On the scene of the darkest games in Olympics history.

Part of our Olympics primer, on the Longform blog.

An Englishman’s account of the first modern Olympic games.

Three years after her gold-medal performance – and amidst rumors of a fall from grace – the author travels to Transylvania to track down gymnast Nadia Comaneci. He also enjoys several drinks with her coach, Bela Karolyi.

Part of our Olympics primer, on the Longform blog.

A profile of 6’8”, 430-pound Brian Shaw.

An interview with Pavement’s Bob Nastanovich on his career afterlife as a “a clocker and chart-caller” and occasional breeder at an Iowa race horse track.

“Over the past century, coaches have used intuition and discipline to vastly improve athletic performance. Now scientists are taking the last step, helping athletes approach perfection.”

On conspiracy theories in sports, from the ‘85 NBA draft lottery to Michael Phelps’ gold medal performance in the 100-meter butterfly.

A Kenyan runner loses himself in Alaska.

What happens when Moneyball-style statistical analysis is applied to mixed martial arts.

How the golfer hasn’t changed, post-scandal.

Try as his publicity squad might, it's tough to maintain—or now restore—the Tiger Image when former insiders sprout secret-sharing campaigns. "It's always a divorce," David Feherty, longtime commentator and golf-gab-show host, told me recently. "Tiger expects the curtains to remain drawn, and when somebody opens them, it pisses him off. He has appeared superhuman for so long, and it's like he feels the need to perpetuate that myth."

A newspaper writer’s attempt to solve the mystery of a homeless man who claims to be a once-famous boxer.

On the rodeo.

On Mike Powell, a Chicago-area high school wrestling coach who hasn’t allowed a life-threatening illness to interrupt his life’s work.

A report from the freediving word championships.

On a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and the body-building culture of Venice Beach in the 1970s.

On the late Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali.

The story of Attila Ambrus, who was released from jail this morning in Hungary. Nicknamed the Whiskey Robber because witnesses always spotted him having a double across the street prior to his heists, Ambrus only stole from state-owned banks and post offices, becoming a Hungarian folk hero during his seven years on the lam. While on his spree he was also the goaltender for Budapest’s best-known hockey team and was arguably the worst pro goalie ever to play the sport, once giving up 23 goals in a single game.

Excerpted from Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts.

The Vancouver riots and an unforgettable image.

On the recovery of snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who suffered a massive brain injury five days before the 2010 Olympics.

On the arrival of Formula 1 in India.

On playing chess and waiting to get arrested.

Live from Kingston for Frazier vs. Foreman.

On champ-turned-coach Alberto Salazar and the New York City Marathon.

A portrait of an ailing Evel Knievel.