Tag: gold

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Comm Games LIVE: More gold for Aussies after epic lawn bowls comeback, record-breaking stunner

Comm Games LIVE: More gold for Aussies after epic lawn bowls comeback, record-breaking stunner

Australia will have plenty of chases to add to its gold medal tally early on Saturday night [AEST] as the action gets underway on Day 9 of the Commonwealth Games.

Australia remains on top of the Commonwealth Games medal tally with 50 golds but England is closing in with 47 to set up a thrilling race in the final days.

Here is a full wrap of the key events to come on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning!

MEDAL TALLY: Aussies JUST in front as Comm Games race comes down to the wire

DAY 8 WRAP: ‘National disgrace’ rocks Comm Games as Hockeyroos survive penalty shootout scare

Australia benefits from BIZZARE rule | 00:29

LAWN BOWLS

Australia could pocket up to 11 more gold medals on Saturday, with Kristina Krstic and Ellen Ryan taking home the first in stunning fashion in the women’s pairs lawn bowls final.

England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh led at 11-2 at one point but the Aussies refused to go away and won on the final bowl in dramatic fashion.

England skipped out to an early 2-0 lead and threatened to make it 4-0 but a brilliant final bowl from Ellen Ryan knocked two of her rival’s balls out of the way to level it at 2-2.

England responded though with two solid ends to reassert its dominance and kept going from there to take a 11-2 lead but Australia roared back in epic fashion to get it back to 11-10.

Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic of Team Australia react during Women's Pairs - Gold Medal Match. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic of Team Australia react during Women’s Pairs – Gold Medal Match. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Aussie duo kept up the fight, picking up four points on the 13th end to lead 16-12 before England pegged it back and was up 18-17.

Krstic and Ryan though were on the brink of gold medal glory with two leading balls on the 18th end, only for Pharaoh to knock one out with a brilliant bowl on the final ball.

It meant the game finished a draw and would instead go into overtime to decide who would take home the gold.

England was in the commanding position with a few balls left but a pinpoint bowl from Ryan knocked the jack away and kept Australia in with a chance.

Once again it went down to the last ball, with Australia’s gold medal hopes resting on Ryan’s shoulders.

And she came up clutch with a stunning shot to knock England’s leading ball out of the way, sealing gold in a thrilling comeback.

ATHLETICS

The gold rush has continued on the track, with Jemima Montag taking out the women’s 10,000m walk in a dominant display.

Montag paced herself brilliantly throughout the walk and then picked up the pace in the latter stages of the race to get in a comfortable position.

So comfortable that Montag could start celebrating well before she crossed the finish line for gold with a time of 42:34:00 — a new personal best and Commonwealth Games record.

There is plenty of other action on the track, with Eleanor Patterson, the reigning world champion, looking to defend her crown in the women’s high jump final.

Australia’s Eleanor Patterson will go for gold. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)Source: AFP

She is coming off a brilliant win at the World Championships and became the first to clear 1.89m in a strong opening to the final.

Nicola Olyslagers was initially going to join her but withdrew from the final with a torn calf.

“It could be a few weeks and if I jumped today it was possible to be a nine-month injury,” the

2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist told Channel 7.

Elsewhere, Julie Charlton will also be competing in the women’s F55-57 shot put final while there will be four Australians going for gold in the women’s 10km race walk final at 7.30pm.

Later at 8.50pm, Ben Buckingham and Edward Trippas will be going for gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.

The final shot at gold comes in the men’s 1500m final, with Ollie Hoare in action and looking to secure ultimate redemption after a disappointing exit from the world championships.

Hoare was the fastest Australian qualifier after finishing first in heat one with a time of 3:37.57.

Other highlights include the women’s and men’s 4x100m relay heats.

There are lots of high-stakes events too with Alex Hulley (hammer throw), Sarah Carli (400m hurdles), Catriona Bisset (800m) and Ella Connolly (200m) in their own finals.

NETBALL

The ultimate grudge match sees Australia’s Diamonds face England in the netball semi-final. You can read Nat Medhurt’s full preview ahead of the fiery semi-final here, with the game set to begin at 11.30pm.

If Australia is successful, it is Jamaica they will face in the final.

