Gwen Berry
Gwen Berry, of the United States, competes in the women's hammer throw final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Last stand: Outspoken Berry says goodbye to the Tokyo Games

By Pat Graham Aug. 03, 2021 11:55 AM EDT

Elaine Thompson-Herah, of Jamaica celebrates after winning the gold medal in the final of the women's 200-meter at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
You again! Thompson-Herah speeds to 2nd Olympic sprint sweep

By Eddie Pells Aug. 03, 2021 11:30 AM EDT

Raven Saunders, of United States, reacts during the woman's shot put final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Incredible Raven: Saunders lends her voice to the Olympics

By Eddie Pells And Pat Graham Aug. 01, 2021 03:14 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, John Carlos, left, and Tommie Smith pose for a photo in front of statue that honors their iconic, black-gloved protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. Smith, Carlos and Gwen Berry are among the more than 150 educators, activists and athletes who signed a letter Thursday, July 22, 2021, urging the IOC not to punish participants who demonstrate at the Tokyo Games. ( (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
Smith, Carlos, Berry demand change in Olympic protest rule

By Eddie Pells Jul. 22, 2021 10:50 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, a statue in honor of former Olympians Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos is seen on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. Smith and Carlos raised their black-gloved fists while their national anthem played during the 200-meters medals ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Rule 50 of the IOC charter states: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.” (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
EXPLAINER: What's the history of the Olympics protest rule?

By Eddie Pells Jul. 22, 2021 01:37 AM EDT

Gwendolyn Berry, left, drapes her Activist Athlete T-Shirt over her head as DeAnna Price stands for the national anthem after the finals of the women's hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. Price won and Berry finished third. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Message sent: Berry turns away from flag during anthem

By Eddie Pells Jun. 26, 2021 09:16 PM EDT

Gabby Thomas celebrates after winning the final in the women's 200-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The Latest: Reese makes 4th Olympic team in long jump

By The Associated Press Jun. 26, 2021 12:02 PM EDT

Gwendolyn Berry lifts her arm during introductions for the prelims of the women's hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Berry opens at Olympic trials: 'I want to impact the world'

By Eddie Pells Jun. 24, 2021 06:59 PM EDT

Competitors stand for the national anthem before the prelims of the women's pole vault the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)tonal at the
The Latest: Emma Coburn wins 3,000-meter steeplechase

By The Associated Press Jun. 24, 2021 11:58 AM EDT

FILE - Silver medalist Sydney McLaughlin, left, and gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad, both from the United States, pose during the medal ceremony for the women's 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in this Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, file photo. The most anticipated race of the U.S. track and field trials may be the women's 400 hurdles, where world record holder Dalilah Muhammad tries to hold off the up-and-comer Sydney McLaughlin. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File)
Weather, women's 400 hurdles set to sizzle on final weekend

By Pat Graham Jun. 23, 2021 05:49 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, extending gloved hands skyward in protest, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos stare downward during the national anthem after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze in the men's 200 meters at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman is at left. In a major shift in policy, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee committed to not sanction athletes who use their platform for social demonstrations. The USOPC stance sets up the possibility for conflict and confusion at the Tokyo Games, where the IOC will be in charge. (AP Photo/File)
Track trials could bring demonstrations on the medals stand

By Eddie Pells Jun. 18, 2021 02:34 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, a statue in honor of former Olympians Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos is seen on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. It was Rule 50, which prohibits inside-the-lines protests at the games, that most famously led to the ouster of Smith and Carlos from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City after the sprinters raised their fists on the medals stand to protest racial inequality in the United States. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
Olympics on tight timeline to chart new path on protest

By Eddie Pells Dec. 11, 2020 01:42 AM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, a gold medalist stands behind the podium after the flower ceremony at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes, announcing Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
Listening to athletes, USOPC won't punish Olympic protests

By Eddie Pells Dec. 10, 2020 10:47 AM EST

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2019, file photo, Gwendolyn "Gwen" Berry of the United States waves as she is introduced at the start of the women's hammer throw final during athletics competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Berry has won a humanitarian award for her outspoken role in raising social-justice issues in the United States. The 31-year-old hammer thrower wins the Toyota Humanitarian Award, given annually by USA Track and Field. She's being honored for her role in the debate about social inequality on and off the playing field for the past 16 months. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Gwen Berry wins humanitarian award, insists US can do better

By Eddie Pells Dec. 02, 2020 03:13 PM EST

FILE - In this June 3, 2020, photo, the Olympic rings float in the water at sunset in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. Masa Takaya, the spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics, said Thursday, July 9, 2020, he’s confident the postponed games can be held in 2021 despite a recent poll in Japan in which 77% of respondents said they did not believe the games could be held next year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Track group calls for change of Olympic protest rule

By Eddie Pells Jul. 17, 2020 05:31 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018, file photo, 1968 Olympic athlete John Carlos raises his fist as he speaks about his experience as Olympians who participated in Mexico City in 1968 during the 50th Anniversary of the Defining Moment in Sports Social Activism Historic Town Hall at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. Olympic protestor John Carlos co-authored a letter with an influential American athletes' group calling on the IOC to abolish the rule that bans protests at the Olympics and replace it with a policy written in collaboration with athletes. Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists on the medals stand at the 1968 Olympics to protest racial inequality in the United States. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
Carlos, US athletes take stand to end Olympic protest rule

By Eddie Pells Jun. 27, 2020 12:51 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2020, file photo, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Los Angeles 2028 organizers in Beverly Hills, Calif. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is signaling willingness to challenge longstanding IOC rules restricting protests at the Olympics, while also facing backlash from some of its own athletes for moves viewed by some as not being driven by sufficient athlete input. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
US Olympic leaders eye change on protests amid wary athletes

By Eddie Pells Jun. 13, 2020 10:20 AM EDT

USOPC forming group to look into Olympic protests

By Eddie Pells Jun. 09, 2020 08:09 PM EDT
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is creating an athlete group that will look into loosening restrictions on protests at the games. ...

FILE - In this March 4, 2020, file photo, people wearing masks walk past the Olympic rings near the New National Stadium in Tokyo. It's been 2 1/2 months since the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So where do the games stand? So far, many ideas about how the Olympic can take place are being floated by the International Olympic Committee, Japanese officials and politicians, and in unsourced Japanese newspaper articles coming from local organizers and politicians. The focus is on soaring costs, fans, or no fans, possible quarantines for athletes, and cutting back to only “the essentials." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Q&A: State of Tokyo Olympics 2 1/2 months after postponement

By Stephen Wade Jun. 08, 2020 10:32 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2019, file photo, Noah Lyles, of the United States, leads the team to gold in the men's 4x100 meter relay final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Lyles is spending his time these days trying to process what's happening in his country — a land riven with protests, pain and questions in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, FIle)
Star sprinter eyes a roiled nation and race in all its forms

By Eddie Pells Jun. 06, 2020 12:03 PM EDT