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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The Chair of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee would prefer a new, A$3.4 billion stadium at Victoria Park for the Games, if possible.
But it’s not his decision.
Andrew Liveris told the “Toward the Games” podcast last week that while the new Queensland Liberal National Party is reviewing the options, he made his preference clear:
“What better visual than to have a new stadium at Vic Park? … I would love it, to be perfectly frank.
“If a stadium like that appears at Victoria Park, that fits the future of cricket and football perfectly, and has private sector funding that gives it a return model like Optus Stadium out in Perth, of course Andrew Liveris would say at that, ‘Wow, what a great answer for the Olympics’.”
The original plan was to renovate the famed Brisbane Cricket Ground (“The Gabba”) at a projected cost of A$2.7 billion. A review by the prior Labor government suggested a new, A$3.4 billion stadium at Victoria Park, while the Labor government – owing to the cost – preferred a renovation of the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) for track & field, and the use of Lang Park for ceremonies. (A$1 = $0.64 U.S.)
The Liberal National Party’s review is due in March 2025. Until now, Liveris had been quiet, saying only that the organizing committee will accept whatever is agreed by the government (and paid for by the government). Now, his preference is clear.
● Alpine Skiing ● Returning American star Lindsey Vonn made her first appearance after five years in retirement at the FIS Festival at Copper Mountain, Colorado, finishing 24th in Saturday’s first Downhill, and 27th in the second.
In Sunday’s Super-G, American Lauren Macuga was the winner at 1:11.89, with Vonn 19th at 1:13.95.
¶
Swiss skiers dominated the FIS World Cup for men in Beaver Creek, Colorado, with 32-year-old Justin Murisier winning his first-ever World Cup gold in the Downhill in 1:40.04, ahead of three-time defending World Cup champ Marco Odermatt (SUI: 1:40.24) and Miha Hribat (SLO: 1:40.38). Bryce Bennett of the U.S. was sixth at 1:40.92, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 12th.
Odermatt then took over in the Super-G, winning his 38th career World Cup gold in 1:09.41, beating Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA: 1:09.59) and Lukas Feurstein (1:09.88). River Radamus of the U.S. was eighth (1:10.25) and Cochran-Siegle was 11th.
Sunday’s Giant Slalom was another Swiss win, this time the first career World Cup gold for 35-year-old Thomas Tumler in 2:27.60. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the former Norwegian now skiing from Brazil, was second (2:27.72) and Zan Kranjec (SLO: 2:28.18) was third. Radamus was again the top U.S. finisher, in seventh (2:29.29).
● Archery ● At the World Archery Indoor World Series Taipei Open in Taoyuan (TPE), Italy’s Tokyo 2020 runner-up Mauro Nespoli was the men’s winner in a shoot-off with Korean Bon-chan Ku, 6-5, after a closest-to-the-center 10 on his final shot.
Japan’s Ruka Uehara took the women’s Recurve title with a 6-4 final win over Eunah Lee (KOR).
● Athletics ● The newest name to remember is Australian teen Gout Gout.
He won the Australian All-Schools Championship in Brisbane on Saturday in 20.04 (wind: +1.5 m/s), breaking the national 200 m record from 1968 of 20.06, set by Peter Norman in winning the Mexico City Olympic silver. He also set a world age-16 best, eclipsing Jamaican legend Usain Bolt’s 20.13 mark from 2003. His best coming in was 20.29.
Gout also won the 100 m in a lifetime best of 10.17 on Friday (+0.5) after running a wind-aided 10.04 in the heats (+3.4).
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The indoor season is underway in style, with two collegiate records at the Sharon Colyear-Danville season opener at Boston University for North Carolina’s Ethan Strand, winning at 7:30.15 over teammate Parker Wolfe (7:30.23). They are now nos. 2-4 on the all-time U.S. indoor list.
In the men’s 5,000 m, repeat men’s NCAA Cross Country champ Graham Blanks won in 12:59.89, a lifetime best and now no. 17 on the all-time indoor list and no. 5 all-time U.S.
The women’s NCAA Cross Country winner, Kenyan Doris Lemngole, running for Alabama, won the women’s 5,000 m in 14:52.54, eclipsing the 14:52.79 collegiate indoor mark of Parker Valby (Florida) from 2024.
