Olympic champion Ryan Lochte made an emphatic return to competition Wednesday, swimming the fourth-fastest time by an American in the 200-meter individual medley during a time trial in the U.S. national championships at Stanford University. “I’m back, woo!” Lochte proclaimed in his opening remarks on the pool deck at Avery Aquatic Center after qualifying for next year’s U.S. Olympic trials...

Setting itself apart from other great American sports teams, the U.S. women’s soccer team is embracing a front-line role in social justice causes even as it savors a fourth world championship. The players are now world leaders in the push for gender equity in the workplace, having sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay and treatment vis-a-vis the men’s...

Gabriele Grunewald, one of the country’s top middle-distance runners, has died at her home in Minneapolis after inspiring many with her long and public fight against cancer. She was 32. Her husband, Justin Grunewald, said she died Tuesday night. “It was one of the most peaceful passings I’ve seen. Everything she did was timed in her own time and perfect,”...

Ash Barty knew she needed a break from tennis, from the pressure and expectations, from the week-in, week-out grind. So she stepped away in 2014 and wound up trying her hand at cricket, joining a professional team at home in Australia. After almost two years away, Barty was pulled back to the tour. Good choice. Now she’s a Grand Slam...

The world’s best player won’t be at the Women’s World Cup but the world’s best team will be, with both sides taking a stand for equality. The U.S. national team, ranked No. 1 globally, will try to defend its title in soccer’s premier tournament, which kicks off Friday in Paris. While the Americans make their way around France for the...

The jockey shuffle heading into the Preakness has a “musical chairs” feel to it. Of the 13 jockeys in Saturday’s race, nine who rode in the Kentucky Derby are aboard a different horse in the Preakness. Most notably, Hall of Famer Mike Smith is now riding favored Improbable with familiar trainer Bob Baffert, bumping Irad Ortiz to Bourbon War.

The next stop in the chase for the Triple Crown is the Preakness, though both Maximum Security and Country House remain noncommittal for the May 18 race following Maximum Security’s disqualification from the Kentucky Derby. Owner Gary West said Sunday he is unsure whether to enter Maximum Security in the Preakness as he ponders appealing the historic decision. West also...

Maximum Security led the Kentucky Derby every step of the way except for the last one — into the winner’s circle. The colt became the first winner disqualified for interference in the Derby’s 145-year history, leading to an agonizing wait and an eventual stunning reversal that made 65-1 shot Country House the winner Saturday. Country House finished second in the...

Maximum Security had appeared to win the 145th Derby but officials ruled he interfered.

The sports world’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Olympic champion Caster Semenya and other female runners like her with unusually high testosterone must take medication to reduce their levels of the male sex hormone if they want to compete in certain events — a landmark decision with far-reaching ramifications for other women’s sports. In a 2-1 ruling, the Court of...

Officiating is especially a hot topic around the league after a blown call late in the NFC championship game pretty much cost the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.

The Nike Adapt BB — a self-lacing smart shoe that can be controlled by a smartphone — gets released to the public on Sunday, a date that just happens to coincide with the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte.

Life after skiing is already taking shape for Lindsey Vonn and she has not even competed in her last race.

One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn’s career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes time and time again. So perhaps it’s fitting that the most successful female skier of all time will enter her last race before retiring following yet another tumble into the safety netting. Vonn straddled a gate mid-air during the super-G at the...

The U.S. Olympic Committee took steps Monday to decertify USA Gymnastics as the governing body for the sport at the Olympic level, choosing the nuclear option for an organization that botched its own rebuilding attempt in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal involving former team doctor Larry Nassar....
In an open letter to the gymnastics community, USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland said...

Justify is the talk of the horse racing industry with a very real chance to win the Triple Crown.

Derby champ Justify has something special – but so does his jockey, 52-year-old Mike Smith.

Justify vaulted into the role of probable Kentucky Derby favorite with a three-length victory over Bolt d’Oro in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on Saturday. Trained by Bob Baffert and winner of his three career starts by a combined 19 lengths, Justify had to finish first or second to earn enough qualifying points to run in the Derby on May 5.

It was a sweeping goal, spelled out on a colorful, full-screen slide and presented to leaders of the U.S. Olympic Committee in a meeting last year. Sports executives in America targeted athletes on Team USA to win 37 medals at the Pyeongchang Games. Heading into the final 48 hours of action, the United States had 21. Even if things were...