Articles on Athletes

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Teams from Poland, Kenya, Netherlands and Belgium compete in a mixed 4 X 400 metres relay heat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) 

We’re asking the wrong questions about women’s athletic performance

Women’s sport has never been stronger or more visible. But even as the performance gap narrows, it remains. The reason lies less in effort and more in biology.
Decathlon gold medalist Damian Warner of Canada celebrates with silver medalist Kevin Mayer of France and bronze medalist Ashley Moloney of Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Aug. 5, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) 

The case for combined events: How decathlon and heptathlon training could solve a crisis in youth sport

Track and field’s combined events may offer a blueprint to rethink early specialization and keep more kids in sport.
U.S. skier Rosie Brennan leads a group during the women’s team sprint classic cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine‑made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhere

US Olympic skiers and scientists explain the sharp differences between natural snow and machine-made snow, from the science to the rising risk of crashes.
Elite athletes don’t just move faster — they see smarter. Andrey Rublev of Russia keeps a close eye on the ball as he hits a backhand to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain during their match at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Aug. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

The mental edge that separates elite athletes from the rest

Some of the most decisive moments in sport hinge on how athletes perceive, process and act on information in a matter of milliseconds.
Lia Thomas, second from left, stands on the starting blocks during the 500-yard freestyle finals at the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Atlanta on March 17, 2022. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Transgender policies struggle to balance fairness with inclusion in women’s college sports

Redefining sports eligibility around gender identity risks erasing the protections that have helped women’s college sports flourish, a scholar argues.

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