sundance

First Olympic marathon athletes

The other weekend, my neighborhood was teeming with runners from all over the world who were in New York City to race in the world’s largest marathon, for which I woke up in time (no small feat for me on the weekends) to witness the thrilling come-from-behind-victory for the women’s race by Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia. (Even more impressive to me than her win was the fact that Firehiwot Dado has the word “fire” in her first name.) Her winning time of 2:23:15 and, for the men, Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai’s record-setting time of 2:5:5 compelled the television commentators to remark that the marathon had now become a sprint at the elite level and it won’t be long before the 2 hour mark is beaten…

Johnny Weir looks back at the Olympics: Fortius Altius Maximus

Me with my coaches Galina Zmievskaya and Viktor Petrenko. Photo by Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images.

In the season finale of BE GOOD JOHNNY WEIR, my fans and fans of my show will travel with me to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. There is a lot of detail shown in the finale, but I thought I’d dish a little dirt about the Olympics, and this has nothing to do with the fact that condoms were officially supplied in the Olympic Village.

Read Johnny’s personal and moving account of the joy and heartbreak he experienced in Vancouver.

Johnny Weir to blog for SUNfiltered – so gear up for season finale on June 27!

Johnny Weir at the Independent Spirit Awards On behalf of Johnny… Guess who’s going to be dropping by SUNfiltered the next few weeks? Our very own Johnny Weir! So all you Johnny fans be sure to check back and hear what’s on his mind. What will he be writing about? Well, we don’t have a [...]

Hi-res Olympic images

The Olympics came and went before I had time to fully understand the phenomenon of curling. I still have no clue. None at all.

And while we were a bit Johnny Weir-obsessed around these parts, and rightfully so, it would be a shame to not think fondly on the USA’s triumphs. Even with costumes consisting of bird feathers, we can still win the gold.

Sex at the Winter Olympics

The Olympics are such a noble event symbolic of international peace and camaraderie, that to bring sex into The Games would be a tactless move, expressing an outright distaste of taste. So….let the tactlessness begin! Apparently, lots of sweating, increased heart rates, and aerobic activity doesn’t just happen at the official events, but also in the Olympic Village — in the past, people have called it “an adult Disney World.”

Johnny’s Olympic Performance: Who do you think should have won?

Johnny ends his performance in the men’s 2010 Winter Olympics figure skating free program. Photo by Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images.

Did the judges get it right? Did the best man win? Take our poll below and let us know your thoughts in the comment field below.

Make it or break it: Can Johnny pull out all the stops?

Johnny rocks the tassle in the men’s figure skating short program on day 5 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at the Pacific Coliseum on February 16, 2010. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Scoring 82.10 for his short program (view here), Johnny is current in 6th place. Tonight, he skates second to last…right before Russian rockstar and defending gold Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko.

Despite having skated a clean short program, Johnny knows he’s not the favorite, at least not by commentators and judges. Even NBC’s coverage of the games couldn’t make that more clear; they produced two interstitial pieces featuring Evan Lysacek and Jeremy Abbott…but there wasn’t one featuring Johnny. With the top three competitors (Plushenko in first, Lysacek in second, and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan in third) only several tenths of a point away from each other, his nearly nine point difference from Plushenko’s 90.85 seems impossible to beat.

Weir Roundup: Olympic Fever!

Johnny gets competitive. Image courtesy of NBC.

With Johnny performing his short program tomorrow and his free skate on Wednesday, Tom Hammond, Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic discuss the strength of the U.S. men’s figure skaters. It’s a loaded competition field for the men, where about nine skaters are believed to be contenders for the three top slots. Johnny is slated to perform in the 5th group, the 25th slot in 30. Don’t miss his performance; check out local listings here.

Reigning Olympic champion and this year’s favorite to win Evgeni Plushenko of Russia raises questions of bias in figure skating judging.

Also, with Plushenko’s return from retirement (he left the sport after this gold win in Torino, was out of the sport for three years, then came back this season just to compete in the Olympics once again), other male figure skaters ask themselves: to quad or not to quad? While landing a quad can mean big points, not landing it can bring a bigger penalty than it’s worth. Execution of the quad jump embodies not only high risk, but how the sport’s new judging system, according to some critics, has favored technicality over artistry and expression.

Check out video of Johnny practicing the quad, his interview with both Wall Street Journal and HBO Real Sports, after the jump.

Weir Roundup: Johnny does Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood

Johnny Weir poses for a portrait during the NBC/USOC Promotional Photo Shoot on May 12, 2009 at Smashbox Studios

With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver just a week away, SUNfiltered will bring you a “Weir Roundup” whenever possible that will not only feature the latest news on Johnny, but also interesting video clips. In this edition, we’ll be showcasing Johnny’s vocal talents and a recently made-available video of Johnny’s routine to Jordin Sparks’ live performance of “Battlefield.” In the upcoming days, we’ll be highlighting other notable exhibition routines, as well career-making performances like “The Swan.”

– Johnny and acclaimed photographer and music video director Matthew Rolston come together in a promo shoot for BE GOOD JOHNNY WEIR. Check out the final product and behind-the-scenes footage on Full Frontal Fashion.

– “Skater Johnny Weir’s New Resolve” by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

– Ryan McGinely showcases a photo portfolio entitled “The Highfliers” featuring Shaun White, Johnny Weir, Emily Cook, and more in the latest edition of NY Times Magazine. All the athletes featured are wearing custom Rodarte knitwear which can bee seen here.

Don’t miss Johnny singing, after the jump.

Go Johnny, GO! Weir secures a spot on Olympic team

Ladies and gentlemen, the US Olympic team for men’s figure skating: (L to R) Jeremy Abbott, Johnny Weir, and Evan Lysacek. After skating a solid short program and having a few slip ups during his free skate program, Johnny Weir finished an overall third place in the U.S. Nationals for men’s figure skating and secured [...]

Olympians Must Face The Music

In an effort to continue our cutting edge coverage of the music scene at Olympics 2008, we thought we might introduce you to this unique and hilarious subtitled rendition of the Olympic Theme Song [black20.com]. Enjoy! On the flipside, don’t root for the Spanish Basketball Team [abcnews.go.com]. These guys are actually out there defending this. [...]