China's Liu Xiang out of Men's 110m Hurdles

In the biggest upset of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for host country China, world and Olympic champion Liu Xiang stumbled at the start of his qualifying heat in round one of the Men's 110m Hurdles on Monday morning. During his warm-up, Liu grimaced as he attempted to stride over a set of two hurdles. He stepped onto the track with the other runners in his heat and warmed up in his start lane. In one practice run, he fell to his knees and held his leg. After a false start first-round heat, he attempted a run several times, but eventually shook his head, removed his race numbers and began to repeatedly kick a wall.

He later withdrew entirely from the event. At a press conference following the event, Liu's coach confirmed that the star's withdrawal was as a result of an injury to his right take-off foot, which has been affecting him for about six years. Liu also reported on his own website Sunday that he was suffering from a sore Achilles tendon. Liu Xiang's showdown with Dayron Robles, the Cuban who took away his world record earlier this summer, was one of the most eagerly-anticipated events of the Games.

Watch what happens to Liu Xiang in round one of the Men's 110m Hurdles (Cantonese)

Coach Liang Chow helps Shawn Johnson get Olympic silver

Liang Chow had been a former co-captain of China's men's national gymnastics team for more than a decade. He represented China all over the world and won over 30 international gold medals and national championships. Chow was also the first gymnast in the world to perform the double front release with piked position on parallel bars.

In 1990, with his athletic career over, Liang Chow came to the United States, where he was offered a scholarship and a job coaching at the University of Iowa. He barely spoke any English when he arrived. To adapt to Western culture, he westernized his name from Qiao Liang, his given name, to Liang Chow. He also went back to Beijing to marry Liwen Zhuang, who Liang met when they were both at the national team training center in Beijing. She joined him in Iowa and built a new life together. Chow spent 7 1/2 years at Iowa, but he and his wife had dreams of starting their own gym. In 1998, they moved to West Des Moines and opened Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute with hand-me-down equipment.

Here's the mission statement for Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute

"We believe all children are precious gifts. Every child, regardless of ability, deserves the best instruction possible. It is our goal to provide a safe and loving atmosphere in which each child knows he or she is valued. We will strive to provide an environment that cultivates listening skills, confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline and responsiblity. Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute is a place where all children can feel great about their accomplishments."

Shawn Johnson signed up as a pupil of the gym at the age of 6. For the next ten years, Liang Chow trained Johnson using both American and Chinese methods. His star athlete has shown the world what she is capable of at the Olympics. Not only is Liang coaching Shawn Johnson, but he is also the USA Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team Head Coach. For the Olympics, he returned to his native city of Beijing for the first time since immigrating to the USA in 1991. So far, the USA Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team has won a team silver medal and Shawn Johnson has won two silver medals one for Women's Individual All-Around and another for Women's Floor Exercise. Shawn still has one more shot at a medal for Women's Beam.

Over a hundred volunteers helped prepare Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute for the flooding Raccoon River in West Des Moines in June 2008

Coach “Jenny” Lang Ping the Iron Hammer

“Jenny” Lang Ping of China is one of the most famous and respected individuals in the history of volleyball. Known as the “Iron Hammer,” she was a member of the Chinese women’s national team that won an Olympic gold medal over the United States at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, a World Championship crown in 1982 and World Cup titles in 1981 and 1985. Revered by Chinese fans, Lang Ping has been honored with her own postage stamp, had her wedding broadcast on Chinese national television and has stadiums named after her in China.

In 1995, Lang Ping became the head coach of the Chinese national team and eventually guided the squad to the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. After leaving China’s national team program in 1999, Lang Ping was head coach for a number of championship teams in the Italian League including the Pieralisi Volleyball Club (Club Jesi). Lang Ping took over her current position from former Team USA coach Toshi Yoshida, who resigned late in 2004 to accept a professorship position at Biwako Seikei Sport College in Japan. She has been the head coach of the USA Women’s National Team for the past four years. Currently, she is guiding the team through the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Lang Ping was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame as a player on Oct. 18, 2002. She was also selected by the United States Olympic Committee as torchbearer on the Olympic Torch Relay’s only North American stop in San Francisco. She ran a leg of the relay on April 9 in San Francisco.

Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“Jenny” Lang Ping the Iron Hammer in action

Natalie Coughlin wins silver in Women's 4x100 meter Medley Relay

Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Christine Magnuson and Dara Torres captured the silver medal in the women's 4x100 meter medley relay.

Natalie Coughlin swam the lead off backstroke leg of the race at 58.94 seconds. Her other teammates swam the following times: Rebecca Soni (breaststroke - 1:05.95), Christine Magnuson (butterfly - 56.14), and Dana Torres (52.27). The total team time was 3:53.30. However, this was not enough to get gold. The Australian team came in with a world record time of 3:52.69.

With this medal, Natalie Coughlin has won 6 total medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She has won a gold in women's 100 meter backstroke, two silver medals (women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay and Women's 4x100 meter Medley Relay), and three bronze medals (women's 200 meters individual medley, Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, and Women's 100 meter Freestyle). She becomes the first female to win six Olympic medals during a single Olympic game.

Rewatch the Women's 100 meter Freestyle here.
Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Swimming highlights
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Natalie Coughlin wins bronze in Women's 100 meter Freestyle

By winning the bronze in Women's 100 meter Freestyle, Natalie Coughlin has won her 5th medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The gold medal went to Germany's Britta Steffen along with an Olympic record of 53.12 seconds. Australia's Lisbeth Trickett swam 53.16 seconds for the silver, while Filipino HAPA Natalie Coughlin captured the bronze with a time of 54.40 seconds.

While she is not getting the media coverage of Michael Phelps, she is currently tied with Dara Torres and Shirley Babashoff for number of the Olympic medals won within the same Olympic game with five. She has an opportunity to break the record in her next event: the 4x100m medley relay.

Previously, she has won a gold in women's 100 meter backstroke, a silver in women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay, and two bronze medals one in the women's 200 meters individual medley and one in the Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay.

Rewatch the Women's 100 meter Freestyle here.
Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Swimming highights

Natalie Coughlin wins bronze in Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay

Natalie Coughlin captured another medal yesterday in the Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay along with fellow teammates Allison Schmitt, Caroline Burckle and Katie Hoff. They swam the following times Allison Schmitt (1:57.71), Natalie Coughlin (1:57.19), Caroline Burckle (1:56.70), and Katie Hoff (1:54.73). Total Time: 7:46.33. This is the first time the Americans have lost the event since it began in 1996.

Australians with Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Linda Mackenzie got gold in 7:44.31 and setting a new world's record. The Chinese team of Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Tan Miao and Pang Jiaying took the silver in 7:45.93.

Natalie now has a gold in women's 100 meter backstroke, a silver in women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay, and a bronze in women's 200 meters individual medley. Having another team win adds another medal to her collection.

Rewatch the Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay here.
Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Highlights from swimming events

Natalie Coughlin wins bronze in women's 200 meters individual medley

Natalie Coughlin won a bronze medal in the women's 200-meter individual medley. She continues to add to her Olympic medals. Earlier in the week she picked up gold in women's 100 meter backstroke and silver in women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay.

Australia's Stephanie Rice set a world record with a time of 2:08.45 seconds, while Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry finished second with a time of 2:08.59. Natalie Coughlin finished third with 2:10.34 for her bronze.

Watch Natalie Coughlin win the bronze in women's 200 meters individual medley here.
Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Other swimming Olympics news

Natalie Coughlin wins gold in women's 100 meter backstroke

Natalie Coughlin not only won gold medal in the Women's 100 meter backstroke, but she also become the first woman to ever defend her title in the event. Coughlin finished the event in 58.96 seconds. The day before Natalie Coughlin won silver in women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay. Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Watch Natalie Coughlin wins gold in women's 100 meter backstroke here.

