Olympics

U.S. Olympic legend Michael Johnson -- one of the fastest humans of all time -- says he's fully recovered after suffering a crippling stroke in 2018 ... and even sprinting again!!!

51-year-old Johnson -- who won 4 gold medals in 3 Olympics -- tells TMZ Sports he suffered a stroke on the right side of his brain following a workout in Sept. 2018.

At the time, Johnson said he felt discomfort in his left leg, numbness in his left arm and quickly began to lose balance. So, he rushed to the emergency room to get checked out.

"By the time I got to the hospital, I couldn't walk anymore. I couldn't stand on my left side," Johnson says.

"But, fortunately, I got there quickly and was able to get treated by a team of specialists."

Johnson spent the next several months working his ass off in several rehabilitation programs including physical and occupational therapy ... and says he approached rehab like he was training for the Olympics.

"[Rehabilitating was] a little more difficult on the one hand because no one's standing there clapping there for me when I finish my workout now," Johnson said.

"But, at the same time, this is my livelihood that was at stake."

Ultimately, Johnson was able to get back to the high level of physical fitness he was at before the stroke -- and now he's on a mission to spread awareness along with the American Stroke Association.

Keith Bulluck says his curling team -- comprised of ex-NFL stars -- is grinding like crazy on the ice ... and they're still dead set on making the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The squad? All-Pro Curling with Bulluck, Jared Allen, Marc Bulger, and Michael Roos -- 4 badass ex-football players with 6 All-Pro selections between 'em -- but ZERO pro curling experience.

Allen previously told us the goal was to rep the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing ... but that was before the team went up against real deal competition.

So, we asked Bulluck if he still believes they'll make the Olympics.

"I would like to say yes, because we are trying and working our ass off."

"We're venturing into uncharted waters for us. We've been at it a year. We have great coaches. We've been putting our time in. But, these guys are experts, man. It doesn't discourage us. It just makes us work hard. But, we know what we're up against."

Bulluck continued ... saying, "This is not a joke for us. We definitely take it serious. And respect the guys that doing. We've competing against some of the top guys in the country."

That's no exaggeration ... only months after starting the sport, the All-Pros -- minus KB and Roos who were absent -- played the 2018 gold medalists back in November.

They lost 11 to 3.

But, they ain't deterred ... and they still have some time til the '22 Winter Games.

1,015 days to be exact.

The greatest swimmer of all-time wants Tiger Woods to become the greatest golfer of all-time ... 'cause Michael Phelps tells TMZ Sports he wants TW to catch Jack Nicklaus' majors record!!!

"I hope he gets to 18," Phelps says ... "I'll say that."

Of course, Phelps famously had a front-row seat to watch Tiger's historic 15th major win at the Masters this past weekend -- which left Tiger just 3 short of Nicklaus' 18 mark.

And, after seeing all that up close ... Michael seems to think it's very possible Tiger catches Nicklaus soon -- 'cause he's proclaiming Woods has officially returned to old Tiger form.

"Tiger's back," Phelps said out in New York on Wednesday ... "That's all I gotta say. He's back."

Good news for Phelps and El Tigre? We spoke with golf legend John Daly this week ... and he says he knows for a fact Tiger WILL break Nicklaus' record!!!

Thinking of being a world-class skier??? Lindsey Vonn might have ya reconsidering ... 'cause she just posted a pic of the knee she tore up flyin' down a mountain -- and it's DISGUSTING.

Vonn -- one of the greatest female skiers ever -- ripped up her knee in a crash during training last November ... and shredded her LCL so badly, she required surgery.

Lindsey says she put off the operation until now 'cause she had some obligations to fill ... and it's pretty easy to see why she waited so long to go under the knife.

The pic of the operation is NASTY ... docs cut open the side of her knee, pulled her skin apart and did everything they could to stitch her ligament back together.

Good news for Lindsey? She says despite the gnarly pic -- surgery went well and she's doing just fine.

Better news for Lindsey? The 34-year-old is retired from competitive skiing now ... which means (hopefully) no more nasty injuries!!!

Jamaal Charles is thrilled Donald Trump won't let Betsy DeVos cut $18 MILLION from Special Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports competing in them when he was younger changed his life.

The Kansas City Chiefs legend was diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age ... and used track and field at Special Olympics events to help him get through tough times.

In fact, the running back -- who's the all-time NFL leader in yards per carry -- says, "Special Olympics is one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Charles says the events helped him deal with bullying and other issues that came with his disability, and tells us he couldn't be happier the organization's government funding remains intact.

"When you go to some of these games right here, these kids will just put a smile on your face. Winning is really nothing to them. It's just really just having fun."

