Olympic athlete fights for her life

With only a week to go before the games begin, Eleni Iannou was fighting for her life instead of perfecting her moves as a promising young member of the Greek Olympic judo team.

Her family sobbed and kept vigil outside her room in the intensive care unit of Red Cross Hospital, where she was taken Saturday after falling from the third-floor balcony of her apartment. Police said she had argued with her boyfriend just before it happened.

The fall left the 20-year-old on life-support, with multiple fractures to her head and body. She was critical but stable after several hours of surgery, according to a doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ioanno was competing in the 78-kg-plus category and planned to moved into the Olympic Village with the rest of the team Wednesday, two days before opening ceremony.

At some point during or after the argument, she fell from the balcony. The reasons remain unclear and an investigation continues. Police questioned her boyfriend, who called for an ambulance, but later released him.

-- AP