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PANORAMA: Rubiales, Hermoso to appeal “the kiss” verdicts; J.T. Boe ends with 43 Biathlon Worlds medals; U.S. 2-0 in SheBelieves Cup

By
Rich Perelman
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The best ever? Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe, winner of more biathlon World Champs medals than anyone else! (Photo: IBU)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games ● Sad news that Yvonne Curtet-Chabot, a French long jumper at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games, passed away on Friday (25th) at 104. She was the oldest living Olympian, having been born on 28 May 1920.

Per Olympic super-statistician, Dr. Bill Mallon, the “new” oldest Olympian is Canadian alpine skier Rhoda Wurtele-Eaves, born in 1922 and now 103.

She was slated to compete in St. Moritz (SUI), but withdrew after a training run injury. She did compete at Oslo in 1952 in three events, with a best of ninth in the women’s Giant Slalom.

● Athletics ● Paris men’s high hurdles champ Grant Holloway was not pleased with the lack of a broadcast partner for the USATF National Indoor Championships on Saturday, with the meet finally available on the USATF.tv site for subscribers or via pay-per-view. Wrote Holloway on X:

“If you plan to watch the USATF Indoor Champs, consider waiting for it to be posted on Twitter or YouTube instead of paying for the PPV. It’s surprising that we can’t watch our own championships live, which is definitely an area that needs improvement.”

He won the men’s 60 m hurdles on Saturday; the Sunday portion of the meet was shown on NBC and its Peacock streaming service.

● Football ● Former Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales and Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso both say they will appeal last week’s court decision that convicted and fined Rubiales €10,800 for sexual assault, and required him to pay Hermoso €3,000 in “moral damages,” but cleared him on a coercion charge and imposed no jail time. (€1 = $1.05 U.S.)

Hermoso wrote on Instagram:

“After everything, this will create an important precedent in a social environment where there is still much to be done. “I have my heart full with each of the people who have been, are, and will continue with me in this fight.

“And now, yes, it’s over.”

Except for the appeals, of course. The other three defendants from the Spanish federation were all acquitted of coercion charges.

● Triathlon ● Impressive 2024 Impact Report from USA Triathlon, in which the federation moves beyond the Olympic Mixed Relay silver in Paris and eight Paralympic medals, but noted the nation-wide participation in the sport:

● More than 3,600 races at 1,034 triathlon events held in the U.S.

● More than 302,000 members nation-wide, an increase of 1.6% from 2023.

● More than 280,000 adult finishers in 2024, down slightly from 2023.

Triathlon events were both large and small, with record averages of 354 entries per event and 120 per race in 2024.

The USA Triathlon Foundation was also busy, raising $3.4 million; programs for youth introduced more than 9,000 to the sport.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Italian star Federica Brignone’s dream season in the Giant Slalom continued in front of home fans at the FIS World Cup in Sestriere (ITA), as she won both Giant Slalom races, on Friday and Saturday, to go along with her FIS World Championships gold in Austria.

She took the first race in 2:12.69, moving from second to first with the best second run in the field. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, the first-round leader, finished second, just as at the Worlds (2:13.09), with Thea Louise St Jernesund (NOR: 2:14.26) in third.

American Paula Moltzan was sixth (2:14.70), Nina O’Brien was eighth (2:15.32), A.J. Hurt was 12th (2:15.48) and Mikaela Shiffrin, skiing cautiously in an event she skipped at the Worlds, was 25th in 2:17.34.

On Saturday, Brignone was fourth after run one, but again the best on the second and won in 2:08.81, beating Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami (2:09.58) and Robinson – again the first-run leader – in 2:09.60. Hurt and Moltzan went 7-8 in 2:10.66 and 2:10.76, but O’Brien did not finish. Shiffrin, again cautious, ranked 33rd on the first run and did not advance.

Sunday’s Slalom was a magnificent 100th win for Shiffrin, covered in more depth here.

Swiss fans, already thrilled with their team’s performance at the World Championships, got more to cheer about at the men’s World Cup in Crans-Montana (SUI).World Champion Franjo von Allmen repeated his Worlds win in the Downhill, leading a Swiss sweep in 1:56.07. He was followed by World Cup leader Marco Odermatt (1:56.20) and Alexis Monney, the Worlds bronze winner (1:56.49). Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top American, in 13th (1:57.65), followed by Bryce Bennett (17: 1:58.04) and Jared Goldberg (25: 1:58.78).

Sunday’s Super-G saw Odermatt win his eighth race of the season in 1:21.53, ahead of Monney (1:21.81) and Italy’s Dominik Paris (1:21.92). Already the three-time defending World Cup champion, Odermatt now has a 500-point lead on the field with 11 races left.

● Biathlon ● At the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide (SUI), France and Norway finished 1-2 on the medal table and combined to win 22 of the 36 total medals available.

On Saturday’s relay day, France and Norway traded gold and silvers in the men’s and women’s races. The Norwegians won the men’s 4×7.5 km relay in 1:18:18.1 (4 penalties) to 1:19:00.9 for the French (7 penalties), with Germany third (1:19:54.0/10). It was the third win in four men’s events for the Norwegians, with Johannes Thingnes Boe getting his third gold.

The U.S. squad of Paul Schommer, Maxime Germain, Campbell Wright and Paul Doherty finished ninth in 1:21:33.2 (11).

The women’s 4×6 km relay belong to the French, – their third win in four women’s events – with Julia Simon winning a fourth gold on anchor in 1:07:26.5 (4), over Norway (1:08:30.7/9) and Sweden (1:09:11.0/9). The U.S. team was lapped on the third leg, and eliminated.

On Sunday, 27-year-old Endre Stromsheim won the 15 km Mass Start, at the head of a Norwegian sweep in 38:22.6 (1 penalty), ahead of Sturla Holm Laegreid (38:35.0/2) and J.T. Boe (38:35.3/4). The U.S.’s Wright, already a two-time silver winner, took fourth in 38:54.0 (2). Fellow American Germain was 28th (41:57.4/4).

Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg won her third medal of this Worlds by taking the women’s 12.5 km Mass Start in 40:32.3 (2), ahead of France’s Oceane Michelon (40:41.7/3) and Maren Kirkeeide (NOR: 40:48.8/3). It’s Oeberg’s first Worlds gold, but her sixth career Worlds medal.

The French finished with 13 medals (6-2-5) to top the table, ahead of Norway (9: 4-3-2) and Germany (5: 1-1-3). Norwegian star Boe, 31, set to retire at the end of the season, finished with sensational totals of 43 Worlds medals, including 23 golds, 14 silvers and six bronzes. He won five medals (3-1-1) in Lenzerheide.

● Curling ● The USA Curling Mixed Doubles Championship in Lafayette, Colorado also served as the Olympic Trials for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

The round-robin winners were 2023 champs Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, with an 8-1 record, with Sarah Anderson and Andrew Stopera at 7-2. Those two teams faced off in the Page playoff system, with Thiesse and Dropkin winning, 10-3 and sending Anderson and Stopera to the semifinal.

There, Anderson and Stopera got past Madison Bear and Aidan Oldenburg, 7-5, and got a final shot at Thiesse and Dropkin in a best 2-of-3 series for the title and an Olympic berth. Thiesse and Dropkin took the first match, piling up a 5-2 lead after four ends, then tied at 5-5 after six. Thiesse and Dropkin got two in the seven, but were tied in the eight, and finally scored in an extra end to get an opening, 8-7 victory.

On Sunday, Thiesse and Dropkin got out to a 4-0 lead after three ends and added two more for a 6-1 lead after six ends and cruised in for a 6-3 win and their second national title together. Dropkin, however, now has won this championship four times, also with Sarah Anderson – this time the other finalist – in 2015 and 2018.

● Cycling ● The UCI World Tour’s seven-stage UAE Tour concluded on Sunday, with Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, the race favorite, delivering with an emphatic victory.

Stages 1, 4, 5, and 6 were fairly flat and resulted in the expected mass sprint finishes, with Belgian Tim Merlier winning stages 5 and 6. The Individual Time Trial in stage 2 was a win for British rider Jonathan Tarling and then Pogacar won the uphill-finishing third stage and took the race lead.

He held it, and had a 21-second lead on Tarling into the 176 km stage 7, also with an uphill finish. And he was the winner in 3:44:04, 33 seconds up on Italy’s Giulio Ciccone, and took the overall title in 23:08:42, 1:14 up on Ciccone, as Tarling fell back on the final stage. Spain’s Pedro Bilbao was third overall, 1:19 back of the winner.

It was Pogacar’s third win in this race, also in 2021 and 2022.

● Figure Skating ● The ISU Four Continents Championships was held in Seoul (KOR), with the home favorite – and 2024 Worlds bronze winner – Chae-yeon Kim moving up from silver in 2024 to win the women’s Singles.

Kim took both the Short Program and Free Skate and scored 222.38 points for a clear win over Americans Bradie Tennell (204.38), Sarah Everhardt (200.03) and Alysia Liu (198.55) in 2-3-4.

For Tennell, this was her first international championship medal since a bronze at the 2020 Four Continents and Everhardt won her first-ever international medal.

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, the 2022 World Juniors silver medalist, won the men’s Singles, scoring 285.10 and winning both the Short Program and Free Skate. Korea’s Junhwan Cha moved up from fourth to second in the Free Skate to score 265.02 for second, with American Jimmy Ma third (245.01). Americans Cam Pulkinen (217.25) and Tomoki Hiwatashi (214.79) finished 8-9.

Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the Pairs title for the second time in three years, winning both the Short Program and Free Skate, and scoring 217.32. Canada went 2-3 with defending champs Deanna Stillato-Dudek and Maxine Deschamps (210.92) and Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (198.40). Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea (196.94) and Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (192.07) placed fourth and fifth.

Defending champions Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) won the Ice Dance again, taking the Rhythm Dance and second in the Free Dance for a 218.46 total, barely edging World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S., who won the Free Dance and scored 217.93. It’s the eighth career Four Continents medal for Chock and Bates (3-3-2).

Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha were third, scoring 201.04, ahead of Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (197.05) and Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik (188.55) went 4-5.

● Football ● The 10th edition of the SheBelieves Cup opened on Thursday evening in Houston, with eighth-ranked Japan shutting down Australia, 4-0, with Mina Tanaka scoring in the sixth and 32nd minutes. The U.S. shut out Colombia, 2-0, with goals by Catarina Macario (33rd) and Ally Sentnor (60th, her first international goal), with keeper Jane Campbell getting her sixth career shutout. The U.S. had 63% possession and a 10-7 edge on shots.

On Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, Japan outclassed Colombia, 4-1, with Momoko Tanikawa scoring in the first minute and Mina Tanaka making it 2-0 in the eighth. It was 2-1 at half and then Maika Hamano scored in the 57th for a 3-1 lead. Tanaka added a penalty shot in the 80th for the 4-1 final.

In the nightcap, the U.S. also struck quickly, with striker Lynn Biyendolo (nee Williams) also scoring on a fast-break, right-footed tap in 41 seconds for a 1-0 lead over Australia. That was the score at half, then U.S. sub Michelle Cooper got her first international goal in the 67th minute, slamming home a loose ball in the box off the foot of Sentnor, for a 2-0 lead.

The Aussies got back into the game in the 80th, as midfielder Hayley Raso sent a perfect cross from the right side to an unmarked sub striker Michelle Heyman for a right-footed strike that whizzed past U.S. keeper Mandy Haught to close to 2-1. But that was as close as it got, with the U.S. finishing with 67% of possession and a 14-7 edge on shots.

Both the U.S. and Japan are 2-0 and the tournament concludes on Wednesday (26th), with Australia and Colombia, and the U.S. and Japan for the title, in San Diego, California.

● Freestyle Skiing ● At the FIS World Cup in Stoneham (CAN), two-time World Cup Big Air winner Matej Svancer (AUT) got his first gold this season in Slopestyle, scoring 89.43 to 87.54 for New Zealand’s Luca Harrington, with Ben Barclay (NZL: 87.00) third.

Italy’s Flora Tabanelli, who has medaled in all five Big Air competitions this season, won the women’s Slopestyle at 80.41 – her first Slopestyle medal in 2024-25 – beating Ruyi Yang (CHN: 75.28) and American Rell Harwood (74.11), winning her second straight bronze.

Lots of action in Beidahu (CHN), with Moguls, Dual Moguls and Aerials, starting with a win for Japan’s 2017 World Champion, Ikuma Horishima, in the men’s Moguls, scoring 86.57 to get his second win of the season. Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury, the all-time Moguls World Cup wins leader was second with 85.91. American Nick Page was seventh (80.67).

In the men’s Dual Moguls, Finland’s Severi Vierela scored a stunning victory, out-racing Horishima in the final, 20-17; it’s the first Finnish World Cup win in Moguls since Sami Mustonen in 2007! Canada’s Julien Viel won the bronze over Page, 18-17.

The women’s Moguls was a celebration for 2022 Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf of the U.S., winning 82.19-79.23 for France’s 2018 Olympic champ Perrine Laffont. Americans Olivia Giaccio (78.43) and Tess Johnson (76.50) went 3-4.

Kauf won again in the Dual Moguls, again defeating Laffont, who did not finish. Johnson won the bronze over fellow American Kylie Kariotis.

In Sunday’s Aerials, China’s Tianma Li got his first career World Cup gold, out-scoring Beijing 2022 Olympic champ Guangpu Qi, 130.56 to 119.00. Chris Lillis of the U.S. got his third bronze of the season, scoring 115.93 points.

China’s 2022 women’s Olympic champ Mengtao Xu got her second win of the season, leading a 1-2 with teammate Meiting Chen, scoring 114.19 and 109.04. Australia’s three-time World medalist Danielle Scott was third (89.18) ahead of Karenna Elliott of the U.S. (86.36).

● Gymnastics ● The first FIG Artistic World Cup of 2025 was in Cottbus (GER), with Armenia and Japan both getting two wins in the men’s events.

The brother combination of Artur and Vaghan Davtyan both won, with the younger Artur – a two-time World Vault medal winner – scoring with a 14.900 vault win and Vaghan winning on Rings at 14.133. Japan got wins from Kaito Sugimoto on the Parallel Bars over Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi, 14.300 to 14.266, and Shohei Kawakami on the Horizontal Bar by 14.400 to 14.333 against Lithuania’s Robert Tvorogal.

Kazak Milad Karimi, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, won the Floor Exercise over Japan’s Worlds silver medalist Kazuki Minami, 14.133 to 13.666. Yu-Jan Shiao (TPE) won on Pommel Horse at 14.433, beating Jordan’s 2023 Worlds bronzer Ahmad Abu Al-Soud (14.233).

China won three of the four women’s events, with Paris Olympic Beam runner-up Yaqin Zhou taking that event at 14.766, ahead of teammate Kexin Zhang (14.266). Zhang won on the Uneven Bars, scoring 13.990 ahead of Britain’s Charlotte Booth (13.300) and Yihan Zhang, a Paris Olympian, won the Floor Exercise at 13.433, ahead of Israel’s Lihie Raz (12.933).

In the vault, Slovenia’s Teja Belak (13.299) and Tjasa Kysselef (13.266) went 1-2, with the amazing Oksana Chusovitina (UZB) – now 49 – scoring 13.249 for third!

At the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, Ashlee Sullivan was the winner of the women’s senior-level All-Around, scoring 53.550, ahead of Jayla Hang (53.000) and Simone Rose (52.700). The Winter Cup serves as a qualifier to the USA Gymnastics nationals.

Event winners included Alessia Rosa on Vault (13.800), Alicia Zhou on the Uneven Bars (13.650), Tatum Drusch and Claire Pease on Beam (13.850) and Nola Matthews on Floor (13.300).

The men’s double All-Around started with Stanford’s Riley Loos winning on Friday with 80.400 points over 2023 Worlds All-Around bronze winner Fred Richard (79.900). Loos won on Vault and Richard led all scorers on Floor.

On Sunday, Loos won again, this time at 80.450, for a two-day total of 160.850. Richard was second at 79.100 and with a two-day total of 159.000. Nebraska’s Taylor Christopulos took third at 158.400.

The two-day event scoring showed Loos with wins on Rings (27.350), Vault (28.450) and Floor (27.700). Stanford’s Colt Walker won on the Parallel Bars (28.25) and Michigan’s Crew Bold took the Horizontal Bar (26.900). Brandon Dang of Illinois won on Pommel Horse (28.350).

At the FIG Trampoline World Cup in Baku (AZE), Belarusian Olympic men’s champ Ivan Litvinovich (competing as a “neutral”) was a convincing men’s winner, scoring 65.950, ahead of Japan’s Nishioka Ryusei (63.440).

Fellow Belarusian Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, the Paris Olympic silver winner, took the women’s competition (56.070), well clear of Japan’s Paris sixth-placer Mori Hikaru (55.800). American Mytnik Katsiaryna was sixth (29.000).

In the men’s synchro, Japan’s Nishioka Ryusei and Miyano Hayato (51.540) won over Danil Mussabayev and Nikita Tumakov (KAZ: 50.950). The women’s synchro title went to Japan’s Tanaka Kiko and Sakurai Ena (48.800), over Maia Amano and Trinity van Natta of the U.S. (47.440).

● Luge ● The final FIL World Cup of the season was in Yanqing (CHN), with Austrian and German domination continuing on Saturday.

The women’s Singles winner was two-time World Champion Julia Taubitz in 1:58.926, edging Natalie Maag (SUI: 1:59.369) and Merle Frabel (GER: 1:59.403). American Ashley Farquharson was fifth in 1:59.660. For the season, Taubitz won her third straight World Cup title with 657 points, with Madeleine Egle (AUT: 629) second; Farquharson was seventh (400).

Austrian stars Selina Egle and Lara Kipp won the Doubles in 1:59.896 for their sixth win of the season, ahead of 2024 World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER: 2:01.721. Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby finished fourth in 2:02.061. Egle and Kipp won the seasonal title, 835-745 over Degenhart and Rosenthal with Forgan and Kirkby third (601).

In the men’s racing on Sunday, two-time World Champion Max Langenhan won his fourth race of the season, in 1:55.051, and wrapped up the seasonal title. Austria’s Jonas Muller (1:55.583) and David Gleirscher (1:55.633) went 2-3. Langenhan finished with 716 points to 613 for Gleischer in the seasonal table.

Three-time Olympic champs Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (GER) won the men’s Doubles in 1:58.143, beating Martins Bots and Roberts Plume (LAT: 1:58.301) and fellow Germans Toni Eggert and Florian Mueller (1:58.908) in third. Wendl and Arlt took the seasonal title as well with 745 points to 641 for Bots and Plume. Americans Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander finished ninth (341).

● Rugby Sevens ● Argentina and New Zealand claimed wins in the fourth leg of the 2024-25 HSBC Sevens Series, this time in Vancouver (CAN).

Argentina, South Africa and Fiji won the men’s pools, and the South Africans won two close matches over Australia and Fiji to reach the final. Argentina also won two defense-first matches and got to the final and managed a 19-12 win for their second tournament win of the season.

Spain won the bronze, 22-7, over Fiji. Argentina leapt back into the seasonal lead, with 68 points to 64 for Spain and 62 each for Fiji and South Africa. The U.S. are in 11th place (9).

In women’s pool play, Brazil, New Zealand and Great Britain led the pools, with the Kiwis zipping by Canada (34-12) and Australia (29-10) to reach the final. Meanwhile, Fiji crushed Brazil by 46-0 and then Japan by 28-7 to march into the title match.

But it was all New Zealand, winning the final by 41-7, while Australia took the bronze, 26-12, over Japan. The standings show the Kiwis over Australia by 76-70 with two tournaments left, and France (52) and the U.S. (46) following.

● Ski Jumping ● The 12th stop on the FIS women’s World Cup tour was in Hinzenbach (AUT), jumping off the 90 m hill, and Slovenian teen star Nika Prevc winning for the fifth time in a row on Saturday. She scored 248.4 and won both jumps, with Selina Freitag (GER) second at 240.5 and Jacqueline Seifriedsberger (AUT: 231.1) third.

Sunday’s jumping saw Prevc and Freitag go 1-2 for the fourth straight World Cup, scoring 244.0 and 241.5 points as Prevc won the first round and Freitag won the second. Abigail Strate (CAN) took the bronze at 226.6. With five events left, Prevc has a 1,533-1,078 lead over German Katharina Schmid.

● Ski Mountaineering ● Test events for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games were held in Bormio (ITA), with World Championships gold medalists Emily Harrop (FRA) and Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP) winning the women’s and men’s Sprint.

Spain’s Cardona Coll and Ana Alonso Rodriguez won the Mixed Relay, ahead of Harrop and Thibault Anselmet.

● Snowboard ● The FIS World Cup season in Halfpipe finished in Calgary (CAN) with the fifth competition and a second straight win for Japan’s Ruka Hirano. He scored 93.00 to out-point countryman Yuto Totsuka, the 2021 World Champion (89.75), with American Alessandro Barbieri third (83.25). Hirano’s win gave him the seasonal title, 34-310 over Totsuka.

Japan’s Beijing bronzer, Sena Tomita made it a sweep with a win in the women’s event, scoring 90.75, ahead of two-time Worlds medalist Maddie Mastro of the U.S. (85.25) and Elizabeth Hosking (CAN: 79.25). Mastro won medals in three events and took the seasonal title at 310 points, with two-time Olympic champ Chloe Kim of the U.S. second at 250.

The fourth Slopestyle event of the season saw the U.S. go 1-2 with 16-year-old Oliver Martin, who won his first career World Cup medal (and first gold) at 80.60, beating 2018 Olympic champ Red Gerard of the U.S. (78.63). Norway’s two-time World Champion Marcus Kleveland was third in 75.65.

Japan’s 18-year-old Mari Fuaka won the women’s Slopestyle at 77.58, with Annika Morgan (GER: 76.30) second and 2023 World Champion Mia Brookes (GBR: 74.08) third.

● Speed Skating ● American star Jordan Stolz lost his last race, at the ISU World Cup in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but started a new streak at the ISU World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki (POL).

He had won 14 races in a row this season before the second 500 m event in Milwaukee, and 18 in a row going back to last season (and 22 straight in her preferred 500-1,000-1,500 m races). But got going again in Poland, winning the first men’s 500 m and the 1,500 m on Friday and then the 1,000 m on Saturday. Fellow American Cooper Mcleod was fourth in the 1,000 m.

But on Sunday, he was in the last pair of the second men’s 500 m, but finished fifth overall, as Kazakhstan’s Yevgeniy Koshkin scored an upset win in 34.52 over Canada’s 2021 World Champion, Laurent Dubreuil (34.70) – second in both 500s – with Stolz fifth in 34.84. Said Stolz afterwards:

“The technique feels good, my strength isn’t even bad, but it’s just that I’m not recovering like I used to during competition, it’s probably the antibiotics or something.”

Norway’s Sander Eitrem took the 5,000 m in 6:16.62 over two-time Worlds runner-up Davide Ghiotto (ITA: 6:18.29). American Casey Dawson was fifth in 6:20.83. The Mass Start final was won by Seug-hoon Lee (KOR) over Bart Hoolwerf (NED), 7:48.05 to 7:48.511.

The U.S. trio of Conor McDermott-Mostowy, Mcleod and Zach Stoppelmoor won the Team Sprint in 1:19.27, ahead of South Korea (1:20.47).

Beijing 2022 Olympic women’s 500 m champ Erin Jackson of the U.S. was in good form, winning both 500 m races. She took Friday’s event in 38.08 over two-time Olympic 1,000 m champ Suzanne Schulting (NED: 38.17), and then won again over Schulting on Sunday, 37.81 to 37.92.

Two-time Mass Start World Champion Marijke Groenewoud (NED) won the women’s 1,500 m in 1:56.67, beating Olympic 1,000 m champ Miho Takagi (JPN: 1:57.50), but Takagi came back to win the 1,000 m in 1:14.80, with American Brittany Bowe fifth in 1:16.60.

Groenewoud also won the Mass Start in 8:20.34 over Italian Francesca Lollobrigida (8:20.48), with American Mia Manganello fourth (8:21.03). Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, the 2023 World Champion, took the 3,000 m in 4:03.70 over Merel Cronijn (NED: 4:04.59) and Lollobrigida (4:05.32). Poland won the Team Sprint, with the U.S. in sixth.

● Swimming ● Germany’s Tokyo Olympic 10 km champ Florian Wellbrock dominated the men’s World Aquatics Open Water World Cup opener in Soma Bay (EGY), taking the lead halfway through the race and winning in 2:01:33.6. France’s Logan Fontaine was second (2:01:44.1), just ahead of teammate and 2016 Rio Olympic bronzer Marc-Antoine Olivier (2:01:44.4).

The women’s race came down to two: Australia’s Paris Olympic silver medalist Moesha Johnson and bronzer winner Ginerva Taddeucci (ITA), with Johnson finishing ahead again, 2:06:34.6 to 2:06:37.6. Fellow Australian Chelsea Gubecka got third in 2:06:51.0.

Wellbrock anchored Germany to a clear win in the Mixed 4×1,500 m relay in 1:10:10.9, with Johnson and Gubecka swimming the first two legs for Australia, second in 1:10:41.1. Italy was third in 1:11:16.7.

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ATHLETICS: Hoey sensational with American Record 1:43.24 men’s 800 m to highlight USATF Indoor Nationals

By
Rich Perelman
-
A U.S. Indoor title and American Record for Josh Hoey! (Photo: USATF)

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≡ USATF INDOOR CHAMPS ≡

Men’s 800 m star Josh Hoey provided the highlight of the USA Track & Field Indoor National Championships in Staten Island, New York with a brilliant American Record performance, among world-leading performances in four events over the two days:

● Men/800 m: 1:43.24, Joey Hoey ~ American Record
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.36 (=), Grant Holloway
● Men/Weight: 25.11 m (82-4 3/4), Daniel Haugh

● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.75 (=), Grace Stark in heats
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.74, Masai Russell

Hoey, already the world leader and the American record holder at 1:43.90 this season, took the lead in the men’s 800 m at the break and led Paris Olympian Brandon Miller through 400 m and at the bell.

Those two were clear of the field into the final turn and Hoey ran away to the finish in another world lead and American Record in 1:43.24! Miller was a clear second in 1:44.26, then Wes Ferguson (1:44.92) and Isaiah Harris in fourth in 1:45.64.

Hoey’s time is the no. 2 performance of all time indoors; only Wilson Kipketer (KEN) and his 1997 record of 1:42.67 is faster! Miller moves to no. 9 all-time and no. 4 all-time U.S.

The middle distances also provided superb performances from Hobbs Kessler and Nikki Hiltz:

● Kessler, the 3,000 m winner on Saturday and the World Road Mile champ from 2023, took the lead in the men’s 1,500 m on the second lap and led at 800 m in 2:01.34. With two laps to go, Kessler led 2023 national indoor winner Sam Prakel and Aidan Ryan and broke everyone but Prakel with 300 to go. Prakel pressed with 100 m to go, but Kessler was not to be headed and won his double in 3:38.42. Prakel was closest at 3:39.14, then Luke Houser at 3:39.27.

Kessler, second in the 1,500 last year, got the 1.500-3,000 m U.S. indoor double; Prakel was the most recent to do it in 2023.

● After the Hiltz-Shelby Houlihan duel in the women’s 3,000 m on Saturday, would Sunday’s 1,500 m be a re-run? Hiltz had the lead with two laps to go and led into the bell with Paris Olympian Heather Maclean close and 2022 outdoor national champ Sinclaire Johnson chasing. Into the straight, Hiltz was not challenged and won easily in 4:05.76, ahead of Johnson (4:06.05) and Maclean (4:06.69). Houlihan was fourth in 4:06.82.