Winning day for Olympic swimmers : Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, and Aaron Piersol

Kevin Tan and Raj Bhavsar get bronze with USA Men's Gymnastics Team

China took home Olympic gold in Men's Gymnastics with a dominating performance, while the USA Men's Gymnastics Team took home the bronze medal with a team that came together at the last minute.

Both veteran gymnast Paul Hamm and twin brother Morgan Hamm withdrew from the Men's Gymnastics Olympic team due to injuries. Paul broke his hand in May, while Morgan succumb to an ankle injury just days before the start of the Olympics. This opened the door to the alternates eagerly waiting for an opportunity to participate in the 20008 Beijing Olympics.

Raj Bhavsar was the alternate who replaced Paul Hamm. Previously, he failed to make the cut to be on the Olympic team in Sydney and Athens. Raj had mulled quitting gymnastics all together. By sticking with the sport, Raj became the second Indian American gymnast to win an Olympic medal. (The first to medal was Mohini Bhardwaj, who was part of the USA Women's team which won a silver in Athens in 2004.) He had the following scores during the qualification rounds: Floor Exercise (14.175 - ranked 63rd), Parallel Bars (15.625 - ranked 19th), Rings (15.325 - ranked 16th), and Pommel Horse (14.050 - ranked 45th).

Chinese American Kevin Tan is the team captain for USA Men's Gymnastics. Under his leadership, he was able to transform a group with different personalities into a team that felt they could win when nobody believed in them. During the qualification rounds, the team ranked 6th overall. He had the following scores during the qualification rounds: Horizontal Bar (14.425 - ranked 47th), Rings (15.725 - ranked 9th), and Pommel Horse (14.100 - ranked 41st). In the finals, he competed on the rings and pommel horse. However, Tan had a rough day on both events. As a six-time All-American, he is used to scoring in the 16s on his specialty, the rings. Tan got a low 15.425 score. Something went horribly wrong on the pommel horse and he appeared to sit on the apparatus. The mistake was costly with Tan scoring a low 12.775 points. (Bhavsar did not score well, either.)

Although USA Men's Gymnastics Team had some troubles on the pommel horse. They had enough to hold off the German team and get bronze. With no Olympic veterans, nobody expected much from the Americans, but they pulled it off.

The events, order, and scores in which the USA Men's Gymnastics Team competed in the finals.

• Still rings: Bhavsar (15.325), Horton (15.625), Tan (15.425)

• Vault: Bhavsar (16.125), Horton (16.200), Spring (15.900)

• Parallel bars: Bhavsar (15.575), Horton (15.625), Spring (15.850)

• Horizontal bar: Hagerty (15.550), Horton (15.700), Spring (15.675)

• Floor exercise: Spring (15.200), Hagerty (14.625), Horton (15.575)

• Pommel horse: Tan (12.775), Bhavsar (13.750), Artemev (15.350)

In the picture above, the USA Men's Gymnastics Team, from right, Kevin Tan, Justin Spring, Jonathan Horton, Joey Hagertey, Raj Bhavsar and Alexander Artemev.

You can rewatch the Kevin Tan and Raj Bhavsar get bronze with USA Men's Gymnastics Team here. Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sun Yue to join the LA Lakers

Los Angeles Laker team officials confirmed that the team has agreed to terms on a contract with point guard Sun Yue. The Lakers drafted Sun Yue in the second round of the 2007 NBA draft at #40 based on his size and ball handling ability. Since that time, Sun Yue, 22, has continued to play with his club team Beijing Aoshen and with the Chinese national team. They hope to finalize details on a contract with Sun Yue in the coming weeks. Yesterday, the Chinese National team played Team USA. Instead of guarding Kobe Bryant, Sun Yue will be playing along side him.