● Beach Volleyball ● The women’s gold-medal match was an all-American affair at the Beach Pro Tour Finals in Doha (QAT), with Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth winning the Finals for the second straight years, 21-19, 21-17, over Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft. It’s the second win of the season for Nuss and Kloth and third silver for Cannon and Kraft.
Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasia Samoilova won the bronze.
The men’s final was another battle between Tokyo 2020 winners Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR) and the Paris 2024 gold medalists David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE), in a repeat of the 2023 Finals championship match. The Swedes won that one, but the Norwegians took the 2024 final, 21-18, 22-20. It’s the second Finals win for Mol and Sorum.
Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, the Tokyo 2020 bronze winners, took the bronze here.
● Biathlon ● In the individual events at Kontiolahti (FIN) held this weekend, Norway started with a sweep of the men’s 15 km, with Endre Stornsheim getting his second career World Cup win and beating reigning seasonal champ Johannes Thinges Boe, 38.08.8 (0 penalties) to 38.11.8 (one penalty), with Sturla Holm Laegreid (38:33.0/0) completing the sweep.
In the men’s 10 km Sprint, it was France’s four-time Worlds gold medalist Emilien Jacquelin winning in 23:03.1/0, ahead of Sebastian Samuelsson (SWE: 23:22.0/1), Philipp Nawrath (GER: 23:38.2/0), and American Campbell Wright (23:32.2/0) in fourth, his best World Cup finish ever.
Two-time Worlds relay medalist Eric Perrot (FRA) got his second career World Cup win in the 15 km Mass Start in 37:12.9 (one penalty), ahead of teammate Quentin Fillon Maillet (37:22.0/3) and Lagreid (37:24.4/2).
France dominated the women’s racing last season and Lou Jeanmonnot continued with a win in the 12.5 km (35:52.3/0), ahead of Swedes Ella Halvorsson (36:04.6/1) and Elvira Oberg (36:48.7/3). The women’s 7.5 km Sprint was a win for Marketa Davidova (CZE: 20:39.7/0), followed by Oberg (20:48.5/2) and Suvi Minkkinen (FIN: 20:51.6/0).
On Sunday, Oberg completed her medal set with a win in the women’s 12.5 km Mass Start in 35:58.6 (2 penalties), over Julia Simon (FRA: 36:14.8) and Franziska Preuss (GER: 36:177.7/2).
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup season opener for Bobsled was in Altenberg (GER), with a German sweep in the men’s and women’s races.
Two-time Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich (GER) won the Two-Man with Simon Wulff in 1:48.67, with 2023 World Champion Johannes Lochner (GER: 1:49.08) in second and Adam Ammour (1:49.48) completing the German sweep.
Friedrich also won the Four-Man – in which he is also a two-time Olympic champ – in 54.17; only one run was held after a Chinese sled crashed on the first run, which was canceled (no serious injuries reported). Austria’s Markus Treichl and German star Johannes Lochner shared the silver at 54.34. Frank Del Duca had the top U.S. finish in 13th (55.33).
Germany’s Laura Nolte, the 2023 and 2024 World Champion, won the women’s Monobob in 1:59.94, finishing fourth in the first run and second in the final run. Lisa Buckwitz, the 2024 European Champion, was second by 0.02 (1:59.96) with Andreea Grecu (ROU: 2:00.42) third. Americans Kaillie Humphries (2:01.46) and Kaysha Love (2:01.77) were seventh and ninth.
Nolte and Deborah Levi took the win in the Two-Woman event, in 1:52.14, more than a half-second up on teammates Buckwitz and Neele Schuten (1:52.79), with Germans Kim Kalicki and Lauryn Siebert third (1:52.83). Humphries and Jasmine Jones were fifth (1:53.28) and Elana Meyers Taylor and Emily Renna sixth (1:53.30).
In Skeleton, Germany’s Beijing 2022 Olympic champ Christopher Grotheer remained perfect on the season with his fourth straight win, in 1:53.62, ahead of 2023 World Champion Matt Weston (GBR: 1:53.65). Fellow Brit Marcus Wyatt, the 2024 European champ, was third; it’s the third time in four races this season that Weston and Wyatt have won the silver and bronze (in some order).
Belgium’s 2024 Worlds runner-up, Kim Meylemans took her first medal of the season with a win in the women’s races in 1:01.34, ahead of Suzanne Kehler (GER: 1:01.54) and Olympic champ Hannah Niese (GER: 1:01.55). Only one run was completed due to heavy snowfall.
