“The 400-meter hurdles world-record holder is once again on the cusp of Olympic glory. To get there, she had to find transcendence—both on and away from the track.”
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The Tickling of the Bulls: A Rodeo at Madison Square Garden
“It’s an especially American paradox: a ruthlessly meritocratic system where men nonetheless live to pull each other up by their bootstraps.”
Against Winning
“What I am qualified to say—what I am saying: what links the evils of the modern Olympics to literary criticism, to literary prizes and to A-to-F classroom grades—is that I’m tired of losing and tired of winning, and that we all lose when we focus so often on prizes, grades, and final scores.”
Acts of the Apostles
“In a community hard-hit by opioids, one pastor is knocking on motel room doors to invite people to worship. The message: We’re all broken people.”
Rebuilding the Maze
“After a crucial section of a California freeway collapsed, this formidable construction boss pulled off one of the fastest, riskiest, most high-stakes reconstructions in U.S. history.”
Casual Luke Rides the Big Wave
“Earlier this year, a North Shore local named Luke Shepardson paddled out during his break and won the most prestigious big-wave competition on the planet.”
Michael Stipe Is Writing His Next Act. Slowly.
“How do you reinvent yourself after being a global superstar? The former R.E.M. frontman is still figuring that out.”
I Spent Three Years Inhaling Tacos and Corn Dogs in Eating Contests. Here’s Why I Stopped.
“The first time I entered an eating contest, I made a little girl cry.”
Game, Set, Fix
“As gambling on tennis exploded into a $50 billion industry, he had infiltrated the sport, paying pros more to lose … than they could make by winning tournaments.”