Charles' message to all the Special Olympians out there? "Don't give up. Believe in yourself."

President Trump heard the outrage loud and clear, 'cause he just announced that he will NOT seek to cut nearly $18 MILLION in funding from the Special Olympics.

Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed cutting nearly every cent of funding to the organization earlier this week ... and people were PISSED.

TMZ Sports even spoke to WWE legend and Special Olympics ambassador -- Big Show -- who called the idea "bulls**t."

Now, Trump is putting an end to all that talk ... telling reporters at the White House that he's given the order to fund the organization -- like was originally planned.

“The Special Olympics will be funded," Trump said ... "I just authorized the funding of the Special Olympics. I have overridden my people.”

As if 6 Super Bowl rings ain't enough ... Tom Brady has what it takes to compete for ANOTHER set of rings if he wants ... 'cause Mohamed Hadid says he's got Olympic skiing talent!!

TB12 has been hittin' the slopes all week ... freaking Pats Nation out while he posts videos shreddin' through the snow (Hadid thinks he was going around 70 miles per hour).

Naturally, we had to find out how Brady's ski skills compare to the pros ... so we asked Bella and Gigi's dad -- an Olympian for Jordan in 1992 -- if he thought the QB could have been good enough to rep the USA in the Games.

"Oh, for sure ... he has amazing form," Hadid says ... adding Brady should KEEP skiing, despite how scared fans get watching their superstar fly down the slopes.

U.S. Olympic track cyclist Kelly Catlin died this week, according to her father ... who says she took her own life.

Kelly's dad, Mark Catlin, told VeloNews that his daughter passed away Friday night at her California home. He didn't get into the details about her suicide. He did, however, say to the outlet, "There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived ... The hurt is unbelievable."

With the help of Kelly, the U.S. women's pursuit team took the silver medal in competition at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. USA Cycling's CEO, Rob DeMartini, said in a statement Sunday, "[T]he entire cycling community is mourning this immense loss. We are offering continuous support to Kelly’s teammates, coaches and staff. We also encourage all those who knew Kelly to support each other through the grieving."

Kelly was a three-time world champion over the course of her pro sports career. She was also pursuing a graduate degree in computational mathematics at Stanford.

Russian president Vladimir Putin hit the Judo mats in Russia on Thursday to train for more than an HOUR -- and if you took one look at his training partner, it's obvious why.

Russian officials told media 66-year-old Putin trained with 2016 Olympic bronze medal winner Natalia Kuzyutina during a session in Sochi. They trained for an hour and officials insist Vladdy's "in very good physical shape."

By the way, Kuzyutina is a total babe -- besides being a world-class athlete, she also does some bikini modeling ... and yeah, DAMN.

The very next day, Putin continued his public display of fitness -- strapping on his skates and hitting the ice for a hockey workout at Shayna Arena in Sochi. No Kuzyutina this time.

Of course, Putin wore the captain's jersey -- and probably scored about 73 goals ... per usual.

Putin's public display of fitness comes just hours after Trump's doctor released the results of his physical to the media showing POTUS is officially clinically obese (he's 6'3", 243 pounds).

So, the whole thing could be an "I'm in better shape than YOU" message to the commander-in-chief.

As for Trump, he's not exactly a slouch -- dude has good blood pressure (118/80) and his resting heart rate is healthy too (70 beats per minute).

He also loves to golf!

So, we gotta ask ...

Lolo Jones is unloading on Ryan Lochte -- fellow Team USA Olympian and 'Big Brother' housemate -- blasting him as an Olympic disgrace ... for no real apparent reason.

Lolo just wrapped up her stint on "Celebrity Big Brother" -- where she and Lochte seemed to get along for the most part. Lolo finished in 3rd place. Lochte was 10th.

But, when a couple of people on Twitter criticized her being a "sore loser" while praising Lochte, Jones fired back by ripping the swimmer and his arrest scandal in Brazil during the 2016 Games.

Here's how the exchange went.

Fan #1: "Who would’ve thought that Ryan Lochte would finish #CBB looking like the most mature and gracious Olympian on the show? I used to like Lolo as an athlete, but now I can’t stand #locoLolo"

Fan #2: "Maybe the difference is Ryan actually wins medals at the olympics while LoLo loses at the games. She needs anger management and to stop being a sore loser."

Lolo: "I also don’t get escorted out of the Olympic games either or lie about a whole country."

Boom.

Question is ... why? After Lochte was eliminated early in the show, she griped to other houseguests that Olympians should stick together. So, why turn on Lochte now?

Greg Louganis says if President Trump had any spine he would denounce Jussie Smollett's MAGA attackers ... but adds, for obvious reasons, he ain't expecting it.

