11-11-2019, 07:57 AM
[/hr]International | Politics | Entertainment | Lifestyle | Opinion | Business
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The Litudinem Herald
Sunday, November 10th, 2019
[/hr]VOL. CXXXVII - Num. 8 | In the News: Maximusian Athletes complete week one of the Olympics with flying colors -- President Brown meets with Lauchenoirian PM
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Maximusian Athletes complete week one of the Olympics with flying colors
by Dave Tanner, Sports Correspondent
During Sunday's opening ceremony of the 2019 Shuell Olympics, the Maximusian delegation showed its immense size as it paraded across the stadium. At nearly 200 athletes, the Maximusian delegation is one of the largest to be competing in the 2019 Olympic Games. During their procession, the Maximusian Athletes all carried ceremonial spears, creating a wall of sharp points that must have looked extremely foreboding up close.
At the very head of the group was the Maximusian Woman's soccer team. This is their very first outing on the international stage and it would seem they wanted everyone to know that they were a force to be reckoned with. The women all were dressed in steel armor, reminiscent of that worn by the (pre-Maximusian) Iustitia soldiers in the 1200s and 1300s. Although the Women's team is not favored to win gold this year, their spirits seemed high as they paraded across that stadium.
Not to be outdone by the Women's Team, the Men's football team, which has been favored to win gold by multiple publications, carried traditional maces and ball-and-chains in their free hands.
President Lucas Brown of Libertas Omnium Maximus could be seen from the stands jumping up and down throughout the entire procession. "This is the most fun I've had in years!" Brown told The Litudinem Herald after the ceremony concluded. He latter added, "In my extremely biased opinion... I would say that our delegation had the best showing by far. Watching all of those spears come down sent shivers down my spine. I wouldn't take them on with an army behind me. I feel awful for whoever has to go up against them!"
While Monday showed some less-than-stellar performances by Maximusian athletes, Wednesday showed quite the opposite. Six events took place and Libertas Omnium Maximus managed to medal in two of them, earning a gold and a silver medal. It would seem the Athletes of LOM are far better equipped to face the challenges of running events than archery.
The gold medal, earned by Jordan Anders, was a stunning performance in the Women's 800m run. Anders set an Olympic Record time of 1:44.38, a time that will be quite hard to beat by future competitors. Anders reportedly was overcome with emotion during the medal presenting ceremony and cried tears of joy as the Maximusian Anthem, We Shall March (Ever Onward), played. Bars all across LOM could be heard chanting her name during the ceremony. Anders' run may go down in the books as one of the best Olympic performances of all time.
Anders' run is a true story of success, and a cause for celebration, but is not the only noteworthy run of the night. John Cromwell also made his mark on the 800m (just for Men's), finishing with a time of 1:45.27. This quite respectable time earned him a silver medal and all of the glory accompanying it. Cromwell also had participated in the Men's 100m, making his feet even more impressive. He had already run a massive race before nearly winning the 800m!
Finishing the week off right, Zoe Segal managed to take the gold for women's high jump on Friday. She jumped an incredible 1.93 meters, nearly breaking the Maximusian record (set by her in 2018) of 1.94 meters. Segal's male counter, Denis Snyder, managed to earn a bronze in the men's high jump. It would seem the Maximusians have always been fated to leap the highest.
This week has seen some incredible tests of athletic ability by nations all across the board. Zamastan leads the pack in terms of medals but is closely followed by Libertas Omnium Maximus. Lauchenoiria, Shuell, and Shen are also not far behind in terms of medals and could easily unseat Zamastan at any moment. Frankly, anything could happen. Its all to soon to. tell. After all, the games have just begun.
President Brown meets with Lauchenoirian PM
by Grahame Benchley, Chief Political Correspondent
This weekend has seen the long awaited first meeting between Lauchenoirian Prime Minister, Josephine Alvarez, and Maximusian President, Lucas Brown.
On friday, Brown arrived in Lauchenoirian capital, Buttercity. He then was reportedly given a tour of what he called, "a magnificently beautiful city filled with some of the nicest people." Brown also commented via social media that he "was utterly astounded by how fast the citizens of Buttercity had recovered from the recent war."
Later that evening and the following afternoon, President Brown met with Prime Minister Alvarez in a closed-door meeting to dicuss a number of topics pertaining to Maximusian-Lauchenoirian relations. Brown stated in an earlier press that he intended to gain an undertanding of how Alvarez viewed Libertas Omnium Maximus and work from there. Brown has made it clear on multiple occasions that he viewes Lauchenoiria as a possible close ally. As such, he likely took every step to attempt to improve relations between the two nations.
Sources also indicate that Brown and Alvarez discussed the possibility of a trade deal between Lauchenoiria and Libertas Omnium Maximus however, these reports are largely unconfirmed. Such a trade deal would no doubt bolster Lauchenioria's struggling economy and might help to revitalize certain failing industries in LOM.
After the meeting, Brown visisted several areas of Lauchenoiria that had seen fighting during the 2nd Laucheniorian Civil war. Perhaps most notably, Brown visited Carvile, a port city that was occupied by Maximusian forces throughou the late-summer and autum of 2018. During his time in Carville, Brown reportedly noted that he regretted how much damge the Maximusian forces had done to the city's infrastructure. He told on on-site Litudinem Herald reporter, "To this very day one can feel the effects of war on this great city. The citizens of Carville have made an extraordinary effort to rebuild their city but I fear the damge inflicted may take many years to fully repair. On behalf of the Maximusian Government, whose role in this carnage cannot be understated, I sicerely apologize.
Brown is expected to make an official statement regarding the entire visit to Lauchenoiria when he arrives back on Maximusian soil Monday morning.