Hiltz won her second straight U.S. Indoor title, and the first 1500-3000 double since Houlihan did it in 2020.

And there was a lot more, of course:

Co-world leader Ronnie Baker was the obvious favorite in the men’s 60 m, but Penn State frosh Ajani Dwyer got out well and won the first heat in 6.54, with Baker at 6.57. Ray Wells Jr. won heat two in 6.58 and Coby Hilton won heat three in 6.64.

In the final, Baker was behind in mid-race and came hard to win in 6.52, just 0.02 behind his co-world lead. Wells Jr. was the leader in mid-race and Hilton came up at the line for second as both timed 6.58. Baker got his second national title, previously in 2017.

World leader Chris Bailey started in lane 6 in the 400 m, but was part of a traffic jam at the bell. But he moved hard on the backstraight and moved to the front and won by daylight in 45.21 for his first U.S. title. Jacory Patterson was strong around the final turn to get second in 45.60 and Elija Godwin, the early leader, got third in 46.09. Prep star Quincy Wilson came on hard on the final straight to get fifth in 46.13.

Paris Olympian Vernon Turner, second last year, moved up to the top of the podium in the men’s high jump as the only one to clear 2.25 m (7-4 1/2), the same height he cleared in 2024! Elijah Kosiba of Grand Valley State cleared 2.22 m (7-3 1/4) for second.

The men’s long jump was close until Will Williams, the 2023 winner, reached 8.16 m (26-9 1/4) in the fifth round and took his second U.S. indoor title. He’s now no. 8 on the 2025 world indoor list. Cameron Crump came up for second – in the sixth round – at 8.04 m (26-4 1/2), ahead of 2018 U.S. indoor champ Marquis Dendy (8.01 m/26-3 1/2).

Two-time NCAA champ Tripp Piperi left it late in the men’s shot put, moving from fourth to second in the fifth round at 21.28 m (69-7 1/2) and then won the event in the sixth round at 21.50 m (70-6 1/2). It’s his first national title. Roger Steen took the lead in the fourth round at 21.28 m (69-9 3/4) and finished second, ahead of 2022 Worlds bronzer Josh Awotunde (21.05 m/69-0 3/4).

The men’s heptathlon was dominated by Kyle Garland, the 2023 NCAA Indoor champ, who won the long jump, shot put and high jump, and finished with 6,139 points for his first U.S. Indoor title (in his first USATF Indoor nationals). Hakim McMorris finished strong with a second in the vault and in the 1,000 m to get second with 6,011. Garland moved to no. 5 on the world list for 2025 and McMorris is now no. 9.

There were only eight competitors who showed up for the women’s 60 m, so it went right to final. World leader Jacious Sears got off well, but Celera Barnes, third in the 2024 Indoor nationals, was right there and leaned better to win, with both in 7.11. Barnes won by 3/1000ths – 7.104 to 7.107 – and moves to equal-7th in the world for 2025. Mikiah Brisco got third in 7.18.

The women’s 400 m belonged to Paris Olympian – and defending champion – Alexis Holmes, who took the lead coming into the bell and ran away to win in 50.51, now no. 2 in the world for 2025. It’s also the no. 9 performance in U.S. indoor history. Rosie Effiong was a clear second in 51.43, ahead of 2016 champ Quanera Hayes ( 51.47).

Olympic Trials winner Nia Akins looked to be the favorite in the women’s 800 m, but it was former Texas All-American Valery Tobias who took control and had the lead at the bell. Akins moved up confidently and surged past on the run-in to win her second U.S. indoor title in 1:59.31. She’s now no. 10 all-time U.S. indoors. Tobias got a lifetime best – indoors or out – in 1:59.55. Sage Huerta-Klecker got a lifetime best of 2:00.13 in third. Akins and Tobias are now nos. 3 and 5 in 2025.

The ageless Vashti Cunningham – still just 27 – won her ninth consecutive USATF Indoor title and 15th national title at 1.94 m (6-4 1/4), beating Charity Hufnagel on misses at that height. Both missed 1.97 m (6-5 1/2). Jenna Rogers was third at 1.91 m (6-3 1/4).

Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore was the headliner in the women triple jump, with just four competitors entered. Only three actually jumped and Moore took the lead in round two at 13.81 m (45-4 3/4), and improved to 13.90 m (45-7 1/4) in round three. That was enough to win, with Mylana Hearn second in 13.60 m (44-7 1/2). It’s Moore’s first national title in the event.

The women’s Weight was a first-to-last round win for Rachel Richeson, who grabbed the lead at 24.87 m (81-7 1/4) on her first try and improved in rounds 5 and 6 to reach 25.26 m (82-10 1/2) for her first national title. Erin Reese, the two-time defending champ, was second at 24.91 m (81-8 3/4) also in the sixth round. Richeson (nee Tanczos) remains at no. 7 on the all-time U.S. list.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships are next, in Nanjing (CHN) from 21-23 March.

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ALPINE SKIING: She did it! Shiffrin wins Sestriere Slalom for 100th career World Cup win, ties Stenmark for most medals!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (Photo: Reese Brown courtesy U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

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≡ SHIFFRIN WINS 100th! ≡

After returning from her November crash in just two months to winning a Team Combined gold medal at the FIS World Championships, Alpine star Mikaela Shiffrin had been advancing quickly but carefully.

At the World Cup races in Sestriere (ITA), she was cautious during the Friday and Saturday Giant Slaloms, finishing 25th and 33rd, in fact missing the cut for the final on Saturday for the first time in more than 14 years on the circuit.

All that led to Sunday’s Slalom, a discipline in which she is unsurpassed, with 63 wins of her total of 99 coming in.

Skiing fourth, Shiffrin looked like she has so many times before, ripping down the slope and timing 53.79 for the lead after the first run. But she was only 0.09 ahead of rising Croatian Zrinka Ljutic.

Waiting for everyone else to go on the second run, Shiffrin saw teammate Paula Moltzan, fourth after the first run, move into the lead with a quality second run and a 1:50.97 total. Austria’s Katharina Liensberger could not match that and totaled 1:51.09, meaning Moltzan was good for at least the bronze.

Ljutic also had some trouble on her second run, but taking the lead and finishing at 1:50.94 and bringing up Shiffrin with a chance for her 100th World Cup win.

No doubt, as she skied confidently and had the fourth-fastest second run and totaled 1:50.33 for an 0.61 win over Ljutic, with Moltzan third.

No. 100. And Shiffrin, still just 29, also climbed into a tie with Swedish star Ingemar Stenmark, who had 155 World Cup medals in his career from 1973-89. She’ll own that record, of course, quickly.

Said Shiffrin afterwards:

“It’s been hard to find the right momentum and the right flow and to work through the injury and to come back and compete with these women who are skiing so strong and so fast. I have wondered in the last weeks so many times whether it is the right thing to come back.

“But in the end, in order to keep moving forward, and to finish this recovery, I have to be in the start gate, and I have to experience these emotions when they’re good and when they’re bad, and that’s really important. Today was just an amazing day in the middle of some really tough months.

“Today a lot of things had to go right for me and actually wrong for some others. Camille [Rast/SUI, the Slalom world champion], on the first run, was just so fast [but crashed close to the finish]. A lot of things had to go right in my direction for this to happen but in the end, I did something right too.”

Some statistics to appreciate:

Shiffrin’s World Cup wins (100):
● 63 Slalom
● 22 Giant Slalom
● 5 Super-G
● 4 Downhill
● 1 Combined
● 3 City Events
● 2 Parallel Slalom

Shiffrin’s World Cup medals (155):
● 87 Slalom
● 43 Giant Slalom
● 10 Super-G
● 7 Downhill
● 1 Combined
● 5 City Events
● 2 Parallel Slalom

Shiffrin’s wins by season:
● 2013: 4
● 2014: 5
● 2015: 6
● 2016: 5
● 2017: 11
● 2018: 12
● 2019: 17
● 2020: 6
● 2021: 3
● 2022: 5
● 2023: 14
● 2024: 9
● 2025: 3 so far

Shiffrin has won as astonishing 36.0% of her World Cup starts – 100 in 278 – second only to Stenmark’s 86 wins in 231 starts, or 37.2%. Wow.

There are two more Giant Slalom and Slalom events left on the World Cup calendar, including a rare chance for Shiffrin to be saluted by American fans as the World Cup Final happens to be in Sun Valley, Idaho from 22-27 March.

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ANTI-DOPING: U.S.’s Tygart rips WADA’s dropped defamation suit as an “effort to suppress the truth” and scaring others, repeats audit call

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart, at the June 2024 House Energy and Commerce sub-committee hearing on doping in sport (Image: C-SPAN screen shot).

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≡ WADA vs. U.S. CONTINUES ≡

In a 5 February letter to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee by President Witold Banka (POL) and Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI), published by Edmund Willison (GBR) in his Honest Sport newsletter, it was noted that WADA had dropped its defamation lawsuit – filed in Switzerland – against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and its chief executive, Travis Tygart.

The letter explained, in pertinent part:

“[W]e have made the decision to withdraw the lawsuit against USADA and Mr. Tygart. While we remain convinced that the lawsuit would be successful on its merits, we have determined that it is futile to argue with somebody who is unwilling to accept clear evidence, whose only goal is to damage WADA and the global anti-doping system, and who has no desire to find a resolution.”

In addition, Banka and Niggli stated that, as for the January 2021 Chinese swimming positives incident, “the world (except for Mr. Tygart) has accepted the findings of the Cottier Report and has shown a desire to move on.”

Tygart, of course, disagrees. Strongly.

In a late Thursday statement, Tygart expressed a far different view of the WADA action, which has not been disclosed other than by Willison. Per Tygart’s statement:

“The dismissal of the unauthorized and baseless lawsuit against USADA and the ethics complaint against the White House is complete vindication for us both. WADA’s actions were nothing more than retaliatory, wasteful, and abusive attempts to suppress the truth and the voice of those seeking answers to why WADA allowed China to blatantly disregard the rules for 23 elite swimmers who tested positive.

“Whether through the court process or this voluntary dismissal by WADA, it was only a matter of time before WADA’s misguided decisions were exposed. It’s time for those who value clean sport to step up and get WADA right, as athletes deserve a fair, robust global watchdog to protect their rights to fair competition.”

● Tygart also spoke to the basis of the WADA filing:

“This suit was an effort to suppress the truth and seemingly to scare others off from seeking answers about why WADA secretly allowed China special rules for their athletes who tested positive, which is what led the U.S. government, for the first time ever, to withhold its funding from WADA.

“Apparently afraid of the U.S. court system where they would have to answer questions under oath, WADA instead filed a claim in Switzerland, where the truthfulness of the statements is not a defense, and basically claimed we had no right to criticize them for failing to ensure justice for clean athletes.

“This is a voluntary, unilateral dismissal by WADA. USADA’s statements about WADA’s failures have always been truthful, and while they tried to get us to say publicly that they did the right thing in the Chinese TMZ cases, they absolutely did not. Justice was never served in these cases, and they still owe clean athletes answers. So, we did not agree to do anything in return for WADA dropping the suit.”

● While not naming a dollar figure, Tygart also noted the costs involved:

“It’s been a significant time and resource drain to defend against this unauthorized, baseless suit. USADA’s statements have always been truthful about WADA’s failed handling of the cases out of China, which is why USADA never feared WADA’s retaliatory lawsuit.

“And it is WADA’s failures in handling the Chinese swimmers’ cases that led to the U.S. government withholding its funding. This is the first time the U.S. has ever not paid its dues. The U.S. can’t let retaliatory actions by WADA leaders prevent us from speaking the truth and seeking answers as to why they allowed China special rules for their athletes who tested positive. We will also seek reimbursement for our costs.”

And Tygart made it clear that he will continue to insist that the World Anti-Doping Code be followed:

“[I]t seems like WADA is still determined to attempt to create a false narrative about how the world views its handling of the 23 Chinese TMZ cases rather than simply owning their failures and immediately conducting a truly independent investigation into the cases to ensure justice is served for the world’s clean athletes.

“We should all be concerned when an organization insists that it’s been vindicated by a self-commissioned investigation like the Cottier report but refuses to submit to a truly independent operations audit.

“Far from vindicating WADA, the Cottier report instead validated the world’s concerns and even raised new issues. Most importantly, the report confirmed that CHINADA failed to follow the rules and WADA failed to enforce them. And despite its limited remit, the report also revealed a shocking lack of involvement by the WADA Intelligence and Investigations team and scientific analysis that didn’t support WADA’s decisions or explanations.”

Observed: So, nothing has changed and the war of words continues, with no end in sight.

This is not a positive for anyone. The next steps in the drama may be these:

● 20 March: Election of the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee. The IOC provides essentially half of WADA’s funding and the view of the new President may be key to what happens next.

● 31 March: WADA announces the list of candidates approved to run for the WADA presidency, taking effect on 1 January 2026.

● 29 May: WADA elections by the WADA Foundation Board, meeting online.

Banka is expected to be elected to a final, three-year term from 2026-28, but this fight – in which Tygart and the USADA are not alone – needs to be resolved much sooner.

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ATHLETICS: Olympic hurdles champs Holloway and Russell take USATF indoor titles at 60 m, with two world-leading marks and a tie!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Unbeatable across 11 seasons: USATF Indoor hurdles champ Grant Holloway (Photo: Stephen Pond/Getty Images for World Athletics).

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≡ USATF INDOOR CHAMPS ≡

Two Paris Olympic hurdles champions lined up for titles at the USA Track & Field National Indoor Championships in Staten Island, New York, as men’s 110 m hurdles gold winner Grant Holloway and women’s 100 m hurdles winner Masai Russell headlined the indoor hurdles finals on Saturday:

● Defending champ Trey Cunningham scratched from the men’s 60 m hurdles, but Olympic champ Holloway won his 81st straight indoor hurdles race in heat two in 7.45. Cordell Tinch took heat one in 7.50 and USC senior Johnny Brackins moved to no. 4 in 2025 in winning heat three in a lifetime best of 7.44, to lead all qualifiers.

In the final, Brackins was in three and Holloway in five, and true to form, Holloway dominated, equaling his world-leading mark of 7.36 to win by daylight over 2024 runner-up Cameron Murray (7.41, no. 4 in 2025) and Brackins, who got a lifetime best of 7.43. Tinch was fourth in 7.48.

That’s 82 in a row for Holloway – including 40 finals over 11 seasons – who won this meet in 2022 and can go for his third World Indoor gold next month in China, already in 2022 and 2024. Here’s what domination looks like: Holloway now has 15 of the top 23 marks ever in this event!

● The women’s 60 m hurdles started off with Olympic champ Russell (7.81) and fifth-placer Grace Stark winning the heats, and Stark equaling the world lead of 7.75 and moving to equal-7th all-time U.S. 

It was tight in the final, but Russell got to the line first in a world-leading 7.74, now equal-13th all-time and equal-6th all-time U.S. Stark was just behind, at 7.76 and Christina Clemons at 7.81. Russell finished third at the 2024 U.S. Indoor, but has the title now.  

There was a lot more, of course, including a world-leader in the men’s weight.

Six were in the lead pack of the men’s 3,000 m at the 2,000 m point, with 2024 Olympic steepler Matthew Wilkinson leading at 5:10.72. Dylan Jacobs, the 2023 NCAA Indoor 5,000 m winner, took over with two laps to go, tracked by 2023 World Road mile champ Hobbs Kessler. Kessler led at the bell and he and Jacobs battled on the final lap before Kessler surged to the line and won in a meet record of 7:38.00, with Jacobs barely second in 7:38.02 and Sam Gilman coming up for third over Wilkinson, 7:38.64 to 7:40.26.

Six cleared 5.60 m (18-4 1/2) in the men’s pole vault, three cleared 5.70 m (18-8 1/4) and three passed after one or two misses. So at 5.75 m (18-10 3/4), all but Tokyo Olympic silver winner (and defending champion) Chris Nilsen and Paris Olympian Jacob Wooten were eliminated. At 5.80 m (19-1 1/4), Nilsen won as Wooten missed all three tries, but did not go higher, winning at a very modest 5.70.

The entire U.S. Olympic team from 2024 was in the men’s triple jump, with Russell Robinson leading after three rounds at 16.67 m (54-8 1/4), ahead of four-time U.S. Indoor winner Donald Scott (16.62 m/54-6 1/2). That was the situation until the sixth round, when James Carter – third last year in this meet – zoomed into the lead with a lifetime best of 16.88 m (55-4 3/4)! Scott fouled as did Robinson, and Carter had an upset, last-jump victory, moving to no. 8 on the 2025 world list.

Two-time U.S. Indoor champ Will Claye, now 33, finished fourth at 16.54 m (54-3 1/4).

Three-time U.S. Indoor winner Daniel Haugh, who set the Weight world record in this meet in 2024, took the lead in round two with a world-leading 25.11 m (82-4 3/4) and no one could catch him. Tanner Berg was the only one close, at 24.96 m (81-10 3.4) in round one.

Emanuel Corvera, the 2024 runner-up, took over with four laps to go and won the men’s 3,000 m walk in 11:57.89, ahead of Jordan Crawford (12:00.92) and Jason Cherng (12:19.50).

Shelby Houlihan, now back from her doping suspension, was a four-time champ in the women 3,000 m and took charge of the race quickly and led through 900 m, then at 1,500 m in 4:38.80, ahead of Annie Rodenfels and Paris 1,500 m Olympian Nikki Hiltz. At 2,000 m, Hiltz passed in 6:07.15, with Katelyn Tuohy closest.

With two laps left, Paris 5,000 m Olympian Whittni Morgan took over, then was passed by Houlihan and Hiltz coming to the bell, with Hiltz leading. Houlihan got in front into the last turn, but Hiltz had enough power to come home the winner in 8:48.28, with Houlihan at 8:48.43 and Morgan third in 8:48.56.

Tokyo Olympic champ Katie Moon won the women’s vault as the only one to clear 4.70 m (15-5), which she did on her first try, with Gabriela Leon and Emily Grove clearing 4.65 (15-3) to go 2-3. Moon cleared 4.80 m (15-9) on her second try and moved up to a world-leading 4.90 m (16-0 3/4), but missed all three tries.

It’s Moon’s third straight U.S. indoor title: 2023-24-25 and she will be looking for her first World Indoor gold. She won silver in 2022 and bronze in 2024.

Olympic bronze winner Jasmine Moore took control of the women’s long jump in round two, reaching 6.64 m (21-9 1/2), just ahead of Claire Bryant (6.62 m/21-8 3/4). But Bryant jumped ahead in round three at 6.72 m (22-0 3/4), with Moore closing up at 6.66 m (21-10 1/4) in round five. The final round saw Paris Olympian – and 2024 World Indoor silver winner – Monae Nichols rise up, taking the lead by a centimeter at 6.73 m (22-1) and moving to no. 9 on the 2025 world list. Neither Moore or Bryant could respond and Nichols got her first U.S. indoor title!

Four-time U.S. Indoor champ Chase Jackson went to the lead right away in the women’s shot final at 19.42 m (63-8 3/4), then extended to 19.65 m (64-5 3/4) in round three. Maggie Ewen, the 2022 U.S. Indoor champ, was a solid second at 18.86 m (61-10 1/2) in round three, and Tokyo Olympian Jessica Ramsey got up for third in the final round at 18.51 m (60-8 3/4).

Jackson’s fifth title gives her – like Moon – a chance for a World Indoor gold, after silver in 2022 and bronze in 2024.

Lauren Harris got a lifetime best of 13:23.83 to win the 3,000 m Walk, ahead of 10-time indoor champ Maria Michta-Coffey (13:33.28) and three-time winner Miranda Melville (13:36.67).

Timara Chapman, the 2024 NCAA heptathlon winner for Texas A&M, moved to no. 3 on the 2025 indoor world list in winning the pentathlon at 4,555 points, well ahead of Cheyenne Nesbitt (4,462) and Erin Marsh (4,423).

In the heats, Jacory Patterson set the pace in the men’s 400 m, winning heat one in 45.45, followed by world leader Chris Bailey at 45.15 in heat two. Prep star Quincy Wilson headlined heat three, and roared from behind on the straight to win in 46.41. Defending champ Brian Faust and two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Vernon Norwood were 1-2 in heat four, with Faust winning, 45.90 to 45.96, with both advancing to the final.

World men’s 800 m leader Josh Hoey won the first of the three men’s 800 m heats in 1:46.59, 2024 NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor winner Wes Ferguson won heat two in 1:45.34, and Paris Olympian Brandon Miller took heat three in 1:45.58.

In the women’s 400 m heats, Bailey Lear – fourth in this meet in 2024 – got an indoor lifetime best of 51.56 to win heat one, defending champ Alexis Holmes took heat two (52.14) and 2024 NCAA runner-up Rosey Effiong won heat three in 52.21.

In the women’s 800 m prelims, Valery Tobias (2:00.64), Sage Huerta-Klecker and Krissy Gear (2:00.56), Kaela Edwards (2:00.44) and 2024 Olympic Trials winner Nia Akins (2:01.36) were the heat winners. Seven-time winner Ajee Wilson was third in heat four (2:02.29) and did not advance.

The meet continues Sunday, with NBC televising the last two hours from 1-3 p.m. Eastern.

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LANE ONE: A month to go and still no way to handicap the IOC Presidential Election; it’s too close to call

By
Rich Perelman
-
The IOC Presidential candidates: (top) Coventry, Eliasch, Lappartient; (bottom) Al Hussein, Coe, Samaranch, Watanabe.

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≡ IOC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ≡

/Updated/In a month – 20th of March – the International Olympic Committee will elect its 10th President, at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece. It’s the most important meeting of IOC members since Thomas Bach was elected in 2013, and completely changed the trajectory of the Olympic Movement.

The highly-successful London 2012 Olympic Games was then a memory, and there were already reports of the tens of billions being spent to upgrade the Russian resort city of Sochi for the Olympic Winter Games of 2014. Four potential European hosts for the 2022 Winter Games were pulling out over the costs of staging the Games, eventually leaving a choice between 2008 summer host Beijing and Almaty in Kazakhstan.

Bach transformed the IOC and the way Olympic Games are bid for and staged, eliminating the “winner takes all” bid format that produced devastated losing cities and countries, and insisting that no new venues be built for future Games, unless to meet a local, long-term need not associated with the Games.

But that approach also removed from the membership the too-often-abused perk of selecting Olympic host cities. Bach instituted a wide-ranging social-action program at the IOC, teaming with the United Nations and others to create programs which sometimes had nothing to do with sport. Under his leadership, the IOC spoke with one voice – his – and business was conducted almost solely by the IOC Executive Board.

Many members had little to do, and didn’t like it.

Now, all of this is on the table in a month, with seven candidates from six countries:

● Prince Feisal Al Hussein (JOR)
● Sebastian Coe (GBR)
● Kirsty Coventry (ZIM)
● Johan Eliasch (GBR)
● David Lappartient (FRA)
● Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP)
● Morinari Watanabe (JPN)

There is plenty of intrigue, opinions and posturing, and there is no obvious favorite, even with a month to go.

The voting procedure is convoluted as well, with the IOC members from any country which has a candidate in the running not allowed to vote. And the candidates cannot vote as long as they are still running. The elimination protocol:

“If no candidate obtains the absolute majority of votes in a round of voting, there will be other rounds of voting until a candidate obtains the absolute majority of the votes. The candidate obtaining the fewest votes in each of the rounds of voting will be eliminated and will not participate in the following round of voting.”

IOC President Bach, under the regulations, will not vote in any round except if there is a second tie between two final candidates, then he can vote “after consultation with the IOC Executive Board.”

So, if all 109 IOC members show up – and some will not, for health reasons if nothing else – the first round of voting will include a maximum of 92, removing the candidates (7), Bach (1) and other members from France (3), Great Britain (2), Japan (2) and Spain (2). 

That means a maximum of 47 votes will be needed to win on the first round, but with more and more in succeeding rounds as candidates are eliminated (and their countrymen/countrywomen are added back).

Why is this important?

Because in the recent decades of voting by IOC members, a promise by a member to vote for someone is often for the first round only. After that, they are usually on their own.

In conversations with IOC members, close associates and long-time observers, there are some themes which have emerged:

● Watanabe’s radical idea of a five-continent Olympic Games, with events going on 24 hours a day at five different locations, each hosting 10 sports is too crazy. His English skills are modest – important in today’s world – and his International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was embarrassed by the women’s Floor Exercise bronze-medal judging quagmire between Romanian and U.S. athletes.

If there is no first-round winner, he is widely expected to be the first eliminated.

● There is no doubt whatsoever that Bach favors Zimbabwe’s two-time Olympic swimming champion Coventry, who since 2018 has been the national Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation. Coventry would be the first woman IOC President and the first from Africa, in line with Bach’s drive for gender and continental equity.

At 41, she is the youngest of the candidates by far, and has been a high-profile member and has been praised for outstanding work as the head of the IOC Athletes’ Commission from 2018-21.

Some 76 of the current 109 IOC members have been elected during Bach’s presidency, but he hardly has control of them all, especially those who have chafed under his firm control of the organization. But he has been helping Coventry, and is for her.

Her best chance to win is on the first ballot, and could see her support drop in successive rounds. But she is a real contender.

● By resume, Coe is the most qualified. Not only a two-time Olympic champion in the men’s 1,500 m, he has been a member of the British Parliament and in the leadership of the opposition, head of the British Olympic Association, founder and head of a sports marketing agency, chair of the London 2012 Olympic organizing committee, and now in his third and final term as the President of World Athletics. He really has done it all.

He earned the enmity of some members – especially other International Federation officers – for World Athletics’ unprecedented introduction of prize money for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, paying $50,000 to each winner (individual or relay), without prior consultation. He has apologized for the lack of prior notice or discussion, but remains forthright that athlete financial welfare is important.

Some see Coe as the favorite, given his extraordinary expertise in decades of service to the Olympic Movement. Moreover, he made a remarkable offer in his manifesto that he will stand for re-election after four years, not after the full term of eight. At 68, Coe is age-limited under the Olympic Charter (five of the seven are), but an election after four years, with the attending age-limit changes, would solve that.

If Coventry does not win on the first ballot, Coe could very well be the second-ballot choice.

● Samaranch, 65, is the long-serving IOC member among the candidates, having been elected in 2001. Son of the transformational IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP), who served from 1980-2001, he has been deeply involved in the IOC, serving on the Executive Board and as a Vice President for almost a decade and on Coordination Commissions for Turin (ITA: 2006), Sochi in 2014 and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.

He is completely at home in the U.S., having earned his Masters in Business Administration from New York University, and from his financial management business, which has brought him to the U.S. many, many times.

Reports from the Candidate Presentations on 30 January praised Samaranch’s talk as warm and engaging and he is seen as capable, a good listener and someone who can appreciate all sides of an issue. If Coventry and Coe cannot win, the door is open for Samaranch as someone that all of the members can get along with. And he has made the most concrete promises to provide member support all year round.

● What about Al Hussein, Lappartient and Eliasch? All have good reasons to be considered, but also reasons not to be.

Eliasch, 63, who became a billionaire as the chief executive of the apparel and sporting goods giant Head, joined the IOC only last year and has said that competence is more important than any other attribute for the next IOC President. Perhaps true, but how many know him enough to trust him? That’s a hard one to overcome.