We got the Olympic diving legend at LAX Wednesday and got his take on the battle cry Jussie says his attackers used -- "MAGA country!" The remark immediately politicized the heinous attack on Jussie and, earlier this week, Rev. Al Sharpton told us POTUS needs to speak out against the hate-fueled attack on the "Empire" star.

International Paralympic Committee says Malaysia will NOT be allowed to host an important Paralympic event ... all because the country is refusing to allow athletes from Israel to compete.

Malaysia was scheduled to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships -- a qualifying event for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. It's a big deal.

The Paralympics is an international competition for athletes with physical disabilities -- and operates with the International Olympic Committee.

Malaysia has deemed Israel a "criminal nation" -- claiming the country is mistreating Palestinians.

IPC president Andrew Parsons says the Israel ban is unacceptable -- and has moved to relocate the July 29-Aug. 4 event to another country.

"When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new championships host," Parsons said.

"All World Championships must be open to all eligible athletes and nations to compete safely and free from discrimination."

Despite the move, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is doubling down on his country's anti-Israel policy.

“We stand by our principle, which is that Israel is a criminal nation," Mohamad told the Associated Press.

"It has been breaking international law without anybody saying anything. We have a right to voice our feelings and to have our own policies.”

Team USA swimmer Nathan Adrian has announced he's battling testicular cancer ... but the gold medalist says the diagnosis will not derail his plans to compete at the 2020 Olympics.

The 30-year-old -- who was part of the 4x100 relay that won gold with Michael Phelps in 2008 -- made the announcement on social media ... saying he initially went to the doctor after "something didn't feel right."

After several tests, doctors discovered the disease and began treatment shortly after. Luckily for Adrian, he says the cancer was caught early and the prognosis is good ... which means he'll still be able to train for the Tokyo Olympics.

"I will be back in the water in a few short weeks with my sights fully set on Tokyo!" Adrian says.

"As I told my family, I’ll be putting my public health degree to work a little sooner than I planned! But in all seriousness, I am keeping a positive attitude as cases such as mine are curable."

Adrian says he will have surgery next week ... and will share his journey to bring light to men's health issues.

Lindsey Vonn ain't throwing in the towel just yet ... but she's close ... saying she's still holding out hope she won't have to retire from skiing after suffering another major knee injury.

Vonn pulled out of the World Cup super-G run at Cortina in Italy on Sunday due to pain in her knee -- the latest in a spectacular career riddled with injuries.

Now, the 34-year-old Vonn -- the greatest female downhill skier ever -- is opening up about the reality she might have to hang up her skis for good.

"After a lot of physical therapy and time to clearly think things through, we have come to some conclusions about my knee," Vonn said on Wednesday.

"First, we discovered the reason I had so much pain and muscle shut down in Cortina was due to an impact injury to my peroneal nerve."

Vonn says the pain got worse each day and by Sunday "my lower leg was in a lot of pain and my muscles had completely shut down."

"Now that we know the problem the next issue is fixing it. So far we haven’t found a solution and as a result I will not be able to compete in tomorrow’s downhill training run. However, since this is a new 'injury' per say, I remain hopeful that we can fix it."

"I’m taking things day by day and we will see what happens."

Former U.S. figure skating champion John Coughlin has killed himself in the midst of an internal investigation within his sport.

Coughlin -- a two-time U.S. Pairs champion -- took his own life Friday in Kansas City, according to his sister, Angela Laune, who revealed the news on Facebook. Police have reportedly confirmed his death as well.

The Olympic skater had recently been temporarily barred from participating in any skating events in any capacity due to an investigation launched by SafeSport last month. SafeSport is an independent body that investigates allegations of misconduct, and has "exclusive jurisdiction over allegations of sexual misconduct but also looks into other forms of abuse," per USA Today.

The investigation quickly escalated, as he was suspended by U.S. Figure Skating following a recommendation from SafeSport. The details of what he'd been accused of remain unclear for now.

Usain Bolt and his GF are still going strong ... the two hit up Cabo this week -- and the bikini she was rockin' and the mojitos they were drinkin' say they're doing just fine.

Of course ... Bolt and Kasi Bennett have had a very unique relationship over the years -- 'memba the EPIC hall pass she allegedly gave him during the 2016 Rio Olympics??

But, doesn't seem all that other tail has put a strain on their relationship ... 'cause the two soaked in the Mexico rays just fine on Thursday.

There was rum ... white sand ... and Bennett even flaunted all her assets in a tiny bikini for the ex-track star.

Yeah, Bolt likey.

It all begs the question ... could Usain finally be ready to trade in Olympic rings for wedding ones???