If you need an excuse to keep your Sunday afternoon open, the WNBA playoffs start at 2 pm ET. The regular season wraps up Thursday, and the Minnesota Lynx just secured the top seed for the second straight year. I’ve been Olivia Miles’s biggest fan this season, and I can’t wait to see what the rookie point guard pulls off in the post. If it’s anything like this between-the-legs pass, we’re in for a show. After their semifinal exit, her team no doubt hopes this year’s championship run lasts a little longer. First-round matchups are still TBD, with the Golden State Valkyries in the mix for the No. 2 spot and the Las Vegas Aces (led by Jewell Loyd and reigning MVP A’ja Wilson) looking to defend their title. While you get your bracket ready, we’ve skimm'd the playoffs for you with everything you need to know before tip-off. Now, let's get to the rest of the sports news...
— Jordan Galloway / Editor / Katonah, NY
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Fast Fashion
What's going on: At last Friday's Athlos meet in London, all eyes were on British middle-distance star Keely Hodgkinson, and not only because she’s a reigning Olympic champion. She won the 800 meters, her signature event, clad in a brand-new Nike speed suit. But the hooded, open-back design is more than a fashion statement. Hodgkinson spent a year with Nike's innovation team on the one-of-a-kind suit, which uses strategically placed fabrics and tiny 3D-printed structures to reduce the air resistance that slows runners down. Cutouts help regulate Hodgkinson’s body temperature, while the hood streamlines airflow around her head. As she put it: “I think it's a mixture of fashion, speed, and science all coming together, for maybe the future of athletics potentially.”
More coverage, less drag: Hodgkinson also said she wanted to feel sexy. Guess which part made headlines? In a sport where crop tops and briefs are standard, the idea that more fabric could make an athlete faster feels counterintuitive. Yet that's exactly what Nike's technology aims to do. The concept isn't new: Cathy Freeman won Olympic gold in a full-body suit in 2000 that looked more like a onesie. Hodgkinson's version brings updated aerodynamics and her personal style into the equation. And while its performance advantage has yet to be independently established, her Athlos appearance could offer a glimpse of what's to come. Hodgkinson's training partner Georgia Hunter Bell expects similar suits to become an option at the 2028 Olympics, though that isn't guaranteed. If she's right, it would give athletes another way to satisfy their need for speed… and style.
