IT'S time for the Paris Olympics and Team USA's dedicated athletes are outnumbered and scorned as they battle the world for the gold! This GLOBE special report reveals American competitors' secret triumphs and hidden tragedies on and off the playing field. But despite their dedication and talent, the proud patriots face an uphill battle in a rigged system favoring foreign adversaries, including the Chinese swim team, which was caught doping but still allowed to compete!
THE AGONY OF DEFEAT FIRES UP SARAH BACON
Diver Bacon is flipping out over making the U.S. Olympic team after suffering a series of injuries and washing out at the 2020 trials!
A favorite to make the 2020 team, Sarah, 27, reveals the bitter defeat “lit a fire” under her.
“I was planning on retiring after that Olympics, so it kept me diving,” she says.
The gutsy blonde had to overcome stress fractures in her back as a teen and shoulder surgery while becoming a decorated collegiate diver.
At this year’s Olympic trials, Sarah and teammate Kassidy Cook won the synchronized three-meter springboard competition to secure their trip to Paris.
“We faced a lot of obstacles over the last couple of months together, years honestly,” says Sarah. “So just coming through all of that and making my first Olympics … I don’t have any words right now for it.”
TARA DAVIS-WOODHALL LOST IN THE WEEDS
Long jump champ Davis-Woodhall made a misguided leap of faith by apparently indulging in some weed and thinking she wouldn’t get caught!
In April 2023, the U.S. national champ was stripped of her title after testing positive for THC, the psychoactive compound in pot. The sample had been taken following her victory at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships the previous February.
Tara, 25, served a one-month suspension and completed a substance abuse program.
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