Jamaica’s stunning run continued as they dominated the Silver Ferns to take a 67-51 win and book their spot in the gold medal match for the first time at the Commonwealth Games.

Jamaica were the surprise top qualifiers in their pool after shocking Australia and it looks like

the Diamonds will again need to try find a way to shut down Jhaniele Fowler.

The world’s best shooter dominated in Jamaica’s 57-55 win over Australia in the pool stage, finishing that match with 47 goals from 50 attempts and was even better against New Zealand.

The West Coast Fever star shot a perfect 54 goals from 54 attempts in the win.

Jhaniele Fowler starred in the win. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

TABLE TENNIS

Two Australian pairs (Chunyi Feng & Yangzi Liu and Jian Fang Lay & Minhyung Jee) were both successful in their Round of 16 matches for the women’s doubles table tennis.

They will face Singapore and Nigeria respectively in the quarter-finals at 1am.

Later in the night, Liu will continue her bid to become the first Australian woman to win a Commonwealth Games singles medal when she competes in the semi-final.

There will be guaranteed gold in the morning too, with an All-Australian para table tennis final between Li Na Lei and Qian Yang.

GYMNASTICS

Shortly after at 7pm, 18-year-old Lidiia Iakovleva will be in the rhythmical gymnastics hoop final after finish seventh (107.150) in the all-around final on Friday.

Later there will be more gold medals up for grabs in rhythmical gymnastics too, with Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva scheduled to compete in both the ball and clubs final.

Those events are scheduled for 7.42pm and 8.22pm respectively but won’t be the end of Kiroi-Bogatyreva’s day as she has also qualified for the ribbon final at 9.02pm.

BOXING

There are lots medals up for grabs in the ring, withfive Australians into the semi-finals. First up, Kaye Scott is in action at 8.30pm in the women’s light middleweight boxing semi-final against Alcinda Helena Panguane.

Callum Peters will also put on the gloves for the men’s middleweight semi-final later in the night at 9.15pm, taking on Simnikiwe Bongco.

Edgardo Coumi is in action at 2am against Lewis Williams of England in the men’s heavyweight division while Australian middleweight Caitlin Anne Parker faces Tammara Thibeault.

History will be made on Sunday morning regardless of the result as Tina Rahimi becomes Australia’s first Muslim woman boxer to take home a medal at the Games.

She will fight Elizabeth Oshoba in her featherweight semi-final.

DIVING

Two Australian duos (Maddison Keeney/Anabelle Smith and Brittany O’Brien/Esther Qin) will be competing in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard diving final.

Later on, the women’s synchronised 10m platform final sees Emily Boyd, Nikita Hains, Charli Petrov and Melissa Wu all in action.

CRICKET

There is plenty to look forward to in the early hours of Saturday morning too, with Australia’s women’s T20 cricket side battling New Zealand in a semi-final at 3am.

VOLLEYBALL

A dominant quarter-final performance has Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy one step closer to gold.

Their next challenge will be Vanuatu in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final at 6am.

HOCKEY

There will be more semi-final action, with Australia up against longtime rival England in the men’s hockey, with the time for that game to be confirmed.

SQUASH

There is plenty of action on the squash court too, kicking off with Cameron Pilly & Rhys Dowling and Zac Alexander & Ryan Cuskelly in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.

The mixed doubles semi-finals later in the day will feature Donna Lobban and Pilley while Jess Turnbull and Alex Haydon team up in the mixed doubles plate quarter-final.

WRESTLING

There is lots to look forward to in wrestling too, with Naomi De Bruine (women’s 50kg, women’s 53kg and women’s 76kg) in action along with Justin Holland (men’s 57kg) and Tom Barns (men’s 74kg, men’s 97kg).

FULL SCHEDULE — DAY 9

Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls, 5.30pm

Hockey, 6.00pm

Netball, 6.00pm

Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, 6.30pm

Athletics and Para Athletics, 7.00pm

Diving, 7.00pm

Rhythmic Gymnastics, 7.00pm

Boxing, 7.30pm

Wrestling, 7.30pm

Badminton, 8.00pm

Cricket T20, 8.00pm

Squash, 9.00pm

Boxing, 11.30pm

Netball, 11.30pm

Follow all the action live below! Can’t see it? Click here!

