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Usain Bolt in controversy at Commonwealth Games

By WTOP Staff

ROB HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Even as athletics medals were being won at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday, the spotlight was on the sprinter nowhere near the track: Usain Bolt.

The world’s fastest man was at the center of a controversy in Glasgow for apparently criticizing his games experience so far. Bolt was quoted as telling The Times of London newspaper that he was “not really” having fun in Glasgow and the games were “a bit s—.” The Jamaican sprinter dismissed the report as “lies” and complained on Twitter: “I’m waking up to this nonsense.”

Seemingly unaffected by the growing row, Bolt watched the Jamaica netball team lose to New Zealand, but attempts to ask for his views on Glasgow were blocked by his manager. “Awesome” was his only response to a question shouted as he left the venue.

The Times defended its story during the day, with Scottish editor Angus Macleod saying: “We stand by this story 100 percent. We have utter confidence in this story.”

Bolt is limiting himself to racing a leg in Jamaica’s 4×100-meter team, with the heats not until Friday and the final on Saturday. But there was action across the games on Wednesday. Here are the highlights:

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REPEATED TRIUMPHS: Two champions from the 2012 London Olympics — long jumper Greg Rutherford of England and shot putter Valerie Adams of New Zealand — won Commonwealth gold at Hampden Park.

Rutherford, who has been beset by foot and hamstring injuries since his London gold, jumped a British record 8.51 meters last month. He was only able to jump 8.2 meters to win in Glasgow, but it was enough to see off the South African duo of Zarck Visser and Rushwahl Samaai.

“After what happened last year with injury, I wasn’t sure if I could carry on jumping,” Rutherford said. “Now I’ve won another title. I think a few people had written me off, thinking I was a one-hit wonder. But I’m here again and will be here again many more times.”

Adams continued an amazing run by throwing 19.88 meters, leaving Cleopatra Borel of Trinidad and Tobago to collect silver and Canada’s Julie Labonte in third. Adams now has 12 gold medals from Olympics, Commonwealth Games and world championships, both indoor and outdoor.

Kirani James of Grenada won the men’s 400-meter final in 44.24 seconds ahead of South African runner Wayde van Niekerk and Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago.

DIVING GOLD: The Canadian team of Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion won gold in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform, the first diving event at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.

NO HEADGUARDS CRITICIZED: Australian Daniel Lewis was ruled out of the welterweight quarterfinal after failing a medical check, and he called for headguards to be restored for amateur fighters. Lewis had a badly cut eye after beating Kehinde Ademuyiwa of Nigeria on Monday. Lewis did not recover sufficiently in time to meet Mandeep Jangra of India in his next bout, so Jangra was given a walkover. Lewis criticized a move last year to remove headguards from amateur male fighters, with experts suggesting they contributed to concussions. “For all these people debating about headgear for amateurs, bring the headgear back 100 percent,” Lewis said. “When you have to fight five times in a week this … ruins people’s dreams.”

ENGLAND FIRST: In gymnastics, Max Whitlock of England won gold in the men’s all-around individual gymnastics final with a score of 90.631 points. Daniel Keatings of Scotland took the silver and Nile Wilson of England earned the bronze.

ASSAULT ALLEGATION: A man was arrested on Wednesday over an alleged assault following an altercation at the athletes’ village, police said. The unnamed 29-year-old man is set to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday.

HISTORY-MAKER: Kiribati won a Commonwealth medal for the first time, and it was gold for the tiny Pacific island nation. David Katoatau won the 105-kilogram weightlifting.

CEREMONY ACT: Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has been announced as the headline act for Sunday’s closing ceremony at Hampden Park.

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AP Sports Writer Dennis Passa contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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