Al Hussein, 61, has been an IOC member since 2010 and is the younger brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah. He has worked tirelessly to use sport for peace in his region, especially with children. He attended Brown University in the U.S. and has been an IOC Executive Board member and on the Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Games. He is widely respected within the IOC, but his position within Jordan requires him to sometimes assist his brother in national affairs and those responsibilities – in a continuously troubled part of the world – could conflict with an IOC Presidency. Not fair, but reality.

Lappartient, 51, is a man of enormous energy, but stretched thin. He is the President of the important Union Cycliste Internationale, also head of the French National Olympic Committee, and – if that weren’t enough – the former Mayor of Sarzeau (2008-2021) and now the President of the Counsel for the Department of Morbihan, in the Brittany region, since 2021. Wow.

At the Candidate Presentations in January, he was the only one not to have accompanying slides, an invitation to listen more closely, but that could also be taken as being too pressed for time already.

How is this going to work out? Coventry and Coe are widely seen as favorites and the election of either would be no surprise.

In my discussions about this decision, it was repeatedly emphasized to me that this is not a clash of ideas or manifestos, but about people. In a world in which outsized personalities like Trump, Putin and Xi are prime movers, who can deal best with them?

Who has the smarts to deal with the fracturing media landscape, maintain existing broadcast and media revenue streams and create new ones?

Who can forge consensus within the Olympic Movement, but give members more opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way?

It comes down to trust, and to individual feelings about the candidates. In this area, Samaranch’s 24 years on the IOC, in positions of responsibility and a deep understanding of how all the pieces fit together, may be key. 

There’s no way to know now, not yet. But we will know in a month, in a decision that will reverberate for years.

Rich Perelman
Editor

(Update: An earlier version incorrectly showed U.S. members as unable to vote due to having a candidate; there is no American candidate, so all four U.S. members can vote.)

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PANORAMA: Could the NHL pull out of the 2026 Winter Games? Rubiales guilty of sexual assault and fined; China’s TCL joins as TOP sponsor

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Milan Cortina 2026 slogan: "IT's your vibe!" (Photo: Milan Cortina 2026)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The 2026 Winter Olympic organizers announced their Games motto on Thursday, primarily “IT’s Your Vibe.”

The capital “IT” is short for host country Italy, of course, and the slogan can be adopted, such as for “IT’s Talent – IT’s Your Vibe”; “IT’s Creativity – IT’s Your Vibe”; “IT’s Energy – IT’s Your Vibe.”

Adaptations for host cities or sports will include: “IT’s Milan – IT’s Your Vibe”, “IT’s Cortina – IT’s Your Vibe”, “IT’s figure skating – IT’s Your Vibe”, and more.

A Radio-Canada report last week noted that the agreement between the National Hockey League, the NHL Players Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for participation in the 2026 Milan Cortina Games has not been signed.

Further, the NHL’s determination to hold a World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and likely in Europe in February – devaluing the IIHF’s own World Championships that year in Paris and Lyon (FRA) from 12-28 May – led to proposals from the IIHF and the European hockey leagues, who

“asked that it be held in North America or outside of Europe if it is organized in February. And they have said they are open to this tournament being held in Europe, but on the condition that it is done in September or October.

“According to our information, the NHL rejected these proposals.”

This brings up the question of how willing the IIHF will be now to pay $8-10 million for insurance and support costs for NHL players so they can play in Milan next year. According to Radio-Canada’s Martin Leclerc, “there’s definitely a chance that it won’t happen.”

The NHL and NHLPA downplayed the concerns, with – at this point – only NHL players to be used and NHLPA head Marty Walsh adding:

“There is an agreement on paper, we just haven’t signed it yet. There is no obstacle, it’s just a matter of putting our signature after we finalize everything and dot the i’s.”

● World University Games ● A fact-and-figures review of the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin (ITA) included some interesting numbers for students of multi-sport Games:

● 2,565 athletes and officials (1,503 athletes from 54 nations)
● 90 events in 11 sports at 6 venues
● 26,500 hotel room nights across the event
● 15,000 accreditees
● 2,099 volunteers
● 100,000 tickets sold

The Winter WUG drew 694,404 users to the Torino 2025 social-media channels and had 140 hours of live coverage on EuroSport.

The organizing committee raised €27,210 (~$28,571 U.S.) for the Matilde Lorenzi Foundation, honoring the memory of the young Italian skier who died in a training crash last October. Her father, Adolfo Lorenzi, said:

“This contribution will allow us to continue investing in research, training and the development of new solutions to reduce risks in skiing. It is a very valuable gesture that will help us to continue Matilde’s dream: to make skiing safer for everyone.”

● International Olympic Committee ● As already reported, the IOC announced its TOP sponsorship deal with Chinese electronics giant TCL for the 2025-32 period, essentially replacing long-time sponsor Panasonic, which did not renew past 2024.

TCL will be the IOC’s sponsor for the “Home Audiovisual Equipment and Home Appliances” categories, and will also become a sponsor of the International Paralympic Committee.

● Alpine Skiing ● Czech Downhill skier Tereza Nova was awakened from an induced coma after surgery to reduce brain swelling after a bad crash during a Downhill training run on 24 January in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER).

The Associated Press reported that Nova, 27, had brain swelling and also a fractured eye socket due to the crash. She will be moved back to the Czech Republic for further recovery. She was in the medically-induced coma for about four weeks.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field announced a new management staff for the High Performance area that includes national teams:

“Michael Nussa has been named General Manager of High Performance, while Wallace Spearmon Jr. will serve as General Manager of International Teams, Athletes, and Coaching Services. … The co-GMs will report to Robert Chapman, who will serve as the Chief of High Performance Operations.”

Spearmon Jr., now 40, was a three-time 200 m World Championships medalist, winning silver in 2005 ad bronzes in 2007 and 2009. A two-time Olympian and three-time U.S. champion, he finished with a best of 19.65 in 2006, still no. 14 on the all-time list.

LetsRun.com reported that longtime Chief of Athlete Services and International Teams Aretha Thurmond was let go at the end of January, after almost 12 years with the federation.

Mabel Landry Staton, a 1952 U.S. Olympian in the women’s long jump, passed away at age 92 on Thursday. She had been suffering from cancer.

As Mabel Landry, she was second in the Helsinki qualifying round at 5.88 m (19-3 1/2), but managed 5.75 m (18-10 1/2) in the final and finished seventh. A DePaul University student before there was women’s athletic teams, she attended on an academic scholarship and won five national AAU titles in the long jump in 1949-50-52-53-54 and sprint titles at 60 yards indoors in 1953-54 and outdoors at 50 yards in 1953-54 as well.

● Biathlon ● France scored again at the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide (SUI), winning the Single Mixed Relay with Julia Simon and Quentin Fillon Maillet in 35:25.1 (7 penalties), comfortably ahead of Norway (35:30.8/15) and Germany (35:33.4/4).

It’s the third gold of the event for Simon, including both relays and third medal for Fillon Mailet, after two individual-event bronzes. The U.S. pair of Deedra Irwin and Campbell Wright finished 16th in 37:07.5 (9). The Championships continue through Sunday.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton will have induction ceremonies for its Hall of Fame across the two weekends of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Lake Placid, New York.

Skeleton will be celebrated on 8 March, honoring 2002 Olympic silver winner Lea Ann Parsley-Davenport, 2007 Worlds silver medalist Eric Bernotas and long-time U.S. national teams General Manager Lenny Kasten.

On 15 March, three teams will be recognized: the 1932 Saranac Lake Red Devils silver-medal 4-Man team led by Henry Homburger, the 1948 gold-winning 4-Man team led by Francis Tyler, and the 2002 Salt Lake City silver winners, Todd Hays, Garrett Hines and Bill Schuffenhauer, with Randy Jones – already a Hall of Famer – also present.

● Fencing ● At the USA Fencing Board meeting on 15 February, motions which responded to current political conditions were voted on, with the confirmation of the federation’s “commitment to welcoming athletes from all 23 North American [FIE] nations. Leadership specifically addressed recent Canadian concerns, underscoring our longstanding tradition of cooperation and inclusivity.”

Also, a motion “to dismantle the DEIB [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging] office in favor of alternate models was rejected, reaffirming USA Fencing’s ongoing commitment to its inclusivity programs and clarifying that federal executive orders cited do not apply to the organization.” This was defeated in a roll-call vote.

● Football ● Former Royal Spanish Football Federation head Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault against midfielder Jenni Hermoso in the infamous awards-ceremony kiss following Spain’s win at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.

Rubiales was fined €10,800 (~$11,340 U.S.) – to be paid in daily installments across 18 months – and ordered not to communicate with Hermoso for a year and to remain at least 200 m away from Hermoso during that period. Rubiales was further ordered to pay €3,000 (~$3,150 U.S.) to Hermoso as “moral damages.”

He was acquitted on a charge of coercion, of trying to get Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual. Prosecutors were asking for 2 1/2 years in prison, and fines, for the two charges.

The three other defendants – former women’s team coach Jorge Vilda, men’s sports director Albert Luque, and marketing director Ruben Rivera – were all acquitted.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne is maintaining its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Russian national team coach Andrei Makushin said that his athletes will miss the first UIPM World Cup in Cairo (EGY) starting 24 February:

“The UIPM Executive Board met from January 30 to 31, and following the meeting it became clear that the international federation’s policy regarding Russian pentathletes has not changed. As before, our athletes training at CSKA and other departmental clubs are deprived of the opportunity to compete in tournaments under the auspices of UIPM. We continue to hope for a revision of the international federation’s policy regarding Russian athletes and allow our participation in subsequent stages of the World Cup.”

● Volleyball ● The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour is expanding its tournaments, especially its highest-profile Elite and Challenge events, with both men’s and women’s Elite tournaments to have 24 teams (up from 16) and Challenge tournaments with 32 (up from 24). This significantly increases the tournament team totals from 704 to 992.

Prize money for these tournaments will be increased from the current $5 million to almost $6 million; including the World Championships, total prizes will be $6.75 million.

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ANTI-DOPING: WADA says it dropped defamation suit vs. USADA, as the world “has shown a desire to move on” but U.S. intransigence continues

By
Rich Perelman
-
World Anti-Doping Agency Vice President Yang Yang (CHN, at left), President Witold Banka (POL, center) and Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI). (Photo: WADA).

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≡ WADA vs. U.S. CONTINUES ≡

Edmund Willison‘s Honest Sport newsletter, which focuses on doping issues, obtained a copy of a six-page document that includes a four-page letter from World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka (POL) and Director General Olivier Niggli (SUI) to the WADA Executive Committee, updating the situation relative to the continuing war of words with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart, and the U.S. government.

Dated 5 February, the letter explains that at the WADA Executive Committee meeting in Saudi Arabia in December:

● “We listened carefully to all the comments made by ExCo and Board members on this matter and the broader topic of the Chinese swimmer cases that had consumed the better part of 2024. We particularly noted that members expressed a desire, which we share, that we endeavor to resolve the situation with the U.S. and move forward for the good of the fight against doping in sport.”

● WADA engaged American attorney Richard Young, who has been deeply involved in anti-doping affairs for years – to mediate with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and chief executive Tygart, with whom WADA has had a running battle in interviews and Web posts. This failed.

● WADA then approached the Biden Administration over its refusal to pay its 2024 dues of $3.625 million by 31 December:

“We were willing to consider its one condition – withdrawal of the [defamation] lawsuit [against Tygart] – on the basis that the lawsuit’s purpose had largely been achieved through the court of public opinion. This is to say that the world (except for Mr. Tygart) has accepted the findings of the Cottier Report and has shown a desire to move on.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts – and our agreement in principle to withdraw the lawsuit – it became clear over the course of these weeks that the U.S. Government under the Biden administration in fact had a total of six demands that it was putting forward as non-negotiable conditions for payment that we simply could not agree to without breaching our rules, practicing poor governance and usurping the authority of the ExCo.”

● “Despite the range of challenges coming at us from different fronts in the U.S., we remain open and committed to working collaboratively and constructively with the newly elected Trump administration. In fact, on 27 January, we reached out to the Acting Director of the ONDCP to express this preference; to apprise him of the latest developments; and to ask, as a matter of urgency, whether he may be prepared to accept our attempts to reach a compromise …”

● “Regardless of how the relationship with the U.S. evolves, in the interest of shifting gears and focusing our efforts on strengthening the global anti-doping system that the community has worked hard to build together over 25 years, we have made the decision to withdraw the lawsuit against USADA and Mr. Tygart. While we remain convinced that the lawsuit would be successful on its merits, we have determined that it is futile to argue with somebody who is unwilling to accept clear evidence, whose only goal is to damage WADA and the global anti-doping system, and who has no desire to find a resolution.”

WADA is moving ahead with sanctions against the U.S. for not paying its 2024 dues by removing it from the Executive Committee and Foundation Board.

Observed: It is unlikely that Tygart and WADA’s other critics agree with this view, but it is a move which lowers – slightly – the current boiling atmosphere.

Like so many other issues in world sport today, the outcome of the International Olympic Committee’s election for president in March will have an impact on the continuing argument over WADA, the January 2021 Chinese swimming positives incident and critics who see the agency as ineffective and unwilling to enforce the World Anti-Doping Code equitably.

The IOC provides about 50% of WADA’s annual budget, with national governments paying the other half.

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ATHLETICS: Olympic hurdles champ Holloway takes 80-race indoor win streak to USATF Indoor Nationals this weekend

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic champ Grant Holloway: 80 straight wins in indoor hurdles races! (Photo: USATF)

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≡ USATF INDOOR NATIONALS ≡

Anyone who has watched NBC’s coverage of indoor meets featuring Paris Olympic 110 m hurdles champion Grant Holloway knows that he hasn’t been beaten in the 60 m hurdles more than 10 years.

But no one has said exactly how many meets that is … until now.

Holloway is one of the stars expected to compete at the USATF Indoor National Championships this weekend at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York and with some research, The Sports Examiner can offer some clarity on Holloway’s indoor brilliance.

His last loss in the indoor hurdles came at the 2014 New Balance Nationals at The Armory in New York, as a sophomore at Grassfield High School (Chesapeake, Virginia), finishing second on 16 March in 7.93. Isaiah Moore (Cummings HS, Burlington, North Carolina) won in 7.79. Holloway won nine of 11 races in his sophomore season, winning four of six meets.

Then he started his streak:

60 m hurdles (39 inches high school height):
● 2015: 3 wins (1 final) at Grassfield High School
● 2015: 2 wins (1 final) in the 55 m hurdles

● 2016: 4 wins (2 finals) at Grassfield High School, including one pentathlon
● 2016: 4 wins (2 finals) in the 55 m hurdles

60 m hurdles (42 inches open height):
● 2017: 10 wins (5 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2018: 10 wins (5 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2019: 8 wins (4 finals) at Florida ~ NCAA Indoor champ
● 2020: 3 wins (1 final)
● 2021: 10 wins (5 finals)
● 2022: 9 wins (5 finals) ~ USATF Indoor, World Indoor Champion
● 2023: 5 wins (3 finals)
● 2024: 8 wins (3 finals) ~ World Indoor Champion
● 2025: 4 wins (2 finals) to 13 February 2025

So, all together, Holloway’s streaks include:

● 74 wins (36 finals) in 11 seasons in 60 m hurdles (HS and Open)
● 67 wins (33 finals) in 9 seasons over 42-inch hurdles (Open)
● 7 wins (3 finals) in 2 high school seasons over 39-inch hurdles
● 6 wins (3 finals) in 2 high school seasons at 55 m hurdles
● 80 wins (39 finals) in 11 seasons over 55/60 m hurdles (HS/Open)

He set the current world 60mH record of 7.27 at the USATF Indoor Nationals at Albuquerque, New Mexico (altitude: 1,507 m) in 2024, and owns 13 of the top 16 performances in history, including the top four.

Still just 27, he told NBC’s Lewis Johnson at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, “I accomplished all my goals” and he’s now looking to see just how far he can take hurdling, to places where it’s never been.

He’s not the only star trying to shake things up. Shelby Houlihan, returned from a four-year doping suspension and still the American Record holder at 1,500 m in 3:54.99 from 2019, is back and looking for a 14th national title, in the 1,500 m and/or the 3,000 m. Her U.S. titles:

● 2017 (3): Indoor: mile-2-mile ~ Outdoor: 5,000 m
● 2018 (4): Indoor: 1,500-3,000 m ~ Outdoor: 1,500-5,000 m
● 2019 (4): Indoor: 2-mile ~ Outdoor: 1,500-5000 m ~ Cross Country
● 2020 (2): Indoor: 1,500-3,000 m

Defending champion Nikki Hiltz will be waiting in the 1,500 m.

The meet will select the U.S. team for the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 21-23 March in China. Coming in, out of 24 individual events, the U.S. has seven world leaders, of which five are entered:

Men:
● 60 m: 6.50 (tied), Ronnie Baker
● 400 m: 44.70, Chris Bailey
● 800 m: 1.43.90, Josh Hoey
● 60 m hurdles: 7.36, Holloway

Women:
● 60 m: 7.02, Jacious Sears

American World Leaders not entered include Grant Fisher (men’s 3,000 m) and Amanda Moll (women’s vault).

There are 11 returning champions from 2024: Brian Faust (400 m), Trey Cunningham (60 m hurdles), Chris Nilsen (vault), Daniel Haugh (weight) for the men, and Alexis Holmes (400 m), Hiltz (1,500 m), Miranda Melville (3,000 m walk), Vashti Cunningham (high jump), Katie Moon (vault), Chase Jackson (shot), Erin Reese (weight) for the women. Olympic women’s hurdles champ Masai Russell leads the women’s 60 m hurdles field.

There are some thin fields in this year’s meet, with less than 10 entries in the men’s 3,000 m walk, men’s high jump and weight and the women’s triple jump (just 4), shot put, weight and pentathlon.

Sunday’s session will be shown on NBC and Peacock on Sunday only at 1 p.m. Eastern.

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TRAVEL: U.S. industry group report says “current air travel system not built to handle surge of travelers” to ‘26 FIFA World Cup, ‘28 Olympics

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ INTEL REPORT ≡

A report released Wednesday from the U.S. Travel Association, a Washington, D.C.-based umbrella group representing the airline, hotel, tourism and related groups, warned that “our outdated air travel system will strain under the pressure” without immediate reforms.

This is a lobbying effort by the travel industry to get the attention of the Trump Administration by posing challenges for major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2026 celebrations of the 250th anniversary of founding of the U.S., and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

USTA President Geoff Freeman sounded the alarm for the travel industry:

“America is staring at a historic opportunity – the question is whether we will seize the moment or fall maddeningly short.

“The next several years will bring unprecedented travel demand that our systems are not prepared to handle. Washington has a small window to fix major travel pain points and unlock a $100 billion economic opportunity – but it will require a level of urgency that has been missing in recent years.”

The 88-page report, from the USTA’s Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel, has four main priorities:

● A Call for Government-Wide Leadership and Coordination
● Transforming Aviation Security
● Modernizing Airport Customs and Borders
● Strengthening Visitor Visa Policy

The introduction points to the economic benefits of travel:

“America is no longer the top destination for global travel. International visitation to the U.S. peaked in 2018 under President Trump but has failed to reach those levels since. The U.S. now ranks behind Spain and France in the global competition for visitors. China is on a path to catch or surpass us over the next decade. Our competitors are investing billions to leapfrog the U.S. and win a bigger share of the $11.1 trillion in economic benefits from the global travel market.

“It’s time for a new strategy — a strategy to secure America’s global travel leadership and establish the U.S. as the world’s top destination. Just regaining our lost market share, which declined from 12.8% to 9.1% since 2015, would generate 127 million additional visitors over the next decade, resulting in $478 billion in additional spending with U.S. businesses, 140,000 new American jobs and generate $55 billion in tax revenue.”

The primary asks are for:

● “[T]he Trump Administration should establish an interagency task force, chaired by a senior White House official, to bring sustained leadership and focus across the federal government to take advantage of global events coming our way over the next four years.”

● “Deliver on President Trump’s promise to efficiently and securely process visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” with more consular staff for visa processing, a National Vetting Service, and increase the number of “visa waiver” countries.

● Create a world-leading airport screening process, with a sure-to-be-popular goal to:

“Deploy state-of-the-art screening technology that strengthens security AND reduces wait times by allowing all travelers to carry water bottles and larger liquids, leave all electronics in their bags and keep their shoes, jackets and belts on.”

● Create secure and safe borders for travelers, with more customs staff, trusted traveler waive-throughs and protection against immigration overstays.

One major event – just the 2026 FIFA World Cup – is mentioned in any detail, and only once in the report, under visitor visas processing:

“Large global events, conventions, meetings and tours taking place in the U.S. can spike demand for B-1 [business]/B-2 [leisure] visas or increase requests for expedited appointments and adjudication. The mega-decade of global events hosted in the U.S. will increase demand for B-1/B-2 visas and other NIV [non-immigrant visa] categories.

“For example, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to attract more than six million visitors to the U.S. According to FIFA, eight of the top 15 countries that have traveled to attend previous World Cups are non-VWP [Visa Waiver Program] countries that will need visitor visas to attend in the U.S. The increases in applications for major global events are predictable if consular posts have the right information from partners and can appropriately respond with increased consular staffing or expanded hours of operation. But the State Department currently takes an ad hoc approach to adjusting NIV services for large global events hosted in the U.S.”

The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles are never mentioned in any detail. The report states its recommendation on events thus:

“To prepare for major sports and global events hosted in the U.S., Congress should
enact legislation authorizing the State Department and [Dept. of Homeland Security] to extend B-1/B-2 visa validity for vetted, lawful visa holders.

“The State Department and DHS should be authorized to extend B-1/B-2 visa validity by up to two years for lawful visa holders who have never been refused a visa, have previously visited the U.S., left the country on time, have no immigration or criminal violations and no flags for national security reasons. This would reduce NIV interview backlogs and provide additional capacity to adjudicate first-time visitor visa applicants.”

There are dozens of recommendations on infrastructure, technical upgrades and policy changes, many requiring Congressional action, which will not simply sail through. At the core, the report insists:

“Only the White House can generate the urgency and focus needed to galvanize change across the federal government and build support in Congress for legislative action.”

The Trump Administration will certainly agree with that statement. But as far as major events are concerned, the nominated point of contact, Monica Crowley, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. She was nominated “to serve as Ambassador, Assistant Secretary of State, and Chief of Protocol of the United States of America.”

The Trump transition team announcement noted, ”Monica will be the Administration Representative for major U.S. hosted events, including America’s 250th Birthday in 2026, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.”

No confirmation hearing date for Crowley, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs during the first Trump Administration, has yet been scheduled.

Observed: This is a well-written, sharply-documented lobbying tool which aims at upgrading travel to the U.S., an important economic activity.

It uses the 2026 FIFA World Cup and other events for some scare-mongering, mentioning a wholly-unsupported figure of six million coming to the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup. In 2022, the Qatari government was expecting to issue 1.7 million of its Hayya Card entry document for its hosting of the FIFA World Cup, for a 64-match tournament.

The U.S. will host 78 games out of 104 total matches in 2026, with the remaining 26 played in Canada and Mexico.

No specific discussion of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games is included at all, and the events are really window-dressing for emphasis on revamping visa entry procedures into the U.S., which are considered inefficient from countries not part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program and need updating. But it’s one of many priorities out there.

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ALPINE SKIING: Shiffrin looks to return to World Cup in Italy, with two potential career milestones in focus!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Record-setter: American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (courtesy U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association; copyright Reese Brown)

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≡ SHIFFRIN INTO HISTORY ≡

After her brutal crash on 30 November in Vermont and the surgery that followed, it was amazing to see Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin back in FIS World Cup action on 30 January and then taking a FIS Alpine World Championships gold in the Team Combined with U.S. teammate Breezy Johnson.

Shiffrin is expected be back to the World Cup circuit this weekend in Sestriere, Italy, with Giant Slaloms scheduled for Friday and Saturday and a Slalom on Sunday. She skipped the Worlds Giant Slalom, not ready to face that kind of course after her November crash, but finished a very creditable fifth in the Worlds Slalom.

Wherever she goes, the record book follows her and she has a shot at two milestones this weekend:

● Shiffrin has 99 World Cup wins, including 62 Slaloms – the most ever – and 22 Giant Slaloms, and is looking for no. 100. No one else has more than 86.

● Shiffrin is close to another record with a medal of any color in Sestriere. She has 154 total World Cup medals (99-27-28) and with another, she will tie Swede Ingemar Stenmark (1973-89) for the most in World Cup history at 155!

She shared some insights into her Worlds experience in a seven-part message on X on Tuesday:

● “It seems impossible to have made it this far, this quickly. But here we are…returning to competition essentially during World Championships after 10 weeks of injury. 9 weeks post-surgery, 8 weeks after…

● “…being laid up in bed with a JP [Jackson-Pratt] Drain sticking out of my side with a mostly useless oblique.

“Something I’ve learned about how expectations work in a situation like this is that no matter the story of how we got here, there is still always the anticipation of victory…

● “While it is a privilege to be in that position, this time I’m still recovering while we are racing. My team and I came to this World Champs with a ‘step by step’ mentality, rather than the ‘go for gold’ mentality. That’s a very unique position to be—unlike anything I’ve…

● “…experienced before. It’s pretty cool to still be experiencing new things, this far into my career.

“I’m moving forward from Saalbach 2025 with a few simple takeaways: just getting here, period, has been a massive success, borderline miraculous…

● “…Walking away with a Gold in Team Combined with Breezy is far beyond my wildest dreams for these weeks. My teammates are incredible (we knew this already)! Their performances, the medals earned, the grit and determination that each one of them has put into this season…

● “…and these Worlds has been inspirational. I’m so grateful to be part of this team.

“Thank you to all of the fans who came to cheer! Thank you to Saalbach, all of the organizers, and FIS for pulling together an incredible event. Thank you to all of the athletes for incredible…

● “…competition…that has been wonderful to take part in and to watch! Thank you to my whole support system for your work and greatness, without which I could not achieve anything great at all. #MovingRightAlong”

Shiffrin has experienced success in Sestriere, winning the Slalom there in 2016, a Slalom silver in 2022 and a Giant Slalom bronze in 2020. One more and it’s another entry in the record books.

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PANORAMA: French Alps 2030 wants “budgetary sobriety”; USA-CAN hockey tickets asking up to $14,306! Sinner case “a million miles” from doping

By
Rich Perelman
-
Ha! Coach Daniel Moore suggests 400 m star Vernon Norwood (a Challenger!) as the logo style for Grand Slam Track! (Not happening, but fun.)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● A news conference held Tuesday at the inauguration of the organizing committee for the 2030 Winter Games included a clear characterization of what it hoped for in five years.

Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Cate d’Azur region – one of the two regions involved in the Games, proclaimed:

“Yes, we won’t be able to ski tomorrow like we skied yesterday. Yes, climate change is a reality with an impact on the mountains. But despite the grumblers and the grumpy ones, practicing the mountains and winter sports differently does not mean no longer practicing them. Our candidacy is one of optimism and realism. We are going to present to the world the greenest Games in history, the most exemplary in environmental terms. Games with snow, chalets and athletes, a bit like Lillehammer, the anti-Sochi, the anti-Beijing.”

Former Albertville 1992 co-President and former Prime Minister Michel Barnier crystalized the goal of staging “impeccable Games in a context of budgetary sobriety.”

