Sports

(TOKYO) — When U.S. Olympian Tara Davis competes in the long jump competition this weekend at the Tokyo Olympics, cheering her on from home will be her boyfriend, Hunter Woodhall.

When Woodhall, a two-time Paralympic medalist sprinter, competes in the Tokyo Paralympics next month, the roles will be reversed.

Davis and Woodhall, both 22, are used to achieving great feats, but each being in the Olympics in the same year is remarkable even for them.

“I’m so, so, so excited,” Davis told “Good Morning America.” “This is my dreams coming true.”

“For me, the most special part of going to the games is what all we fought through over these last years,” added Woodhall. “We’ve both seen exactly what it took to get to this point.”

They met in early 2017 at a meet in Idaho when both were seniors in high school — Davis in California and Woodhall in Utah.

“I was warming up and I spotted Hunter and I was like, ‘Oh, that guy is cute,'” recalled Davis. “I didn’t know who he was but I went up to him as he was coming off the track after his race and gave him a hug and we started talking.”

They stayed in touch and started dating several months later, but faced the obstacle of a long-distance relationship again when they each pursued their track and field careers in college.

Woodhall made history as the first double-amputee to get a Division I track and field scholarship, at the University of Arkansas.

Born with fibular hemimelia, in which the bones in his lower legs never formed, Woodhall had both amputated below the knee at 11 months old.

Davis joined the track and field team at the University of Georgia, and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where this year she finished her college career.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been closer than 700 miles from each other,” said Woodhall. “Learning how to do that [distance] is difficult.”

The coronavirus pandemic actually proved to be a respite for the couple, even though it delayed the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics by one year.

Davis and Woodhall were able to live together while taking their college classes remotely, and prepare for the long road to Tokyo by each other’s side.

“I think the postponement of the Olympics helped me tremendously,” said Davis. “I’m very happy that I got that full year to find out who I am, reset my brain and get back focused into what I love to do.”

In June, Woodhall made the U.S. Paralympic team and then flew from his trials in Minneapolis to Eugene, Oregon, where Davis was competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

“I finished my race and left from the track for a flight to Eugene,” said Woodhall, who made it in time to see Davis earn a spot. “That moment of cognition right after she realized she made the team was one of the most memorable things that I’ve ever experienced.”

Now, Davis and Woodhall will both compete at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, just weeks apart.

“The biggest thing that we’ve talked about is just understanding at the end of the day that it’s just a track meet,” said Woodhall of how he is helping Davis prepare mentally for her first Olympics. “It’s a really amazing experience and it’s important to soak it all in, but at the end of the day it’s a track meet and it’s our job and we will compete at the highest level we can.”

And both Davis and Woodhall said that they are looking forward as much to their post-Olympics life as they are to the event itself.

They will both officially graduate from college after they return from Tokyo, and then plan to live together full time for the first time in their relationship, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Davis and Woodhall each turned pro earlier this month, with both signing endorsement deals with Champion.

“Arguably, post-Olympics is more life-changing than pre-Olympics, which I don’t think is usually the case,” said Woodhall.

“I’m really excited to start a new chapter of my life and finally turn our dreams into reality,” said Davis.

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(TOKYO) — One medal and Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix could make history. Two, and she’ll smash another record.

The 35-year-old U.S. track star has won nine medals across four Olympics — the most out of any female athlete in U.S. track and field history.

If she picks up her 10th in Tokyo, she would have more than any female Olympic track and field athlete ever, besting the record currently held by Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey.

If she wins two medals at the games, Felix would have the most medals out of anyone in U.S. Olympic track and field history, surpassing legend Carl Lewis’ record of 10.

The Los Angeles resident is competing in the 400-meter after finishing second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field last month with a season-best time of 50.02 seconds.

She also is a member of the relay pool and could run on the 4-x-400 meter relay and 4-x-400 meter mixed relay.

The mixed relay is first up on the schedule. The U.S. team will compete in Saturday’s final, after placing first in their preliminary heat on Friday. The team, which didn’t include Felix for that race, was initially disqualified over an exchange zone foul but later reinstated.

The opening round of the 400-meter is on Aug. 3, with the semifinals on Aug. 4 and the final on Aug. 6.

The first round of the women’s 400 relay is on Aug. 5, with the final on Aug. 7.

The legendary athlete is one of the most decorated in her sport. She has won six golds and three silvers in sprinting events at the games, starting with silver in the 200-meter in her Olympic debut as a teenager at the 2004 Athens Games.

