Curio Cabinet / Sporty Curio

Nothing can slow this woman down. Jodie Grinham of Britain just won a bronze in archery, making history as the first ever Paralympian to medal while openly pregnant. Grinham, who also brought home a silver medal in 2016 in mixed team compound and a gold this year in the same event, recently won her first individual medal in individual compound. This latest Olympic medal is particularly noteworthy since Grinham earned it while 28 weeks pregnant. Being seven months along, Grinham’s training has involved learning to work around her prominent baby bump by adjusting her equipment and modifying her stance so that she can hold and fire her bow. Concerned about the possibility of going into labor prematurely, as she did during the birth of her now two-year-old son, Grinham went in for check ups prior to competition and took time to check that there was a hospital near where she would be competing. On an athlete’s busy schedule, that should definitely count as a labor of love.

[Image description: Two archery targets, one with an arrow through the yellow bullseye.] Credit & copyright: Pexels, Mikhail Nilov
 

Most people who compete at the Paralympics are representing their home countries. Some, however, represent a cause. Those who have fled or have been displaced from their homes can compete as part of the Refugee Paralympics Team. Among them is Zakia Khudadadi, who just became the first to earn them a medal. Khudadadi was born without one of her forearms, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing taekwondo in her home country of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, her dreams of competing internationally were seemingly dashed when the Taliban took power in 2021. Following an international outcry, the 25-year-old was able to flee the country and even compete for Afghanistan in Tokyo. After her debut, she settled in Paris, France, where she got the chance to compete again during the Paralympics. This time, though, she did so as a refugee. According to the International Paralympic Committee, approximately 120 million people worldwide have been displaced from their homes, equivalent to the population of a large nation. This year, they were represented by Khudadadi and eight others (including one guide runner), making up the largest Refugee team in Paralympics history. Now, thanks to Khudadadi, the team has a bronze medal to their name. Gold, silver, or bronze, it’s clear that Khudadadi and her teammates are made of even tougher stuff.

Did you think the Olympics were over? Well, there’s still a battle over bronze going on, though it may be more or less settled. American gymnast Jordan Chiles’s bronze medal was recently stripped from her and given to Romanian Ana Bǎrbosu in a ruling that may be appealed. So what exactly happened in the first place—or, in this case, third? The event in question is the women’s floor exercise that took place on August 5, where Ana Bǎrbosu and her fellow Romanian, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, were tied for third with a score of 13.700. After Chiles completed her performance, she was given a score of 13.666, which was based on the difficulty of her routine minus a deduction for a flaw in one element. After Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade clinched the gold with her 14.166 score, it seemed that Bǎrbosu would get the bronze over Maneca-Voinea due to the former’s higher execution score, but after Chiles’s team challenged the difficulty score, her score was changed to 13.766 and she was awarded a bronze medal. However, the Romanian team claimed that the Americans’ challenge came four seconds past the one minute limit, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the bronze should thus go to Bǎrbosu instead. USA Gymnastics tried to submit a timestamped video that they said proved that the appeal was submitted in time, but CAS refused to consider it. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is planning to appeal the ruling, and in the meantime, the Romanian Olympic Committee is also planning on challenging Maneca-Voinea’s 0.1 deduction for going out-of-bounds based on video evidence showing otherwise. If they’re successful, then the bronze would be awarded to Maneca-Voinea instead. To top it off, Bǎrbosu and Maneca-Voinea themselves are asking the CAS to award all three gymnasts a bronze. With the margin of victory so hard to judge, it doesn’t take mental gymnastics to think that three medals are better than one in this case.