New chief executive Edgar Grospiron now has to assemble a start-up team and focus on finalizing the competition site selection with the International Olympic Committee and the relevant federations, and to begin the sponsorship program, first with discussions of Paris 2024 sponsors, supporters and suppliers.

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC announced its 25 “Young Leaders” from 2025-28, sorting through an enormous 5,270 applications from 169 countries and territories. The core of the program is to

“develop innovative projects aligned with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through this programme, the IOC Young Leaders will receive a bespoke four-year capacity-building programme that includes expert guidance and coaching, access to an extensive sport and sport-for-development network, and seed funding of USD 10,000, which will help them turn their ideas into impactful and sustainable initiatives.”

The program was launched in 2016 and has enrolled 145 individuals from 77 nations and territories. For 2025-28, one American was selected, former Kennesaw State sprinter Kyndall Hudson, a 4×400 m relay champion in the Atlantic Sun Conference. She uses her communications and outreach skills to create “campaigns that promote wellness, mental resilience and sports participation, empowering individuals and fostering community growth.”

● World Anti-Doping Agency ● The impact of intelligence and investigations (I&I) in anti-doping was shown again in the arrest by Serbian authorities of 10 members of an organized-crime group and “seized 3,000kg of doping substances worth more than EUR 3 million” and “confiscated EUR 100,000 in cash, cryptocurrency worth approximately EUR 500,000, numerous properties, bank accounts, seven websites used for online sales of illegal substances, safes and a number of luxury items, such as vehicles and watches.”

All of this was keyed to work by the Anti-Doping Agency of Serbia, in which two investigators worked with the country’s Interior Ministry to identify this group, importing and distributing doping materials throughout the country.

Training for the Serbian investigators was part of a WADA I&I program in Europe, creating capabilities in nearly 50 countries so far.

● Athletics ● Two-time Olympic men’s 400 m gold medalist Vernon Norwood of the U.S. has been added as a Challenger for the Kingston opener of the Grand Slam Track circuit.

Fourth at the Olympic Trials in 2024, he ran a lifetime best of 44.10 in 2024, won a relay gold in Paris and a Mixed 4×400 m relay silver. He’s so popular and well-respected that Fluid Athletics coach Daniel Moore suggested Norwood’s running profile as a Jerry West/NBA-style logo for Grand Slam Track (shown above)!

Norwood will face Paris Olympic champ Quincy Hall (USA), silver winner Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR), bronzer Muzala Samukonga (ZAM) and fourth-placer Jereem Richards (TTO) in the 200/400 m “Long Sprints” category.

● Biathlon ● More French magic, as Eric Perrot, 23, already the bronze winner in the men’s Pursuit, won the men’s 20 km Individual race at the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide (SUI).

It’s his third career Worlds gold, but first in an individual event and he routed the field, winning in 47:58.1 (1 penalty) over Tommaso Giacomel (ITA: 48:50.5/1) and French teammate Quentin Fillon Maillet (49:57.6/3), who also won the Sprint bronze. Giacomel, 24, also won his first individual-event Worlds medal.

American Campbell Wright, silver medalist in the Sprint and Pursuit, was 23rd in 52:44.1 (4), just ahead of teammates Paul Schommer (24th: 52:48.8/3) and Jake Brown (25th: 52:52.8/3).

The French now have four wins in the seven events held so far, with relays and the Mass Start events remaining through Sunday.

● Ice Hockey ● The highly-anticipated U.S.-Canada rematch for the championship of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday in Boston is drawing heavy attention in the sports world, including soaring second-market ticket prices.

A check of mid-day pricing on Wednesday showed tickets on one leading resale site going for $790 up to $14,306, and on another for $852 up to $7,111. The listed capacity of TD Garden for hockey is 17,850.

Oddsmakers have the game as even. The U.S. won, 3-1, in the round-robin game in Montreal last week.

● Tennis ● The World Anti Doping Agency’s General Counsel, Ross Wenzel (GBR) told Sky UK that Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner’s case was carefully scrutinized to determine if there was a micro-dosing regimen that had been carried out over time:

“WADA went back and looked at every single one of Mr Sinner’s samples for the 12 months before the two positives in March of last year to see whether there was any even indication, albeit not meeting the identification criteria, but any suspicious indication of this substance in any of those samples.

“And the answer from all of the labs, and this is a large number of samples, was that there was not. So I think whatever people say and think about this case, it is not a doping case or a cheating case.”

Sinner tested positive twice for clostebol and was traced to a spray used to heal a cut that had the substance in it. WADA reached an agreement with Sinner on a three-month suspension that will end in early May.

Wenzel confirmed to the BBC: “This was a case that was a million miles away from doping. The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing.”

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SWIMMING: USA Swimming hires former Michigan swimmer and Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak as chief executive

By
Rich Perelman
-
New USA Swimming chief executive Chrissi Rawak (Photos: USA Swimming).

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≡ RAWAK TAKES OVER ≡

USA Swimming hired a former swimmer and a rising collegiate sports executive with more than 30 years experience to be the federation’s new President and Chief Executive Officer in the run-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, announcing Chrissi Rawak on Wednesday.

A swimmer at the University of Michigan, she won four varsity letters from 1988-92 before becoming an assistant coach for the Wolverines. After five years, she left for Northwestern, then returned in 2004 and became a highly-successful fund-raiser, rising to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development in 2011, and Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director in 2015.

She was hired in 2016 as the Director of Athletics and Recreation Services at the University of Delaware (NCAA Division I), and supervised 21 sports in 2023; Delaware had an athletics budget of $37.5 million for 2025.

Said Rawak in the announcement:

“I can’t wait to collaborate with our coaches, athletes, staff, alumni, volunteers, sponsors, and fans to strengthen the USA’s position as the world’s top swimming nation. We will focus on growing our sport across the country, continuing to prioritize athlete safety and education, and preparing for a historic performance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.”

USA Swimming announced the departure of chief executive Tim Hinchey on 29 August 2024, ending a seven-year term heading the organization. Chief Operating Officer Shana Ferguson has served as the interim chief executive until the search effort for a new federation head was completed.

The search effort was led by NU Advisory Partners, working in coordination with USA Swimming Board of Directors task force led by Katy Arris Wilson and Sabir Muhammad.

Rawak’s work at Delaware was with an athletic department that parallels USA Swimming in total budget. Although the budget is projected at $37.5 million for 2025, the Fightin’ Blue Hens had a budget of $45.0 million for 2022-23; USA Swimming had 2023 revenue of $45.2 million in 2023 and $44.4 million in 2024.

Hinchey had lost the confidence of an important constituent group – swimming coaches – with post-Olympic letters expressing concerns from the American Swimming Coaches Association and the USA Swimming Coaches Advisory Council. The latter expressed dissatisfaction, stating “Membership and retention rates continue to decline, and an increasing number of swimmers are leaving USA Swimming for AAU” and decrying a “General distrust toward USA Swimming leadership.”

The ASCA letter was blunt:

“The American Swimming Coaches Association is deeply concerned with current USA Swimming membership trends, our perceived weaker performance on the world stage, and significant coach feedback expressing dissatisfaction with our national governing body. We see the next four years being some of the most important in our sports history domestically.

“We are calling for a well-designed and transparent quad plan, from the grassroots to national team levels, that allows our sport to capitalize on the next four years, culminating with a home Olympics.”

In selecting Rawak, USA Swimming clearly heard the complaints, and brought in a swimmer, who also happens to have deep experience in fund-raising and sports administration. A new National Team Director must also be hired, with the expectation that a current or former coach will be in that position.

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PANORAMA: French Alps 2030 organizing committee named; Kyrie Irving wants to play for Australia in 2028; Meta reverses on U.S. shooter social posts

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● With just five years to go before the opening of the 2030 Winter Games, the organizing committee was formally announced in Lyon (FRA), with 1992 Albertville Olympic Moguls champion Edgar Grospiron as President.

He has a considerable challenge, pulling together existing and temporary sites and working with two regions – Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (AURA) and Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) – which both have venues involved in the Games.

It is expected that multiple staff members from the successful Paris 2024 organizing committee will move south to help get the 2030 Winter Games off to a fast start. Venues have been identified for all but speed skating, and one major facility – a new hockey arena in Nice – needs to be built.

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The Queensland government said that the 100-day review of the Olympic stadiums situation by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority will be delivered on 8 March, reviewed and publicly announced on 25 March.

The original plan was to revamp the famed Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba) for A$2.7 billion, but a review commissioned by the prior Queensland Premier, Steven Miles, recommended a new, A$3.4 billion stadium in Victoria Park! He preferred to use existing Lang Park for ceremonies and improve the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre for track & field, to save money. (A$1 = $0.64 U.S.)

The new Premier, David Crisafulli said before last year’s elections that he was not in favor of new construction, but now wants to see what his review committee recommends.

● Athletics ● Ukraine’s Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women’s high jump at the 31st Banskobystrická latka in Bansko Bystricka (SVK) with a world-leading clearance of 2.01 m (6-7). She cleared on the first attempt to win over Australia’s 2022 World Champion, Eleanor Patterson (1.99 m/6-6 1/4).

Korean Sang-hyeok Woo, the 2022 World Indoor Champion, won the men’s high jump at 2.28 m (7-5 3/4).

Tickets are on sale for the USA Track & Field National Championships in Eugene Oregon from 31 July -3 August, with only all-session packages available to start with:

● $99.00 for General Admission (four sessions)
● $170.00 for finish side §§126-224-225 (four sessions)
● $230.00 for finish side §§119-123-124-125-220-223 (four sessions)
● $305.00 for finish side §§221-222 (four sessions)

Single-session tickets will be sold later. It’s pretty attractive pricing as most of the stadium is priced at $99 for four days, but it is also true that much of the backstraight is in the sun, as the roof does not make it all the way out to the lower seats. Sun screen is not included.

● Basketball ● Star guard Kyrie Irving won an Olympic gold as a member of the U.S. squad at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but was born in Australia and is looking into playing for the Aussies in Los Angeles in 2028. He told reporters at the NBA All-Star Game:

“We’re in the process of that right now. Just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible. There’s a lot of paperwork in between that.

“Obviously, Team USA still has a decision to make. But for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.“

Having played for the U.S., he would have to be released by USA Basketball, and accepted by Basketball Australia, with the transfer approved by FIBA. Certainly possible; he’ll be 36 at the time of the 2028 Olympic Games.

● Biathlon ● France’s dominant women’s team racked up another win and two medals in the 15 km Individual race at the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide (SUI), with Julia Simon powering away to a 41:27.7 (1 penalty) to 42:05.5 (0) win over Swede Ella Halvarsson.

French teammate Lou Jeanmonnot was third in 42:06.9 (1); Deedra Irwin was the top American in 29th (45:19.9/2).

Simon, 28, won her eighth career Worlds gold, and second of this event, also in the Mixed Relay. She moved up from third in this race last year. The French women have won four of the 12 medals decided so far and lead all nations with seven total medals.

The men’s 20 km Individual race is on Wednesday, then relays on Thursday and Saturday and the Mass Start races on Sunday.

● Cycling ● British star Geraint Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, 2014 Commonwealth Games road race and a two-time track cycling Olympic gold medalist in the Team Pursuit in 2008 and 2012, announced that he will retire at the end of this season.

Now 38, Thomas said in a BBC interview:

“Since I was a kid I dreamt of riding the Tour and being part of the Olympics and winning was obviously a dream as well, but to achieve that was just nuts.

“I think now the decision is official, you do start to reflect because when you’re in it, it’s just one thing after the next, year after year, so you don’t really appreciate it. I guess at the time you enjoy it but I don’t think you sit back and reflect and think, so there will be a bit of that this year.”

● Football ● U.S. Soccer announced a five-year agreement with the Westwood One network for English-language audio coverage of “all U.S. Soccer Federation-hosted matches” through 2030. This does not include the FIFA World Cup, or CONCACAF championship matches.

● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. had no need to win its final group-stage game in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden in Boston, and lost, 2-1, with all the scoring in the first period.

Chris Kreider got the U.S. off to a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into the game, but  keeper Samuel Ersson stopped the next 32 U.S. shots over the remaining 59 minutes. Sweden got even at 13:39 on a Gustav Nyquist score and then Jesper Bratt scored what turned out to be the game winner at 19:04.

The U.S. and Canada both finished 2-1 and advanced to the championship game on Thursday in Boston, at 8 p.m., on ESPN. Sweden and Finland were both 1-2, with Sweden getting five points off two overtime losses.

● Shooting ● USA Shooting announced Tuesday a breakthrough against online restrictions imposed on American shooters, for content featuring their Olympic equipment:

“[A] bipartisan congressional coalition has successfully intervened with Meta Platforms to address systematic restrictions placed on USA Shooting athletes’ social media presence. This breakthrough ensures our nation’s champions can freely share their athletic achievements and connect with supporters across Instagram and Facebook.

“Led by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC), and Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), the congressional effort challenged Meta’s content moderation practices that had disproportionately affected Olympic and Paralympic shooting athletes. Through direct engagement with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, these legislators defended athletes’ rights to showcase their legitimate sporting activities without digital impediment.

“‘I thank Meta for doing the right thing and reversing course,’ said Representative Richard Hudson. As a strong defender of our 2nd Amendment, I stand with our incredible Olympic and Paralympic USA Shooting athletes and am glad to see their Constitutionally-protected freedoms being upheld.’”

● Taekwondo ● At the U.S. Open Championships in Reno, Nevada, Olympic men’s team stars C.J. Nickolas (80 kg) and Jonathan Healy (+87 kg) both won. Nickolas defeated Chile’s Joaquin Churchill in the final, two rounds to none (2-0), and Healy won over Mexico’s 2022 World Champion Carlos Sansores, who withdrew. The other American winner was Michael Rodriguez at 87 kg, winning over Oscar Navarro (MEX) by 2-0.

U.S. Paris Olympian Faith Dillon made it to the final of the women’s 57 kg class, but lost to Canada’s Skylar Park, two rounds to one. The other American women’s winners were Melina Daniel (53 kg) and Naomi Alade (+73 kg).

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ATHLETICS: Three-time U.S. triple jump Olympian Keturah Orji retires; writes “My Loves for the Sport Disappeared”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Keturah Orji during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony on the Seine River (Photo: Keturah Orji on X).

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≡ “WHY I RETIRED AT 28″ ≡

The American record holder in the women’s triple jump, Keturah Orji, is only 28. But she’s retired and explained why in a poignant and informative blog post on her Web site on Monday.

In a lengthy review of her decision, she introduced it noting:

“[B]before I dive into all my reasons, do know that prayer played a huge role in helping me make my final decision about retirement. This blog focuses on the other factors that influenced the decision.”

She then cited six specific aspects that contributed:

● 1. “Underperforming”
● 2. “Distance From My Husband”
● 3. “My Loves for the Sport Disappeared”
● 4. “Body Pains”
● 5. “Acceptance of Untapped Potential”
● 6. “Undervalued”

Orji was a prodigy at the University of Georgia, winning NCAA indoor titles in 2016-17-18 and outdoor titles in 2015-16-17-18 and the long jump title in 2018 as well; that’s eight in all.

She won 10 U.S. national titles, indoors in 2019-22-23-24 and outdoors in 2016-17-18-19-21-22, making the U.S. Olympic team in 2016-21-24 and finishing fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, while still a collegian. She made three World Championship and four World Indoor Championship teams and won a Pan American Games silver in the long jump in 2019, her only major senior-level international medal. She set the American Record in the TJ three times: twice in 2016 and again in 2021.

Now she’s done. Most of all, she wrote, was because of declining results:

“This is the biggest reason. I’m a numbers person, and I believe numbers don’t lie. …

“The trend spoke for itself – there was a steep drop after 2022. What frustrated me the most was people telling me how I should feel about my performances. While I appreciated their intentions, no one knows my marks better than I do. I knew what I was capable of and being asked to feel content with not improving didn’t sit right with me.”

She continued, explaining how the decline in performance – her best, the American Record of 14.91 m (48-11), came in 2021 – made other issues stand out even more:

● “Since 2020, I’ve moved from Georgia to Florida, to California, back to Georgia, and then to Maryland, all in pursuit of finding a coach to help me accomplish my goals. For context, my husband and I bought a house together in 2020, but I spent more time away than home. IF and only IF I were seeing improvement, I might have continued, but sacrificing time with my husband while underperforming became a non-option.”

● “I always found it funny when I was at competitions and coaches would tell me ‘just go out there and have ‘fun’‘ because in all honesty triple jump/long jump was never something I would describe as fun, in the traditional sense.

“Winning was fun. Training with teammates was fun. Traveling and seeing friends at competitions was fun. But when those things faded – no teammates, no close friends at meets, fewer wins – the sport lost its joy. What I actually enjoyed were the opportunities it gave me to challenge myself, progress, and accomplish great things alongside other people. There is a quote I love: ‘Q: What’s more important: the journey or the destination? A: The company!’ By the end of my career, I often found myself asking, ‘Why am I here?’”

● She also noted the tremendous physical impact of triple jumping and the injuries, adding “I think y’all are seeing my consistent point now… If I were improving, I might have endured the pain, but with no significant progress, it didn’t make sense to keep pushing my body past its limits.”

● “I didn’t start triple jumping for recognition or money, but I am very aware that when you receive those, it helps cushion the setbacks and disappointments. Despite rewriting the history books in American women’s triple jump, the lack of appreciation from the sports world in general for both the event and my accomplishments was noticeable. Retirement is a much harder choice when you’re well-paid and feeling valued.”

● “At this time, I have complete clarity and confidence in my decision to jump off this hamster wheel and start chasing my potential elsewhere.”

She had already considered retirement in 2022, but stuck it out through 2024, reaching 14.50 m (47-7) indoors and ranking 12th on the combined world indoor-outdoor list. But it wasn’t among her top-10 performances. She wrote:

“I’m confident that most people, if they had been living in my body, would have made the same decision to retire. I felt terrible – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was glaringly clear that it was time to move on from jumping.”

She reflected that it felt right to stop:

“The irony of how I feel about my career is that I am so proud of achieving far more than I ever imagined for myself, YET I am disappointed that I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted and truly believed I was capable of. Both can be true. When I started track, I had no idea I could be this good. But as I improved, I began to see my potential and set bigger goals for myself.

“Everyone starts their journey in sports for different reasons, and everyone retires for different reasons. My hope is that when the time comes for you to make a big decision – whether it’s sport-related or not — you feel confident in your choice. No one else should make you feel like your reason isn’t good enough or that you’re too young, too old, or whatever people may say. ‘Let the thought of starting again excite you and not scare you.’ You can retire whenever you want, for whatever reason you want.

“And, of course, we always have the freedom to change our mind.”

She ended with a prayer, and advice: “If it drains you more than it uplifts you, it’s time to let it go.”

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BOXING: World Boxing adds six members, now at 78, looking strong for IOC recognition and keeping boxing in the Olympic Games

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WORLD BOXING EXPANDS ≡

“The Executive Board of World Boxing has approved six more membership applications from the National Federations for boxing in Kosovo, Syria, Hungary, Malawi, Estonia and Switzerland to take its membership to 78 countries.

“The confirmation of Hungary as the 75th country to have its membership application approved by World Boxing’s Executive Board means that the International Federation has achieved one of the widely established criteria for Olympic inclusion, that a sport must be practiced in at least 75 countries on four continents.”

The Tuesday announcement brings the World Boxing group to at least six members from all five continental groups:

● 24: Asia
● 23: Europe
● 18: Americas
● 7: Oceania
● 6: Africa

These new applicant federations will be formally reviewed and set for approval at the online World Boxing Extraordinary Congress on 1 March.

With 78 federations and more in the pipeline, the status of World Boxing for recognition by the International Olympic Committee at its 144th Session in Greece in mid-March is growing stronger by the day.

The 78-federation total also corresponds very well to the number of federations which have actually sent boxers to the AIBA/IBA World Championships across the last 10 years:

Men:
● 2015: 73 federations/260 boxers ~ 10 classes
● 2017: 85 federations/279 boxers ~ 10 classes
● 2019: 78 federations/365 boxers ~ 8 classes
● 2021: 88 federations/510 boxers ~ 13 classes
● 2023: 107 federations/538 boxers ~ 13 classes
(Average: 86 federations per event)

Women:
● 2016: 64 federations/285 boxers ~ 10 classes
● 2018: 62 federations/277 boxers ~ 10 classes
● 2019: 57 federations/224 boxers ~ 10 classes
● 2022: 73 federations/310 boxers ~ 12 classes
● 2023: 65 federations/324 boxers ~ 12 classes
(Average: 52 federations per event)

Moreover, despite World Boxing being less than two years old, it now has more than half of the federations, boxers and medalists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games affiliated:

● 68 federations: 37 now in World Boxing (54.4%)
● 32 federations won medals: 18 now in World Boxing (56.3%)
● 248 boxers: 152 from federations now in World Boxing (61.3%)
● 52 boxers won medals: 30 from federations now in World Boxing (57.7%)

All these things point to World Boxing being in position to being recognized by the IOC in March, to be the governing body for Olympic boxing.

And if so, the IOC can give World Boxing more than a handshake. It has retained the $17.31 million television rights share from Tokyo 2020 that was not paid to the International Boxing Association due to its suspension; that could go to World Boxing to help get its operations for 2025-28 started.

And World Boxing could also receive perhaps about $19 million in IOC television money from the Paris 2024 Games to support Olympic boxing going forward. That’s $36 million-plus as a thank-you for rescuing boxing for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Many more federations will come aboard if World Boxing is recognized by the IOC, but the new federation appears to have done enough to give boxing its place in Los Angeles, something which looked very much in jeopardy after the IBA was excommunicated in 2023.

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LANE ONE: The build-up for Noah Lyles vs. Tyreek Hill has started; is Hill willing to race at a real football distance?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Sprint star Noah Lyles and speedy receiver Tyreek Hill (Photos: Diamond League AG and Up & Adams Podcast).

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≡ LYLES vs. HILL ≡

With Olympic 100 m champion Noah Lyles and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill agreeing to race somewhere, at some unknown distance, sometime in 2025, the build-up has started.

After months of trash-talking on social media, the two agreed to race in an online interview with People Magazine, posted last week, with Hill wanting to run a 40-yard dash – his best chance to win – and Lyles preferring something closer to his regular 100 m distance, although he said:

“I mean if it was 100-meters, it’d be a blowout, you know, we gotta meet in the middle.”

And then the sniping continued.

Lyles posted, “It’s time to end the debate,” to which Hill replied, “Time to shut your mouth and take your lunch money,” and later, “Track world about to be in shambles.”

Vernon Norwood, fourth in the 2023 World Championships 400 m and a two-time Olympic 4×400 m relay gold medalist, posted in reply, “Hell nah! You fast but you food.” Hill shot back, “I got a NFL guy that whoop you to [sic].”

A Lyles post on Friday read, “A man asked me at the airport how do I have so much confidence. I told him therapy. He said really? Why would I lie” to which Hill wrote, “you have no friends.”

This is only the start; both are already promoting the race on their social sites:

While Lyles, 27, has run 6.43 for the 60 m and 9.79 for the 100 – both in 2024 – star receiver Hill, now 30, hasn’t posted any results since 2014, when he was at Oklahoma State. He was no slouch, with bests of 6.64 for 60 m indoors (2014), 10.19 for the 100 and 20.14 for the 200, both in 2012. Hill was the 2012 World Junior Championships 200 m bronze medalist, but he’s not in Lyles’ class.

Let’s see what could actually be arranged:

● Lyles is focused on defending his 100 and 200 m World Championships golds in Tokyo (JPN) in September and to do that, he needs to make the U.S. team. The USA Track & Field nationals in 2025 are in Eugene, Oregon (of course) from 31 July to 2 August, so the race has to be well before then.

Lyles is not signed to the Grand Slam Track circuit, so he has no announced commitments during the spring season.

● Hill said at the end of the season he wanted to leave Miami, but now says he would like to stay. If he does stay, off-season workouts begin on 21 April, but if he were to be traded, he could end up on a team with a new head coach, with workouts beginning 7 April.

NFL “organized team activities” are held in late May or early June, depending on the team and mandatory mini-camps are held for three days in June. NFL training camps open on 16 July, although some clubs may start a few days later.

So Hill has some conflicts, but has time in late April and early May – pretty early for Lyles – and in mid-June to mid-July, when Lyles should be more than ready.

Assuming Hill stays with the Dolphins, he’s in south Florida and Lyles is also in Florida, so somewhere there makes the most sense. There are lots of options, depending on the distance and the number of spectators to be accommodated (got to have that ticket revenue).

So what about the distance?

Since Hill is a football player, the appropriate distance for him should be 100 yards, the length of a football field. The distance isn’t run any more, but Jamaica’s Asafa Powell has the fastest time on record at 9.07, en route to a 100 m win in 2010. Justin Gatlin has the American best at 9.10 en route in 2014. The fastest ever by a football player is 9.33 by Johnny “Lam” Jones for Texas in 1977, and the great Bob Hayes – yes, the 1964 Tokyo Olympic champion and NFL Hall of Fame receiver – ran 9.35 in 1962!

Hill probably would say that he’s not a distance runner any more, so the 100 yards is likely out. Unless the two want to come up with some oddball distance, the remaining suspects are the rarely-contested 50 yards, 50 m, 60 yards (or 55 m) and the now-standard 60 m:

● 50 yards: 5.22 world best by Stanley Floyd (USA) in 1982, who broke Houston McTear’s 5.25 mark from 1978. This event disappeared in the early 1990s.

● 50 meters: 5.56 world best by Donovan Bailey (CAN: 1996) and Maurice Greene (USA: 1999) and is rarely seen now.

● 60 yards: 5.99 world best for 55 m (five inches more) by Obadele Thompson (BAR: 1997) with Lee McRae (USA: 1986) next at 6.00. Carl Lewis ran 6.02 for the fastest-ever 60 yards in 1983.

● 60 meters: 6.34 world record by Christian Coleman (USA: 2018) and he has the top four performances in history at 6.34-6.37-6.37-6.37.

Hill’s only chance is to get out quick, at a shorter distance, but Lyles is used to being behind and will win no matter what the choice is (unless he falls down). But 60 yards is a respectable, historic distance and one from which Hill has scored many touchdowns.

Now, how much are the tickets and what’s the hospitality package like? Lyles has said he wants to add races, with Coleman to race against, say, speedy Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy – the fastest man ever at the NFL Combined – and maybe hurdles champ Grant Holloway against Seahawks star DK Metcalf.

And let’s not forget about television, whether on cable or streaming or … pay per view?

No matter how this is staged, it’s good for track & field. Why? Consider that in today’s self-promoting world, reach is key. Lyles, with all his outstanding accomplishments, has 196,016 followers on X and 1.563 million on Instagram.

Hill won a Super Bowl with Kansas City and has been a five-time first-team All-Pro selection, and has 999,574 X followers and 2.766 million on Instagram. And now Lyles is all over Hill’s feed.

That’s all part of this. May the best video clip or Instagram Reel win.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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ATHLETICS: Italy investigating 2021 wiretaps of Olympic 100 champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs, by the brother of Tokyo relay teammate Filippo Tortu!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Italian sprint stars Lamont Marcell Jacobs (l) and Filippo Tortu, in a 2020 meet in France (Photo: Erik van Leeuwen via Wikipedia).

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≡ ITALIAN SPRINT INTRIGUE ≡

One of the proudest moments in the history of Italian track & field came on 6 August 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the men’s 4×100 m relay, where anchor runner Filippo Tortu took the baton in second place and burst past Britain’s CJ Ujah to win the gold in a national record of 37.50.

