Toughest athlete is female and unknown
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You probably haven't heard about one of the toughest endurance sports around: the deca-ironman. That's 38 km swimming, immediately followed by an 1800 km bicycle ride and a 420 km run. Currently, the world record stands at about 187 hours, held by a German housewife. Nobody else has ever finished the course below 192 hours.
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By Keri Brenner, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.  Feb.
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Shawn Johnson, a 15-year-old girl from Iowa, won the all-around title at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and set herself up as the woman to beat next year at the Beijing Olympics. Johnson scored 61.875 points to defeat Steliana Nistor of Romania by 1.25.
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Georgian athlete Lasha Pataraia might not be the strongest man on earth but he may have the strongest ears.
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Four years ago, she stood alone atop not just track and field, but the entire sports world - universally acclaimed as the greatest female athlete on earth.
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ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, failed once again in the Olympics as she was struck by injury before the first hurdle. Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the 100-meter hurdles, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle...
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ARLINGTON -- Despite a fear of heights and her claim to be &quot;the most unathletic person out there,&quot; Becky Carriveau of Medford said she was inspired to sign up for a beginner's indoor rock-climbing class through the Wild Women Outfitters retail store in Arlington as a challenge for the coming year.
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Carolina Kluft is the new darling of Swedish sport but the newly-crowned Olympic heptathlon champion is determined to have more in her life than the toughest event in women&#39;s athletics.
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VAL D'ISERE, France  - Sweden's Anja Paerson, yet to win a race so far this season, set the pace at a women's downhill training session in Val d'Isere on Monday.
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It was the final of the forgotten. Those who raced it, this weirdest of women&#39;s 100-metres dashes, were a largely unknown lot; the winner, Yuliya Nesterenko, ran into history from the comfortable starting blocks of near-total anonymity.
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No American woman has ever won an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. But Kikkan Randall, a two-time Olympian, is hoping to change that.
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Greater fanfare has been directed toward other American female athletes, but it's hard to figure out why. Few have performed with the diligence and excellence over a number of years quite like Juli Inkster.
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Lack of education, sexist male officials and traditional views on marriage remain major stumbling blocks for Kenyan girls aspiring to be athletes, says one of the country's first female Olympians.
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The United States women's soccer team is bracing for Brazil. It knows Thursday's Women's World Cup semifinal will be rough, smoothed a bit by the artistry of Marta, the game's best female player.
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ATHENS, Greece   The diva does not warm up before her performance. Not much, anyway. That is something that other gymnasts do, and Svetlana Khorkina will never be confused with one of those.
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Olympic champions have their parents to thank for their physiology&#151;but no one is born a world-record holder. That also requires training, nutrition, desire, and determination.
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Young women athletes who suffer tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) -- the ligament in the knee that provides stability -- face a serious risk of potentially