Were they flashy moves or a flash in the pan? Breaking made its Olympic debut this year in Paris, but it might not be around again in the Summer Games. That would be a shame considering how long the sport took to get to the Olympics in the first place. Breaking (also called breakdancing) is a dance form that originated on the streets of New York City, in the Bronx. Since its birth in the 1970s, breaking has evolved into a style defined by jaw-dropping, often dangerous moves performed with bravado and humor. Breaking was first introduced to the Olympics by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) as part of the 2018 Youth Olympic program. It was then added to the Olympic program in 2021 and set to premiere in Paris. Despite concerns that breaking’s casual nature would make for difficult scoring, the new sport was well-received. One Australian breaker who competed under the name “Raygun” did end up going viral for her less-than-stellar performance, for which she earned zero points, but that seemed to be the only major hiccup. Still, breaking won’t be included as an event at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and a sport needs to be in the Olympics three consecutive times to be considered a part of the core program. The success of breaking might still prove to be a stepping stone for the WDSF, whose members have also been pushing for competitive dancing of other disciplines, like ballroom, to be included in the Olympics. It seems only right that athletes should be able to bust a move at the greatest sporting competition on earth.

You could say that she’s Biles ahead of the competition. Simone Biles made gymnastics history yet again at the Paris Olympics recently, winning gold and breaking records. After Biles stepped away from an event during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for her mental health and due to a condition called the twisties, she was heavily criticized. Her detractors certainly can’t say anything after her historic performance in Paris, though. First, she successfully landed the Yurchenko double pike vault during qualifying last week, making her the first woman ever to do so. The vault is so difficult that few male gymnasts have even attempted it in competition and simply landing it guaranteed her the lead. Now, the vault has been renamed the “Biles II” in her honor, adding to the four other elements that bear her name. She then led Team USA to victory against Italy and Brazil (silver and bronze, respectively) with a dominating performance in the vault, uneven bars, floor, and beam. The team win makes for her 8th gold medal, making her the most decorated U.S. Olympian in gymnastics. At age 27, she is also the oldest female gymnast to medal. And the most unbelievable part? She did all this while nursing a calf injury that she received in qualifying. You just can’t keep the best gymnast of all time down.

Part sport, part war, this game makes rugby look like a tea party. For centuries, the residents of Florence, Italy, have gathered to watch Calcio Storico, a unique game that is quite literally rooted in war. After witnessing a match of Calcio Storico in 1574, King Henry III of France is said to have described it as, “Too small to be a war, too cruel to be a game.” It was an apt description, considering that the game was developed during the Siege of Florence just decades earlier. Beset by enemies, the residents intimidated their foes from within the walls of Florence by staging a bout of the game to show off their physical prowess at Piazza Santa Croce, a square at the heart of the city. Today, the final match is preceded by a parade featuring historical costumes, including the players themselves who play in Renaissance garb. The rules are simple: each team must get a ball inside a net, the latter of which is the same width as the sand-covered playing field. Players can use any means necessary to stop their opponents, including punching and grappling. Bloody injuries are practically expected during any match. While it may seem “cruel,” the game is a matter of tradition and pride for the city. There are just four teams, each representing a district, and players can only represent the district they were born in. The game’s brutal nature isn’t just a dangerous quirk—it’s the point. By keeping the game as close to its original form as possible, the people of Florence honor the strength and defiant spirit of their forebears. Still, watching is probably a better experience than participating.

[Image description: A painting from between 1523 and 1605 showing a Calcio match in a town square in Florence, with a large crowd and horses surrounding the square.] Credit & copyright: Ball game on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy, Stradanus (1523–1605). Wikimedia Commons, this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.
 

It may not be the most popular Olympic sport, but it’s still the mane event. Some fans were disappointed recently when Jessica Springsteen, daughter of American singer Bruce Springsteen, failed to qualify for the Olympics this year after earning a silver medal in Tokyo. Her sport? Equestrian. Yes, horses compete at the Olympics, and have done so since 1900. There are three equestrian events: jumping, dressage, and eventing. Jumping is exactly what it sounds like, with horses galloping through a jump-focused obstacle course in a race against time (riders are penalized for knocking over obstacles). Dressage is a bit like dancing on horseback. Riders need to have focused control over their horses as they trot and move to music. Scores are assigned based on fluidity and ease of control. Finally, there’s eventing, which combines the aforementioned events with a cross-country obstacle race. There is very little room for error in any equestrian event, as riders have to maintain control of their massive mounts at all times. However, since the events don’t depend solely on the athletic prowess of human riders, equestrian competitors are often older than average Olympians. The oldest member of Team USA this year, Laura Kraut, is competing in equestrian jumping at age 58. It takes experience to keep pace when trotting for the gold.