Lorenzo Patta ran lead-off, handing to Olympic 100 m champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who passed to Fausto Desalu on the turn. It was a stunning second Olympic gold for Jacobs, who had won the 100 m over American Fred Kerley.

Now it appears that Tortu’s brother was trying to undermine Jacobs prior to the Games.

Last week, it was reported that, as part of a months-long, ongoing investigation into the activities of a Milan-based private intelligence firm – Equalize – Giacomo Tortu, the brother of Filippo Tortu, had asked the company to wiretap Jacobs and his coaching and training team to try to uncover whether Jacobs was doping, as reported by his blood test results.

Jacobs had never run faster than 10.03 for the 100 m through 2020, but opened in 2021 with a national record of 9.95 in May, and ran lifetime bests of 9.94, 9.84 and 9.80 in Tokyo to win the Olympic 100.

Giacomo Tortu, now 32, was a modest sprinter with bests of 10.73 (‘17) and 21.05 (‘15), is the older brother by six years of relay gold winner Filippo, 26, a national star who has run 9.99 (‘18) and 20.10 (‘22) and was the 2024 European 200 m runner-up.

The story goes that Giacomo asked Equalize – during the Tokyo Olympic year in 2021 but possibly also in 2020 – to surface results of Jacobs’ blood tests and discussions with his team to see if he was doping; Jacobs has never been associated with any sanctions.

Stefano Mei, the 1986 European men’s 10,000 m champion and now President of the Italian national federation – FIDAL – said in an Instagram video posted Saturday (computer translation from the original Italian):

● “We have learned from the media that a Fidal member, Giacomo Tortu , is under investigation by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office for alleged espionage activities on Marcell Jacobs. If the presence of an investigation is confirmed, we would be faced with an episode that will also have to be addressed by our Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which, as per the rules, will evaluate the documents as soon as possible according to the timing of the criminal proceedings.”

● “We are still talking about a story that does not seem to involve Filippo Tortu. The fact remains that regardless of everything, today as always the one who runs fastest will go in the relay.”

● “Until the conviction, the suspects and the accused are innocent, and I truly hope that there has been no espionage or attempted espionage against Marcell, because it would be not only illegitimate, but also unfair towards a great champion. We are neither worried nor saddened, on the contrary: our technical sector continues to work calmly, our relay will be competitive in 2025 too. We are preparing for another great season.”

Jacobs, 30, suffered from injuries after Tokyo in 2021, but won the European 100 title in 2022 at 9.95 and defended in 2024 in 10.02 and finished fifth in the Paris Olympic final in 9.85 – 0.04 from a medal – ranking no. 7 on the world list for the year. He was born in El Paso, then moved with his mother to Italy as a toddler, and now trains in the U.S.

Giacomo Tortu has not been charged so far. But this story shows that truth really is stranger than fiction.

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PANORAMA: Olympic Museum had 432,000 visitors in 2024; U.S. Presidents and the White House swimming pool; Kennedy Blades and the suplex!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic silver winner Kennedy Blades of the U.S. (in blue) executes the suplex against Noemi Szabados (HUN) at the Zagreb Open (Photo: UWW).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Infrastrutture Milano Cortina, the government construction oversight organization for Olympic projects – known as Simico – issued a harsh rebuke to an activist group which claimed its efforts were behind schedule.

According to a report in the Rome daily, Il Fatto Quotidiario, the Simico statement included:

“The report released by the [activists] leads to unacceptable exploitation. The data, published online with maximum transparency and therefore available to all citizens, say in a clear and incontrovertible way that the Olympic works plan is in line with the schedule.

“The construction sites of the sports works proceed in full compliance with the established timing (in some cases in advance) and all will be completed before the Games. To say otherwise is not only false, but absolutely defamatory.”

Nevertheless, the questions will continue – as with every Games – until the sites are delivered.

● International Olympic Committee ● The Olympic Museum announced that an all-time record of 432,000 visitors visited in 2024, including 52,000 school children, a big increase over 2023.

The Museum continues to grow its programming schedule, with three major temporary exhibitions – “Free to Run,” “Paris Olympique” and “Fashion and Sport: From One Podium to Another,” plus 14 cultural and sports-introduction events.

● Russia ● The increase in diplomatic chatter related to the war against Ukraine has already had the effect of increasing expectations in Russia for the return to international competitions.

Amir Khamitov, the Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports told the Russian news agency TASS:

“The period when Russian athletes were not allowed to participate in international competitions clearly showed that without our participants such events become much less spectacular, representative and authoritative. Apparently, the West understands this too. Therefore, in the near future we should expect Russian participants in international competitions in a wide variety of sports.”

Russia’s return will depend primarily on (1) a move toward ending the invasion of Ukraine and (2) who becomes the next president of the International Olympic Committee, with the election slated for 20 March.

● Athletics ● Another record, this time an American Record for two-time World Champion Chase Jackson, who shared the U.S. Indoor mark with 2016 Olympic champ Michelle Carter at 21.21 m (66-3 3/4) from 2016 and 2022, respectively.

No more, as Jackson’s 20.24 m (66-5) win in Torun (POL) on Sunday gives her the mark alone and moves her to no. 39 all-time. If you filter out marks from the doping-filled 20th Century, Jackson stands seventh all-time indoors.

Washington sophomore Amanda Moll took the world lead in the women’s vault at 4.88 m (16-0) with her win at the Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque. It’s a collegiate record and she’s now no. 9 all-time indoors and no. 5 all-time U.S. And she’s 20.

World-leading performances on the track over the weekend also came from Zimbabwe’s 200 m Olympic finalist Makanakaishe Charamba (Auburn) in the men’s 200 in 20.16 at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina, and in the women’s 200 m (22.34) from American JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina). Olympic men’s 4×400 m gold medalist Chris Bailey took the world lead in the men’s 400 m in 44.70 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

● Ice Hockey ● Of course, Canada wanted a rematch with the U.S. after their bruising game on Saturday in Montreal, won by the Americans (3-1) and sending them on to the championship game of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston on Thursday (20th).

And that’s what will happen after the Canadians thrashed Finland, 5-3, on Monday in Boston, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period off goals by Connor McDavid (4:13), then Nathan MacKinnon (4:59) and Brayden Point (13:02).

MacKinnon made it 4-0 at 5:03 of the second, but the Finns came back to make a game of it in the third, scoring three goals in 5:24 – two from Mikael Granlund – and closing to 4-3 with 1:17 left. Sidney Crosby got an empty-net goal to finish up at 5-3 with 0:56 to play.

The U.S. will play Sweden Monday night to finish the round-robin play. The championship match will start at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday and shown nationally on ESPN.

● Swimming ● Terrific Presidents Day story by Swimming World Magazine on the short history of swimming pools at the White House, noting that installation of an indoor pool – paid for with private donations – was built in 1933 for President Franklin Roosevelt. Stricken with polio, Roosevelt swam for exercise and used the pool extensively until his death in 1945.

That pool was covered over (not destroyed) in 1970 to create the White House Press Room by President Richard Nixon, and remains today. His successor, Gerald Ford, loved swimming and so an outdoor pool – paid for with private funds – was constructed in 1975 and remains in use today.

● Wrestling ● “It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.”

That’s the definition of a “suplex,” a technique used at every level of wrestling, even up to the professional entertainment matches, and one of the best in the Olympic world is American Olympic 76 kg silver medalist Kennedy Blades.

She showed off her love of the move with two powerful suplexes during the recent Zagreb Open in Croatia, telling United World Wrestling:

“When I get behind, in my mind, I am like I have to execute this because it’s so rare to hit a suplex. So every time I get behind in matches or big stages, I try to hit the suplex. I want to do it at the world stage because I know it will be on the highlights.”

UWW featured Blades and her favorite move in a feature, in which she added:

“I just feel like when someone gets a headlock, they probably have to throw it really hard because growing up, I used to wrestle Greco in the summer.

“So my coach always taught us how to set up the suplex if they grab your head for a headlock and they don’t go. When someone gets in a headlock position and they don’t go super hard, then the suplex is there. If I would ever be in that position, I just go flat because I know that they can probably throw me.”

American star Sarah Hildebrandt, the Paris Olympic women’s 50 kg gold medalist, announced her retirement and will be an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national team. Now 31, Hildebrandt won an Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020 and four World Championships medals, including a silver in 2018. She explained:

“I have had a really long career and I’ve gotten the experience of what wrestling has taught me. It has made me so passionate about what this sport can do for people. If I can bring a passion and energy in support of their journey, kind of a door handle to open up their own adventure, that is exciting to me. Wrestling has given me so much. The sport has taught me everything about myself and helped me grow as a woman.”

Hildebrandt will be working alongside national women’s coach Terry Steiner and developmental coach Jessica Medina Bunker in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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PANORAMA: U.S. rolls, as Santos-Griswold wins Short Track crown; Wright takes two Biathlon Worlds medals; Diggins wins, close to World Cup title!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Short Track World Tour champion Kristen Santos-Griswold (2) and teammate Corinne Stoddard (5) (Photo: ISU).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Athletics ● The Athletics Integrity Unit announced Friday that it has banned Japan’s Koki Ikeda, 26, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic men’s 20 km walk silver medalist, for four years for blood manipulation.

This was an Athlete Biological Passport case, and Ikeda’s was suspended “after abnormalities were detected in his blood samples collected on 20 June 2023 and between 16 August and 13 September 2023, which the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) alleged were indicative of blood manipulation.” Ikeda has consistently denied the charge, and could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He was provisionally suspended from 1 November 2024, and his results between 20 June 2023 and 1 November 2024 have been nullified.

● Tennis ● The World Anti-Doping Agency announced an agreement with Italy’s no. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner over his positive tests at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California last year, with Sinner agreeing to serve a three-month suspension that will not cause him to miss any of the Grand Slams.

Sinner tested positive for clostebol, twice, but was found by the International Tennis Integrity Authority to bear no fault (or negligence) since the drug was part of a medication applied by his physical therapist.

WADA was asking for a one to two-year sanction at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the hearing scheduled for April. But:

“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”

Said Sinner: “This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year, I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted WADA’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”

Sinner’s suspension runs from 9 February to 4 May (with four days previously credited for his provisional suspension in 2024), in time for him to play in the Italian Open in Rome, which begins on 5 May.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Archery ● An upset in the men’s final in the World Archery Indoor World Series Great Chicago Open, with Canada’s 24-year-old Devaang Gupta (CAN) winning a shoot-off with American star – and five time Olympic medalist – Brady Ellison, 6-5. Both shot 10 in the shoot-off, but Gupta’s arrow was closer to the center!

In the all-American bronze-medal match, Nicholas D’Amour defeated Alex Gilliam, 6-4.

Favored Casey Kaufhold, the U.S.’s 2021 Worlds silver winner, took the women’s Recurve title, 6-4, over Ana Maria Rendon (COL). Dutch star Gaby Schloesser won the bronze over American Alex Zuleta-Visser, 6-4.

● Badminton ● Canada defeated the U.S., 3-1, in the final of the Pan American Cup in Aguascalientes (MEX). Both teams entered 3-0, but Canada’s Brian Yang beat Enrico Asuncion in the men’s Singles (2-0), Michelle Li swept Lydia Chao in the women’s and Kevin Lee and Ty Lindeman won the men’s Doubles over Zhi Yi Chen and Presley Smith (2-1). The U.S. team of Smith and Jennie Gai won the Mixed Doubles over Lindeman and Crystal Lai, 2-0.

● Biathlon ● Heading into his final IBU World Championships, held in Lenzerheide (SUI), Norwegian star Johannes Thingnes Boe had won 38 Worlds medals, including 20 golds. But he was going to make sure that he was remembered and won his 21st World title in the opening men’s individual event, the 10.0 km Sprint on Saturday.

Boe dominated the race, winning by 27.7 seconds in 21:56.8 (0 penalties), but the surprise was in second place. That was American Campbell Wright, 22, a clear second in 22:24.5 (0), who transferred from New Zealand in 2023, and finished well ahead of France’s twice Olympic gold medalist Quentin Fillon Maillet (22:33.8/1).

It was the first U.S. Worlds men’s medal since 2019, when Lowell Bailey took an upset win in the 20 km Individual race, and the first-ever men’s Worlds medal in the Sprint. In 13 starts on the World Cup circuit this season, Wright had a best of fourth – in a Sprint – with two top-10 finishes in 13 starts. But he’s now the Worlds silver medalist; he said afterwards:

“Coming into the day I just had all the confidence that I could ski with the top guys. I skied with [Sweden’s Martin] Ponsiluoma that second loop and felt pretty in control to be honest. I just figured, I really gotta hit the targets on standing. I managed to do it and honestly I have no words.”

Fellow American Maxime Germain also had a personal best Worlds finish, in 12th (23:02.5/0).

In Sunday’s 12.5 km Pursuit, Boe won again, in 32:26.9 (2), with Wright up for second again in 32:35.5 (1), and France’s Eric Perrot third (32:47.7/1), his first individual Worlds medals. Germain was 21st (35:03.1/4).

Wright made more history, as the first American ever to win two medals in a single Worlds!

The women’s individual events started with a win for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA), who won her fourth career Worlds gold in the 7.5 km Sprint in 22:08.7 (1 penalty), ahead of Franziska Preuss (GER: 22:18.5/1) and Suvi Minkkinen (22:18.7/2).

The women’s 10 km Pursuit was the first individual Worlds gold for Germany’s Preuss, a convincing winner in 26:58.9 (0), way ahead of Olympic silver medalist Elvira Oeberg (SWE: 27:38.0/1) and Braisaz-Bouchet (27:39.8/3).

The Worlds continue through the next week.

● Bobsled ● The second week of the IBSF World Cup in Lillehammer (NOR) finished the season, with the World Championships coming in March in Lake Placid, New York.

The Two-Man finished with a German sweep of all eight races, this time with Olympic silver winner Johannes Lochner (and Georg Fleischhauer) winning in 1:40.99, just ahead of Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (and Felix Straub: 1:41.02), with Adam Ammour and Nick Stadelmann completing the fifth German sweep of the season in 1:41.19. Friedrich won the seasonal title, 1,745-1,730 over Lochner; American Frank Del Duca was 10th (1.104).

In Sunday’s Four-Man, Lochner completed a sweep, winning in 1:39.03, with Friedrich at 1:39.35 and Britain’s Brad Hall at 1:39.39. Those three drivers won all seven World Cup races this season. Friedrich won the seasonal crown, 1,515 to 1,446 over Lochner, with Hall third (1,444).

The women’s Monobob went to Australian Bree Walker, who got her first World Cup ever last week – in a tie with American Elana Meyers Taylor – and now by herself, in 1:48.51, beating Canadian Cynthia Appiah (1:48.66). German Lisa Buckwitz, the 2018 Olympic winner in the Two-Woman event, took third in 1:48.67.

Buckwitz, with three wins earlier, took the seasonal title, 1,637 to 1,596 over Walker; Kaysha Love was the top American, in fifth at 1,317, with Meyers Taylor eighth in 1,190.

Beijing 2022 Olympic winner Laura Nolte (with Leonie Kluwig) won the Two-Women race in 1:43.74, ahead of Buckwitz and Neele Schuten (1:43.94) and Canada’s Melissa Lotholz and Skylar Sieben (1:44.70). Nolte, Kim Kalicki (GER) and Buckwitz were the top three in the seasonal standings with 1,545, 1,447 and 1,437 points.

German domination was underlined as their sleds won all 15 Two-Man and Two-Women races this season and 24 of 30 overall in World Cup competition.

● Cross Country Skiing ● The ninth stop – of 12 – in the 2024-25 FIS World Cup was in Falun (SWE), with American Jessie Diggins trying to close out a repeat women’s seasonal World Cup title.

Home favorite Linn Svahn (SWE) got her 16th career World Cup win in the women’s Classical Sprint, winning the final in 3:12.22, over Nadine Faehndrich (SUI: 3:13.11). Diggins did not make the final, but ranked seventh overall, as the first alternate.

Sweden won again in Saturday’s 10 km Classical Interval Start, with triple Worlds gold winner Ebba Andersson winning in 28:49.3, beating Norwegian star Heidi Weng (29:07.1) and Victoria Carl (GER: 29:18.0). Diggins was fourth in 29:26.6.

Diggins said she was fired up by seeing American Gus Schumacher win silver in the men’s Sunday race and skied like it, winning the 20 km Freestyle Mass Start in 54:27.4, out-lasting Norwegian star Weng (54:28.1) and Andersson (54:28.2) to the line. It’s the sixth World Cup gold of the year for Diggins and she leads the seasonal World Cup standings – as defending champion – by 1,933 to 1,461 over Carl, with five events left. She’s just about there.

The men’s Classical Sprint was the 10th win of the season for four-time World Cup champ Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), timing 2:46.40, leading a Norwegian sweep, with Erik Valnes (2:47.71) and Oskar Vike (2:48.92). Klaebo was in the mix again in the Classical 10 km, but three-time Olympic gold winner Iivo Niskanen (FIN) took his first World Cup win since the season opener last November, in 24:54.3, with Klaebo second in 25:07.2. Schumacher was the top American, in 17th (26:07.9).

Sunday’s 20 km Freestyle Mass Start was the first win of the season for Norway’s Paal Golberg, in 48:05.1, pushed right to the line by Schumacher, 24, who won his second career World Cup medal and first this season, in 48:05.4. Harald Amundsen (NOR) was just behind both in 48:06.0.

The World Cup takes a break now, with the World Championships coming on 26 February in Trondheim (NOR).

● Freestyle Skiing ● The final leg of the Halfpipe World Cup season was in Calgary (CAN), with New Zealand’s 18-year-old Finley Melville Ives winning his first career World Cup medal – a gold – scoring 92.75 points, just beating three-time Olympic Slopestyle silver winner Nick Goepper of the U.S. (92.25) and 2018 PyeongChang Olympic runner-up Alex Ferreira (91.75). Ferreira won the seasonal Crystal Globe with 360 points, to 320 for Goepper.

The women’s win went to China’s Fanghui Li, 21, who scored 90.50 to edge 2023 Worlds runner-up Zoe Atkin (GBR: 87.75) and Canada’s 2021 Worlds silver winner Rachael Karker (87.00). Svea Irving of the U.S. was fifth (72.75). Li and Atkin tied for the Crystal Globe, each with 305 points.

● Ice Hockey ● The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is generating the hoped-for frenzy of interest, especially after the wild Saturday match-up of the U.S. and Canada in Montreal. The Americans decided to fight from the start, with three brawls in the first nine seconds of the game!

When the hockey resumed, Canada got a first-period goal from Connor McDavid to go up 1-0, then the U.S. took over. Jake Guentzel evened it at 10:15 of the first, then Dylan Larkin scored on a 2×1 break at 13:33 of the second for the key goal and a 2-1 lead.

Connor Hallebuyck of the U.S. turned away 18 shots in the final two periods and the U.S. got an empty-netter from Guentzel with 1:19 to play for the 3-1 final, clinching a spot in the championship game on Thursday (20th).

Also on Saturday, Finland defeated Sweden in another heated match, 4-3, in overtime.

So, the U.S. is 2-0, and Canada and Finland are 1-1, with Sweden at 0-2 (two overtime losses), as the event moves to Boston. The U.S. opponent will be decided on Monday, as Canada will play Finland in the afternoon and Sweden faces the U.S. in the evening.

The final comes Thursday in Boston at 8 p.m. Eastern.

● Judo ● Japan dominated the second IJF World Tour of the year, the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan, winning 10 of the 14 classes in the tournament (also four silvers and three bronzes):

Olympic bronze medalist Ryuju Nagayama won the men’s 60 kg class; 2024 Worlds runner-up Takeshi Takeoka won at 66 kg; 2024 Worlds silver medalist Tatsuki Ishihara took the 73 kg gold; Olympic runner-up Sanshiro Murao won at 90 kg, followed by 2024 Worlds bronzer Dota Arai at 100 kg and Hyoga Ota at +100 kg. That’s six golds in seven classes.

Women’s Olympic 48 kg champ Natsumi Tsunoda won the women’s 48 kg tournament, as did Tokyo Olympic champ Uta Abe at 52 kg, 2021 Worlds runner-up Momo Tamaoki, at 57 kg, and 2019 World Junior Champion Ruri Takahashi at +78 kg.

Canada’s 2021 World Champion Jessica Klimkait won the 63 kg gold.

● Luge ● Austria won three of the four main races at the FIL World Cup in PyeongChang (KOR), with Beijing 2022 Worlds runner-up Wolfgang Kindl taking the men’s Singles from 2022 bronze medalist Dominik Fischnaller, 1:35.422 to 1:35.514, with Kristers Aparjods (LAT) a close third at 1:35.533. Tucker West was the top American, in 12th (1:36/668).

Thomas Steu and Kindl – 2024 Worlds silver winners – won the men’s Doubles in 1:32.578, ahead of five-time World Champion Toni Eggert and Florian Mueller (1:32.580), with triple Olympic gold winners Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt third (1:32.680). Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander of the U.S. finished seventh (1:33.235).

Austria’s third win came from 2024 World Champion Lisa Schulte in the women’s Singles, in 1:32.923, just ahead of German Mabel Frabel (1:33.296) and Fellow Austrian Hannah Prock (1:33.000). Ashley Farquharson was the top American, in sixth (1:33.380).

Germany’s two-time World Champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal took the women’s Doubles in 1:33.618, barely ahead of Selina Egle and Lara Kipp (AUT: 1:33.641). The U.S. pair of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby finished fourth (1:34.238).

Kindl and Schulte won the Mixed Singles in 1:38,613, with West and Farquharson sixth (1:39.214). Eggert and Mueller and Degenhart and Rosenthal won the Mixed Doubles (1:37.835), with Di Gregorio and Hollander and Forgan and Kirkby sixth (1:38.517).

● Short Track ● The ISU World Tour was in Milan (ITA), looking ahead to next year’s Winter Games, but also the end of the regular-season meets. And it was a good meet for American star Kristen Santos-Griswold.

The five-time Worlds medal winner in 2024, she opened on Saturday with a win in the women’s 1,000 m – in which she is the reigning World Champion – in 1:29.320, ahead of U.S. teammate Corinne Stoddard (1:29.445), with 2023 World Champion Xandra Velzeboer (NED) winning the seasonal event title with 374 points to 370 for Stoddard.

Sunday started with the 500 m, and another win for Santos-Griswold, this time over the legendary Arianna Fontana (ITA) – now 34 and an 11-time Olympic medalist, back to try for a home Games in 2026 – in 42.558 to 42.662. The win gave Santos-Griswold the seasonal title by 410-398 over Velzeboer.

In the 1,500 m, Belgium’s 2022 Olympic bronzer, Hanne Desmet, won for the second time this season in 2:23.229 to 2:23.308 for Santos-Griswold and 2:23.420 for Fontana, with Stoddard sixth (2:23.750). Desmet also won the seasonal title, 404-380 over Santos-Griswold.

The Dutch women won the 3,000 m relay in 4:10.570 over Italy (4:10.668).

Overall, it was Santos-Griswold who won the World Cup championship, scoring 1,120 points to 950 for Velzeboer and 940 for Stoddard. Santos-Griswold won nine medals during the season, including four wins and is well positioned to contend for the podium in multiple events in 2026 (as is Stoddard).

The men’s meet started with a sprint win for China’s World 1,500 m champ Long Sun, taking the 500 m in 40.777 over Teun Boer (NED: 40.891). The 1,500 m was the third World Cup gold of the season for Dutch Worlds runner-up Jens van’t Wout in 2:10.930, beating Kosei Hayashi (JPN: 2:20.124).

Sunday’s 1,000 m was a fitting conclusion to the season for Canadian William Dandjinou, the reigning World men’s 1,000 m champ. He won in 1:23.025 over Pietro Sighel (ITA: 1:23.119) and not only got his eighth World Cup win of the season, he celebrated the overall men’s World Cup title, with 1,184 points to 950 for van’t Wout. Sighel finished third with 764 points.

Fellow Canadian Steven Dubois (460) won the men’s 500 m seasonal title over Dandjinou (312); Dandjinou won the 1,000 m title with 380 points to 360 for van’t Wout, and Dandjinou took the 1,500 m globe by 480-320 over Korea’s Ji-won Park.

Italy won the men’s 5,000 m relay in Milan in 6:42.822, over Canada (6:42.878). The Dutch won the Mixed Relay in 2:38.005, head of Canada, in 2:38.187.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS men’s World Cup was in Sapporo (JPN), jumping off the 137 m hill and with a home win for two-time World Cup champion Ryoyu Kobayashi, who won his first medal of the season with a win at 286.4 points, winning both jumps. Austria’s Jan Hoerl was a distant second at 266.7; American Kevin Bickner was 18th (227.8).

On Sunday, Kobayashi doubled up, placing second in the first round and winning the second to score 278.4 points, holding off Marius Lindvik (NOR: 274.2) and fellow Norwegian Johann Forfang (268.7). Bickner was 13th (239.0).

The women’s World Cup was in Ljubno (SLO), on the 94 m hill, and seasonal leader Nika Prevc winning her third meet in a row – and eighth of the season – on her home hill, scoring 258.0 points to beat Selina Freitag (GER: 240.6). American Paige Jones was 19th (186.7).

Prevc made it four straight on Sunday, winning both jumps and totaling 266.4, ahead of Freitag again (256.2) and Lisa Eder (AUT: 248.9). Jones was 26th.

● Snowboard ● The fourth leg of the FIS World Cup in Snowcross was in Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) on Saturday with France’s Aidan Chollet, 20, winning his first World Cup medal – a gold – in his 24th race! He finished ahead of Kurt Hoshino (GER; his first World Cup medal) and Cody Winters of the U.S.

The women’s race saw the third straight World Cup win for Britain’s 2021 World Champion, Charlotte Bankes, ahead of France’s Lea Casta and Manon Petit Lenoir.

In the Parallel Giant Slalom in Val St. Come (CAN), 40-year-old Zan Kosir got his seventh career World Cup win and the first in four years, beating 39-year-old Benjamin Karl (AUT), the Beijing 2022 gold medalist.

On Sunday, German Elias Huber won his second medal of the season and his first career gold, winning the final over 44-year-old, six-time Worlds medalist Roland Fischnaller (ITA).

The first women’s race was another win for 2021 Parallel Slalom Worlds runner-up Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, her fourth in the last five events! She beat Sabine Payer (AUT), who won her third silver of the season, to go along with one win.

Hofmeister swept the weekend, winning the second race over Swiss two-time World Champion Julie Zogg. Japan’s Tsubaki Miki, the seasonal leader, took the bronze for her 11th medal of the season, in 14 races!

● Swimming ● Canadian star Summer McIntosh, still 18, and a triple gold medalist in Paris, won the women’s 800 m Free at the U.S. Southern Zone South Sectionals in Plantation, Florida in 8:09.86, a national record, the world leader in 2025 and the no. 10 performance of all time.

Up to that race, Katie Ledecky of the U.S. had the top 17 performances ever; she now has the top nine (and 22 of 24). McIntosh is the second ever to break 8:10.

In the women’s 400 m Freestyle, superstar Ledecky won her prelims in 4:01.27 and the final in 4:01.04, easily the fastest in the world this year. And she won the 1,500 m in a world-leading 15:36.87, the no. 16 performance in history. She now owns the top 21 performances ever in that event.

● Triathlon ● The World Triathlon Championship Series opener in Abu Dhabi (UAE) featured two close finishes in the Sprint format, with a 750 m swim, 19.1 km bike phase and 5 km run.