In 2019, just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter, Felix broke the record for most gold medals of any athlete at the track and field world championship, when she clinched her 12th and 13th world titles.

The mom has been a prominent voice against gender inequality in sports. Writing in The New York Times in 2019, Felix detailed her lack of maternity protections with her then-sponsor Nike after giving birth to her daughter, Camryn. Following the publication of the opinion piece, Nike announced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes.

She recently launched a lifestyle brand, Saysh, that she says was inspired by her experience with “gender injustice” during her journey to motherhood.

She also has teamed up with apparel company Athleta and the Women’s Sports Foundation to launch The Power of She Fund: Child Care Grants, which help cover child care costs for professional mom-athletes traveling to competitions.

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(NEW YORK) — As Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from competition at the Olympics sent shockwaves around the world, one facet in particular stood out to former Olympic gymnasts: that she had the power to make that decision for herself.

“I never remember feeling like I ever got to make those decisions, even if I had wanted to,” 2012 U.S. Olympian Jordyn Wieber told ABC News.

When she was growing up in elite gymnastics and going through the USA Gymnastics system, Wieber said, it was a culture where “the gymnasts don’t have the voice, it’s up to the coaches. And I sometimes describe it as we’re just kind of like robots that do what we’re told.”

Biles’ ability to make her own decision to withdraw is representative to many of a culture that is slowly but surely changing, especially after the reckoning the sport has faced for abusive practices in the five years since the last Olympics.

This is the first Olympics since USA Gymnastics was torn up over the public revelation of team doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of scores of young athletes — and questions remain over who knew what in the organization, and when. Since then, a handful of gymnastics coaches have been dropped, suspended and charged with various types of abuse.

Also since then, after gymnasts’ pressure, USAG closed the infamous Karolyi ranch, a training facility where many gymnasts say they were abused by Nassar. This is the first Olympics in three decades without the influence of Bela or Martha Karolyi, who arguably developed the U.S. program to its recent dominance but did it with a fierce strictness many gymnasts have condemned. They have also been involved in lawsuits alleging their complicity in Nassar’s abuse. They have always maintained their innocence.

“(Biles’) decision demonstrates that we have a say in our own health—’a say’ I NEVER felt I had as an Olympian,” 1996 U.S. Olympian Dominique Moceanu tweeted Wednesday morning, recounting how at 14 she competed in the Olympic floor final minutes after falling on her head on beam.

Dominique Dawes told “Good Morning America” she had actually quit during the 2000 Olympic trials, saying, “I was done after prelims because it was too much on me emotionally. However, I was not able to make that decision. It was very much a controlled atmosphere.”

Dawes went on to compete in the 2000 Olympics, her third.

Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast and the first to publicly accuse Nassar of abuse, wrote in a series of tweets that Biles’ decision was an example of “the change we’ve worked so hard for” after “gymnasts were raised in a system that not only didn’t care about the damage to their bodies and minds but that twisted reality for them.”

“Hopefully,” Wieber said, “we’re shifting away from the culture of prioritizing medals and money and the success of the athletes over the health of the athlete,” which is something she’s been working on herself as head coach for the University of Arkansas. She said she sees Biles as a “pioneer” and that makes her “really proud.”

Moceanu, who won gold as part of the U.S. team in Atlanta, told ABC News in a written comment that Biles was “finding new ways to be heroic,” saying she was “actually very proud of Simone.”

“What she did was actually very brave and is a positive sign for the future of the sport,” Moceanu wrote.

Biles has said she remained in the sport in part to be a leader and continue to push to change the culture.

Nastia Liukin, who won gold in the individual all-around for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics, wrote on Instagram about Biles, “Thank you for creating a safer space for current and future athletes to unequivocally be themselves.”

“I think gymnastics has had no choice over the past couple of years than to change,” said Wieber, who won team Olympic gold in 2012. “And a lot of coaches are being pushed to look at, you know, what their own coaching style is and look at how it is affecting their athletes long term and make some adjustments.”

But there’s still a ways to go both culturally and in examining what USAG did or didn’t do about abuse by Nassar and others, added Wieber, who was abused by Nassar and coached by John Geddert, who killed himself earlier this year after being charged with human trafficking and sexual assault.

Noting that no one knows what Biles, who was also abused by Nassar, is going through at the Olympics but herself, Wieber said of competing for USAG, “I can take some guesses and imagine that it’s probably difficult to represent an organization like USA Gymnastics for her, an organization that has failed her so many times and failed a lot of us.”

