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?

Rickie Fowler shaves 'USA' into hair for Ryder Cup (PHOTO)

Rickie Fowler has decided to show his support for America in the 2014 Ryder Cup by shaving the letters 'USA' into his hair.

The 25-year-old golfer, who is making his second appearance in the competition, proudly showed off his new haircut during practice. He took off his cap to reveal 'USA' shaved into the hair behind his right ear, before pointing out the simple message to photographers.

The California native arrived at Edinburgh Airport with the U.S. team — but not before tweeting to fans he already made the cut.

Thanks to my boys over at @youarenextbarbershop for getting me Ryder Cup ready...the wee... http://t.co/pIzzJCwnD9 pic.twitter.com/sWIEqWyV2K
— Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA) September 21, 2014

Cristiano Ronaldo's future jeopardized by World Cup play claims doctor: Report

Cristiano Ronaldo limped out of a Portugal training session 30 minutes early Wednesday with ice strapped to his left knee.

The Portuguese captain and holder of the Ballon D'Or, was expected to lead his team at this World Cup but, after playing an ineffective 90 minutes in Portugal's  4-0 loss to Germany on Monday, the soccer superstar was warned by his doctor that he risks threatening his career by playing on at the World Cup, reported the Daily Mail.

The Real Madrid superstar is struggling with a knee injury but is under pressure to lead his team into Sunday’s crucial clash with the USA after the embarrassing loss to Germany.

According to Spanish online newspaper El Confidencial, Portuguese surgeon Jose Carlos Noronha told the 29-year-old: 

"Let your knee rest, or your future is in danger," to which Ronaldo reportedly replied: "I’m the one that says whether I’m playing or not."

There had been serious doubts over the Real Madrid superstar's injuries ahead of the tournament, after a thigh problem and tendinitis in his knee forced him to miss training and two warm-up matches.

Ronaldo declared himself "100 per cent" fit on the eve of Portugal's opening defeat to Germany but, although he managed to play the entire game, he was mostly on the periphery and failed to make an impact.

It now appears that the Player of the Year has suffered a recurrence of his knee problems after receiving treatment during a training session in Campinas. 

Ronaldo was taken through a series of stretches before having his left knee bandaged with an ice pack and helped off the field a half hour before Wednesday's practice finished. He watched the rest of the session from the sidelines.

Portugal will face the USA on Sunday in a must win game in Group G. Until then, Portugal fans will have to wait for Ronaldo's decision for a single game — and maybe his career.

USA sweeps men's ski slopestyle medals

The Americans continued their dominance in ski slopestyle by taking not only gold but all three medals in the event Thursday in Sochi. Joss Christensen led the sweep by taking home the gold after a monster final run score of 95.80, defined by a triple corkscrew on the final jump. 

Christensen was joined on the podium by Gus Kenworthy in the silver position and the top-ranked skier in the world Nicholas Goepper for the bronze. The only other skier to crack 90 points was Norway's Andreas Haatveit, who finished with a 91.80 to Goepper's 92.40.

With the medal sweep in the men's event, that means the USA won gold in three of the four events on the course (men's and women's ski slopestyle, men's and women's snowboard slopestyle) as Christensen joined Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg as champions.

Just how rare is a medal sweep for the US in Winter Olympic history? The two previous times were in 1956 (men's figure skating) and in 2002 (halfpipe snowboarding).

Unfortunately for the USA, there are no more slopestyle events in the Games.

This is only #TeamUSA's third sweep in #Olympic Winter Games history. #GOTEAMUSA
— US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) February 13, 2014