The men’s race came down to a battle between New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, the Paris 2024 runner-up and Matthew Hauser (AUS), the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze winner, finally decided on the final lap of the run, with Wilde breaking free to win in 48:21 to 48:23, with Vasco Vilaca (POR: 48:39) a solid third. Olympian Morgan Pearson was the top American, in 19th (49:42).

The women’s race ended in a German sweep, with Paris Mixed Relay gold medalist Lisa Tertsch strong in all three phases, but the most efficient at the transitions, winning in 54:29, just ahead of Nina Eim (54:30) and Laura Lindemann (54:31). The U.S. had Taylor Spivey in 13th (55:21) and Erika Ackerlund (55:23) in 14th; Rio 2016 Olympic champ Gwen Jorgensen was 29th (56:41).

In the Mixed Relay, Germany’s Selina Klamt, Jan Diener, Tanja Neubert and Henry Graf won with strong efforts on the last two legs, 1:32:05 to 1:32:21 over the U.S. quartet of Spivey, John Reed, Ackerlund and Pearson.

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ATHLETICS: Fisher mauls 5,000 m WR in Boston! Kiplimo stunning 56:42 Half in Barca! Tsegay runs 3:53.92 in Torun, no. 2 ever!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American distance star Grant Fisher (Photo: Erik van Leeuwen via Wikipedia).

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≡ MORE WORLD RECORDS! ≡

It’s not an Olympic year, but the world record parade has continued almost without end, along with other terrific performances. This is amazing:

● On Friday, the fast Boston University track welcomed the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, featuring recent 3,000 m world-record setter Grant Fisher, the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 m Olympic bronze medalist.

This was a world record attempt, against the impressive 12:49.60 by Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele from 2004 and Fisher was more than equal to the task. He broke away from the field just after halfway and ran his final 400 m in 59.36 and crossed in a brilliant 12:44.09.

France’s Jimmy Gressier was second in a European record of 12:54.92, moving to no. 7 all-time, with the no. 9 performance. For Fisher, he now owns three of the top eight indoor performances all-time, and two world indoor records in seven days, after his Millrose 3,000 m triumph!

Georgetown sophomore 20-year-old Tinoda Matsatsa won the men’s 800 m in a fast 1:45.21, moving to no. 9 on the world list for 2025. American Luciano Fiore won the 1,000 m in 2:16.74, now no. 4 for 2025. Princeton’s Harrison Witt cut three seconds off his lifetime best to win the men’s mile in 3:52.87.

● At the ISTAF Indoor meet in Berlin (GER) on Friday, Swedish vault superstar Mondo Duplantis opened the season with a win at 6.10 m (20-0), the equal-12th performance all-time indoors. He cleared four bars without a miss and went straight to a world-record height of 6.27 m (20-6 3/4), but missed three times.

● On Sunday, Uganda’s two-time Cross Country and 2020 World Half Marathon champ Jacob Kiplimo blew up the men’s world record in the Half Marathon, winning the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks in Barcelona (ESP) in a stunning 56:42, ripping 48 seconds off the old best of 57:30 by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha from last October:

“I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record.

“I started very strong in the first two kilometers to get away from my rivals. As the kilometers passed and I saw I was going on record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what.”

He destroyed a good field, with Kenya’s three-time Half Marathon Worlds winner Geoffrey Kamworor (58:44) in second, and Kenyan Samuel Mailu (59:40) in third.

Kiplimo passed 10 km in a sensational 27:15 and also hit 15 km in a world best of 40:07, and 20 km in 53:42 (26:46 split!). It’s his second world record in the distance; he ran 57:31 in 2021, only to see Kejelcha shave a second off in 2024.

Kenya’s defending champ Joyciline Jepkosgei won the women’s race in a speedy 1:04:13, moving her to no. 7 all-time.

● At the Japanese 20 km National Walk Championships – World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze event – in Kobe, two-time World Champion Toshikazu Yamanishi won the men’s 20 km Walk in a world record 1:16:10, shaving 26 seconds off the 1:16:36 mark by Yusuke Suzuki (JPN) in Homi in 2015. Satoshi Maruo (JPN) was a distant second in 1:17:24, but moved to equal-11th all-time!

On Sunday, the World Athletics World Indoor Tour Gold series continued with the 11th Copernicus Cup in Torun (POL), with Ethiopia’s women’s 1,500 m world-record holder Gudaf Tsegay coming back to one of her favorite tracks.

She ran 3:54.77 in Torun in 2022, the no. 2 indoor performance ever and was ready to do better, taking over by the 800 m mark in 2:05.2 and then passing 1,200 m in 3:07.9. Running at her own world mark of 3:53.09, she finished strong and crossed in a world-leading 3:53.92, the no. 2 performance of all time!

Well behind, but still impressive was 19-year-old countrywoman Birke Haylom, second in 3:59.82, her second career indoor sub-4.

That wasn’t the only world-leading performance, as Norway’s Henriette Jaeger – eighth in the Paris 400 m final – won the women’s 400 in a lifetime indoor best of 50.44, a national indoor record! Lurdes Manuel (CZE: 51.15) was a distant second.

The men’s long jump included Paris gold and bronze winners Miltadis Tentoglou (GRE) and Italy’s Mattia Furlani, and Furlani exploded into the lead on his third jump at 8.21 m (26-11 1/4). Tentoglou got to 8.03 m (26-4 1/4) and then Furlani, already the winner, blew up on his final try, sailing out to 8.37 m (27-5 1/2) for the world lead. It’s his second-best jump ever, his best indoors, a national indoor record and moves the 20-year-old to equal-27th on the all-time list.

The crowd was crazy for home favorite, 2024 World Indoor women’s 60 m silver winner Ewa Swoboda, but it was Italy’s 2024 World Indoor bronzer Zaynab Dosso who won in 7.05, moving to no. 2 in the world for 2025. Swiss star Mujinga Kumbundji was second in 7.07 (equal-3rd in 2025) and then Swoboda in 7.10. And there was a lot more.

Britain’s Elliot Giles won the men’s 1,500 m in a tight battle with Biniam Mehary (ETH), 3:35.43 to 3:35.70, taking the lead for good on the final lap.

In the men’s 60 m hurdles, Americans Dylan Beard and Louis Rollins tied in the heat at 7.69, and then Rollins won the final in 7.59, with countryman Jamal Britt third (7.68) and Beard fifth (7.75).

Two-time Worlds medalist E.J. Obiena (PHI) won the men’s vault as the only one to clear 5.80 m (19-0 1/4), ahead of three-time Worlds medal winner Piotr Lisek (POL) and Sondre Gurttormsen (NOR), who both cleared 5.70 (18-8 1/4). Italy’s 2024 European champ Leonardo Fabbri won the men’s shot at 21.62 m (70-1 11/4), on his second throw, ahead of countryman Zane Weir (21.13 m/69-4).

The women’s 800 m had world leader Tsige Duguma in a modest 2:00.04 over fellow Ethiopian Habitam Alemu, who got a seasonal best of 2:00.61 in second.

World leader Ackera Nugent (JAM) was a close women’s 60 m hurdles final in 7.79, just ahead of Swiss Ditaji Kumbundji, who got a lifetime best of 7.80 in second.

Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. got a seasonal best of 20.24 m (66-5) to win the women’s shot over European champ Jessica Schilder (NED: 20.01 m/65-7 3/4) and 2024 World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton (CAN: 19.69 m/64-7 1/4).

There’s one more World Indoor Tour Gold meet on the schedule, coming 28 February, in Madrid (ESP).

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ALPINE SKIING: Swiss dominate upset-filled Alpine Worlds with 5 wins and 13 medals, as Meillard wins Slalom; U.S. ends with four medals

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ WORLD ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

Switzerland won medals in all five men’s events and eight of 11 events overall to lead the medal table for the second time in the last three FIS World Alpine Championships, this time at Saalbach (AUT) in an event marked by first-time champions and medal winners. 

While the Swiss won the first three men’s events, they had not won a women’s medal until Saturday’s Slalom and then went 1-2. Camille Rast, the 2017 World Junior Champion in the Slalom, won her first two World Cup golds this season and skied brilliantly to record the top time in the first run. She had a big, 0.58-second lead on Katharina Liensberger (AUT), and 0.72 on American star Mikaela Shiffrin.

On the second run, Paula Moltzan of the U.S., fresh off her bronze in the Giant Slalom, zoomed into the lead as the fifth-to-last skier to go, recording a strong run to finish at 1:59.34. Wendy Holdener, a two-time World Champion in the Combined, was next and was even faster – the fastest second run of all – to take the lead (1:58.46), with Shiffrin next. Her run was not as smooth and she was left in third place at 1:59.37.

Then came Liensnerger, but with the 13th-best second run, she ended up at 1:59.32, behind Holdener. Rast was last and was terrific, turning in the no. 4 second run and taking the gold from Holdener at 1:58.00, her first Worlds medal. Moltzan and Shiffrin had to settle for fourth and fifth; A.J. Hurt of the U.S. finished 19th at 2:03.70.

Austria’s Raphael Haaser, 27, followed up his men’s Super-G silver with a win in Friday’s Giant Slalom – pretty good for someone who has never won a World Cup race – starting with the fifth-fastest first run. He had the fourth-fastest second run and that was good enough for the lead at 2:39.71. But the top three in the first run all had second runs ranked 20th or lower and Haaser took the gold.

Swiss Thomas Tumler, with four career World Cup medals, was sixth after the first run and was eighth in the second run, but that was good enough to hold onto the silver. Swiss veteran Loic Meillard was no. 2 after the first run and despite logging the 22nd-fastest second run, won the bronze at 2:40.22. Swiss seasonal World Cup leader Marco Odermatt ended up fourth at 2:40.29.

River Radamus was the top American finisher, in 17th (2:41.36); Patrick Kennedy was 32nd (2:45.99).

Sunday’s finale was the men’s Slalom, with France’s Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Clement Noel – who has four wins already in World Cup races this season – settling into the lead on the first run at 59.23, ahead of Meillard (59.42) and Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath (59.87).

Britain’s Dave Ryding, 13th on the first run, had the lead until Austria’s Manuel Feller – sixth on the first run – took over at 1:54.81 with what ended up as the third-fastest second run.

German Linus Strasser was next and he took the lead at 1:54.54, and held it as Norway’s Timon Haugen finished at 1:54.91, behind Feller. Now it was McGrath’s turn and he was strong, pushing into the lead at 1:54.28, with only Meillard and Noel to go.

Meillard’s second run ranked only 10th, but given his excellent first run, he zoomed into the lead himself at 1:54.02, leaving only Noel to go. He looked like the winner, but straddled a gate near the end of the run and did not finish, leaving Meillard as World Champion.

It’s Meillard’s sixth Worlds medal (2-1-3), adding to his men’s Team Combined gold and Giant Slalom bronze in Saalbach. McGrath won his first Worlds medal in second, and Strasser got his first individual Worlds medal (also a Team bronze in 2021). Jett Seymour was the only American, in 21st (1:57.29).

The Swiss men won four of five men’s events and nine of 15 men’s medals and scored in eight of the 11 events at the Worlds. Host Austria won seven medals (2-3-2), with the U.S. third with four (2-0-2). Looking ahead to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the only conclusion is that anything can happen, and probably will. 

Back to business. The Worlds was only an interlude during the World Cup season; the men now go to Crans-Montana (SUI) for races and the women to Sestriere (ITA).

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SALT LAKE CITY 2034: Winter Games organizing committee announced, with Bullock as President and Wilson as chief executive

By
Rich Perelman
-
Downtown Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains (Photo: Wikipedia-Invictus323).

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≡ ORGANIZING COMMITTEE BEGINS ≡

“Strong leadership is vital for a successful 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and an enduring legacy for Utah.

“Fraser Bullock brings a great depth of Olympic experience as our executive chair and president. Brad Wilson has proven over many years to be a talented and prudent leader, and we look to his guidance as CEO.”

That’s from Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Friday, announcing the formation of the organizing committee of the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, in a ceremony at the Utah State Capitol, also attended by the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Director of the Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi (SUI).

The organizing committee’s leadership:

● Executive Chair & President: Fraser Bullock
● Vice Chair & Chief Executive: Brad Wilson
● Vice Chair: Steve Starks

Bullock, 70, was the Chief Operating Officer for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) for the highly-successful 2002 Olympic Winter Games and was the chief executive of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games bid team. He brings unique continuity to the 2034 Games, having been a senior executive of a prior organizing committee … in the same city!

Wilson, 56, was the Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023 and has been in private business in residential development since.

Starks is the chief executive of the Larry H. Miller Company, a major Salt Lake City conglomerate, and was previously the President of the company-owned Utah Jazz of the NBA. He has served as the advisor to Governor Cox on Olympic matters during the bid.

The announcement noted:

“As CEO, Wilson will manage the day-to-day operations of the organizing committee. As the executive chair, Bullock will drive strategy and relationship building, drawing on his vast network and knowledge base in Olympic and Paralympic sport. As vice chair, Starks will help oversee the work of the board and support and advise Wilson.”

The six-member Executive Committee includes Bullock and Starks, as well as U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair Gene Sykes and chief executive Sarah Hirshland, and Olympians Chris Kinney and Lindsey Vonn.

The 25-member Board include all four U.S. members of the International Olympic Committee – Sykes, Anita DeFrantz, David Haggerty and Allyson Felix – and athlete members Kinney, Vonn, Sarah Hughes (Olympians) and Muffy Davis, Manny Guerra Jr. and Oksana Masters (Paralympians).

Four-time Olympic speedskater Catherine Raney Norman, who served as the Chair of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, will head the organizing committee’s Athletes’ Commission.

Bullock has said previously that the 2034 organizing committee will remain tiny through 2028, concentrating on strategic and marketing initiatives before turning to the actual organizing of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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ATHLETICS: Lyles and Hill agree to race this year, sometime before U.S. Nationals

By
Rich Perelman
-
Noah Lyles winning the men's 200 m at the 2022 World Championships (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics)

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≡ FOOTBALL vs. TRACK ≡

After months of trash talk, Olympic 100 m champion Noah Lyles will race speedy Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill sometime in the late spring or early summer, somewhere, at a distance to be agreed upon.

That’s about all that came from an online interview between the two and People Magazine’s Natasha Dye. Highlights:

● Hill: “This has been an ongoing thing for, quite some time now, and I mean, everybody’s seen the back and forth on social media. I’ve been very adamant to show people what real, true speed looks like.”

● Lyles: “Everybody says that they’re gonna be the world’s fastest, but when it comes down to it, you gotta be the winner every time, each and every time, and every time I show up to the biggest moments, I win.

“That’s why I’m the world’s fastest. I did at the Olympics. I do it at world championships. I do it wherever it’s needed to be done. And if I gotta go down and, you know, beat up on Tyreek to prove that I’m the world’s fastest, then it’s gonna be done.”

Hill said he feels he’s “got to do this for the guys that play my sport” and that many NFL players “did run track at some point, and we can come and take over your sport at any moment if we really wanted to.”

All the details still have to be worked out, but Hill boasts that he would win in a football-type race, such as 40 yards, the distance typically measured for football players. Lyles said he refused that offer – “I did that not to embarrass you” – but added:

“I mean if it was 100-meters, it’d be a blowout, you know, we gotta meet in the middle.”

Sounds like a 60 m somewhere in Florida, where Lyles trains and Hill plays for the Dolphins.

Much more hype to come, for sure. And money. The U.S. Nationals are in Eugene, Oregon from 31 July to 2 August.

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PANORAMA: Milan Cortina open for torchbearer applications; Grospiron to lead French Alps 2030? No beer at 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Applications to run in the 2026 Winter Games Torch Relay were opened on Thursday, with 10,001 Olympic and 501 Paralympic torch carriers expected in all.

Applicants must have been born prior to 5 December 2011 and can apply via a dedicated Web site. As for the relay:

“The 10,001 torchbearers of Milano Cortina will embark on a journey lasting 63 days and covering 12,000 kilometers, uniting all Italian regions and passing through all 110 provinces of the country. The journey will begin on 26 November, 2025, in Olympia, with the lighting of the sacred flame, which will then arrive in Italy, in Rome, on 4 December.

“From there, the relay will officially start on 6 December. The torch will pass through Naples on Christmas Day and celebrate the New Year in Bari. On 26 January, it will return to Cortina d’Ampezzo, exactly 70 years after the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Games, and will conclude its journey in Milan, entering San Siro Stadium on the evening of Friday, 6 February, 2026.”

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● FrancsJeux.com reported that the formal inauguration of the organizing committee for the 2030 Winter Games will take place next Tuesday (18th) in Lyon.

Agence France Presse reported that 1992 Moguls gold medalist Edgar Grospiron, 55, will be proposed as President and is expected to be confirmed next week.

● Doping ● The doping-encouraged Enhanced Games got a financial ally in 1789 Capital was reported to be leading a fund-raising program, with Donald Trump Jr. as one of the partners of the firm.

The event was announced in 2023, but has not set a date, place or program so far; it was originally projected to include  events in track and field, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, and combat sports.

● Football ● No alcoholic beverages will be served at the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi ambassador to Great Britain. Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud told LBC radio:

“At the moment, we don’t allow alcohol. Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol – it’s not 100 per cent necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you’re welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol.

“Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country. Everyone has their own culture. We’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture but we don’t want to change our culture for someone else.”

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was supposed to have limited availability of beer in stadiums, but a complete ban was confirmed a couple of days prior to the start of matches.

● Ice Hockey ● The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association announced the return of the World Cup of Hockey – last held in 2016 – in February 2028.

This fourth World Cup of Hockey is planned for eight national teams and will be held in NHL arenas, with NHL officials. The question of Russian participation was noted in the announcement:

“Whether players from Russia will be permitted to participate in the 2028 World Cup is to be determined. Russia and Belarus remain suspended from international competition by the International Ice Hockey Federation through the end of the 2025-26 season because of the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman explained:

“The international federation [IIHF] just voted to keep Russia out of many competitions, as have many other sports, and we’re going to have to see what the International Olympic Committee does. But we have enough time to deal with the realities with what the world situation looks like before then.”

Marty Walsh, the head of the NHLPA, said, “I’d love to see our Russian players playing in these tournaments again. They’re incredible hockey players. The issues are political. Not political as far as the NHLPA; it’s world politics we have to get through. I’m hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in the competition.”

The 4 Nations Face-Off opened Tuesday evening in Montreal (CAN) before 21,105 at the Bell Centre, with the host Canadian team pulling out a 4-3 win over Sweden in overtime. Mitch Marner scored the game-winner for Canada as Sidney Crosby got three assists for Canada.

The round-robin portion of the tournament continues through Monday, with the final on the 20th.

● Swimming ● World Aquatics named its Open Water Athletes of the Year for 2024, with Olympic stars Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) and Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) taking the honors for men and women.

Rasovszky won the men’s 10 km silver in Tokyo, but claimed gold in Paris, also won the 2024 Worlds open-water 10 km gold in Doha in February. Van Rouwendaal won the women’s 10 km open-water event by more than five seconds in Paris, her second Olympic gold after also winning in Rio in 2016.

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ALPINE SKIING: Italy’s Brignone dominates women’s Giant Slalom, with U.S.’s Moltzan redeemed with a first Worlds medal!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Paula Moltzan at the 2025 World Alpine Championships (Photo: Stifel U.S. Ski Team).

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≡ WORLD ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

Italian star Federica Brignone, 34, added to her sparkling career with a second career FIS World Alpine Championships gold in Saalbach (AUT), dominating the women’s Giant Slalom.

Brignone was the leader after the first run by 0.67 seconds – a big lead in skiing – and then won the second run as well – by 0.23 – to finish in 2:22.71 and her third major medal in the event.

She previously won the Olympic GS silver in Beijing in 2022 and the GS bronze in PyeongChang in 2018. And this was her third Worlds medal in the Giant Slalom, finally getting gold after silvers in 2011 and 2023. She was thrilled:

“It was my dream since always. I mean, in GS I have this love and hate [relationship] because, for some reason, it’s the one where I’m more stressed. Sometimes I can’t handle the pressure, and I feel so bad in the start.

“But today was really nice and when I can do it, it’s just amazing.”

A clear second was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, 23, a four-time winner on the World Cup tour and all in Giant Slaloms. She also registered a rare double, finishing second on both runs and second overall in 2:23.61, for her first Worlds medal.

Third was not as clear. American Paula Moltzan, who skied the Slalom leg of the women’s Team Combined and started as the leader, had only the 15th-fastest time on her run and slid to fourth and out of the medals. On Thursday, she was brilliant on the first run and stood third in the field at 1:11.68. When she came up for her second run, she was in good position, but had – again – the 15th-fastest time.

But, everyone below her also had trouble; the nos. 4-5-6 skiers had the 13th-19th-9th fastest second runs in the field and Moltzan’s combined time of 2:25.33 was good enough for the bronze medal, 0.01 ahead of Norway’s Thea Louse St Jernesund!

So, Moltzan, 30, won her second Worlds medal, as she was part of the winning U.S. squad in the Team Event at the 2023 Worlds, but her first individual medal. She has four career World Cup medals (0-2-2) and won a bronze this season in the Giant Slalom in Kronplatz (ITA) on 21 January, a good omen for her Worlds success.

“I feel happy, joyful. It’s been kind of a roller coaster of a season with results and with emotions,” said Moltzan. “So for it to play out on a really big stage is really emotional.”

That’s the fourth American women’s medal so far at the Worlds, with the Slalom (and Mikaela Shiffrin) still to come. The other U.S. finishers on Thursday included A.J. Hurt in 13th (2:27.31) and Katie Hensien in 22nd (2:28.47).

The men’s Giant Slalom is on Friday.

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ATHLETICS: Ingebrigtsen destroys world 1,500 (3:29.63) and mile (3:45.14) world marks in Lieven, among 10 world leaders!

By
Rich Perelman
-
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen following his record-shattering mile at the Hauts de France Indoor meet in Lievin, France (Photo: Hauts de France on X).

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≡ INGEBRIGTSEN ON FIRE! ≡

The annual indoor Hauts de France-Pas-de-Calais meet on Thursday drew extra attention for a stellar field, including world-record shots in the men’s mile and women’s 3,000 m. The meet produced world leaders in 10 events and two world records:

● Men/1,500 m: 3:29.63 en route, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) ~ World Record
● Men/Mile: 3:45.14, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) ~ World Record
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.36, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/Shot: 21.95 m (72-0 1/4), Leonardo Fabbri (ITA)
● Women/400 m: 50.76, Lieke Klaver (NED)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:58.89, Diribe Welteji (ETH)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:19.98, Frewenyi Hailu (ETH)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.75, Ackera Nugent (JAM)
● Women/Vault: 4.83 m (15-10), Katie Moon (USA)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.62 m (47-11 3/4), Leyanis Perez (CUB)

The mile was focused on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Tokyo Olympic 1,5000 m champion and Paris 5,000 m gold medalist. And he delivered!

Reaching for American Yared Nuguse’s 3:46.53 from the Millrose Games, Ingebrigtsen passed 400 m in 56.39, 800 m in 1:52.55 (56.16), 1,200 m in 2:48.39 (55.84) and 1,500 m in a brilliant 3:29.63, better than his 2022 world record of 3:30.60 (also in Lievin)!

He finished in 3:45.14 (56.74 for final 409 m), crushing Nuguse’s mark by more than a second and winning by more than seven seconds, with Stefan Nillessen (NED) second in 3:52.70. American Sam Prakel finished ninth in 3:55.87.

Wow! Said Ingebrigtsen – after his first-ever indoor mile – afterwards:

“This race was special in different ways: I ran a world record during my first indoor mile and became the first man to run under 3:30 over 1500 m. …

“You don’t just break world records. Everything has to go according to plan and today was one of those days where it all worked out perfectly. For that I need to thank my team and the organization. I don’t take anything for granted, and that is exactly why I maximize every opportunity. Why waste a shot at the 1500 m world record and only go for the mile record when both are on the table?

“It feels amazing. This is what happens in Lievin. I’m a very happy man. You have to be focused for the whole race. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.”

Ethiopian star Gudaf Tsegay, still just 27 and a three-time World Champion indoors and out, came into the women’s 3,000 m as no. 2 all-time at 8:16.69 from 2023, just 0.09 off Genzebe Dibaba’s 8:16.60 mark from 2024. She was in a good field with countrywomen Freweyni Hailu, the 2024 World Indoor 1,500 champ, and Birke Haylom. Tsegay took over from the pacesetters at 1,600 m and she and Hailu broke away from the field by 2,000 m.

From there, Tsegay led with two laps to go and then Hailu took over, powering away to win in a world-leading 8:19.98, moving to no. 3 all-time, with the no. 4 performance. Tsegay fell back on the final lap and was second in 8:25.12. Haylom closed up for third in 8:25.37. Said Hailu: “I executed my simple plan perfectly, to follow [Tsegay] until just before the finish and then out-kick her.”

The women’s 1,500 m was not quite as dramatic, but featured 2023 World Road mile winner Diribe Welteji (ETH), the 2023 Worlds runner-up and she was easily the class of the field, taking over with three laps left and winning in a world-leading 3:58.89, her third-fastest indoor mark in the event. Teammates Habitam Alemu and Worknesh Mesele went 2-3 in 4:03.86 (no. 5 in 2025) and 4:05.06 (no. 8).

Paris Olympic 110 m hurdles winner Grant Holloway of the U.S. led the qualifying and was the big favorite in the men’s 60 m hurdles, and continued his winning streak of more than 10 years with a world-leading 7.36 victory, clear of France’s 2021 European Indoor winner Wilhelm Belocian (7.46).

Fellow Americans Louis Rollins and Michael Dickson finished fourth and seventh in 7.54 and 7.65, respectively.

The men’s shot saw a world-leading win from 2024 European champ Leonardo Fabbri, who reached 21.95 m (72-0 1/4) on his final throw to win over prior world leader Zane Weir (ITA: 21.72 m/71-3 1/4). Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, the Paris Olympic bronzer, got third with a seasonal best of 21.34 m (70-0 1/4). American Tripp Piperi was sixth at 20.55 m (67-5 1/4).

Dutch star Lieke Klaver, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, improved on her own world-leading mark in the women’s 400 m, winning easily in 50.76m an 0.16 improvement! France’s Louise Maraval was second in 52.20, a seasonal best.

Ackera Nugent, the Jamaican star who false-started out of the Millrose final, came back with a world-leading win in the 60 m hurdles in 7.75, 0.01 better than Olympic winner Masai Russell’s mark in New York. Nugent edged U.S. Olympic finalist Grace Stark (7.82).

Tokyo Olympic women’s vault champ Katie Moon of the U.S. has been hot, with two world leads in two meets this season, and got a third in Lievin, winning with another world leader at 4.83 m (15-10) improving her Millrose height by one centimeter. Britain’s Molly Caudery, the 2024 European champ, was second at 4.75 m (15-7).

Cuba’s Leyanis Perez, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, tore out to a world-leading 14.62 m (47-11 3/4) on her first attempt in the women’s triple jump, with prior world leader – and countrywoman – Liadagmis Povea settling into second at 14.17 m (46-6). Perez did not improve and Povea retired after three attempts, finishing an easy second.

There was a lot more, of course:

American star Erriyon Knighton, the 2023 Worlds 200 m runner-up, won the men’s 200 m in 20.54, his first 200 m race of 2025, no. 6 on the year list. Dominican Alexander Ogando was second in 20.70. Swede Erik Erlandsson won the B final in a faster time of 20.45.