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Ehammer and Weissenberg lead at World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold leg

Germany's Sophie Weissenberg holds a 53-point lead after four events of the heptathlon in Ratingen ©Getty Images

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insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.

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As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport. 

Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit. 

The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.

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Workers evacuate as seismic event rattles Victoria’s largest gold mine

An aerial shot of a mine.

Underground workers at Fosterville Gold Mine in Central Victoria were evacuated after a 2.5 magnitude seismic event this morning.

About 80 workers heard rocks fallings and loud bangs at 8:25am. 

On the ground, staff heard buildings rattling and a sharp bang.

No-one was hurt.

Fosterville, which is owned by Agnico Eagle Mines, is the largest gold producer in Victoria and is located 20 kilometres north-east of Bendigo.

General manager Lance Faulkner said mine workers were encouraged to contact their families to let them know they were safe.

“In this instance, we’ve been able to establish that the location of the event was over a kilometre below the surface and hundreds of metres away from our underground workings,” he said.

Mr Faulkner said it was the largest seismic event since a monitoring system was installed in 2019.

“The next highest was at magnitude two level in the middle of last year,” he said.

“Mine-induced seismic events are not uncommon, and they occur when there’s a redistribution of stress and that occurs as the mine advances.

“Workers have knowledge of the events, know what we expect from them and what they have to do.

Operations have resumed.

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Hungary double gold in junior events at European 10m Shooting Championships

The 10 metre European Shooting Championships began today in Hamar with individual junior golds decided in air pistol and air rifle categories ©Getty Images

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insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.

Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since. 

As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport. 

Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit. 

2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We have the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we are sending a team of four reporters, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.

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UKTF Wins 13 Total Events at UCF Black and Gold Invite – University of Kentucky Athletics

UKTF Wins 13 Total Events at UCF Black and Gold Invite - University of Kentucky Athletics


ORLANDO, Fla. — The Kentucky track and field teams won six events and had the top collegian in another events on Saturday, giving the Wildcats 11 total wins and 13 total top collegians at the outdoor-season-opening Black and Gold Invitational on the first of two days of competition at the UCF Soccer & Track Complex.

Molly Leppelmeier won the women’s hammer throw with a mark of 211’9″/64.55m. On Friday, she took second, but was the top collegian, in the shot put (52’0″/15.85m).

Rahman Minor won the men’s high jump, clearing 7’0.25″/2.14m, just two inches from his PB.

Uk’s women’s 4x400m relay of Dajour Miles, Karimah Davis, Masai Russell and Bryanna Lucas won the last event of the meet with a time of 3:42.51.

Fresh off an All-America indoor season, Karimah Davis won the women’s 100m with a time of 11.29 (+1.6) that earned her the No. 7 spot on the UK all-time performers list.

Rodney Heath won the men’s 100m in 10.32 (+1.8). Tai Brown won the 110m hurdles with a 13.59.

Shadajah Ballard and Darci Khan were the top two collegians in the women’s 100m hurdles, second and third overall, with respective windy times of 13.20 and 13.27 (+3.5).

Freshman Logan Coles placed seventh in the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 189’4″/57.72m, moving to No. 8 on the UK all-time list.

Alex Justus placed third in the men’s 800m stopping the clock at 1:52.38.

—

Kentucky track & field ran for five event wins and swept the men’s 200-meter dash among collegiate competitors on the first of two days of competition.

Four Wildcats either improved their current standing or made it onto the UK all-time top times/marks list.

Day One

The Wildcats earned event wins in the men’s pole vault, men’s discus, men’s and women’s 400m hurdles and the men’s 200m on day one.

Dwight St. Hillaire ran for first in the men’s 200m with an outdoor personal best of 20.24 seconds, improving upon his already second fastest time in UKTF history. An unattached competitor finished second while UKTF swept third through sixth.

Keaton Daniel tied his best vault of the year (18’0.5″/5.50m) for an event win. Daniel is the school record holder in the event both indoors and outdoors and is the reigning 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships silver medalist in the pole vault.

Josh Sobota won the discus with a personal best throw of 191’8″/58.44m. He now ranks ninth for UK all-time in the event.

Masai Russell ran a speedy 56.52 in the 400H for the win, only .34 off her personal best from 2021 outdoor NCAAs.

Kenroy Williams won his best event, the 400H, with a time of 50.30 which is only .12 off his personal best.