Sun Yue at Lakers Pre-draft workout in 2007

Natalie Coughlin wins silver in women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay

The Women's USA swimming team won the silver medal in the 4x100 meters freestyle relay. One of the members of that team was HAPA Natalie Coughlin. (Natalie is on the far left in the photo above.) Silver medalists United States had a great lead off leg from the experienced Natalie Coughlin, were steady through Lacey Nymeyer and Kara Lynn Joyce, and were brought home strongly by Dara Torres who recorded a slick 52.44 split to give the USA team a time of 3:34.33.

If you missed the action, you can see the women's 4x100 meters freestyle relay here.
Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Olympic Swimmer Natalie Coughlin talking Olympics

2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony ratings

NBC's coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Beijing was the best overnight rating ever for non-U.S. Olympic Opening Ceremony earning a 21.5/37 (8-11:19 p.m. ET/PT). Additionally, NBCOlympics.com saw its most traffic ever on Friday with 70 million page views, 10 times more than the seven million page views on the opening day of the Athens Games. The overnight rating for the Opening Ceremony was a 19 percent increase over Athens in 2004 and 16 percent higher than Sydney in 2000, according to Nielsen Media Research data released today.

NON-U.S. OPENING CEREMONY OVERNIGHT RATINGS:
1) Beijing - 2008 - 21.5/37
2) Sydney - 2000 - 18.5/32
3) Seoul - 1988 - 18.3/33
4) Athens - 2004 - 18.0/30
5) Barcelona - 1992 - 16.5/32

Opening Ceremony in Atlanta in 1996 earned 27.2/47;

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR OPENING CEREMONY:
1) San Diego - 26.5/49
2) West Palm Beach - 25.7/42
3) Sacramento - 24.3/43
4) Denver - 24.2/43
T5) San Francisco - 24.1/47
T5) Baltimore - 24.1/41
7) Indianapolis - 23.9/42
8) Salt Lake City - 23.5/49
9) Nashville - 23.4/37
10) St. Louis - 22.9/42



NBCOlympics.com garnered 70 million page views on 8/8/08 an increase of 900 percent and 10 times more than the opening day of the Athens Games in 2004 (7 million).

The 70 million page views are nearly 50 million more page views than the peak day in Athens (Day 4, 20.6 million).

NBCOlympics.com's 4.2 million unique users show an increase of 496% over the unique users for the opening day of the Athens Games in 2004 (705,000).

Since August 1, 2008, NBCOlympics.com has accumulated more than 127 million page views, nearly half the TOTAL for the entire Athens Games.

If you missed the opening ceremony, you can relive the experience here. Here's our coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics - Asian American Edition

Watch highlights of the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

Yao Ming Coke Olympic torch commercial

Yao Ming carried the Olympic torch through Beijing a few days ago. Coke has a commercial of Yao Ming with the Olympic torch entitled Shuang City. See Beijing transformed into a fantastic Olympic playground, featuring Olympic basketball athlete Yao Ming. Coke also has a Yao Ming vs Lebron James Commercial.

Yao Ming Coke Olympic torch commercial

Serena Williams chilling with Zappos CEO

Tennis superstar Serena Williams was hanging out at the Zappos HQ with CEO Tony Hsieh. She answers some questions from Zappos Twitter readers. Serena talks Wii Sports Tennis, music, being a role model. and more.

Serena Williams chilling with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh

Hideo Nomo retires from baseball

Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo, who pitched a pair of no-hitters and led an influx of Japanese players to the Major League Baseball, announced his retirement this past Thursday. He was named the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is one of only four pitchers to throw no-hitters in both the AL and NL. (The other pitchers were Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan.) Nomo finished his career with a pitching record of 123-109 with a 4.24 ERA. He was on several teams including the Dodgers, Mets, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox, Rays and Royals. His 123 wins is the most in the MLB by a Japanese pitcher.

In his rookie season, Nomo-mania took baseball by storm. He is best known for his "tornado" windup, where he paused with his arms overhead and then twisted his body before throwing. His unique pitching delivery wowed fans while frustrating opposing batters.