Bryce Hoppel, the outdoor American Record holder in the 800 m, was a late entry in the men’s 800 here, and fell just short, with Belgium’s 2024 Worlds bronze winner Eliott Crestan taking over at the bell and crossing first in 1:44.81 to 1:44.98 for Hoppel. Algerian star Slimane Moula got third in 1:45.37.

In the separate men’s 1,500 m, France’s Azeddine Habz, the Euro Indoor bronzer in 2023, got a national record for his 3:32.24 en-route time in the Millrose mile last weekend, and almost beat it, winning a tight finish with Isaac Nader (POR), 3:32.29 to 3:32.59! It was a national record for Nader.

The men’s 3,000 m field was strong, including 2023 World 5,000 champ Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) and teammate Sam Tefera, the World Indoor 1,500 m winner in 2018 and 2022. But it turned out to be rising Dutch star Niels Laros – sixth in the Paris 1,500 m – who took the lead with four laps to go. He was never headed and moved to no. 4 on the 2025 world list in 7:29.49, just ahead of Ethiopia’s Paris 5,000 m sixth-placer, Biniam Mehary (7:29.99). Ethiopian Steeple star Getnet Wale was third in 7:31.39 and Tefera was well back in fourth in 7:31.86.

Turkey’s Ersu Sasma took control of the men’s vault by clearing 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) on his only try, after missing twice at 5.85 m (19-2 1/4). Two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. cleared 5.85 m, but could do no better, and was second.

Ben Broeders (BEL) finished third at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4); American Chris Nilsen, the world leader, was fifth at 5.70 m (18-8 1/4) and Jacob Wooten tied for seventh at 5.60 m (18-4 1/2).

China’s Mingkun Zhang, seventh in Paris in 2024, took the lead in the second round of the men’s long jump and improved to 8.04 m (26-4 1/2) in the third round. He was matched in the final round by two-time Olympic gold medalist Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) at 8.04 m, but still won on a better second jump, 8.03 m (26-4 1/4) to 8.00 m (26-3. American Marquis Dendy finished fourth at 7.93 m (26-0 1/4).

Ethiopia’s reigning World Indoor Champion, Tsige Duguma, the world leader at 1:58.97, was in charge of the women’s 800 m from the gun, leading at 400 m in 57.68 and cruising home in 1:59.02 – just 0.05 off her world lead – and winning by daylight over South Africa’s Paris Olympic finalist Prudence Sekgodiso (1:59.88) and Britain’s 2024 Worlds Indoor silver winner Jemma Reekie (2:00.21).

Many of the athletes in today’s meet are off to run on Sunday in the World Indoor Tour Gold “Copernicus Cup” meet in Torun (POL).

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ATHLETICS: Jamaican Olympic hurdles champ Parchment and World Champion Williams added as Challengers for Kingston Slam

By
Rich Perelman
-
The first "Challengers" for the first Grand Slam Track event, in Jamaica (Image: Grand Slam Track).

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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

With the first Grand Slam Track event coming to Kingston, Jamaica from 4-6 April, there was little surprise in seeing six more Jamaican athletes announced Thursday as the first “Challengers.”

Leading the list are Tokyo Olympic men’s high hurdles champion Hansle Parchment and two-time women’s World 100 m hurdles winner Danielle Williams. They and the others will compete against the four seasonal “Racers” in each event group and a couple more “Challengers” in eight-athlete fields.

Here’s how the new “Challengers” and the “Racers” line up so far in the events with Challengers announced:

Men/Short Hurdles (110 m hurdles + 100 m):
● Challenger: Orlando Bennett (JAM) ~ 7th in Paris Olympic final
● Challenger: Hansle Parchment (JAM) ~ Tokyo Olympic Champion
● Racer: Devon Allen (USA) ~ 5th in Rio, 4th in Tokyo Olympic finals
● Racer: Freddie Crittenden (USA) ~ 6th in Paris Olympic final
● Racer: Daniel Roberts (USA) ~ Paris Olympic silver medalist
● Racer: Sasha Zhoya (FRA) ~ 2024 Diamond League champ

Men/Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles + 400 m):
● Challenger: Malik James-King (JAM) ~ 2024 Jamaican champion
● Racer: Roshawn Clarke (JAM) ~ National record holder at 47.34
● Racer: Caleb Dean (USA) ~ 2024 NCAA Champion
● Racer: Alison dos Santos (BRA) ~ 2022 World Champ, Paris bronze
● Racer: Clement Ducos (FRA) ~ 4th in Paris Olympic final

Women/Short Sprints (100 m + 200 m):
● Challenger: Alana Reid (JAM) ~ 2024 World Junior Champion
● Racer: Brittany Brown (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 200 m bronze
● Racer: Melissa Jefferson (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 100 m bronze
● Racer: Daryll Neita (GBR) ~ 4th in Paris Olympic 100 m final
● Racer: Gabby Thomas (USA) ~ Paris Olympic 200 m Champion

Women/Short Hurdles (100 m hurdles + 100 m):
● Challenger: Danielle Williams (JAM) ~ 2015, 2023 World Champion
● Racer: Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PUR) ~ Tokyo Olympic Champion
● Racer: Ackera Nugent (JAM) ~ 2024 world leader (12.24)
● Racer: Masai Russell (USA) ~ Paris Olympic Champion
● Racer: Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA) ~ Paris Olympic silver medalist

Women/Long Hurdles (400 m hurdles + 400 m):
● Challenger: Shiann Salmon (JAM) ~ 6th in Paris Olympic final
● Racer: Rushell Clayton (JAM) ~ 5th in Paris final, two Worlds bronzes
● Racer: Jasmine Jones (USA) ~ 4th in Paris Olympic final
● Racer: Shamier Little (USA) ~ 2015, 2023 Worlds silvers
● Racer: Sydney McLaughlin (USA) ~ Tokyo, Paris Olympic champion

Each race group will have eight athletes, so more “Challengers’ will be signed for each meet and in all race groups, also including Short Distance (800-1,500 m) and Long Distance (3,000 m-5,000 m). A total of 24 events will be held over the three days of each Slam. The scoring:

“Competitors will receive points for their finishing position in each of their two races. From 1st to 8th place the points are distributed as: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. The competitor who finishes with the highest total number of points after the completion of both events will be crowned Slam Champion for their event group with prize money being paid out to each corresponding place.”

Prize money will range from $100,000 for the group winner, down to $10,000.

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PANORAMA: New candidates for French Alps 2030 chief; Salt Lake City 2034 names leaders Friday; Swiss sweep men’s Alpine Combined

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Olympic Cauldron Plaza at the University of Utah, commemorating the 2002 Olympic Winter Games (Photo: University of Utah)

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The continuing drama over the founding of the organizing committee and who will lead it continues in France, with Edgar Grospiron, 55, the Albertville 1992 Freestyle Moguls gold medalist, now confirmed as a candidate. He was deeply involved in the ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 2018 Winter Games for Annecy, which eventually was awarded to PyeongChang (KOR).

Also declaring interest is the long-time, well-known French sports reporter Gerard Holtz, who has the idea to work in concert former figure skater Nathalie Pechalat, the two-time World Ice Dance bronze medalist, who retired in 2014.

● Olympic Winter Games 2034: Salt Lake City ● Friday will see the announcement of the formal opening of the organizing committee for the 2034 Winter Games, including the naming of the leadership, and the structure of the Board of Directors.

The announcement will be made at the State Capitol building’s Gold Room (of course), with Utah Governor Spencer Cox and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland in attendance.

● NCAA ● The U.S. Department of Education rescinded – as expected – the Biden Administration’s prior “guidance” on name-image-likeness payments to collegiate athletes being subject to Title IX discrimination guidelines. Per Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor:

“Without a credible legal justification, the Biden Administration claimed that NIL agreements between schools and student athletes are akin to financial aid and must, therefore, be proportionately distributed between male and female athletes under Title IX.

“Enacted over 50 years ago, Title IX says nothing about how revenue-generating athletics programs should allocate compensation among student athletes. The claim that Title IX forces schools and colleges to distribute student-athlete revenues proportionately based on gender equity considerations is sweeping and would require clear legal authority to support it. That does not exist.”

Have no doubt, this matter will be resolved through one or more court cases, possibly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

● Alpine Skiing ● In a show of strength for the ages, Switzerland swept the medals in the first-ever men’s Team Combined at the FIS World Alpine Championships in Saalbach (AUT) on Wednesday.

Swiss skiers have now won all three men’s events and Downhill winner Franjo von Allmen got his second gold.

In the Downhill opener, Alexis Monney, the Downhill bronze winner, led the field at 1:42.09, just 0.02 ahead of von Allmen, with Italian star Dominik Paris third (1:42.55). In the Slalom, the U.S. – 12th in the Downhill with Ryan Cochran-Siegle – got a strong run from Benjamin Ritchie to move into the lead, with a combined time of 2:43.07.

That time held up until the fourth Swiss team – eighth in the Downhill with Stefan Rogentin – took over, with Marc Rochat skiing the third-fastest Slalom of the day, and a combined time of 2:42.81.

No one could challenge that time until the final two Swiss skiers headed out. Loic Meillard, a four-time World Cup event winner, took he and von Allmen into the lead at 2:42.38, with teammate Tanguy Nef skiing as the leader. Nef recorded the 14th-fastest Slalom on the day and ended up with the silver with the combined time of 2:42.65, pushing the U.S. out of the medals by 0.26 seconds.

While the individual Combined has atrophied badly in recent years and was barely seen outside of the Worlds, this new event, with the top specialists in each race, appears to be much more popular.

The women’s Giant Slalom will be held on Thursday.

● Athletics ● USA Track & Field announced that the national Paralympic championships in the sport, now managed by USATF, will be held concurrently with the already-scheduled USATF Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from 31 July to 2 August.

The meet will also be the team selection event for the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships, in New Delhi (IND), in September.

Letsrun.com’s Jonathan Gault reported Wednesday that USATF will allow direct-to-final access for up to four athletes each in the men’s and women vault and men’s and women’s shot put during the 2025 USATF National Championships. The finals slots would be available to the 2025 USATF Indoor Champion, the top American at a specific USATF-sponsored in-season meet and the two athletes with the top performances in the U.S. prior to the Nationals.

A free-pass idea for the Steeplechase was suggested, but sidelined after consultations with athletes and coaches. The idea is only experimental and for 2025 alone, and will be reviewed for future applicability; it was revealed during a Monday online meeting with athletes and coaches.

The high-profile abuse trial of Gjert Ingebrigtsen (NOR), the father of track stars Henrik, Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, will be open to the public and expected to start on 24 March.

The case could last for two months and has all the trappings of a media circus, with 18 media organizations requesting coverage credentials, including outlets from Denmark, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.

All seven children are expected to be called, along with other athletes coached by Gjert.

● Biathlon ● The IBU World Championships got underway in Lenzerheide (SUI) on Wednesday, with the 4 x 6 km Mixed Relay, and a repeat win by France by more than a minute.

The quartet of Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin finished in 1:04:41.5 (7 penalties) to easily defeat the Czech Republic (1:05:55.3/9) and Germany (1:05:59.9/11).

Simon and Perrot were on the 2024 championship team and Simon gave the French the lead from the first leg. For Simon, it’s her seventh career Worlds gold (in all events), the fifth for Jacquelin, third for Jeanmonnot and second for Perrot.

The U.S. team was one of seven that were lapped; Chloe Levins and Deedra Irwin completed their legs, but Maxime Germain was lapped on the third stage.

The Championships continue through the 23rd.

● Football ● Former Spanish women’s head coach Jorge Vilda said at his trial in Madrid on coercion charges related to the infamous Luis Rubiales-Jenni Hermoso kiss incident during the awards ceremony at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia that he was not asked by Rubiales to pressure Hermoso to downplay the incident.

Vilda said he spoke to Hermoso’s brother to try and calm the player down:

“I decided to talk to him myself because I was seeing the importance that (the kiss) was gaining and I started worrying that it was becoming more important than what we had achieved (as a team). …

“I asked him if we could find a formula to normalize the situation so we could talk about what we thought was really important, which was the championship and the good performance of the national team. I didn’t say anything specific about a video, only about her coming out to speak or making some kind of a statement.”

Rafael Hermoso said that Vilda approached him to obtain help in getting Jenni Hermoso to record a video to downplay the kiss incident. Wednesday’s testimony also include defendants Albert Luque, the Spanish federation men’s sports director, and marketing manager Ruben Rivera.

The prosecution began its closing arguments, which will continue Thursday. A decision could come as early as next week.

● Gymnastics ● The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) posted notices about the changes in the Code of Points for Artistic Gymnastics – which determine how routines are scored – to be used for the 2025-28 time frame. The major update is for the men:

“Only eight elements will count toward the difficulty score on most apparatus.

“Far and away the biggest overall change in the Code of Points is that the number of elements used to build difficulty has dropped from 10 to 8 everywhere except Vault. This is a big change for the sport: 10 has been the number of skills counted in men’s gymnastics since the open-ended scoring system took effect in 2006.”

The Code has been revised to encourage more innovative and difficult moves to increase scoring.

The women’s Code did not change much:

“In terms of element values, the 2025-2028 women’s code looks much like its predecessor. But a closer read shows that small changes have been seeded throughout the text, refining how Artistry is defined on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, and adding new incentive for gymnasts to show two dramatically different vaults.”

● Table Tennis ● The “retirement” of the two Paris 2024 Singles champions – Chinese stars Zhendong Fan and Meng Chen – over requirements to play tournaments has resulted in a significant change from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and its commercial arm, World Table Tennis.

On Tuesday, the World Table Tennis announced:

“In a major shift aimed at providing greater flexibility for athletes, WTT has decided to remove the mandatory participation requirement for all WTT Grand Smashes, effective immediately.

“This means that players will be invited according to the current regulations to the remaining three WTT Grand Smashes in 2025 – the United States Smash (3 – 13 July [Las Vegas]), Europe Smash (14 – 24 August [Malmo]), and China Smash (25 September – 5 October).

“Additionally, players will now be granted two annual exemptions from WTT Champions event participation, allowing them to better manage their schedules and planning, commencing from WTT Champions Incheon (1 – 6 April) onwards.”

So, instead of being obligated to play in four Smash events – the Singapore event finished last weekend – and six WTT Champions events during the year, plus the World Championships, the burden is now down to four WTT Champions tournaments.

No immediate word if Fan or Chen will return. In their absence, Shidong Lin pulled off a rare “triple crown” of victories in Singapore, winning the men’s Singles over countryman Jingkun Liang, then teaming with Paris Team and Mixed Doubles gold medalist Chuqin Wang to take the men’s Doubles, and with Man Kuai to win the Mixed Doubles!

Yingsha Sun, who also won Team and Mixed Doubles golds in Paris, took the women’s Singles.

Another rule change was aimed directly at luring Fan and Chen back:

“Olympic gold medallists will be granted a prestigious opportunity to compete in all four WTT Grand Smashes and six WTT Champions events, ensuring they remain at the heart of the WTT Series. This special privilege will be valid for four years following their Olympic triumph, celebrating their achievement and elevating the competition.”

Prize money for the entire season structure was also increased by $1 million.

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WOMEN IN SPORT: U.N. Special Rapporteur supports Trump Administration’s Executive Order on protecting women’s sport

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.N. Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem during her 8 October 2024 news conference (U.N. video screenshot).

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≡ TRUMP EXEC. ORDER BACKED ≡

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls issued a statement on Wednesday, welcoming the 5 February Executive Order from the Trump Administration, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sport.”

Reem Alsalem (JOR) has been the Special Rapporteur in this area since August 2021, explained her support:

“This decision reaffirms the importance of maintaining sex-based categories in sports, thereby safeguarding equal opportunities for women and girls.

“Most notably, it mandates the preservation of all-female athletic opportunities and locker rooms, ensuring privacy and dignity for women and girls.

“This executive order sends a clear message that the rights of women and girls to female-only spaces, including in sports, matter.”

The key elements of the Executive Order include:

“Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”

The Executive Order also requires the administration’s domestic policy staff to “convene representatives of major athletic organizations and governing bodies” within 60 days to promote policies compliant with the Order, and ask State attorneys general “to identify best practices in defining and enforcing equal opportunities for women to participate in sports.”

Alsalem weighed in on structural changes to sport that are needed to protect the women’s category:

“To ensure that no one is left behind, I urge the US Government to ensure that open sports categories are created, or that the male category in sport is converted into an open category, for those not wishing to play in the category of their biological sex.

“I welcome the emphasis on promoting international rules and norms to protect women and girl athletes at all levels, including at the United Nations and look forward to cooperating with all states on this critical human rights issue.”

In an 8 October 2024 news conference, Alsalem explained her 24 August 2024 report and campaigned for changes, including along the lines of the Executive Order, and more:

“In order to ensure, fairness, dignity and safety for all, including females – women and girls, females – we would need to maintain a female-only category in sports, while at the same time also having more ‘open’ categories for those wishing to play sports in categories that do not respond to the sex they were born into.

“That is one thing. The other thing is, as requested by many women and girls in sports, is to bring back – or actually not bring back – is to introduce sex screening, which as you know was discontinued in 1999.

“So that should be sex screening have become a lot more reliable now, cheap, can be administered in a confidential, dignified manner, should be introduced … as an element of – what was that called – eligibility, in female sports.”

That concept may get support from the Trump Administration as well, as the Executive Order also tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to

“use all appropriate and available measures to see that the International Olympic Committee amends the standards governing Olympic sporting events to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.”

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MILAN CORTINA 2026: NBC, USA Network, CNBC, Peacock to carry Olympic Winter Games coverage in February

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ NBC MIRRORING PARIS 2024 COVER PLAN ≡

“With Same Time Zone, Milan Cortina Programming Strategy Mimics Paris 2024″

The fourth sub-head in Wednesday’s NBC Sports announcement of its programming plans for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Cortina and elsewhere in Italy tells most of the story.

NBC saw an enormous success in 2024 with its all-live Paris Olympic format, spread across multiple networks and online and will essentially repeat the experience for the Winter Games next February:

● Live events all day on NBC
● All-event streaming coverage on Peacock
● Added coverage on USA Network and CNBC

The primetime show – “Primetime in Milan” – will run in the evenings, while the popular Peacock programming of “Gold Zone” and event multiviews will return as well.

As for the coverage on NBC:

“Milan Cortina 2026 will have more programming hours on the NBC broadcast network than any previous Winter Olympics. NBC will provide Olympic fans with at least five hours of daytime coverage every day featuring the most exciting events, including live coverage of figure skating, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, and more.

“With Italy six hours ahead of the United States’ Eastern Time Zone – which is identical to Paris – daytime coverage will feature the most popular events live on NBC on weekend mornings and every afternoon.”

The primetime show will again run for three hours nightly.

NBC enjoyed a substantial rebound in Olympic popularity in Paris, where the network’s all-day coverage averaged 30.4 million viewers, vs. 16.9 million in Tokyo in 2021 (15.6 million in primetime).

For the Winter Olympic Games, NBC will be looking for a rebound from historically low audiences for the Beijing 2022 Games, held under difficult, Covid-19 conditions and in a bad time zone for U.S. viewers:

● 2014: 21.3 million primetime audience in Sochi (RUS)
● 2018: 19.8 million primetime audience in PyeongChang (KOR)
● 2022: 11.4 million primetime audience in Beijing (CHN).

U.S. interest in the 2026 Games should be buoyed by multiple factors, including what should be a very strong American team in alpine skiing, bobsled, cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating and the freestyle skiing and snowboard events.

The Milan Cortina Games will open on 6 February and run to 22 February, 2026.

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BOXING: Algerian Olympic gold medalist Khelif slams IBA “false and offensive” accusations, promises to follow “all available legal avenues”

By
Rich Perelman
-
The infamous second-round 2024 Olympic women's 66 kg bout with Imane Khelif (ALG) at left and Italian Angela Carini on the right (Photo: Chabe01 via Wikipedia)

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≡ KHELIF SPEAKS OUT ≡

The controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the women’s 66 kg gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, never ends.

The 2022 Worlds silver medalist at 63 kg, she was declared “ineligible” by the International Boxing Association after winning four bouts and qualifying for the final at 66 kg at the 2023 Worlds. But she qualified for and won the Olympic gold at 66 kg, with the tournament managed by the International Olympic Committee.

On Monday (10th), the IBA, which was de-recognized by the IOC in 2023 as the governing body for Olympic boxing, said it has asked the Swiss Attorney General to investigate the IOC for allowing Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Yu-Ting Lin – the Paris women’s winner at 57 kg – because they posed a “safety risk to competition participants.”

Khelif, who has kept a mostly low profile since the Paris Games, has apparently filed suit against the French newspaper Le Correspondant, which published details in October of a medical report which stated she had male (XY) chromosomes and was a biological male.

Now, after the IBA’s newest publicity effort, Khelif is speaking out again.

On Tuesday, she posted a two-panel “Official Statement” on Instagram – in English – slamming the IBA. This is the full text of the statement:

“For eight years, I have fought for my dream-eight years of sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance to stand on the Olympic stage and represent my country with pride. I have earned my place, and I will continue to stand firm in the face of any challenge.

“For two years, I have taken the high road while my name and image have been used, unauthorized, to further personal and political agendas through the spreading and dissemenation [sic] of baseless lies and misinformation.

“But silence is no longer an option.

“The International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization that I am no longer associated with and which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee, have again made baseless accusations that are false and offensive, using them to further their agenda. This is a matter that concerns not just me but the broader principles of fairness and due process in sport.

“I have seen adversity before. I lost in my first Olympic appearance. I lost in the amateur leagues. I have been knocked down more times than I can count. But I have never stayed down. I have fought through every setback, every false accusation, every attempt to erase me. And I have won. Each obstacle has only strengthened my resolve. I will continue to compete with honor and integrity.

“My team is carefully reviewing the situation and will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that my rights and the principles of fair competition are upheld. Those responsible for these actions must be held accountable, and we will pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that justice prevails.

“I am not going anywhere. I will fight in the ring, I will fight in courts, and I will fight in the public eye until the truth is undeniable.

“To my supporters, thank you for standing by me. I remain focused, determined, and ready to continue representing my country and my sport at the highest level.”

The IBA, of course, welcomes the publicity as it continues to fade from memory within the Olympic Movement, saying in a Wednesday statement:

“International Boxing Association (IBA) welcomes the statement of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif on social media about considering legal steps against the organization, as a court would force our organization to reveal two gender tests based on which the boxer was banned from participating in any IBA women’s events.”

Khelif addressed the question of the tests in an Italian radio interview last November, saying “I have never seen these exams they are talking about.”

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LOS ANGELES 2028: L.A. City Council committee OKs ordinance draft for expedited permits for LA28 Olympic works, but with a kill-switch

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Olympic and Paralympic flags on display at Los Angeles City Hall (TSX photo)

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≡ PERMITS & POLITICS ≡

Moving forward with some trepidation, the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved Tuesday a request to have the City Attorney and other departments prepare a draft ordinance to exempt the LA28 organizing committee – and potentially others – to receive expedited approvals for temporary works related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The original motion came from 11th District Council member Traci Park, then the Chair of the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which last met in June 2024. She presented a motion in December that included:

“[T]hat the Los Angeles City Council authorize and direct the City Planning Department, in coordination with the City Attorney, the Department of Building and Safety, and other relevant departments, to draft an ordinance to exempt Olympic and Paralympic temporary and permanent venues, training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, transit infrastructure, live sites and fan zones, and associated structures from the requirements of City Planning approvals, zoning regulations, and conditions, including but not limited to Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) and conditions tied to such permits, Site Plan Review requirements, height restrictions, setback requirements, limitations imposed by Specific Plans, and any other planning or zoning regulations that could delay or impede the rapid deployment and or use of essential facilities.

“I FURTHER MOVE that the Department utilize the California Code of Regulations Title 14 Statutory Exemption Section 15272 – Olympic Games – ‘CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] does not apply to activities or approvals necessary to the bidding for, hosting or staging of, and funding or carrying out of, Olympic Games.’”

That exemption was originally included to support the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and has been maintained as L.A. continuously bid for a future Games, beginning in 1990.

Park’s motion came up in Tuesday’s Planning and Land Use meeting, with Ken Bernstein of the City Planning Department explaining that approval of the item “would direct our department, in coordination with several other agencies and offices, to prepare a report with recommendations and an accompanying draft ordinance to exempt Olympic and Paralympic improvement projects from planning and zoning approvals, and it would direct the Department of Building and Safety to establish a dedicated unit to coordinate all development-related services for 2028 Games projects.”

Committee Chair Bob Blumenfield (3rd District) explained his view that the idea was worthwhile, but had to be controlled:

“We can request the departments to report and we can request an ordinance.

“What I’d like to do is, to be clear, and create a carve-out for particular projects that Council determines – based on things like size and location – should not be subject to the streamlining process.

“So, my thought is, we can move forward with this, and get the report back, but create an opt-out provision, so that the fears that have been expressed here today can be allayed, and then those fears that we all share that certain things might be shoe-horned into this, that we as a Council would have that opt-out by a simple majority. If there is a [project that is being moved forward on streamlining that we don’t think is appropriate, we can opt that project out.”

One project which two public speakers asked about specifically was the “Gondola” project, from Union Station to Dodger Stadium, which has drawn fierce neighborhood opposition; they worried that such projects – which are not directly related to the 2028 Games – would be approved via this process.

Blumenfield also did not want to have essentially permanent projects placed under the “Olympic” category – such as road repairs – that would then allow other safety or transit requirements to be eliminated.

Council member Nithya Raman (4th District) asked about the definition of “temporary,” noting:

“What does temporary infrastructure mean, vs. permanent? I think there’s lots of infrastructure that you think is being built for a short-term basis that ends up being long-term infrastructure in cities. You see this all the time.

“So, I would want a clear understanding of what exactly a piece of temporary infrastructure or a temporary intervention would mean, that would qualify for this kind of fast-tracking.”

The motion as modified by Blumenfield was approved by a 5-0 vote and is now with the City staff to develop the report and the ordinance, but without a specific time line. The motion was also referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which has no listed date for a next meeting.

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PANORAMA: Milan Cortina 2026 sells 300,000 tix in six days; Rubiales says Hermoso allowed him to kiss her; 4 Nations Face-Off starts Wednesday

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 1984: Los Angeles ● Donn Moomaw, an All-American football player at UCLA and later high-profile pastor in Los Angeles and the Commissioner for Weightlifting at the 1984 Olympic Games, has passed away.

Moomaw, 93, was a two-time All-American for coach Red Sanders at UCLA in 1950 and 1952 as a center and linebacker and played two years of pro football in Canada. He returned to the U.S. to create a career in the ministry and was senior pastor at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles from 1964-1993.

He served as the Commissioner of Weightlifting for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, responsible primarily for the staging of the highly-successful competitions at Gersten Pavilion at Loyola Marymount University.

Moomaw and his late wife Carol had five children and 10 grandchildren. No immediate word on services or a celebration of life have been announced.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Good response to the opening of ticket sales, with the Milan Cortina organizers reporting more than 300,000 tickets sold in the first six days. The average order was for seven tickets.

A new window for sales will come from 25-27 February, open to all buyers who register with the sales Web site.