Siobhan Szerencsits placed second in the women’s pole vault (13’5.25″/4.10m), as did Phoebe McCowan in the 1500m (4:27.29).

Beck O’Daniel placed second in the men’s 400H (52.27).

The third-place finisher in the men’s 200m was Jacob Smith (20.86). Tai Brown earned fourth (20.89), Brian Faust placed fifth (20.90) and Myles Anders finished sixth (21.03). Only Brown’s time was wind legal.

Also earning third place was Robbie Springfield III in the long jump with a personal best 24’10″/7.57m jump that earned him a spot on the UK all-time list at 10th.

Matt Peare vaulted for third in the men’s pole vault (16’9.25″/5.11m), followed by Jacob Sobota in fourth (16’5.25″/5.01m)

Competing teams at the event were Alabama State, Albany, Bethune-Cookman, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Embry-Riddle, Flagler, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Memorial, Florida Tech, Kentucky, Marshall, Mercer, Michigan, Minnesota, NC State, North Florida, NYU, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Saint Leo, Southeastern U., Stetson, Tampa, Temple, UCF, UMass Amherst, University of The Bahamas, Vanderbilt and VCU.

Follow Kentucky Track and Field and Cross Country on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and at UKathletics.com.

 

 

















Black and Gold Invitational: Saturday, March 19

Women’s Hammer Throw

Final

1. Molly Leppelmeier: 211’9″/64.55m


26. Leah Moore: 145’10″/44.47m


27. Simisola Akinrinsola: 144’9″/44.13m

Men’s Hammer Throw

Final

7. Logan Coles: 189’4″/57.72m


22. John Kruzel: 148’9″/45.35m

Men’s High Jump

Final

1. Rahman Minor: 7’0.25″/2.14m


7. Donsten Brown: 6’5.5″/1.97m

Women’s Triple Jump

Final

8. Kendall Jordan: 39’10.74″/12.13m w (+2.3)

Men’s 800m

Final

3. Alex Justus: 1:52.38

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Final

2. Shadajah Ballard: 13.20w (+3.5) | Top collegian


3. Darci Khan: 13.37w (+3.5)


18. Sophie Galloway: 14.60 (+1.3)


24. Annika Williams: 14.81 (+1.8)

Men’s 110m Hurdles

Final

1. Tai Brown: 13.59w (+2.8)


7. Patrick Kimball: 14.39w (+2.8)

Women’s 400m

Final

7. Dynasty McClennon: 55.88

 

Women’s 100m

Final

1. Karimah Davis: 11.29 (+1.6)


4. Shadajah Ballard: 11.43w (+3.1)


7. Masai Russell: 11.54 (+1.6)


11. Dajour Miles: 11.66 (+1.6)


14. Kaylyn Heath: 11.75 (+0.5)

Men’s 100m

Final

1. Rodney Heath Jr.: 10.32 (+1.8)

Women’s 4x400m

Final

1. UK (Dajour Miles, Karimah Davis, Masai Russell, Bryanna Lucas): 3:42.51

Men’s 4x400m

Final

2. UK C (Patrick Kimball, Beck O’Daniel, Jacob Sobota, Joseph Jardine): 3:15.04


4. UK (Smith, Anders, Justus, Heath Jr.): 3.15.63

 

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FMBA 2022 calendar brings Gold and Diamond level events back to Canada – Canadian Cycling Magazine

FMBA 2022 calendar brings Gold and Diamond level events back to Canada - Canadian Cycling Magazine

FMBA is back and bringing a full-on calendar of slopestyle events to 2022. Highline Festival in Australia, the first of 24 events currently scheduled, kicks the season off in less than two weeks’ time.

For Canadian slopestyle fans, there are a raft of returning high-level competitions. Red Bull Joyride and the Big White Invitational are back after a brief hiatus. The Gold-level SilverStar Invitational is new.

The 2022 Calendar also brings more details on the recently-announced women’s slopestyle category. It is set to debut at FMBA for 2022.

FMB 2022
O Marisquino. Photo: Alba Pardo

Canadian events highlight growing calendar

The big news for Canadian fans is, of course, the return of the Diamond-level event, Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler. It’s not just fans looking forward to getting back to B.C., either.