Wyatt and Tabitha Sloecker won the Mixed Team final in 2:01.19, ahead of Sara Roderick and Austin Florian of the U.S. (2:01.56).
● Cross Country Skiing ● The second stop on the FIS World Cup was in Lillehammer (NOR), with the home Norwegians dominating the men’s racing.
They swept the 10 km Freestyle, with Martin Nyenget (22:58.8), Simen Kruger (23:02.9) and Harald Amundsen (23:06.6); in fact, Norway took the first six places. Then, four-time World Cup seasonal champ Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the Freestyle Sprint in 2:32.64, followed by Evan Northug (2:33.86) and Italy’s two-time Olympic silver winner Federico Pellegrino (2:34.21).
Sunday’s 20 km Skiathlon saw Amundsen get his second win of the season in at the head of another Norwegian sweep in 49:20.8, out-leaning teammates Jan Jenssen (49:20.8) and Nyenget (49:21.0) at the line! American Gus Schumacher was fifth in 49:21.6, just 0.8 back of the winner, his third-best individual finish ever in a World Cup race.
Comebacking Therese Johaug, 36, Norway’s 14-time World Champion, won her first race since retiring in 2022 in the women’s 10 km Freestyle, in 25:16.4, with teammate Heidi Weng (25:27.87) second and Astrid Slind (25:59.6) completing the sweep. American star Jessie Diggins was fifth (26:05.1).
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Sprint winner, Swede Jonna Sundling, led a 1-2 for Sweden in 2:50.08 over Johanna Hagstroem (2:53.13) in the Freestyle Sprint final, with Norway’s Julie Myhre third (2:53.68).
On Sunday, Johaug signaled she’s back with an impressive win in the 20 km Skiathlon in 54:31.5, 42.6 seconds up on Weng (55:14.1) with Diggins in third (55:14.6). Fellow American Sophia Laukli was 11th (56:29.4).
● Cycling ● The final two rounds of the UCI Track Champions League were held at Lee Valley VeloPark in London (GBR), but overshadowed by a bad crash late in the program on the final day on Saturday.
During the second heat of the first round of the women’s Keirin, German rider Alessa-Catriona Propster moved up the track and crashed into British Olympic Team Sprint gold medalist Katy Marchant, with both flying over the trackside barrier and into the crowd.
Marchant suffered a broken right forearm and two dislocated fingers and was taken to a hospital for further treatment. Propster and four spectators were also hurt, but received medical attention at the site and did not need further assistance.
The rest of the session was called off, ending the series without the final races in the men’s and women’s Keirin and the men’s Elimination race.
In the men’s Sprint division, Olympic champ Harrie Lavreysen (NED) and runner-up Matthew Richardson (now GBR) continued their duel, with Lavreysen winning the Sprint and the Keirin on Friday, with Richardson second in the Sprint and third in the Keirin. Lavreysen won the Sprint on Saturday over Australia’s Leigh Hoffman and won the overall Sprint title by 166-146 over Richardson.
The men’s Endurance class saw American Peter Moore win the Scratch race on Friday for his second victory in the series, and Canada’s Dylan Bibic, the 2022 Worlds Scratch champion, took the Elimination race. On Saturday, Lindsay de Vylder (BEL) took the Scratch and the Elimination was canceled after the crash. So, Bibic managed to win the overall Endurance title worth 130 points to 110 for Aagaard Hansen of Denmark.
Two-time Worlds sprint champion Emma Finucane (GBR) won the women’s Sprint on Friday over Olympic champ Ellesse Andrews (NZL), and Russian Alina Lysenko (competing as a “neutral”) won the Keirin over Finucane and Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda. On Saturday, Finucane won the Sprint over Lysenko, but the Keirin was cancelled. Lysenko was the overall Sprint winner with 157 points to 123 for Finucane and 120 for Bayona Pineda.
The women’s Endurance class belonged to British star Katie Archibald, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, who was second to Norway’s Anita Stenberg in Friday’s Scratch race, then won Saturday’s Scratch event. In the Elimination racing, Ireland’s Lara Gillespie won on Friday and then Yarli Acevedo (MEX) won over Archibald on Saturday. But Archibald scored 159 points to take the class easily, with Stenberg second at 120 and Gillespie third at 112.