Watch Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda talk about Hideo Nomo

Tennis Star Michael Chang Inducted and Engaged

After Michael Chang was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R..I. over the weekend, rumors were confirmed that Stanford grad and former NCAA champion Amber Liu and the 1989 French Open winner Michael Chang are engaged. (It's a tennis match made in heaven.) This past Tuesday 36-year-old Michael Chang was in the stands watching 24-year-old Liu play in the Bank of the West Classic. We wish the best of luck to the newly engaged couple.

Watch Michael Chang get inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame


Here's Michael Chang's speech for the International Tennis Hall of Fame

"I want to thank International Tennis Hall of Fame for this incredible honor. I realize the list of inductees is very small and to be included with such champions both on and off the court of the sport of tennis is truly special. This is a day I will remember for the rest of my life with much pride and honor. Thank you so very much."

"It makes it even more special to share it with many of my closest friends and family today as well. People like Tom Ross and Kelly Wolf of Octagon, and Dianne Hayes of Reebok have played such a key role in my career and I am honored that they would come today just to be here today for the induction. My friends and family from Seattle and California, thank you for being such an important and encouraging part of my life and it means so much that you are here today too. As I reflect upon my career, the words dedication, perseverance, hard work, sacrifice, faith, unity and love come to mind and you would think that I was referring to myself through all these years but in actuality, I am not. You see, for any champion to succeed, he must have a team. A very incredible, special team. People that he can depend on, count on and rely upon through everything. The highs and lows, the wins and losses, the victories and failures and even the joys and heartaches both on and off the court. And, no one knows that better than my Mom, Dad, Carl and Dianna. For us, tennis was never about the winning or losing. The Lord Jesus taught us that very early on in my career. Sure, it is always nice to win but from the beginning, the way, way beginning, when Pete Sampras and I were 8 years old and we were competing it was always about unit, love, closeness and about spending time together doing things that we loved to do. Sometimes it was fishing. Sometimes it was soccer. A lot of times it was sharing a meal and talking but most often it was tennis. And the same rings true today even now as I am retired."

"The goal, unity, sacrifice, care for one another, faith and reliance upon the Lord and a love that constantly encourages and lifts one another up. That has stayed with me throughout my entire life and career and to my family I say thank you for loving me that way and for giving me every opportunity to excel in a talent that God has given to me."

"In my mind, with a team like you and the Lord’s blessings, who wouldn’t succeed? My job on the court was easy as compared to yours. I can say that now because I have since gotten a taste of what it is like to coach last year. Now, of course Carl, who has coached me for twelve years would say “yeah, right, you think you know what it means to coach but you really don’t know what a pain in the butt you can be at times”, which I must say is true. Now you can imagine with that kind of love, there was no pressure to come off the court after losing a touch match or having a bad day. And if there was, it wasn’t coming from my family. When you get to playing at the top, pressures are coming from everywhere and the last thing you ever want to worry about is whether or not you will still be loved or accepted by those dearest to you. I never had that kind of burden and I hope for future generations of tennis players around the world never have to carry that kind of burden either. But with that kind of comfort, love and support from my family it was easy to reach for the stars and to dream big dreams as the fear of failure rarely enters your mind. In fact, your only thoughts are giving your very best and striving to accomplish what no one thinks you can accomplish. But if you do come up short some time as we all do, I was one point away from becoming number one in the world; hear these wise words from my mom when I was just 17 years old. She said “as long as you have tried your best, as long as you have given your 100% that is all that people can ask of you, that is all the Lord desires of you and that is all that you can ever ask of yourself. If you do that, you should walk off the court, win or lose, with your head held high, knowing that you gave it your very best. So, to Mommy, [Bobba], Carl, and Dee Dee, thank you for always giving me your very best and of course, to this family. You are, and will always be in my hall of fame right here in my heart. I am so incredibly blessed to have you as my loving family."

"Lastly, as I have shared many times before, I would like to give thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that without Him, I am nothing, so I give Him all the glory and praise of all my accomplishments and for teaching me how to love and to live life to the very fullest. Thank you dear Lord."

