Olympians sail through Heathrow

LONDON (AP) ― The opening ceremony is still 11 days away, but for many in London, the Olympics really got started Monday.Heathrow Airport had its busiest day ever as thousands of athletes ― from Dutch beach volleyball players to Korean gymnasts ― landed with their javelins, bicycles and sails, and moved smoothly through customs.Motorists grappled with new traffic lanes painted with the Olympic rings and reserved for only official vehicles and dignitaries. At least one American athlete tweeted th

July 17, 2012

Park, Sun likely to clash over 400-meter freestyle gold

The following is the first in a series of articles on rival athletes in South Korea’s favorite events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. ― Ed.The men’s 400-meter freestyle event of the London Olympics is likely to boil down to a showdown between Park Tae-hwan of South Korea and Sun Yang of China. The Korean star swimmer brought his country its first ever gold medal in Olympic swimming and seeks his second straight title in London. Sun, a long-distance world champion, has moved into the spotlight

July 17, 2012

Olympic medal hopes pinned on Korean wrestlers

Desperation can be a double-edged sword for athletes. It can catapult them to greater heights, but it can also put extra burden on their shoulders and crush them in the heat of battle. The ability to channel that desperation into focus and determination can be a key to athletic success.At this month’s London Olympics, South Korea will pin its wrestling medal hopes on three Greco-Roman wrestlers, each one desperate for different reasons.Jung Ji-hyun, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 60-kilog

July 16, 2012

Olympics: 21,000 journalists swarm into London

With less than two weeks to go before the Olympic Games, hordes of competitors are pouring into London from across the globe and limbering up -- but they're not athletes.Promising coverage on an unprecedented scale and record-breaking use of social media, the 21,000 journalists, photographers, cameramen and technicians will in fact be twice as numerous as the athletes they are covering.The BBC, Br

July 16, 2012

U.S. Olympic uniforms made in China

NEW YORK (Reuters) ― Ralph Lauren’s stylish uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team, complete with a jaunty beret, have sparked a political row because the red, white and blue outfits were made in China.With U.S. unemployment hovering just above 8 percent, politicians have spoken out against the uniforms for the London Games, which start later this month, and six Democratic senators said they plan to introduce legislation requiring the ceremonial uniforms be produced in the United States.“At a time w

July 15, 2012

S. Korea beats New Zealand 2-1 in Olympic warm-up

South Korean forward Park Chu-young (in red jersey)scores the first goal of the match during a warm-up match against New Zealand in Seoul. (Yonhap News)South Korea's Olympic football team beat its New Zealand side 2-1 in its final warm-up match on Saturday ahead of the London Olympics. Arsenal forward Park Chu-young scored South Korea's first goal in the 18th minute at Seoul World Cup Stadium, but

July 15, 2012

Going for gold

Lee Ki-hong, the head of the Korean Olympic team, waves the national flag after it was handed over from Park Yong-sung, the president of the Korean Olympic Committee, during the Korean delegation's inaugural ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics in Seoul on Wednesday. (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)

July 12, 2012

Queen greets Olympic torch at Windsor Castle

LONDON (AP) ― It was a banner day for the Olympic torch: It visited the queen at Winsor Castle, was carried by the man who broke the 4-minute mile and by Britain’s greatest Olympic rower and even got a passing glance at a streaker.On a stormy Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II held an unopened umbrella as Gina Macgregor, a sodden 74-year-old runner, carried the torch to the castle. Macgregor joked about being caught in downpour, telling the monarch she had “looked fine this morning” when she set off wi

July 11, 2012

Korean taekwondo fighters ready to meet expectations

For South Korean taekwondo fighters, meeting expectations at the Olympics is always a tall order.Taekwondo is, after all, the country’s traditional martial art. A medal of any color other than gold is regarded as a disappointment.And disappointing was South Korea’s performance at last year’s world championships, held on its home soil in Gyeongju, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The host earned three gold medals, tied with Iran, and only one better than three other countries.Four athletes sett

July 11, 2012

With London Olympics one month away, S. Korean athletes vow to put forth best effort

South Korea on Wednesday began the 30-day countdown to the London Olympics, and athletes and coaches alike vowed to do their country proud this summer.At an open house event at the National Training Center in northern Seoul, the country's largest training ground for Olympic athletes, 42 athletes in 11 different sports spoke in one voice: that they will put forth their best efforts.London hosted the 1948 Summer Olympics, where weightlifter Kim Sung-jip won South Korea’s first Olympic medal. And 6

June 27, 2012

Korea soccer team to face Mexico, Switzerland and Gabon in London

South Korean Olympic soccer team has good chances in London this summer as it has been grouped with relatively weak teams, local officials said Wednesday.In a draw held in London on Tuesday, Korea was placed in Group B along with the top-seed Mexico, Switzerland and Gabon.The draw seems to be the best possible scenario for manager Hong Myung-bo’s side as they have now avoided facing the three other top seeds ― Great Britain, Brazil and Spain ― in the group stage.After attending the draw on Tuesd

April 25, 2012

Hong sets sights on soccer medal at Olympics

Now that South Korea has qualified for men’s football at the London Olympics this summer, Hong Myung-bo, the Olympic team’s head coach, has set his sights on the next goal: to win an Olympic medal.Hong has coached South Korea to the London Olympics, the country’s seventh straight Olympic Games and ninth overall. But South Korea has never won an Olympic medal in men’s football.The coach said the key will be to try to learn from the past.“Winning a medal at the Olympics is not easy at all,” said H

March 5, 2012