She continued, “I’m just making assumptions here, but I can imagine that it, it adds to the weight of what she carries with her every day of having to represent that organization.”

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(TOKYO) — South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker edged out America’s Lilly King and Annie Lazor to win gold in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.

Seconds later, Lazor, followed by King, swam over to Schoenmaker to hug her as she celebrated not just a win, but a historic win.

Taking off her goggles after the finish, Schoenmaker, 24, turned around to see her time and her eyes lit up. She put her hand over her mouth in happy disbelief — she had set a world record.

Schoenmaker’s 200-meter breaststroke time of 2:18:95 beat a world record that was set in 2013 by Rikke Moller Pedersen at 2:19:11.

It was one of those moments that make the Olympics so special as King, Lazor and Schoenmaker’s South African teammate Kaylene Corbett came over to celebrate with her in a group hug in the pool, telling her she was “amazing” and exclaiming, “You did it!”

It was especially emotional for Lazor and King, who trained together, since the death of Lazor’s father in April, reportedly due to COVID-19.

“The last few months for me have been far from easy, but she has dragged me through the mud and pushed me every day and distracted me,” Lazor said of King a few days ago, according to ESPN.

This was Schoenmaker’s second medal in Tokyo after winning silver in the 100-meter breaststroke.

Due to COVID rules, athletes have limited personal support at these Games, and for the most part are being supported by families and friends watching on TV back home.

Earlier in the day, there was another multinational celebration as the gymnastics all-around winners — America’s Sunisa Lee, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, and Russian athlete Angelina Melnikova — shared selfies together after they got their medals.

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(TOKYO) — The U.S. faced off against the Netherlands Friday in soccer at the Olympics and won.

This was their first match of the knockout stage of the Tokyo Olympics, and with that, the Americans will advance to the next game.

It was a dramatic finish as the score was tied 2-2 at the end of 120 minutes of game time, which included two additional 15-minute extra time periods. The game came down to penalty kicks.

The kicks started with an epic save by America’s goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher of a kick by Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema, giving the U.S. an advantage. Penalty kicks were then scored by the U.S. by Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan, Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe.

Naeher blocked two of the Netherlands’ four penalty kicks, while the Americans scored on each attempt. Legend Rapinoe had the final word, with a right-footed kick pounding into the top back corner of the goal.

It was a generally epic day for Naeher who, in addition to blocking those two penalty kicks at the end of the match, blocked another penalty earlier in the match. Had she missed that attempt by Lieke Martens, which happened within minutes of the end of the second period, the entire trajectory of the match would have changed.

The U.S. team faced some uncharacteristic struggles making it past group play in the early stage of the tournament. They began by losing to Sweden, scoring no goals to Sweden’s three.

The Americans came back to their more typical style in the next game, beating New Zealand 6-1, but then drew a draw against Australia.

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

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(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

US swimming brings in pair of silvers, men’s team draws attention out of the pool

U.S. swimmers Lilly King and Annie Lazor finished second and third in the 200m breaststroke, an admirable finish for the swimmers who were bested by a world-record setting effort by South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker.

Team USA’s Ryan Murphy also secured a silver medal in the 200m backstroke.

Murphy’s teammate Michael Andrew was notably without a mask after his fifth place finish, and after the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said he violated protocol, they later reversed their decision, according to USA Today.

COVID-19 cases at Tokyo Olympics rise to 225, Japan extends state of emergency

There were 27 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 among people at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, including two athletes staying at the Olympic Village. The total now stands at 225, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 3,300 new cases on Friday, a seven-day average increase of 180.5%, according to data released by the Tokyo metropolitan government. Japan has extended its state of emergency to three of Tokyo’s surrounding prefectures.

Track and field events get underway

The 2020 Olympics’ track and field events began with a fast start today; six women finished the 100m qualifying round under 11 seconds. The first medal event, the men’s 10,000m, will be held later this morning.

US women’s basketball extends win streak to 51

Team USA’s women’s basketball team increased their win streak to 51 with an 86-69 win to the host country’s team. The effort was led by A’ja Wilson who scored 20 points and Breanna Stewart who ended with 15. The team has one game left in the group round.

Djokovic loses in semifinals, Golden Slam dream over

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic lost to Alexander Zverev 6-1, 3-6, 1-6 in the semifinals and with the loss also went his hopes of achieving the Golden Slam. A Golden Slam is accomplished by winning all four majors and winning the Olympics all in the same year. The feat has only been achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988.