"In closing, I want to thank the International Tennis Hall of Fame again for this tremendous honor and also a special thanks to you, to many of my fans and supporters throughout the world for always encouraging me throughout my career through your cheers, your words and your letters."

"Thank you for allowing me to celebrate this tennis career in such an extraordinary and special way. This is truly an incredible honor. Thank you very much."

Ichiro and Fukudome in MLB All-Star Game

Both Ichiro Suzuki and Kosuke Fukudome were selected play in the 79th MLB All-Star Game. The two outfielders will play for their respective divisions Ichiro Suzuki for the American League and Kosuke Fukudome for the National League. Eight-time All-Star Ichiro Suzuki, representing the Seattle Mariners, will hit leadoff and start in right field. Chicago Cubs representative Kosuke Fukudome becomes an MLB All-Star team in his rookie season. It's not suprising that he's an MLB All-Star, since he was a four-time All-Star in Japan (he was selected a fifth time in 2006 but declined the invitation due to injury). Tune in tonight at 8 pm ET on FOX and watch the Japanese All-Stars take the field.

Watch Ichiro Suzuki for the first half of the 2008 seson


Watch Kosuke Fukudome for the first half of the 2008 seson

Che-Hsuan Lin named MVP for 2008 Futures Game

In the baseball world, it's the All-Star break now. Yesterday's main event was the 2008 MLB All-Star Futures Game (World vs USA). Che-Hsuan Lin, a 19-year-old Red Sox prospect, hit a two-run homer for the World team at Yankee Stadium. The World team defeated the US team 3-0. Lin was named the game's Most Valuable Player and finished the game with two hits. You can see more of him in the Olympics on the Taiwan team (aka Chinese Taipei team).

Watch Che-Hsuan Lin get interviewed after the game

Cung Le shifts from MMA to acting

Vietnamese American mixed marital artist and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le took a break from his undefeated career in mixed martial arts to be in Tekken the movie. Cung Le will play Marshall Law in Tekken, scheduled to be released in 2009. The movie release with sync up with the release of the Tekken 6 video game. Rumors are floating that Cung Le will quit MMA and become an actor. (Being an actor would be better than getting beaten up!!! Probably more lucrative too.) He already landed a role opposite Dennis Quad and Ben foster in sci-fi horror film Pandorum. Cung Le is also in talks with John Woo for one of his upcoming projects. Looks like Cung Le is trying to make a Hollywood career transition like The Rock in WWE.

Here's a recent quote from an interview with Cung Le from TopGunMMA:

Cung Le: Yeah, this is something big for me. This is a great opportunity. I have two movies that are going to be released. One at the end of this year and one next year with decent sized roles in there. Not huge roles and then all of a sudden this is a huge role. Pays pretty good too. It's comparable to fighting.

Watch the cage cam as Cung Le becomes Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. Will this be his last match?

Anthony Kim wins AT&T National Championship

After winning the Wachovia Championship two months ago, Anthony Kim does it again on the links. He won the AT&T National Championship hosted by Tiger Woods. With this second PGA Tour victory, Anthony Kim up to No. 6 in the Ryder Cup standings. (Hopefully, we will see him on the American team in September.) Kim played the final 22 holes without a bogey and finished at 12-under 268 and earned over $1 million. The wins at Wachovia ans AT&T in the same year puts Anthon Kim as the first American under 25 since Woods to win at least twice in the same year on the PGA Tour. Although Tiger Woods was unable to present the trophy, he called Kim to congratulate him.

Watch Anthony Kim win the AT&T National Championship

Kobayashi defeated again in Hot Dog eating

Six time hot dog champion Takeru Kobayashi hoped to reclaim his title after he was defeated by Joey Chestnut last year. The two competed once again in the 2008 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York. Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut were tied with 59 hot dogs a piece in a 10-minute regulation round of competition. However, Chestnut beat Kobayashi in sudden death overtime in a five-dog eat-off. Kobayashi will have to wait til next year to reclaim the Yellow Mustard belt.