● Fencing ● France’s Jean-Philippe Patrice edged 18-year-old Colin Heathcock of the U.S. by 15-14 in the final of the men’s FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Orleans (FRA), for his first career Grand Prix gold. It’s Heathcock’s third career Grand Prix medal, all this year.
The women final saw Korea’s Hayoung Jeon get her first Grand Prix win over Greece’s two-time Worlds bronze medalist Theodora Gkountoura, 15-7.
Italy went 1-2 at the FIE Foil World Cup for men in Takasaki (JPN), with 2018 World Champion Alessio Foconi getting past Filippo Macchio, 15-14, for his fifth career World Cup win. Three-time Olympic medalist Alex Massialas of the U.S. won one of the bronze medals. Italy also won the team final, 45-36, over the U.S. squad of Massialas, Bryce Louie, Nick Itkin and Chase Emmer.
At the FIE Foil World Cup for women in Busan (KOR), Elena Tangherlini (ITA) defeated Canada’s Olympic bronzer, Eleanor Harvey, in the final, 12-11, for her first career World Cup victory. Italy won the team title over the U.S. team of Lee Kiefer, Zanger Rhodes, Lauren Scruggs and Delphine Devore, 45-35.
● Figure Skating ● The U.S. scored three wins in four events at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA), topped by Amber Glenn’s first major international win.
Glenn, 25, the 2024 U.S. national champion, won both the Short Program and the Free Skate to score 212.07 points, enough to win over Japan’s Mone Chiba (208.85) and three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (201.13), who suffered a fall in the Short Program.
It was the first Grand Prix Final win by an American woman since Alissa Czisny in 2010, and Glenn was amazed:
“This year started off with my first-ever international gold and now this is going to be my fourth, which is so incredible to even say. And I’m just so honored and blessed to be considered at that top contention of competition.
“It is still not real to me yet. I earned my first international gold this year in Bergamo [Lombardia Trophy] and I have been competing internationally since I was 13 and now I’m 25. Having all that experience that I do it means a lot.”
She said the lesson to be learned is an eternal one: “Never give up. You never know what’s going to happen. You can be at your lowest low, but you survived every single one of your darkest days so far, and you can continue to. I believe in you.“
World Champion Ilia Malinin won the men’s title at 292.12, winning the Short Program and second in the Free Skate, with a fall on a quad Lutz, one of an astonishing seven quads in his program. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the Beijing 2022, runner-up, won the Free Skate and was second overall at 281.78, with teammate Shun Sato third (270.82).
Malinin’s show of skills was a record; the ISU noted that he “is the first to attempt six different types of quad and only quads, a total of seven, in one program.” He said afterwards:
“Going into Grand Prix Final I wanted to challenge myself with my technical ability as well as try to incorporate the artistry that I’ve been working on through the past few seasons.
“I think it was a kind of a challenge for me to want to come out here and try to put everything into one program and see how it goes.
“It was not what I wanted but I am still proud of myself. I try to create something new even though at the very beginning it can look weird and unsure. The biggest challenge is to try to make everything consistent and as clean as possible and to put technical aspects and artistry together.
“I will get home and play around with the elements and will figure out what is the content for Worlds is going to be.”
The Ice Dance World Champions, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S., won their specialty 219.85, winning both segments. They were more than 13 points ahead of 2024 European champs Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA: 206.11), and Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (205.18).
In Pairs, Worlds bronze medalists Minerva Haase and Nikita Volodin won both segments and scored 218.10 points, well clear of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (JPN: 206.71). Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea finished fifth at 198.26.
● Freestyle Skiing ● The U.S. men swept the medals at the FIS World Cup in Halfpipe in Secret Garden (CHN), with three-time Olympic Slopestyle medalist Nick Goepper getting the win with 95.00, ahead of two-time Olympic Halfpipe medalist Alex Ferreira (92.25) and 2014-18 Olympic winner David Wise (89.00).
Chinese star Eileen Gu, the Beijing 2022 champion, won the women’s competition at 90.00, leading a 1-2 for the home team as Fanghui Li (82.75) was second and American Svea Irving was third (80.00).