“I have some unfinished business in Slopestyle there,” said Polish rider Szymon Godziek, one of many riders itching to get back to Whistler’s Boneyard. “I feel super motivated for the 2022 season. After my last year in 2018, lots of things happened and the progression of the sport went up so quick. I see riders like Emil [Johansson] doing tricks that I was always dreaming of [and it] gives me even more motivation. Unfortunately, my 2021 plan didn’t go exactly as I wanted, and I haven’t got back into Crankworx yet. That’s my main goal for this year.”

At the Gold level, FMB mainstay O Marisquino is back after two years. So is a Canadian event, the Big White Invitational.

“This blank space of two years has served us all to reflect on the future of O Marisquino and see how we want to approach it for the next editions,” said Pablo Moreno, O Marisquino Dirt Jump Director. “We hope to see thousands of people from the public cheering on the riders, a great atmosphere, and the best Dirt Jumps we have seen so far in Vigo. This year the riders are going to find a circuit similar to the 2019 edition, but a little faster and with bigger jumps. We have decided to extend the receptions and improve the speed so that they arrive more comfortably at the jumps and can comfortably demonstrate their best tricks.”

There’s a new Gold-level event coming to Canada, too. The SilverStar Slopestyle had a test run in 2021. That year, it was part of the Crankworx B.C. series. It returns as a full FMB Gold event for 2022. It’s one of what FMBA expects to eventually include five Gold, six FMB Silver events and 16 Bronze-level events on the 2022 calendar once it is complete.

FMBA 2022 Calendar
Kathi Kuypers getting a hand off the bars. Photo: Dominik Bosshard

Women’s Division

New for the FMB World Tour in 2022 is the recently announced FMB World Tour Women’s Division. It gives FMB Bronze and Silver level events the option to host a sanctioned Women’s Category.

13 events are already signed up for the new opportunity. It shows there’s already strong support for giving female riders the long-deserved platform to show their skills.

Kathi Kuypers first competed a slopestyle event back in 2016. She shares how much this changes the game for women.

“I couldn’t focus on developing my skills on the Slopestyle bike because my sponsors didn’t see a market, so I rode all the other disciplines like Enduro, a little bit of Downhill, [did] loads of magazine story productions, and so on. But I never gave up and continued progressing,” says Kuypers. What she sees in 2022 is much different. “Brands are hiring [Women], especially for freeride events and content, and [with] the FMB World Tour Women’s Division, there will be even more attention on [Women in freeride] and their accomplishments.”

“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” Kuypers sums up.

FMB World Tour 2022
Renata Wiese inverted. Photo: Oscar Sanchez

“Women like Kathi Kuypers ride FMB World Tour events and have been fighting for this moment for over 10 years,” adds photographer Dominik Bosshard. “I am very pleased to see that this effort is now paying off. The shared love of the sport, nature, travelling, pushing the limits, and have a really good time,” is what drives this community,” the photographer added.

Chilean rider, Renata Wiese is similarly excited about the new category.

“I love it!! I feel like it is going to be awesome to see what the girls can do!” Says Wiese. The Chilean rider adds, “I like what the FMBA is doing by adding a Women’s Division and giving us the chance to compete equally.”

Keep up with the current 2022 calendar as it evolves at the FMB World Tour website.

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Mikaël Kingsbury captures dual moguls gold in 1st event since Beijing Olympics | CBC Sports

Mikaël Kingsbury captures dual moguls gold in 1st event since Beijing Olympics | CBC Sports

Mikaël Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Que., gained a measure of revenge against Walter Wallberg, upending the 2022 Olympic moguls champion to win Saturday’s dual event in World Cup action in Valmalenco, Italy.

It was the first race for Kingsbury since capturing a moguls silver medal at the Winter Games in Beijing last month to become the first male freestyle skier to earn three Olympic medals.

The 2018 Olympic gold medallist amassed 82.18 points in his Feb. 5 performance in China, trailing Wallberg of Sweden, who scored 83.23 at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, for his first major win on the senior circuit

The 29-year-old Kingsbury was attempting to become the second men’s moguls skier to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals after fellow Canadian Alex Bilodeau achieved the feat in 2010 and 2014.

