Queen of Sports

Athlete Sighting: Amanda Beard

Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard celebrated her 30th birthday at Vanity in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas this weekend.

The seven-time Olympic medalist celebrated the occassion with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, which she shared with friends. The entire crowd at the club sang her “Happy Birthday” and she danced to tunes by DJ Shift.

Doesn’t she look great in her gold dress?

Photo: Twitter

Athletes Attend Annual Salute To Women In Sports

The Womens Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King (pictured above),  held their annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala at Cipriani in New York City last night.

The Womens Sports Foundation “is dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.”

Among those in attendance: tennis star Venus Williams (above), and Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, (pictured in the last photo). Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach from the women’s U.S. soccer team, as well as WNBA player Maya Moore, boxer and WSF President Laila Ali, and golfer Annika Sorenstam were just some of the many faces on the red carpet.

The U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping team received the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for their “perservance and courage in fighting to gain equality in, and acceptance into, the Olympic Games.”

U.S. Women’s soccer goalie Abby Wombach was named the team sport’s Sportswoman of the Year, and LPGA golfer Yani Tseng was named the individual sport’s Sportswoman of the Year.

Twelve-year-old triathlete Winter Vinecki was the winner of the 2011 ANNIKA Inspiration Award. Winter founded Team Winter, a non-profit to benefit prostate cancer research and awareness, in honor of her late father.

Photos: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com and PR Newswire

Jennie Finch Visits NY Giants!

Olympic softball player Jennie Finch took time out of training for the NYC Marathon to drop in on the New York Giants practice on Wednesday.

Jennie chatted with Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (pictured above) and debated who best in a number 27 jersey. Who gets your vote? We say Jennie!

The softball princess tried out a couple moves with the team during practice. Jennie worked with the offense and special team units on speed, agility and footwork drills, and nailed a 20-yard field goal after a lesson from Giants punter Steve Weatherford (pictured above).

Good luck to Jennie in the upcoming NYC Marathon!

Photos: Jerry Pinkus

*Special thanks to Marlon LeWinter for the scoop!

Apolo Ohno In ESPN’s Body Issue

Check out Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno in the new ESPN Body Issue magazine! Check out those thighs! Apolo is currently training for the NYC marathon taking place on Sunday, November 6th. The anticipation for this issue arriving in our mailbox is overwhelming… guess it is similar to men looking forward to Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit edition!

Photo: via Ross Kleinberg

ESPN’s Third Annual “Body Issue” Hitting Newsstands Soon

ESPN The Magazine will once again be celebrating athlete bodies in their third annual “Body Issue” hitting newsstands Oct. 7.

Athletes who will be posing nude or semi-nude for the best-selling issue include gymnast Alicia Sacramone, snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, soccer goalie Hope Solo, NBA star Blake Griffin, MLB star Jose Reyes, and the NFL’s Steven Jackson.

Other female athletes who will be featured: the WNBA’s Sylvia Fowles; LPGA rookie Belen Mozo; track and field star Natasha Hastings; hockey player Julie Chu; tennis player Vera Zvonareva; surfer Steph Gilmore; roller derby player Suzy Hotrod and bowler Kelly Kulick.

And some more men who will be posing include speedskater Apolo Ohno; NHL player Ryan Kesler; UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones; IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves; boxer Sergio Martinez; marathoner Ryan Hall and paralympian Jeremy Campbell.

Over 20 athletes will be featured in the “Bodies We Want” section of the issue that is an “exploration and celebration of athletic form.”

Photo: ESPN the Magazine’s second annual “Body Issue”

Athlete Sighting: Apolo Ohno

Check out the above picture of Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno and former Bachelor contestant and U.S. Navy doctor Andy Baldwin taking a break on the set of a commercial shoot for Refuel with Chocolate Milk campaign.

Apolo is one of three athletes on Team Refuel along with Miami Heat star Chris Bosh and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres. Check out a video that the Refuel with Chocolate Milk did with a variety of Olympic athletes:

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Photo: Twitter

Shaq And Venus At Chelsea Piers For OREO Challenge

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and tennis superstar Venus Williams partnered with OREO for the launch of the “Triple Double OREO Cookie ‘Game Day’ Challenge” at Chelsea Piers in New York City earlier this week. The athletes posed for pictures with a life-size OREO cookie mascot, Stufy and then played each other one-on-one in their respective sports, basketball and tennis.

The highly anticipated new OREO cookie (pictured above) hit shelves recently featuring three cookies and two layers of cream, one vanilla, one chocolate.

Check out a recent promo spot with Shaq and Venus alongside NFL quarterback Eli Manning and Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno:

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Photo: Splash News

Olympic Gymnast Signs Endorsement Deal With Under Armour

Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone has signed a multi-year endorsement with sports brand Under Armour, becoming the first gymnast to sign with the apparel, footwear and accessories company.

Sacramone worked with designers at Under Armour on a custom-made leotard and will serve as a key Olympic ambassador for the brand.

Sacramone was a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 2008 and is currently tied with Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin for the highest career tally of World Championship medals for U.S. gymnasts. In a press release, Sacramone said, “I’m honored to join the Under Armour family, as Under Armour’s emphasis on training and its dedication to the next generation of athletes aligns perfectly with my core values. I’ve always admired Under Armour apparel for its performance and style and now, to get the chance to work alongside such a high caliber of world champion athletes, it’s just an unbelievable opportunity.”

Summer Olympic Medalists On The Today Show

Some super athletes were at the Today Show yesterday. The summer Olympic Medalists posed for the above picture in-between their appearance on the morning show and autograph session at the NBC Experience Store in Manhattan.

One of our favorite girls, Nastia Liukin was there along with Jordyn Wieber, Henry Cejudo, Jonathan Horton and Alicia Sacramone.

Photo: Splash News

The Ladies Of The ESPY’s!

Check out these sexy female athletes that walked the red carpet before heading into the Nokia Theater for the ESPY awards last night! We were lucky enough to attend the best sports award show in the business for our third year in a row! Here are some pictures of the female athletes in attendance.

Tennis pro Maria Sharapova:

Former WNBA star Lisa Leslie:

Gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn:

Boxer Laila Ali:

Tennis player Serena Williams:

Gold medal track and field athlete Allyson Felix:

Surfer Bethany Hamilton:

NASCAR driver Danica Patrick:

Photos: PR Photos