Watch Kobayashi vs Chestnut in the Hot Dog Eating Contest

Zheng Jie exits Wimbledon

Serena Williams defeated Zheng Jie in straight sets 6-2, 7-6. It was a good run by Zheng Jie to get to the semifinals considering she got in as a wildcard and ranked #133 in the world. She is only Asian player that has made it this far in a Grand Slam event. We will see more of Zheng Jie in the Beijing Olympics next month.

Jie Zheng reaches Wimbledon semifinals

By beating #18 seed Nicole Vaidisova, Jie Zheng is the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. She won 2 of the 3 sets (6-2, 5-7, 6-1) at Wimbledon. In her 2008 Wimbledon run, the 133rd-ranked Zheng has beaten #30 seed Dominika Cibulkova, #1 seed Ana Ivanovic, #15 seed Agnes Szavay, and #18 seed Nicole Vaidisova. (She has been on fire!!) However, her next match will be against 8-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. They have faced each other previously in the first round at Wimbledon in 2004. Serena Williams defeated Jie Zheng in straight sets.

Good luck to Jie Zheng on Thursday.

Watch Jie Zheng interview after upsetting Nicole Vaidisova

Manny Pacquiao wins WBC Lightweight Champion belt

WBC super featherweight Champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao defeated WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz to get his fourth world boxing title. In the fight dubbed “Lethal Combination,” Pacquiao (45-3-37 knockouts) scored a bloody knockout in the 9th round at 2:24 and became the new WBC Lightweight Champion. During his fight, Manny Pacquiao landed a total of 230 punches and 180 power shots versus 90 and 59 respectively by Diaz. By winning the belt, Pacquiao became the only Asian boxer to win four major boxing titles in four weight classes (Flyweight, Super bantamweight, Super featherweight, and Lightweight) and the first Filipino fighter to win a world title in the lightweight category. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao's next fight will be on November 8. the opponent is yet to be determined.

Watch the Manny Pacquiao put the beat down on David Diaz


Boston Celtics taking picture with Manny Pacquiao after the fight. Manny!!Manny!!Manny!!


Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz fight recap

Inbee Park wins the U.S. Women’s Open

Inbee Park became the youngest winner in the history of the U.S. Women's Open and moved up 30 spots in the Women's World Golf Rankings. Her inspiration was Se Ri Pak, the first South Korean and the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Open. Now, she had replaced Se Ri Pak as the youngest winner. Strong putting helped her to her first LPGA Tour victory. Park won with a total 9-under-par 283.

Watch the Inbee Park interview after winning the U.S. Women’s Open

Yao Ming may be ready for Olympics

After four month of recuperation from a bone fracture in his foot, Yao Ming seems ready to be geared up for the Olympics. China will face off against the USA's NBA stars on August 10. (He definitely looks better than he did at his press conference a couple months ago.) Good to hear the big man is ready to start training again in mid-July.

Yao Ming also spent some time talking about the China quake. He did a PSA for the China quake just weeks after the tragic event. The Yao Ming Foundation is one of the other ways that he is helping the quake relief efforts.

Watch Yao Ming talk about the Olympics and the China Earthquake.

Zheng Jie defeats Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon

Chinese tennis player Zheng Jie, ranked #133 in the world, defeated Top seed and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic today. Since she did not play last year after injuring her ankle, Zheng Jie entered Wimbledon as a wildcard. Zheng Jie is first Asian player to defeat a world's #1 in a Grandslam event. The 24 year old convincing defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4.

Previously, Zheng Jie has won 11 doubles titles and three career singles titles. She reached a career high singles ranking of #27 in 2006. You can catch more Zheng Jie at Wimbledon and on China's Olympic team. She will play singles and doubles for China at the Beijing Olympics in August. (That's a whole lot of tennis for her!!)