WATCH | Kingsbury picks up moguls silver medal at Beijing Olympics:

Kingsbury settles for moguls silver after Wallberg closes strong

Canadian Mikael Kingsbury was poised to repeat as Olympic moguls champion, but Sweden’s Walter Wallberg took gold with the final run. 5:08

Kingsbury’s win Saturday was his fifth of the season and 72nd on the World Cup circuit in 102 competitions. He is attempting to win a 10th straight Crystal Globe as overall season winner.

Japan’s Ikuma Horishima, Kingsbury’s friend who won Olympic bronze last month, was second on Saturday following a crash after landing his first jump in the final.

WATCH | Kingsbury has insatiable appetite for winning:

Moguls champ Mikaël Kingsbury has an insatiable appetite for winning

Watch Mikaël Kingsbury take CBC Sports behind the scenes, showing his 18 Crystal Globe trophies. 1:25

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Canada’s Mark Arendz wins gold in men’s standing biathlon event at Beijing Paralympics | CBC Sports

Canada's Mark Arendz wins gold in men's standing biathlon event at Beijing Paralympics | CBC Sports

Canada’s Mark Arendz struck gold in the men’s standing 10-kilometre biathlon race at the Beijing Paralympics on Tuesday in China.

The Hartsville, P.E.I., native crossed the finish line with a time of 31 minutes 45.2 seconds.

Grygorii Vovchynskyi of Ukraine grabbed silver, finishing in 32:18.0, while Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Gerlits claimed bronze in 33:06.5.

The podium finish gives the 32-year-old Arendz his 10th career Paralympic medal, having already won bronze earlier in these Games in the standing biathlon sprint event. It’s also his second career gold.

Arendz was coming off a fourth-place finish in the standing 20km classical technique cross-country event, ending a medal streak that saw him medal in the standing biathlon sprint just days ago, and in all six events he competed in at Pyeongchang 2018.

It was the first time he had missed the podium since the 10km cross-country event at Sochi 2014.

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Olympics Live Updates: Erin Jackson’s Gold Is First U.S. Speedskating Medal in Beijing

Olympics Live Updates: Erin Jackson’s Gold Is First U.S. Speedskating Medal in Beijing
ImageErin Jackson, 29, won the first U.S. speedskating medal in Beijing in the women’s 500-meter race on Sunday.
Credit…Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Erin Jackson ended a drought of U.S. speedskating medals by taking first place in the women’s 500-meter race on Sunday, becoming the first African American woman to win gold or any medal in the sport. It is also the first medal for an American speedskater in Beijing and the first individual speedskating medal won by an American since the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“I think I kind of blacked out,” said her teammate Brittany Bowe, who also competed in the race. “I screamed so loud I almost passed out.”

Jackson, 29, was the dominant 500-meter skater in the world this year, winning four of the eight races contested at World Cup events and winning a medal in two others. Her time, 37.04, was the third-fastest 500 meters skated at a sea-level oval.

Shortly after her win, Jackson embraced her coach, Ryan Shimabukuro. “I said the same thing I said to Joey Cheek in 2006,” Shimabukuro said. “You’re an Olympic champion.”

Jackson’s gold in Beijing comes a little over four years after she transitioned to speedskating from in-line skating. She qualified for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics after only four months of training, finishing 24th in the 500 meters there.

While she is much more comfortable on the ice than she was in 2018, Jackson is still relatively new to the sport. “I still have a bit of fear when it comes to skating on the ice,” she said in December. “I don’t have a lot of trust in myself and the blades, the ice and definitely the people around me.”

But any discomfort is masked by her explosive speed. The 500 meters is the shortest race in speedskating: just one straightaway and then a lap around the oval. Jackson is a good starter, but she is great at maintaining her speed during the lap. She had the second fastest opener and the fastest lap in winning her medal.

“She has really good technique. She has really, really strong hips, and she keeps them stable and steady when she skates,” said Kimi Goetz, an American who finished 18th in the race.

Goetz added, “She is putting so much power into the ice, and she is just super fast.”

Miho Takagi of Japan won silver, and Angelina Golikova of Russia took the bronze.

