Olympics

Las Vegas nurse relishes being part of Olympic torch relay, looks forward to games: July 22, 2012; By Conor Shine; In the months spent training leading up to her London 2012 Olympic moment, Debra Toney told herself she was going to savor her time in the spotlight. But as a runner carrying the Olympic torch passed the flame to her earlier this month in a small English town, Toney took off like a sprinter competing in the games.

Las Vegas Strip offers new opportunities for former Olympic athletes: July 22, 2012; By Ron Sylvester; If you want to watch local Olympians in action, you can make last-minute arrangements to fly to London. Or you can head to the Strip most any night and watch a dozen Olympic veterans — including gold, silver and bronze medal winners — perform overhead or in water as gymnasts and swimmers. Well, one fellow is a clown.

Gold is goal, but experience in London will be paramount for two-time Olympian: July 22, 2012; By Taylor Bern; The oldest man on the track charged around the final corner, emerging from the cluster at the back of the pack to make his kick in the final 100 meters. Khadevis Robinson ran a near-perfect race on June 25, in Eugene, Ore., at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Davis plays well in what will turn out to be his first of many games with Team USA: July 12, 2012; By Taylor Bern; Anthony Davis approached the first defensive possession of his Team USA career like Happy Gilmore on the tee box. Davis, the No. 1 overall draft pick of the New Orleans Hornets, never did get a block in Team USA’s 113-59 victory against the Dominican Republic, but he did score nine points in the fourth quarter. And now he’s going to get several more chances at that first swat.

Nevada coalition will pursue Olympic dreams despite U.S. committee's decision: July 10, 2012; By Richard N. Velotta; Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who has spent seven years leading the effort to bring the Winter Olympic Games to Nevada, said organizers would continue to meet and plan despite a U.S. Olympic Committee decision not to bid to host the event in 2022.

James Harden took unique path to Team USA and the 2012 Olympics: July 7, 2012; By Taylor Bern; During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, James Harden was preparing for his sophomore year at Arizona State. A standout by Pac-10 standards if not quite a national star, Harden watched USA Basketball’s run to the gold medal without the ‘One day that will be me’ thoughts that most of the current Team USA members once had. Yet here he is. On Saturday, Harden officially became a member of Team USA when Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski made their announcements at Wynn Las Vegas.

Las Vegas nurse to help carry Olympic torch to London: July 7, 2012; By Conor Shine; An Olympic-class sprinter could cover 300 meters — about the length of three football fields — in just over 30 seconds. Luckily for Debra Toney, her participation in the London 2012 Olympic Games won’t require her to run nearly that fast.

USA Basketball officials have exquisite menu to order from when making final roster decisions: July 7, 2012; By Taylor Bern; The debate may be USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo’s favorite part. On Friday night in Las Vegas, after the first day of Team USA’s training camp at the Mendenhall Center, Colangelo planned to get together with his basketball inner circle to compare and contrast their six candidates for the final three spots on the Olympic roster. Injuries pushed the announcement back, but the official 12-man roster is finally coming out Saturday during a press conference at 5 p.m. at Wynn Las Vegas.

The stars of USA Basketball set to take over UNLV's Mendenhall Center: July 6, 2012; By Taylor Bern; The U.S. men’s national team officially begins training camp for the 2012 London Olympics at noon Friday at the Mendenhall Center. It will train behind closed doors for six days and then play an exhibition game against the Dominican Republic on July 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Nevada's effort to land Winter Olympics might be back in play: June 21, 2012; By Richard N. Velotta; A landmark revenue-sharing agreement reached by the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee last month is being hailed as a potential catalyst for one of the state‚s largest tourism opportunities.

Rebels track coach, runner on pace for trips to Olympic Trials: June 15, 2012; By Taylor Bern; In eight days, if everything goes right, senior Brett Zorich and coach Khadevis Robinson will be on Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., competing in the 800 for spots on the U.S. track and field team at the London Olympics.

Las Vegas synchronized swimmer earns spot on U.S. junior national team: May 8, 2012; By Jackie Valley; A 17-year-old from Las Vegas made the cut this weekend for the 2012 U.S. junior national synchronized swimming team, officials from USA Synchro announced. Alyson Haylor is one of a dozen swimmers who earned a spot on the team, which will travel in September to Greece to compete in the 13th World Junior Synchronized Swimming Championships. The swimmers were chosen Sunday after four days of competition at the junior national team trials in Santa Clara, Calif.

Curling enthusiast planting seeds for sport’s growth in Las Vegas: Feb. 15, 2012; By Jackie Valley; For a game on ice that doesn’t require skates, curling still had novices struggling to find their balance Sunday at the Las Vegas Ice Center. One by one, the students attempted the basic form for launching the 42-pound granite stone across the ice.

Utah bid for 2022 Olympics OK with Denver, Lake Tahoe: Feb. 11, 2012; Associated Press; The more the merrier. Organizers exploring the possibility of bringing the Olympics back to Salt Lake City say that's the kind of warm welcome they've received from officials pushing competing bids to hold the 2022 Winter Games at Lake Tahoe or Denver.