Olympic

Pietro Mennea, 60, an Olympic sprint champion from Italy who held the world record in the 200 meters for 17 years, died Thursday at a hospital in Rome, the Italian Olympic Committee said. The cause was not disclosed. On Sept. 12, 1979, Mennea, competing in the World University Games at the high altitude of Mexico City, set the 200 world record of 19.72 seconds. He broke U.S. sprinter Tommie Smith's record of 19.83, set on the same track at the 1968 Olympics. Mennea's record stood until Michael Johnson ran 19.66 on June 23, 1996, at the U.S. Olympic trials.

When Rebecca Soni took down one of the hallowed barriers in swimming - becoming the first woman to go under 2 minutes and 20 seconds in the 200-meter breaststroke - the moment resonated on multiple levels. Not only did her star turn come on the world stage, at the London Olympics, the modest Soni became the first American swimmer to repeat a gold-medal performance in the breaststroke, winning in 2:19.59. Four years prior, Soni upset the heavily favored Leisel Jones of Australia to own the podium at the Beijing Olympics in the 200 breaststroke.

LONDON, Canada - After covering figure skating for 33 years, you learn to accept the partly subjective nature of judging in the sport. That does not make the "reputation judging" that falsified the men's and pairs results at the World Figure Skating Championships that ended Saturday any less maddening or unconscionable. The number of tweets from past and present elite skaters perplexed or outraged by Patrick Chan's home-cooked-up victory over Denis Ten of Kazakhstan in singles makes that clear.

No one doubts that Los Angeles is ready, willing and able to host another Summer Olympics. There are a handful of major league sports venues and an ample fan base, not to mention a reliably sunny climate, all of which contributed to two successful Games in the past. "L.A. is the one place in the world that is always ready to host," said Anita DeFrantz, an International Olympic Committee member and longtime resident. "It's a city that loves sports. " But that doesn't mean the U.S. Olympic Committee or the IOC necessarily favors returning to Southern California.

LONDON, Canada -- For Olympic gold medalists, making a comeback after time away from the sport is as likely to produce disappointment as further distinction. For every Evgeny Plushenko, who took three years off from competition after winning gold in 2006 and barely missed gold again in 2010, there is a Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko or Katarina Witt, none of whom could reach the podium in their return engagement. Sometimes even the effort to regain peak form seems too much, as 2010 Olympic men's champion Evan Lysacek has learned, his body having said no twice (groin injury and hernia)

LONDON, Canada - The first sellout crowd at the World Figure Skating Championships got what it came for, a victory by the national homey, Patrick Chan. But his performance as Rodolfo, the poet in the opera "La Boheme," wasn't much to write home about. Unless, of course, someone wanted to add another chapter to the voluminous history of questionable judging in figure skating. Only the near seven-point lead Chan built in the short program and a dose of home-cooked "Chanflation" allowed the Canadian to win his third straight men's world title and prevent Denis Ten of Kazakhstan from a triumph that would have made him one of the most surprising champions in history.

LONDON, Canada - Gracie Gold is plainly reverential toward Yuna Kim, whom the 17-year-old Gold came to idolize in the two years leading up to Kim's victory at the 2010 Olympics. It makes no difference that she now is Kim's competitor. This was Gold's first encounter with Kim, and she was excited and a little intimidated in the South Korean's presence. Gold would be too busy with her own preparations for Thursday's short program at the Figure Skating World Championships to catch anything but the end of Kim's performance.

LONDON, Canada - Gracie Gold is plainly reverential toward Yuna Kim, whom the 17-year-old Gold came to idolize in the two years leading up to Kim's victory at the 2010 Olympics. It makes no difference that she now is Kim's competitor. This was Gold's first encounter with Kim, and she was excited and a little intimidated in the South Korean's presence. Gold would be too busy with her own preparations for Thursday's short program at the Figure Skating World Championships to catch anything but the end of Kim's performance.

LONDON, Canada - It had been a blue funk kind of season for Patrick Chan. Sure, the judges remained enamored of his prodigious talent. But it had reached the point that they simply overlooked his frequent falls and propped him up to victory with the component - or artistry - scores. The Canadian was third at the Grand Prix Final and second at Skate Canada, of all places. As the World Championships neared, Chan knew something had to change if he were to win a third straight title.

In February, the U.S. Olympic Committee sent a letter to the mayors of 35 cities, asking their interest in being the official U.S. candidate to host the 2024 Summer Games. Los Angeles was included in that list, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent the official reply Monday. Yes, L.A. would love to host the Games. "On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I am pleased to confirm out enthusiastic interest in bidding to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games," Villaraigosa said in the letter sent to Scott Blackmun, the chief executive of the USOC.