The XIII Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing gets underway from today, and while the multisport tournament has banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from participation because of current world events, passionate athletes from the rest of the globe will compete to reach the peak of their physical performance.
Former 5-time state wrestling champion, Andrew Kurka will be representing Team USA as he goes for gold in Alpine Skiing. Tragically, he broke his back when he overturned a 4-wheeler at the age of 13 but incredibly, continued to wrestle and even won a state championship without the use of his legs. Another inspirational Team USA athlete is Oksana Masters. She was born with a host of ailments thought to be related to the Chernobyl disaster, including missing shin bones and differently sized legs. At 14, Masters had both legs amputated near the knee. Amazingly, she has won multiple medals in her sporting career, including Nordic skiing and even para cycling. Team GB’s James Barnes-Miller, who suffers from limb deficiencies, also hopes to bring the gold back to his home country of England via snowboarding after delivering a standout performance at the 2021 World Championships in Lillehammer.
The Paralympic Games will continue until March 13, featuring around 600 athletes from approximately 50 countries.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul announce ‘Slap Fighting’ partnership
If you haven’t already had your fill of celebrities popping up in your boxing and MMA fights, you are in luck, because Arnie and Logan Paul have teamed up to bring you the Slap Fighting Championship with the inaugural show scheduled to take place on March 5 in Columbus, OH, as part of the Arnold Sports Festival. In the main event showdown, Dawid “Zales” Zelewski will take on Koa “Da Crazy Hawaiian” Viernes for the SFC Super Heavyweight title.
“The Arnold Sports Festival is all about inspiring our fans to chase their dreams and find the sport that starts their fitness journey,” said Schwarzenegger in a press release. “I can’t wait to showcase the best slap fighters in the world on the main stage at our event and I’m so excited to introduce this wild sport to our fans with Logan.”
As per the rules of Slap Fighting, 3 judges will score the event. A knockout could also determine the winner. Additionally, if a competitor is unable to continue fighting within 30 seconds of being slapped, they will lose. In all, the contests involve 3 rounds with 1 slap allowed per competitor in each round.
“I love the absurdity of it,” said Paul, in a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports. “I love the idea that two guys could just stand across from each other and just slap each other and see who falls down first. It’s hilarious to me. It’s like, how is that a real event? What the f**K is that sport?”
Study confirms that the less exercise you do, the harder it gets
Scientists discovered that inactivity leads to a “downward spiral” in part due to the deactivation of Piezo1, a protein that acts as a blood flow sensor. This results in restricted blood flow, making future exercise more of a challenge. Experts believe that these findings confirm the old adage that the less exercise you do, the harder it becomes. It appears that physical activity is important for stimulating Piezo1, because when levels drop, so does performance.
“Unfortunately, many people fail to exercise enough, for reasons such as injury and computer usage,” says the studies’ lead author, Fiona Bartoli. “This puts people at more risk of disease. The less people exercise, the less fit they become, often leading to a downward spiral.”