[Image description: A drawing by Polish painter Maksymilian Oborski of a rider in a top hat on a horse.] Credit & copyright: Maksymilian Oborski (1809–1878), Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.
 

There's literally no hurdle that this runner can't get over. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has managed to beat her personal best and set a new world record during the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials finale. It would be an understatement to say that McLaughlin-Levrone is good at what she does. During the 2022 World Championships, the seasoned runner set a new world record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.68 seconds. Now, she’s broken the record again at Hayward Field ahead of the Paris Olympics. With a time of 50.65 seconds, she finished nearly two seconds ahead of second place finisher Anna Cockrell (52.64 seconds) and third place finisher Jasmine Jones (52.77 seconds) after leaping over ten hurdles followed by a sprint. The 24-year-old runner is so fast that the hurdles don’t even seem to slow her down—she also holds the record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.75 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone is favored to take the gold in the event this summer, but she says she won’t stop there. After all, she already has a gold in the event from the last time she showed up to the Olympics. According to interviews, she’s aiming higher and hopes to break the 50-second barrier someday, possibly in Paris. At this point, she’s just racing against herself.

[Image description: Hurdles on an indoor track and field course.] Credit & copyright: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels
 

Chess might be the game of kings, but crokinole is the game of Canucks. The World Crokinole Championship took place earlier this month, continuing a proud tradition that started…who knows when. Crokinole is a popular parlor game in Canada, but its origins are mysterious. The earliest written record of the game is from 1860, and it describes it as already being popular. Nowadays, there are crokinole aficionados around the world, and the best of the best gather every year in Tavistock, Ontario, to test their mettle on the board at the World Crokinole Championship. The game involves taking turns flicking discs on a wooden board and can be played in singles or doubles formats. The center of the board has a hole worth 20 points, and the rest of the board is divided into concentric circles worth 15, 10, and 5 points. This year, first place went to defending champion Connor Reinman of Michigan, but one of the standout competitors was Ryotaro Fukuda, the first Japanese player to ever compete at the championships. Despite having only played the game for 18 months, Fukuda placed 10th overall. Organizers noted that crokinole seems to be spreading in popularity throughout the U.S., perhaps due to a growing interest in board games in general. Get your flicking fingers ready—crokinole might be coming to a table near you!

You really have to hoof it to win this race. It’s summer in the Rockies, and that means it’s time for Colorado's official summer heritage sport: pack burro racing. It’s an unusual competition that combines the stubbornness of donkeys with the stubbornness of human athletes. According to state lore, pack burro racing came about when two prospectors in the 1800s raced back to town from a gold deposit to be the first to stake a claim. Each had donkeys laden with tools and supplies, so the men raced with their pack animals galloping alongside them on leads. It wasn’t until 1949 that the first official race was held, with competitors similarly running beside—not riding on—their donkeys. The sport became popular enough and so ingrained in the state’s history that in 2012, the state passed House Joint Resolution 12-1021 to declare it their official summer heritage sport. Since its humble, inaugural race with just 21 participants (and only eight finishers), the event has grown to host around 100 racers every year. This year is the 75th anniversary of the event, a three-day affair called Burro Days that takes place in the town of Fairplay. Athletes have to think about more than just the high elevation and the rugged terrain when racing with their donkeys. For example, competitors aren’t supposed to tie themselves to their animals because, if a donkey hears their person fall, they’ll just run faster, dragging their human companion behind them. It seems these burros are a little confused about just who’s the leader of the pack.

[Image description: A donkey eating grass in a field.] Credit & copyright: Adrian Pingstone, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Arpingstone at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide.
 

