Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Marlen Esparza is fierce, cocky, and built for stardom. This summer she'll go into the ring in London, where she hopes to win gold at the Olympic debut of women’s boxing
Keeping up with Sebastian Coe, double Olympic gold medallist and the man responsible for making the London Games happen. "We Brits tend not to look at the bright side, and that's why it's good to have someone like Seb in the lead"
Four times world poker champion. Talk-show favourite. Friend of presidents. So thin he looked like "the advance man for a famine". Could "talk the nuts off a motorcycle". Sold his memoirs to Hollywood. Then came the scandal
World champion poker player. "Nor were his talents confined to the card table. He once reputedly relieved a drug dealer of $50,000 in the jail cell they were sharing by betting on which of five lumps of sugar a fly would land"
Great tribute to Masters winner, Bubba Watson. Conjuror of miraculous shots; Forrest Gump of golf. How good can he be? Said Bubba: "That's the best part about history—we don't know what's going to happen"
Ultra-runner. Born Michael Randall Hickman, 1954, in California. Studied eastern religions. Prizefighter. Kick-boxer. Cave-dweller in Hawaii. Furniture-mover. Settled with Mexican indians. Founded Copper Canyon Ultra-Marathon
British comedian travels to Addis Ababa to try out some barefoot running with double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie. Not much goes according to plan, but at least the hyenas don't attack. Enjoyable throughout
He may not be at Augusta this weekend, but Jhonattan Vegas has made waves since turning pro. He arrived in Houston from Venezuela, a 17-year-old with beat-up clubs and 10 words of English, three of which were birdie, par and bogey
He's back out there where he used to be: At the top of the betting for a major championship. And his game looks in fair shape. But what about Tiger, the man? The headline gives away that he hasn't come back to golf exactly humbled
In July 1912, two men played against each other in a tennis tournament in Boston, a fixture on the US lawn tennis circuit. Remarkably, they had both independently survived the sinking of the Titanic three months earlier
Asked how he pitched to Mickey Mantle, former Red Sox hurler Frank Sullivan replied: "With tears in my eyes." It was a classy reply. In this piece, Mantle's biographer goes to see Sullivan, now 82 and generous to a fault
Charming short story of Indian football legend Sailendra Nath Manna. Led his country to international glory in 1940s. Never booked, never committed a foul. Always played barefoot. Total earnings in five decades: 19 Rupees
