This week, the tiny Caribbean nation of Grenada won its first Olympic medal when 19-year-old Kirani James took the gold in the 400-meter dash. With a population of 104,000, Grenada is the 17th-smallest country in the world, and now the smallest nation to win a gold medal. Here's a look back at eight other great Olympic performances from underdog nations. 1. India: 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics India may be the second-most populated nation in the world, but prior to London 2012, they’d only... READ ON

For some athletes, the Olympics aren’t just a competition: they’re a chance to escape oppression. Earlier this week, seven of Cameroon’s athletes disappeared from London’s Olympic Village. The week before, three runners from Sudan’s Olympic training squad filed for asylum in Britain. Here’s a look at some other Olympic defections. 1948 Summer Olympics: London Marie Provaznikova, a Czech who was President of the International Gymnastics Federation, was the first person to defect from the... READ ON

John Stillwell/PA Photos/Landov Adrienne Crezo is on vacation this week, but she found time to share that fact with me yesterday. I am grateful. Stealing a line from our Managing Editor Jessanne Collins, I love the things that things are named. If you'd like to use this opening to come up with some punny names for your hypothetical racehorses, please do so in the comments. (You can read more about Usain Colt in this Sports Illustrated article from last... READ ON

South Korean fencer Shin A-Lam provided one of the indelible images of the 2012 London Olympics when she staged an hour-long, tearful protest after losing to Germany’s Britta Heidemann in an individual epee semifinal match. Shin’s coach claimed Heidemann’s winning hit came after the final second on the clock, which was being controlled by a 15-year-old British volunteer, had elapsed. Shin was required to stay on the piste while the judges considered--and ultimately rejected--her appeal. After Shin... READ ON