You’re outta here… forever! Tucupita Marcano, an infielder for the San Diego Padres, has been banned from baseball for life after getting caught gambling on MLB games. It might seem harsh, but it’s a rare punishment that has happened only a few times in the history of the sport. Marcano received the lifetime ban earlier this week after it came to light that he placed 387 bets totaling over $150,000 between October 2022 and November 2023. According to MLB Rule 21, which covers a variety of indiscretions, “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.” Coincidentally, Marcano received the ban as the League approaches the 100th anniversary of the only other time an American player on the roster was ejected from the sport permanently under the MLB gambling provision. Back in 1924, Jimmy O'Connell of the New York Giants was reported to the league for offering to throw the game in favor of the Philadelphia Phillies while fighting for the pennant. In addition, player-turned-manager Pete Rose was banned from the sport in 1989 after he was found to be gambling on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team. As for Marcano, after all the trouble he went through, he ended up winning only 4.3 percent of his bets. That almost seems like punishment enough.

It’s the ultimate test of digit-al strength! Last week, 150 men gathered in the Bavarian town of Bernbeuren to compete in the national Fingerhakeln championship, one of the world’s strangest sporting events, hands down. Fingerhakeln, also called finger wrestling in English, is a serious athletic tradition developed in the Alpine communities of Bavaria and Austria. Originally, Fingerhakeln was a means to settle disputes, but it evolved into a competitive sport over time. The rules are simple: each round sees two finger wrestlers facing off, with each hooking one finger through a leather loop. They then pull as hard as they can, hoping to hold on longer than their opponent. Competitors usually use their middle fingers, and it’s common for fingers to get pulled out of their joints. Whoever wins moves on to another round, and the rounds continue until one man is crowned champion. Many competitors, like this year’s champion Luis Koegel, take the sport very seriously, and it’s not uncommon for men to train by hanging weights from their fingers. Finger wrestlers come in a wide range of ages, with the youngest and oldest competitors this year being 15 and 70. However, there were no competitors from outside Bavaria this year, as the region handily dominates the sport in Germany.

Oh, the suspen…sion! The Indianapolis 500 is coming up soon to kick off this year’s season of IndyCar, but what should have been a strong start for one of the most high-profile drivers and his teammates has been stalled due to a cheating scandal. Back on March 10, Indy500’s reigning champ, Josef Newgarden, finished first with his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power finishing third and fourth, respectively. However, IndyCar officials disqualified Newgarden and McLaughlin, and docked Power 10 points for using illegal software to manipulate the push-to-pass system. Also called P2P, the software is installed on all IndyCars and regulates the engine’s horsepower output. P2P made its debut in the 2009 season, and drivers are alloted up to 200 seconds of its use per race, gaining an additional 60 horsepower for 20 seconds at a time. Officials disable P2P on starts and restarts, but the three drivers for Team Penske were found to have bypassed this limit. Team Penske’s owner Roger Penske also suspended the team’s president Tim Cindric and three others: managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson. The suspended team members, led by Cindric, are accepting responsibility for the penalties, while drivers claim that they were misinformed about the rules regarding P2P. Nevertheless, the three drivers have also been fined $25,000 each and will forfeit their prize money from the race. With Newgarden’s disqualification, Pato O’Ward of McLaren Racing has now been awarded first place after originally finishing second. Now he’s second to none.

He might be a newbie, but he's not exactly green. The Buffalo Bills just drafted Travis Clayton, a man who has never played American football competitively. Yet, the pick isn’t raising many eyebrows. That’s because Clayton is a rugby player and a graduate of the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program. The program is an intensive, 10-week boot camp for athletes who, like Clayton, have limited experience playing football. To qualify for the program, the candidate must not be a resident of the U.S. or Canada, and must not have attended high school in either country for more than two years. Since it was established in 2017, the program has produced 37 international players to date, with 18 still on rosters. Among them is Jordan Mailata, an offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles who also came from rugby before stepping on the gridiron. Clayton will be playing the same position, and he’s following in some impressive footsteps, as Mailata is one of the best OTs in the NFL right now. On paper, the 303-pound, 6-foot-7-inch Clayton seems more than capable, running a 4.79 second 40-yard dash. No wonder they put him on the fast track.