Zheng Jie interview after defeating Ana Ivanovic

Shockers - all-male cheerleading team

The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about the all-male Japanese cheerleading group Shockers. The 24-member Shockers squad defeated 14 all-female teams to win a national cheerleading competition in Japan a few months ago.

The Shockers team focuses on moves that take advantage of their physical strength. In one, several men form a tight circle and together toss a smaller teammate four or five meters in the air, catching him just before he hits the ground. A still showier move is the "Scorpion," in which three members hold up a fourth, who stands on one leg and extends the other leg behind his head -- similar to the Biellmann spin position in figure skating. Only two team members can pull that off, though.

Maybe we will see the group in one of the plethora of dance shows broadcasting on TV.

Watch Shockers in action

Yi Jianlian traded to the New Jersey Nets

Hours before the 2008 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks traded forwards Yi Jianlian (who was the sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft) and Bobby Simmons to the New Jersy Nets in exchange for small forward Richard Jefferson. (Chinese officials got what they fought so hard for last year: Yi Jianlian in a major city with a larger Chinese population.) The word is that New Jersey did the deal not for the potential of Yi Jianlian, but for the salary cap relief it provides in the year 2010, when franchise players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade enter the free agent market. Yi made 49 starts and played in 66 games, averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Despite these rumors, the New Jersey Nets marketing department wasted no time promoting Yi Jianlian. They plastered Yi's image when you try to go to the Nets website. The offer "Buy a season ticket, Get a Free Yi jersey." If you don't want the season ticket, you can pre-order Yi's #9 jersey. Yi Jianlian's got more play than the Nets first round draft pick Brook Lopez. From looking at the Nets website, you wouldn't even know he got picked.

We can see it now. Nets owner Jay-Z wearing a Yi jersey on the sidelines. If you can't wait to see Yi play , you can catch him playing for China in the Olympics.

Yi Jianlian vs Yao Ming

Kevin Tan on the US Olympic Gymnastics Team

USA Gymnastics today announced the six men and three replacement athletes it will nominate to the U.S. Olympic Committee to comprise the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team. The members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team are:

Joe Hagerty, Rio Ranchero, N.M./Team Chevron
Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron
Paul Hamm, Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron
Jonathan Horton, Houston/Team Chevron
Justin Spring, Burke, Va./Team Chevron
Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif./Team Chevron

The three replacement athletes are:

Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo./Team Chevron
Raj Bhavsar, Houston/Team Chevron
David Durante, Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron

Watch analysis of the Men's US Olympic Gymnastics Team


If you missed the competition, you can see the Kevin Tan's highlights online.

Tiger Woods out for 2008 season

Tiger Woods to undergo reconstructive knee surgery and miss the remainder of the 2008 season.
Just days after winning the 2008 U.S. Open in a dramatic sudden-death playoff, Tiger Woods announced that he will be forced to undergo reconstructive Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee and will miss the remainder of the PGA TOUR season.

In addition to the knee surgery, Woods will require the time off to rehabilitate a double stress fracture of his left tibia that was discovered last month just prior to the Memorial Tournament. The stress fractures were attributed to Woods' intense rehabilitation and preparations for the U.S. Open. Doctors have assured Woods that the stress fractures will heal with time.

"I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time. I wanted to be very respectful of the USGA and their incredibly hard work, and make sure the focus was on the U.S. Open," said Woods. "Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee."

A date for the knee surgery, as well as the necessary rehabilitation schedule, has not yet been determined.

Watch breaking news of Tiger Woods knee surgery.

Cup Stacking and Rubik's cube on the Early Show

Bigger. Faster. Stronger.

Today, the Early Show covers the topic of faster with cup stacking and rubik's cube solving. World Champion sport stacker Steve Purugganan and the Rubik's Cube solving brothers Toby and Tyson Mao showed their skills on live TV.

Steve Purugganan pulled out a 1.94 seconds (World record 1.86 seconds) on the 3-3-3 sport stacking on live national tv. He did it again on the 3-6-3 by breaking the world record with 2.31 seconds (world's record 2.34 second). Both World records are h