Merrit Kennedy
Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.
Kennedy joined NPR in Washington, D.C., in December 2015, after seven years living and working in Egypt. She started her journalism career at the beginning of the Egyptian uprising in 2011 and chronicled the ousting of two presidents, eight rounds of elections, and numerous major outbreaks of violence for NPR and other news outlets. She has also worked as a reporter and television producer in Cairo for The Associated Press, covering Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan.
She grew up in Los Angeles, the Middle East, and places in between, and holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master's degree in international human rights law from The American University in Cairo.
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"We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow - Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!" USA Gymnastics said. Biles has withdrawn from other events. -
Jacobs beat his personal best time and put his star solidly on the map in the blazing fast race. The U.S.'s Fred Kerley, who is 26 and from San Antonio, took silver. -
Lee flipped and twisted from bar to bar in a sparkly blue leotard. She smiled and looked confident as she walked off the mat, and seemed a little surprised at her score. -
Skinner was tapped to compete in the vault individual final after Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast in the world, withdrew from the competition to focus on her mental health. -
Saunders said she's been open about her mental health struggles so others don't feel alone. It's also why she wears her identities so proudly as a gay Black woman. -
Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica has won the fastest women's track race at the Tokyo Games in Olympic record time. She was the defending gold medalist in this event. Jamaica swept the final. -
U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky has won Olympic gold again in the 800-meter freestyle. She repeated her gold medal swim at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics to win at the Tokyo Olympics. -
"After further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars," USA Gymnastics said. -
French judo athlete Teddy Riner, a 6-foot-8, two-time gold medalist known as "Big Ted," has dominated his sport for a decade. It was a shock when he lost in a quarterfinal fight. -
The Serbian star was beaten in the men's tennis semifinal by Germany's Alexander Zverev. It means Djokovic can't make history by winning all four major tournaments and Olympic gold in a single year.