Time
USA flag

United States

 37.04
JPN flag

Japan

 37.12

+0.08
ROC flag

Russian Olympic Committee

 37.21

+0.17

Jackson is part of a stable of American skaters, including Bowe and Joey Mantia, who are from the surprising speedskating hotbed of Ocala, Fla. Renee Hildebrand coached all in in-line skating before they moved to the ice. It is a well-worn path for American skaters, like the Olympic medalists Chad Hedrick and Derek Parra, because in-line is not an Olympic sport.

Jackson’s participation in Beijing almost ended before it began. During the Olympic trials in Milwaukee in January, she slipped in her race and finished third, with the United States having just two entries in the 500 meters at the Olympics. Bowe, who is better at the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters but finished first in the 500 meters at the trials, gave up her spot to Jackson.

Bowe’s sacrifice was ultimately unnecessary, as the United States was later awarded a third Olympic entry in the event after a complicated process of reallocating spots. She finished 16th.

Speedskating has historically produced the most medals at the Winter Olympics for the United States, but they have been hard to come by recently. Americans did not win any medals in the sport at the Sochi Games in 2014, a debacle that devolved into arguments about the skin suits worn by athletes and a high-altitude training camp before the low-altitude Games. The only speedskating medal that the Americans won in 2018 was a bronze in the women’s team pursuit.

“We need that bad,” Bowe said of Jackson’s victory on Sunday.

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Germany captures sixth gold medal in Olympic sliding events, as Canada’s Mirela Rahneva finishes fifth in skeleton

Germany captures sixth gold medal in Olympic sliding events, as Canada’s Mirela Rahneva finishes fifth in skeleton

Germany’s Hannah Neise competes in heat 3 of women’s skeleton on Feb. 12, 2022.THOMAS PETER/Reuters

Hannah Neise has never won a World Cup medal. Or a medal at the world championships. Or a medal from the European championships.

She’s got an Olympic medal now.

And it’s the one that everybody wants.

Skeleton has a new champion, and she was a bit of a surprise winner. Neise, the 21-year-old who won the junior world title last year, became the first German woman to capture the gold medal in Olympic skeleton by rallying in the final two heats at the Beijing Games on Saturday.

Her four-run time was 4 minutes, 7.62 seconds. Jaclyn Narracott of Australia — the midpoint leader of the event — won the silver in 4:08.24 and World Cup overall champion Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands took the bronze in 4:08.46.

Neise’s win might have been a bit of a stunner, but at this point, nothing Germany does on this track should be that surprising. After six sliding events at the Beijing Games — four in luge, two in skeleton — the Germans have captured six gold medals.

Oh, and all they have in the four remaining bobsled races — two for men, two for women — are the reigning Olympic champion drivers in Francesco Friedrich and Mariama Jamanka.

Tina Hermann of Germany was fourth and Mirela Rahneva of Canada, the first-run leader, was fifth.

Canada’s Mirela Rahneva after her run in heat 4 of the women’s skeleton event on Feb. 12, 2022.EDGAR SU/Reuters

Neise’s win capped a year that was unpredictable in women’s skeleton from the outset. There were eight World Cup races leading up to the Olympics, with five different winners and 11 different medalists — Neise not being one of them.

But there was a big hint that she could contend at the Olympics. There was a preseason race at the Yanqing Sliding Center after three weeks of international training this fall, and Neise was second in that event.

Clearly, she figured some things out about the new track faster than most everyone else did.

Katie Uhlaender, racing in her fifth Olympics, was the top American and finished sixth in 4:09.23. Uhlaender strained a muscle in her side before competing Saturday and still moved up two spots from where she was after Friday’s first two runs of the competition.

Kelly Curtis, the other U.S. slider in the field, was 21st.

This was the first time in six Olympic women’s skeleton competitions that a woman from Britain didn’t find her way to the podium. Alex Coomber won bronze in 2002, Shelley Rudman won silver in 2006, Amy Williams took gold in 2010, Lizzy Yarnold won gold in both 2014 and 2018 and Laura Deas captured bronze four years ago as well.

Deas was the top British slider in this race, placing 20th.

Narracott’s medal, though, had a very British feel — and that has nothing to do with Queen Elizabeth II remaining the head of state in 15 Commonwealth countries, including Australia. Narracott spends the season traveling and training with the British team, and her husband is retired British skeleton athlete and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Dom Parsons.

Narracott was great.

Neise was just better. And the world’s most accomplished nation in sliding just continues to dominate the Beijing Games.

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