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

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(NEW YORK) — Pro golfer Max Homa added his name to those supporting Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the women’s all-around competition at the Olympics.

The 30-year-old Genesis Invitational winner took to Twitter on Wednesday to tell people to “cool it with the judgement and anger” because “we’re all battling something internally.”

Homa later told ABC Audio what went through his mind when he first heard Biles would not be competing in the Olympic event that she was predicted to win.

“I think that the moment it dropped, I knew it was going to be crazy, but at the same time, I knew that there’s got to be something big going on in her head if she doesn’t want to compete,” he declared. “So if she said she couldn’t do it, there’s a big reason [why].”

“I don’t think it’s up to all of us to judge… Basically, she knows there’s going to be a lot of people not happy with that,” he continued. “I don’t think that you need to start calling her a quitter and getting angry with her and saying that she’s letting people down because nobody around her has said that!”

“Not everybody can feel cool, calm and collected at all times… even people like Simone Biles who is amazing at what she does,” Homa explained. “I think people forget that she wants to compete and she wants to get gold medals and she wants to win and she wants to be with her team.”

Saying Biles is “doing what’s right” for her, Homa said that a reliable way athletes recharge is by “listening to their friends and family” who have their best interest at heart — not to the “random people on TV” telling them otherwise.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 14, NY Yankees 0
Kansas City 5, Chi White Sox 0
Detroit 6, Baltimore 2
Toronto 13, Boston 1
Oakland 4, LA Angels 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 6, NY Mets 3
Cincinnati 7, Chi Cubs 4
Philadelphia 11, Washington 8
San Francisco 5, LA Dodgers 0
Milwaukee 12, Pittsburgh 0
San Diego 3, Colorado 0

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(NEW YORK) — The SEC has officially offered the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma invitations to join the conference starting on July 1, 2025

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gave the news to the presidents of both schools during a video conference.

“Today’s unanimous vote is both a testament to the SEC’s longstanding spirit of unity and mutual cooperation, as well as a recognition of the outstanding legacies of academic and athletic excellence established by the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas,” said Commissioner Sankey in a statement. “I greatly appreciate the collective efforts of our Presidents and Chancellors in considering and acting upon each school’s membership interest.” 

The announcement comes after the conference voted in favor of extending invitations. At least three-fourth of the 14 schools in the conference needed to approve of the move. 

On Monday, the two schools issued a joint statement saying that they notified the Big 12 that the schools will not renew their grant of media rights in 2025.

“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” the statement said. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements. However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future.”

The following day, the schools sent a letter to Sankey asking for invitations to the conference.

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(New York) — Nearly 88% of NFL players have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, a week after the league announced that teams could face potential forfeits and lost paychecks for outbreaks among unvaccinated players.

On Thursday, NFL Communications Director Brian McCarthy said on Twitter that 87.9% of players have gotten at least one shot. Among the leagues’ 32 teams, 19 of them have more than 90% of players partially vaccinated, and seven have more than 95%, he said.

The partial vaccination rate among NFL players overall is up from over 75% a week ago, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned teams that outbreaks may result in having to forfeit games during the regular 18-week season.

If a game is canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players and it can’t be rescheduled, the team with the outbreak will have to forfeit the game, and players on both teams won’t get paid, he said in a memo to the athletes.

The NFL is striving to have at least 85% of players on each team vaccinated. Vaccination is not required among players, per an agreement with their union, the NFL Players Association.

Teams just opened training camps this week, during which COVID-19 protocols include daily testing and mask requirements for players who are not fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated players are tested every two weeks.

The NFL Players Association told “Good Morning America” Saturday that the union agreed with the league’s new protocols, but would support any athlete who doesn’t want to get vaccinated.

“We know that vaccinations have reduced infection rates and so we feel good about this, but still want you to make the choice for yourself,” Benjamin Watson, vice president of the association, told ESPN’s Matt Barrie.

“If a player does not want to get vaccinated, we will stand by him 100%,” he said.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill told reporters on the first day of training camp Wednesday he felt the league was unjustly forcing them to get vaccinated.

“The NFL has made it clear what they want to happen,” he said, adding he was in the process of getting fully vaccinated. “If you don’t fall in line, they’re going to try and make your life miserable because of the protocol. I wouldn’t have gotten the vaccine without the protocols that they are enforcing on us. I think it’s a personal decision for each of us.”

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