was called ‘Di World,’ ” he writes.

Though he has been criticized for the unsportsmanlike move, it hasn’t stopped Bolt from striking the pose every time he wins a race.

For the next Olympics we know Rio 2016 has the ladies, but does it have McNuggets?

Tulsa wants to host 2024 Olympics

Fresh from its successful stint as the host of the 2013 Bassmaster Classic this winter, the city of Tulsa has its hooks ready to snag a bigger fish — the 2024 Olympics.

Oklahoma's second largest city is one of several cities that received letters from the U.S. Olympic Committee asking whether they might be interested in hosting the games. Most of the inquiries went to major metropolitan areas, but a handful of letters went to smaller cities including Memphis, Tenn. and Portland, Ore. New York and Chicago previously lost bids for the 2012 and 2016 games.

"Some people think of Tulsa as a flyover, Dust Bowl town," said Neil Mavis, a member of the Tulsa 2024 Olympic Exploratory Committee. "Many people think of cowboys and Indians. ... Bidding for the Olympics is the one way to change those stereotypes."

And what better place to celebrate athletics in America than the state with the second largest Native-American population (behind California) in the country.