¶
In the Moguls skiing at Idre Fjall (SWE), Canada’s four-time World Champion Mikael Kingsbury won again, scoring 87.92 against 85.89 for Japanese veteran Ikuma Horishima and 85.63 for Sweden’s Beijing 2022 winner Walter Wallberg (85.63). American Nick Page was fifth (84.76).
The women’s winner was Australia’s 2024 World Cup seasonal champion Jakara Anthony (82.94), ahead of 2018 Olympic champ Perrine Laffont (FRA: 80.89) and Canada’s Maia Schwinghammer (80.71). American stars Jaelin Kauf (79.83), Olivia Giaccio (71.97) and Tess Johnson (59.27) went 4-5-6.
Saturday’s Dual Moguls events had to be cancelled due to heavy fog.
● Judo ● The home completely dominated the IJF World Tour Tokyo Grand Slam in Japan, winning 13 of 14 classes!
The men had six winners in Taiki Nakamura (60 kg), Takeshi Takeoka (66 kg), Ryuga Tanaka (73 kg), Soatro Fujiwara (81 kg), Sanshiro Murao (90 kg) and Kanta Nakano (+100 kg). The women swept all seven classes, with Wakana Koga (48 kg), Kisumi Omori (53 kg), Mika Adachi (57 kg), Haruka Kaju (63 kg), Mayu Honda (70 kg), Kurena Ikeda (78 kg) and Mao Arai (+78 kg).
● Luge ● Austria’s Worlds bronze medalist Madeline Egle gave the home fans at the FIL World Cup in Innsbruck lots to cheer about as she won the women’s Singles over 2021 World Champion Julia Taubitz (GER), 1:32.484 to 1:32.724, with Lisa Schulte (AUT: 1:32.853) in third. Emily Sweeney of the U.S. was fourth (1:32.966) and Summer Britcher was seventh.
Austria scored again in the women’s Doubles, with World Champions Selina Egle – Madeleine’s younger sister – teaming with Lara Kipp to win in 1:33.499 over two-time Worlds winners Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (1:33.850). American stars Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby finished fifth in 1:34.342).
Austria’s 2024 Worlds runner-up Nico Gleirscher got his first win of the season in the men’s Singles, winning in 1:39.713 over teammates Jonas Mueller (1:39.808) and older brother David Gleirscher (1:40.166) for a medals sweep. Jonny Gustafson was the top American, in 11th (1:41.006).
Latvia’s Olympic relay bronze medalists Martins Bots and Roberts Plume took the men’s Doubles in 1:32.393, barely ahead of the new German team of five-time Worlds winner Toni Eggert with Florian Mueller (1:32.572). The top U.S. pair was Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa in seventh (1:33.050), and Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander were 10th.
● Nordic Combined ● Five-time World Cup champion Jarl Magnus Riiber (NOR) won his second FIS World Cup race in Lillehammer (NOR) on Saturday, taking the 98 m jumping and 10 km race in 24:07.4, for his 75th career World Cup gold.
Julian Schmid (GER: 24:44.1) was a distant second and Johannes Lamparter (AUT: also 24:44.1) third.
In the Compact 140 m jumping and 7.5 km race on Sunday, Beijing 2022 Normal Hill gold medalist Vinzenz Geiger (GER) won his second event of the season in 17:44.0, barely ahead of teammate Schmid (also 17:44.0) and Riiber in third (17:459).
The reigning World Cup women’s champ, Norwegian Ida Marie Hagen, won both women’s events. She took the Gundersen 98 m jumping and 5 km race on Friday in 15:24.9, ahead of teammate Gyda Westvold Hansen (16:13.9) and Lisa Hirner (AUT: 16:20.5), then won Saturday’s Compact 98 m/5 km in 13:43.4, winning easily over Nathalie Armbruster (GER: 14:34.5) and Westvold Hansen (14:39.1).
● Rugby Sevens ● South Africa scored a popular home victory in the men’s final of the second HSBC Sevens Series tournament, in Cape Town (RSA), defeating France by 26-14. The Blitzboks won their two pool matches easily, then disposed of Spain, 19-12, in their semi. Fiji won the bronze medal, 47-10 over the Spanish.
Seven-time Women’s Series champions New Zealand won the women’s tournament with a 26-12 victory over the U.S. Both teams were 2-0 in pool play, then the Kiwis beat France by 43-0 in their semi, while the U.S. edged Australia, 24-19. France won the third-place match by 17-14 over Australia.
