Sports

Concussions make up about 15 percent of all high school sports injuries, according to Children's Hospital Boston. But how can parents decide whether children should play sports, and how to keep them safe? Host Michel Martin talks with three "sports" moms, including a pediatrician who studies concussions in children.

The streets of Caracas, Venezuela, were awash in joy Monday, as fencer Rubén Limardo brought home the country's first gold medal in 44 years. That's right: the last time a Venezuelan Olympian won gold was in 1968. So, Limardo's fans could be forgiven for going a little crazy over it.

"I never imagined they'd receive me like this," he said.

Two cheetah cubs whose cuteness recently landed them on Facebook and Tumblr pages around the Internet have been named after U.S. Olympians competing in London.

Presumably, it was the cheetahs' fabled speed, not cuteness, that inspired officials at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to name them Carmelita and Justin, after sprinters Carmelita Jeter and Justin Gatlin.

The three-month-old felines' namesakes won silver (Jeter) and bronze (Gatlin) medals in the 100-meter sprint at the Summer Games.

U.S. pole vaulter Jenn Suhr had a long-awaited breakthrough Monday evening, when she won the gold medal in her event at the London Olympics, clearing the bar at 15'7. She defeated a field that included two-time gold medalist Elena Isinbaeva of Russia, who has dominated women's pole vaulting in recent years.

Suhr, 30, won the silver medal in the event at the Beijing 2008 Games. In London's Olympic Stadium Monday, the vaulters were challenged by windy conditions that kept them well below world-record heights — and even had them clutching blankets to stay warm between attempts.

Good morning. A lot has been happening in London, where the Summer Games are in their eleventh day. Here's a rundown of the news that caught our eye:

On the Olympics' eleventh day, artistic gymnasts will go for their last big batch of medals. There are 21 medals up for grabs Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights of the day's action:

Gymnastics

• 9:00a Men's Parallel Bars Final
• 9:47a Women's Beam Final
• 10:37a Men's Horizontal Bar Final
• 11:23a Women's Floor Exercise Final

Athletics (a.k.a. Track and Field)

• 2:00p Men's High Jump Final
• 2:15p Women's 100m Hurdles Semi-finals

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, as we cover the Olympics, some of you have asked for spoiler alerts, but for this next report that is probably not necessary. NPR's Mike Pesca is taking us inside the world of India's men's field hockey team. We're not too worried about spoilers. Not just because most Americans don't care much about field hockey, but because the Indian squad has done a pretty good job itself of spoiling things. As Mike reports, the team's record tracks with the overall state of the Indian Olympic effort.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

At the London Olympics, there's a lot of interest in a rematch coming up this Thursday, with a gold medal on the line. The U.S. women's soccer team will be playing Japan, a team that beat the Americans last year in a shoot-out at the end of the final match of the World Cup.

But first, the U.S. players had to get past Canada last night, and they did - barely, as NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

The U.S. women's soccer team defeated longtime rival Canada Monday in a close Olympic semi-final match 4-3 in overtime. They will face Japan in the gold medal match on Thursday. Host Audie Cornish talks with NPR's Howard Berkes about the game.