● Short Track ● Another win for the U.S. on the ISU World Tour, this time in Beijing (CHN) for the third stop, for 2024 Worlds 1,500 m bronze medalist Corinne Stoddard.
She won the women’s 1,500 m in 2:25.748, just ahead of teammate (and 2024 World 1,000 m champ) Kristen Santos-Griswold (2:25.850). Reigning World Champion Gil-li Kim (KOR) was third at 2:25.888.
Dutch star Xandra Velzeboer, the two-time World 500 m champ, won that event at 42.078 and was second to Canada’s Danae Blais in the 1,000 m by 1:29.678 to 1:29.717. Stoddard picked up another medal in third in 1:29.777. Canada won the 3,000 m relay.
In the men’s skating, China picked up two wins, with World 1,500 m champ Long Sun taking the 500 m in 40.155 over Canada’s three-time Olympic medalist Steven Dubois (40.289), and then the 5,000 m relay.
Korea’s Ji-won Park, the 2023 World 1,500 m champ, won that event in 2:16.776 over 2024 World 1,000 m winner William Sandjinou (CAN: 2:16.808), but Canada got a win from Felix Roussel in the 1,000 m in 1:25.352, over Michal Niewinski (POL: 1:25.480).
China also won the Mixed Relay in 2:39.115, with the U.S. (Andrew Heo, Marcus Howard, Santos-Griswold, Stoddard) finishing third in 2:39.480.
● Ski Jumping ● Austria’s Daniel Tschofenig finally got his first World Cup win in the FIS men’s World Cup of the 134 m hill in Wisla (POL) on Saturday, scoring 276.8 points to edge Gregor Deschwanden (SUI: 275.4) and Pius Paschke (GER: 273.9).
On Sunday, the 34-year-old Paschke, who came into this season with one career World Cup win, got his third gold of the new season – and fifth medal in six events – scoring 298.6 to defeat Jan Hoerl (AUT: 290.1) and defending World Cup champ Stefan Kraft (AUT: 286.1).
● Snowboard ● At the FIS Halfpipe World Cup in Secret Garden (CHN), American Maddie Mastro, the time Worlds medalist, scored her first career World Cup win with 88.75 points, beating Xuetong Cai (CHN: 86.25) and fellow American, 30-year-old Madeline Schaffrick (85.25), who won her first career World Cup medal!
The men’s win went to 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka (JPN) at 95.50, ahead of Australia’s Beijing 2022 runner-up, Scotty James (88.25); Japan took the bronze as well with Ryusei Yamada (87.75).
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In the second stop of the Parallel racing World Cup circuit, in Yanqing (CHN), Tim Mastnak (SLO) won Saturday’s men’s Giant Slalom race over Maurizio Bormolino (ITA), his fourth career win and first since 2019.
In Sunday’s Slalom, Italy went 1-2 with Daniele Bagozza winning his sixth career individual World Cup title, over Gabriel Messner.
Italy’s Lucia Dalmasso won her second career World Cup individual title in the women’s Parallel Giant Slalom, beating Austria’s Sabine Payer. On Sunday, the 2023 World Champion in the Parallel Giant Slalom, Japan’s Tsubaki Miki, won the Parallel Slalom over Claudia Riegler (AUT).
● Swimming ● Tunisian star Ahmed Hafnaoui, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ in the men’s 400 m Freestyle and a two-time World Champion in 2023 in the 800 and 1,500 m Freestyles, has been provisionally suspended by the Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU) for whereabouts failures.
According to the AQIU:
“Any combination of three (or more) Missed Tests (which relate to the Athletes’ unavailability with respect to their 60-minute time slot) and/or Filing Failures (which are caused by the Athletes’ failure to provide accurate Whereabouts) committed within a twelve-month period amount to a potential Anti-Doping Rule Violation (“ADRV”) as per Article 2.4 of the World Aquatics Doping Control Rules and World Anti-Doping Code.
“The potential consequences for such ADRV, if confirmed, is a period of Ineligibility between one and two years and disqualification of results obtained since the date of the ADRV, namely the date of the occurrence of third Whereabouts Failure (Article 10.3.2 World Aquatics Doping Control Rules).”
Hafnaoui swam for Indiana for part of the 2023-24 season, but SwimSwam.com reported he has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal to switch to another school.
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