● Transgender ● “The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) today sent a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) urging them to restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

Tuesday’s announcement followed up on the 6 February 2025 notice of investigations into “suspected Title IX violations” by the University of Pennsylvania (women’s swimming), San Jose State (women’s volleyball) and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Specific mention was made of Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed on the men’s team as Will Thomas for two years, then transitioned to female under NCAA rules and won the NCAA women’s 500-yard title in 2022:

“One of Thomas’ former teammates, Paula Scanlan testified before Congress that she and her teammates were “offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male.”

Education Department Deputy General Counsel Candice Jackson added, “The next necessary step is to restore athletic records to women who have for years been devalued, ignored, and forced to watch men steal their accolades. The Trump Education Department will do everything in our power to right this wrong and champion the hard-earned accomplishments of past, current, and future female collegiate athletes.”

● Alpine Skiing ● American speed-skiing star Lindsey Vonn did not have the run she wanted in the women’s Team Combined on Tuesday, placing 21st in the Downhill, and finishing 16th overall after AJ Hurt’s Slalom. Said Vonn afterwards, noting her comeback goal is to make it to the 2026 Winter Games in Italy:

“It was not a fast run. I honestly, I can’t tell you what is going wrong. I was in my tuck pretty much the whole way down and just not accelerating anywhere at any point in time.

“I have a year to figure it out, and I think I will, but right now, it’s hard to really change, you know, your entire setup while you’re racing the World Championship.

“I know I expect to do better, and everyone else expects me to do better, but at the same time I do, need a little bit of grace and patience and kindness to just, you know, give me some time to figure it all out.”

● Athletics ● “The AIU has provisionally suspended Geoffrey Yegon (Kenya) for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Triamcinolone acetonide).”

Yegon, 36, is a 59:44 half-marathoner, from 2016. He won the Singapore Marathon in his only registered event in 2024, in 2:16:06.

● Football ● “I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission. In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”

That was testimony from former Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales on Tuesday in Madrid, who is charged with sexual assault, and faces possible prison time and a fine. Three other colleagues from the Spanish federation are also on trial for lesser charges.

Rubiales infamously kissed Spanish midfield star Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony following Spain’s win at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Australia. Hermoso testified during the first day of the trial that she did not consent to the kiss, now contradicted by Rubiales. He told the judge:

“I’ve known her for many years and I kissed her because she was a champion. This was a tremendous moment for her. We were champions, we were thanking each other. She pressed me very hard by the waist and then I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes.

“I took hold of her so as not to fall back.”

The trial is expected to continue until the 19th of February.

● Ice Hockey ● It’s not the World Cup of Hockey, last held in 2016. But after nine years, the 4 Nations Face-Off will showcase the best players from the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland in national-team play in place of the usual NHL All-Star break. With the NHL agreeing to allow its players to participate in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy, the tournament is very much a preview.

It’s a round-robin tournament with a final between the teams with the most points:

● 12 Feb.: Canada vs. Sweden in Montreal
● 13 Feb.: U.S. vs. Finland in Montreal
● 15 Feb.: Sweden vs. Finland and U.S. vs. Canada, in Montreal
● 17 Feb.: Canada vs. Finland and U.S. vs. Sweden, in Boston
● 20 Feb.: Final, in Boston

The matches will be shown in the U.S. on TNT/Tru TV for the 12 and 17 Feb. matches, on ESPN for the games on the 13th and 20th and ABC for the 15 February games.

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ESPORTS: IOC and Saudis confirm inaugural Olympic Esports Games to take place in 2027 in Riyadh

By
Rich Perelman
-
The IOC and Esports? Getting cozier ...

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≡ OLYMPIC ESPORTS GAMES ≡

What could be one of the most important and long-lasting innovations of the Thomas Bach Presidency at the International Olympic Committee is the Olympic Esports Games, developed under his leadership, but which will happen after his tenure is over.

Originally agreed at the 142nd IOC Session in 2024 in Paris, the IOC entered into a 12-year partnership with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), with the expectation that the first Olympic Esports Games would be in 2025.

That’s not going to happen, as the IOC and the SOPC said Tuesday that the first Olympic Esports Games will be in 2027 – non-Olympic Games year – in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

One of the issues standing in the way of putting together the event is the difference between Olympic sports, governed by long-standing International Federations, and electronic sports, based on games developed by commercial publishers.

Which games are to be used? Under what licensing conditions? Who picks the players?

The IOC and the SOPC announced Tuesday that the Esports World Cup Foundation will become a “Founding Partner” of the Olympic Esports Games, to help bring the right solutions:

“[T]he EWCF brings its expertise in game selection, tournament structures and ecosystem engagement to drive innovation in the development of the Olympic Esports Games. The IOC and EWCF will collaborate closely with key stakeholders to establish qualification pathways, enhance competitive integrity, and align the national esports ecosystems with broader global standards.

“The EWCF is a non-profit organisation committed to fostering the growth and development of esports and gaming worldwide. As the driving force behind the Esports World Cup, the EWCF works to elevate the industry by shaping competitive structures, strengthening the esports ecosystem, and ensuring the integrity, sustainability and growth of esports.”

The next step is the actual development of what the Olympic Esports Games will look like, with a select committee already in place and now ready to go:

“A joint committee of the IOC and the SOPC has been set up to steer the Games. It is chaired by IOC Member Ser Miang Ng and co-chaired by HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal. The committee consists of six people, three from each partner, and is currently working to define the games that will be part of the first edition of the Olympic Esports Games.”

Observed: Despite its enormous success with the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games and revenues announced at $7.6 billion for the most recent quadrennial, the IOC suffers from not having a year-round, annual program of events.

It has put considerable effort – and is putting more – to raise the profile of the Olympic qualifying competitions in many sports, but this has not yet generated much enthusiasm among the viewing public. The Olympic Esports Games could be different.

Appealing to a different sector than the largely television-driven audience for the Olympic Games, the e-sports phenomenon could be a new bonanza for the IOC and the Olympic Movement, creating even more interest among youth, including those who are not gifted in the Olympic sports.

And that money can be further used to develop education and training programs for athletes, coaches and officials to bring more sport to the masses … even potentially e-sports, with cross-promotion to physical activity.

The IOC, despite its revenues, does not have enough money to do everything it would like. The next IOC President, in fact, may have to face a downturn in people actually watching the Olympic and Winter Games as they happen, as so many younger viewers prefer just highlights to long-form viewing.

The Olympic Esports Games and the inevitable continental spin-offs may be an antidote.

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ALPINE SKIING: World Champs gold for U.S.’s Johnson and Shiffrin in women’s Team Combined; Macuga and Moltzan fourth

By
Rich Perelman
-
Good as gold: Breezy Johnson (l) and Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. (Photos: Stifel U.S. Ski Team).

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≡ WORLD ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

The pairing of the new Downhill World Champion and the greatest Slalom racer in history proved to be as good as gold at the FIS World Alpine Championships in Saalbach (AUT).

The women’s Team Combined, a new event, paired the Downhill with the Slalom and the U.S. pair of Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin made it work, with a clear, 2:40.89 victory.

The Downhill was first, with fellow American Lauren Macuga recording the best time of 1:41.60, trailed by Emma Aicher (GER: 1:41.83), Downhill silver winner Mirjam Puchner (AUT: 1:41.88) and Johnson (1:42.11).

The other Americans included Jackie Wiles in 15th at 1:43.60 and Lindsey Vonn in 21st (1:44.11).

The Slalom was run in reverse order of the Downhill standings, with the powerful Swiss team of two-time World Cup seasonal champion Lara Gut-Behrami – only 12th in the Downhill – and two-time Olympic Slalom medalist Wendy Holdener holding the lead at the break at 2:41.28 before the final eight skiers started.

And it looked like the Swiss might come from 12th to first. Austria’s Stephanie Venier – the Super-G winner – was only seventh in the Downhill, but Katharina Truppe put down a fast Slalom run to get close at 2:41.42, but in second place.

There was no improvement from the next two teams and that brought Shiffrin to the starting gate for her first race of these Championships. She was equal to the task and brought the U.S. into the lead at 2:40.89, with the third-fastest Slalom of the day so far.

Three more left, with Katharina Liensberger recording only the 13th-fastest Slalom and she and Puchner were at 2:41.58 and out of the medals. Germany’s Lena Duerr also had trouble, finishing 20th in the Slalom and she and Aicher ended up 17th (2:45.12).

That left Moltzan as the last skier, after Macuga’s leading performance in the Downhill. But Moltzan recorded the no. 15 Slalom at 59.93 and their combined total of 2:41.53 left them in fourth, 0.11 seconds from the bronze medal.

Holdener finished with the fastest Slalom to pull her and Gut-Behrami to the silver and Venier and Truppe third. Americans Wiles and Katie Hensien finished 10th (2:42.44) and Vonn and AJ Hurt were 16th (2:43.87).

It’s the second medal of these championships for Johnson, but for Shiffrin, it was more history. With the victory, it’s her eighth Worlds gold and 15th medal overall (8-4-3), tying her with German Christi Cranz, who won 15 from 1934-39. Cranz won 12 golds and three silvers; Shiffrin is 29 and has a chance for another medal in the Slalom at the end of the week.

The men’s Team Combined comes on Wednesday and then the Giant Slaloms and Slalom through Sunday.

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LOS ANGELES 2028: No L.A. Convention Center expansion by 2028; Long Beach receives detailed, 118-page “roadmap” for its 2028 prep

By
Rich Perelman
-
An LA28 illustration of the Long Beach Marine Stadium in 2028, to be used for Olympic flatwater canoeing, and rowing (Image: LA28).

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≡ L.A. & LONG BEACH IN PREPARATION ≡

With January’s brutal wildfires now past, two new reports offer a progress report on aspects of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, involving the city governments of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In Los Angeles, the proposed expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center is not possible by 2028; in Long Beach, a report projects the city’s needs for action over the next four years.

First, Los Angeles, which has been trying for years to expand its Convention Center with 190,000 sq. feet of exhibit hall space, 55,000 sq. feet of meeting rooms, and 95,000 sq. feet of multipurpose space.

On 31 January, a memo from City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo and Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso outlined the status of the planned-for expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s not happening by 2028:

● “[AEG Plenary Conventions Los Angeles], [PCL-Webcor Joint Venture], City staff, and advisors have worked strenuously in a collaborative and exhaustive endeavor to provide the most robust, cost-effective, risk-mitigated, and timely Project arrangement possible. The parties have engaged in numerous meetings on a nearly daily basis for seven months to develop technical, financial, and design terms that would deliver a world-class convention center facility for the City under an extremely tight timeframe to achieve completion before the 2028 Games.”

● “As the [Project Agreement] and [technical requirements] have not been completed, development of the firm fixed price could not be finalized, although analysis indicates that the Project cost would likely exceed the $1.4 billion total as reported in the June 2024 Report. As the PA and firm fixed price could not be completed by January 2025, the Project Schedule was no longer viable.”

● “The work remaining, considering on-going recovery efforts related to the wildfire emergency, cannot be completed in the time available to ensure completion of the LACC Expansion Project before the 2028 Games. Consequently, a pause in the project is warranted to reevaluate options and opportunities for expanding the LACC.”

On 4 February, Szabo told the City’s Economic Development and Jobs Committee, any thought of completing the expansion in time for the 2028 Olympic is “off the table. It would not be possible at this point to begin and complete construction before the Olympics.”

So what to do about the expansion, which was never counted on in any LA28 organizing committee plans, will be considered in a report to be delivered in March. However, the question of caring for the existing Convention Center facilities has now become a priority. Doane Liu, the City’s Executive Director of the City Tourism Department, added:

“[W]hile we can’t finish an expanded convention center before the Olympics, I think we can modernize what we have. We must. We’re hosting the Paralympic Games and our building doesn’t comply with ADA regulations. At a minimum. We need to do that. But we’ve we have about $110 million of deferred maintenance that we’ve – for the last ten years – have just said we’ll let the expansion take care of those items; our roof leaks and our toilets don’t flush. At a minimum, we need to do that kind of work.”

LA28 plans to stage five sports at the Convention Center – in its current configuration – including badminton, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling.

In late 2023, the City of Long Beach commissioned consulting giant KPMG to create a “roadmap” of the tasks, requirement and opportunities in front of it heading into the 2028 Olympic period, with multiple events to be staged there, including artistic swimming, handball, sailing, water polo, flatwater canoeing, rowing, open-water swimming and triathlon. Paralympic sports staged in the city are expected to include canoeing, rowing, swimming and triathlon.

The 118-page report was delivered in mid-January, and sets out in very basic terms, what the Olympic and Paralympic Games are and what involvement Long Beach will have, primarily in eight areas:

● Municipal policing and security
● Public health and sanitation
● Zoning, permits and licenses
● Public transportation and crowd management
● Parking
● City “look” and wayfinding signage
● Protocol
● Communications and media

The report notes, with clarity, “Long Beach will be responsible for the safety and security of residents and events outside of the Games footprint.” This is too often forgotten; people’s lives do go on during the Games.

And the goals are set out clearly:

● “Equity ensures that all communities, particularly those historically underserved, share in the opportunities and benefits generated by the Games.

● “Public Safety guarantees a secure and welcoming environment for residents, visitors, and athletes through strong collaboration with local and regional partners.

● “Legacy focuses on developing lasting programs and investments in small business support, arts and culture, tourism, and youth programming.”

Achieving these will be harder, with a “Operational Planning” phase in 2025 and 2026, “Testing and Delivery” in 2027 and 2028 and close-down into 2029. Long Beach has already created a three-tier management structure, with an Executive Leadership Team (six people), Citywide Steering Committee (24) and specialized teams on Safety (11), Infrastructure and Mobility (12) and Community Engagement (7).

The report goes into excruciating detail on all kinds of activities which Long Beach may or may not want to be a part of, and which will have significant planning implications, such as the appearance of the Olympic and/or Paralympic Torch Relay, fan festival sites and the impacts of a potential flood of visitors (although the City is well aware of this from mass events like the Long Beach Grand Prix).

Moreover, there is excellent detail on future activities that the City should be ready for, and want to participate in, such as tabletop exercises, simulations, test events, and how to work with International Federations or National Olympic Committees which may want to set up their own operations in the area, close to their competition site.

Long Beach’s own interests are also covered, such as engaging teams with a home-stay program for athlete families, street shopping programs, information centers, even a “Long Beach House” to showcase business opportunities, as well as a Games countdown clock and so on. Legacy projects are also considered.

The Long Beach roadmap includes some interesting projected dates for a number of actions of high interest; these are not confirmed, but only estimates made by KPMG:

● 15 Sep. 2026: Volunteer needs estimate for Long Beach
● 01 Dec. 2026: Olympic ticket sales open

● 01 Jul. 2027: Olympic Chef de Mission meeting
● 10 Dec. 2027: Paralympic ticket sales open

● 15 Feb. 2028: Olympic Torch lighting in Olympia

Long Beach has also unveiled a dedicated Web site concerning the 2028 Games, designed to expand as the event draws closer.

Observed: The City of Long Beach engaged KPMG in December 2023 to come up with this report at a cost of $572,000. Its great value is in providing all levels of City government, as well as Long Beach residents, with a very precise, very detailed look at what to expect as the Games get closer.

For the most part, challenges that are well-recognized beforehand are dealt with adequately. It’s what hasn’t been considered that can be problematic. This report is a good start.

Time and again, the keys to an area’s success as the host of a major event are (1) a strong working relationship with the organizing committee, (2) meticulous planning, including imagining every scenario possible, (3) flexibility and a desire to realize the overarching goals, rather than implementing the pre-set plan.

In these regards, Long Beach is off to a good start.

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PANORAMA: Media metric says Paris Olympics 3.8x bigger than Super Bowl LIX; Sen. Grassley after SafeSport; Lochte elected to Hall of Fame

By
Rich Perelman
-
The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, site of Super Bowl LIX (Photo: Tia Dufour/Dept. of Homeland Security).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games ● In the U.S., you often hear that an Olympic Games is the same as “10 Super Bowls at once” or five, or seven, or some such number.

Well, here’s one metric in which we can say that the 2024 Paris Olympic Games was almost four times as big as the NFL’s Super Bowl LIX:

Media accreditations.

The Associated Press reported that the NFL issued 6,414 media accreditations for the game and the surrounding activities during the one-week lead-up, the most ever.

That’s a lot, but it pales in comparison to the 24,171 press, photo and broadcast media accredited for Paris 2024, 3.8 times the Super Bowl total.

In Paris, the vast majority came from the broadcast side, with 18,438 accreditations in total, plus 5,733 for writers, photographers and editors, from 146 National Olympic Committees. No breakdown was reported for the Super Bowl, but the majority were no doubt from broadcasters.

● Olympic Winter Games 2034: Salt Lake City ● One of the reasons that Salt Lake City will not need to build any new venues for the 2034 Winter Games is that it has maintained the sites used for the 2002 Winter Games.

That is continuing now, with the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation – funded with the surplus from the 2002 Games – keeping the Utah Olympic Park, Olympic Oval and Nordic facilities at Soldier Hollow up to date. A Fox13 report on Sunday noted that municipal-owned facilities expected to be used in 2034 are also upgrading their facilities:

● Peaks Ice Arena in Provo – planned for ice hockey – wants to renovate the ice sheet, add bleachers and locker rooms, expected to cost $12 million.

● The Maverik Center in West Valley City, also used in 2002 and a hockey site for 2034, is asking for $500,000 to study upgraded lighting and sound systems.

These improvements will require city, regional or state funding as they are not operated by the UOLF and are used year-round by residents. The Utah legislature is planning a $40 million allocation for renovating sports facilities to maintain their useful lives to 2034 and beyond.

● Commonwealth Games 2026: Glasgow ● The dramatically compacted 2026 Commonwealth Games announced its full events program last week, with 153 events in eight Commonwealth sports, and 48 events in seven Paralympic sports (10 sports combined):

● 43: Athletics
● 42: Swimming
● 18: Track Cycling
● 16: Weightlifting
● 14: Artistic Gymnastics
● 14: Judo
● 4: Bowls
● 2: Basketball (3×3)

● 16: Para Athletics
● 14: Para Swimming
● 8: Para Track Cycling
● 4: Para Powerlifting
● 3: Para Bowls
● 2: Wheelchair Basketball (3×3)
● 1: Netball

Boxing is also listed, but without any details, as there is no IOC-recognized International Federation at the moment.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation announced its Team USA Community Champions in partnership with long-time sponsor Comcast.

Four American athletes were selected to receive $25,000 grants to further their work with non-profit causes helping health, wellness or youth sports: 1984 Olympic cycling gold medalist Connie Carpenter Phinney for the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s; track & field Olympian Alysia Montaño, the head of &Mother; curling Olympian Tara Peterson, working with the Hope Dental Clinic, and three-time Paralympian Rico Roman, who volunteers for Bridge City Inclusive Sports in Portland, Oregon.

● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, asking questions about how the Center hired former Allentown, Pennsylvania police officer Jason Krasley, who has been arrested for theft, tampering with evidence, sexual assault, rape and more. He noted:

“Claimants and respondents alike deserve impartial, fair investigators who have not been accused of sexual misconduct of their own. Claimants and respondents alike deserve impartial, fair investigators who have not been accused of sexual misconduct of their own. Investigators must be professionally and morally qualified to perform their duties.

“Accusations of rape and other sex crimes against any SafeSport investigator are especially concerning given SafeSport’s mandate to protect athletes from similar abuse. Charges of that nature seriously call into question the quality of SafeSport’s vetting processes of its own officials.”

The letter noted a harassment charge made against Krasley while he was employed by the Center and posed 13 specific questions and asks for answers by 10 March.

● Alpine Skiing ● American skiing star Lindsey Vonn told The Associated Press she was “disappointed” in the way that teammate Mikaela Shiffrin came back into the Team Combined and was teamed with Downhill World Champion Breezy Johnson.

Vonn knew that Shiffrin expected to skip the Team Combined to focus on the Giant Slalom, but then withdrew from the Giant Slalom, after being injured in a GS race in November. She then made herself available for the Team Combined (Slalom segment) and the U.S. coaches placed her with Johnson. Said Vonn:

“I’m excited for Breezy and Mikaela to team up together and I believe they are a great pair. However, I am disappointed in the way it was handled.

“Despite the lack of communication I am a team player and am looking forward to be partnered with AJ Hurt, who is an amazing young skier.”

● Athletics ● Add one more “world record” to the pile from the Millrose Games: the men’s mile walk, rarely contested, but in which Mexican Olympian Ever Palma smashed the still-standing world best of 5:33.33 by American Tim Lewis from 1988.

Palma followed Swedish star Perseus Karlstrom, the 2024 European 20 km champ, for the first 1,100 m, then broke for the lead and was never headed, winning in 5:24.50. Karlstrom was a distant second in 5:32.34, also under the old mark. German Chris Linke was third, in 5:35.83.

The record attempt was lined up with help from the USA Race Walking Foundation and the FastWalker Group, which presented a $5,000 bonus for the record.

● Modern Pentathlon ● The Australian Sunday Telegraph reported that Australian modern pentathlete Alex Watson, who competed in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, is not considered an “Olympian” by the World Olympians Association, an alumni group which confirms the use of the “OLY” post-nominal letters, used in the same way as educational credentials such as “PhD.”

Watson was disqualified at Seoul 1988 for an elevated level of caffeine, which at the time was listed as a stimulant beyond a certain level, but removed at the beginning of 2004. He served a two-year ban and returned to compete in Barcelona, but the WOA said in a letter last year that anyone who had an anti-doping violation is ineligible to use the OLY suffix.

The story points out that others who have had doping sanctions have been permitted and Australian Olympic Committee chief Matt Carroll deemed the WOA’s position as “excessive and unreasonable.” The story said that the WOA had simply not responded to letters from Watson’s attorneys.

● Swimming ● The International Swimming Hall of Fame announced its 2025 inductees on Friday, with American stars Ryan Lochte and Anthony Ervin leading the class.

Lochte, now 40, won 12 Olympic medals (6-3-3) between 2004-16 and a staggering 27 Worlds medals (18-5-4) from 2005-15. He set four individual-event world records; two each in the 200 m Backstroke and 200 m Medley. Ervin, now 43, won the Olympic 50 m Free in Sydney in 2000 and then in Rio in 2016, and also took two sprint golds in the 2001 Worlds, in the 50 and 100 m Frees. He won a third Olympic gold on the U.S. 4×100 m Free in Rio.

The other swimmers in the group include Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, the Olympic 200 m Free champ and four-time World Champion in the event in 2009-11-17-19 and world-record setter in the 200 and 400 m Frees, and Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, who memorably upset American star Michael Phelps to win the Rio 2016 100 m Fly.

Tunisian star Ous Mellouli was elected in the Open Water category, from his Olympic 10 km win at London 2012 and 2013 5 km Worlds gold. China’s five-time Olympic diving champion Ruolin Chen was honored for her Olympic Platform wins from 2008-16 and six Worlds golds from 2007-15.

Current World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam was elected as a “Contributor,” and Hungarian Bandi Molnar was voted in for water polo, and four-time Olympic medalist Andrea Fuentes (ESP) in Artistic Swimming.

The induction ceremony will be held on 28 July in Singapore, in conjunction with the World Aquatics Championships.

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WOMEN IN SPORT: IBA suing IOC in Switzerland, while World Athletics discusses returning to “sex screening” for women’s category

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE LATEST ≡

The flare-up over gender verification, transgenders and those with hyperandrogenism continues with actions announced Monday, both serious and silly.

The International Boxing Association, dismissed from the Olympic Movement by the International Olympic Committee in 2023, said Monday it will be back in court over Paris Olympic women’s gold medalists Yu-ting Lin (TPE: 57 kg) and Imane Khelif (ALG: 66 kg), despite not being involved in the 2024 Olympic boxing tournament:

“IBA is filing an official complaint with the Attorney General of Switzerland, Mr Stefan Blatter, regarding the IOC’s actions that facilitated the participation of these ineligible athletes in the 2024 Olympic boxing tournament in Paris. According to the Swiss law, any action or inaction that poses a safety risk to competition participants warrants investigation and may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution. In addition, similar complaints are to be filed with the Attorneys General of France and the USA.”

The IBA trumpets its disqualification of both Lin and Khelif at its 2023 Women’s World Championships, but conveniently skips:

● Khelif boxed and won a silver medal at the IBA’s 2022 Women’s Worlds in the 63 kg class, and then competed at the IBA’s 2023 Women’s Worlds and won four matches, advancing to the final before being declared ineligible.

● Lin boxed and won the IBA Women’s World Championships gold at 57 kg in 2022, winning five bouts, then won three matches, advancing to the semifinals of the 2023 Women’s Worlds 57 kg class, where she was defeated. Only then was she disqualified and deprived of the bronze medal.

Russian Umar Kremlev took over the IBA in 2020 and was in charge while Khelif and Lin each fought nine matches at the 2022 and 2023 Worlds before being declared ineligible, only in the medal rounds.

Further, the IBA statement states that last week’s U.S. Presidential Executive Order banning transgender women from women’s sports competitions in the U.S. “proves that IBA stood firm” and protected women boxers by disqualifying Lin and Khelif. In fact, neither Lin or Klehif are transgender women and were born, raised and fought their entire boxing careers as women.

On a more serious note, World Athletics, which actually has been in the forefront of supporting scientific research and closely-drawn rules on women’s eligibility, announced a new round of consultations to update its standards for both transgenders and women with “differences in sex development” from 10 February to 5 March 2025.

A recommendations document outlines a significant change in the federation’s approach, noting in pertinent part (typical male chromosomes are XY, for females, XX):

“World Athletics has learnt the following:

● “a. New evidence has clarified that testosterone suppression in 46XY DSD and 46XY transgender individuals can only ever partly mitigate the overall male advantage in the sport of Athletics.

● “b. Evidence has accumulated that makes clear that an exclusive focus on male puberty is wrong:

i. New evidence clarifies that there is already an athletically significant performance gap before the onset of puberty. The childhood or pre-pubertal performance gap in the sport of Athletics specifically is 3 to 5% in running events, and higher in throwing and jumping events.

ii. New evidence establishes that athletic disadvantages associated with female body structure and physiology contribute to the performance gap.

● “c. There is no new countervailing evidence that would suggest that transgender women and androgen sensitive XY DSD athletes are biologically different to each other in relation to the design and goals of the Female Category.

● “d. There has been some opposition to testosterone suppression as a condition for eligibility in the Female Category.”

The new recommendations re-introduce gender testing, along the lines suggested last October by the U.N. Special Rapporteur for violence against women and girls. The World Athletics brief states:

“This recommendation proposes that in advance of and as a pre-condition for any athlete’s competition in the Female Category at elite level, World Athletics should be in possession of test results that establish their eligibility.

“The required test will be for the SRY gene and, if required, testosterone levels, either via cheek swab with any necessary follow-up or via dry blood spot analysis. In this context the SRY gene, which is almost always on the Y chromosome, is used as a highly accurate proxy for biological sex but makes room for an additional diagnostic process at the athlete’s discretion.”

It was further noted that such actions are only meant for elite athletes; “[t]he aspect of the sport of Athletics that is elite competition properly draws lines on the basis of biological sex, but the sport as a whole, for example at the non-elite and recreational levels, has a place for everyone.”

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) explained:

“While our current Eligibility Regulations for DSD and Transgender athletes are robust and based on the science available at the time of our last consultation, several scientific developments in this field have emerged since then and it is our role, as the global governing body for athletics, to ensure that our guidelines keep up with the latest information available to maintain a fair and level-playing field in the Female Category.”

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ALPINE SKIING: Shiffrin withdraws from Giant Slalom, but will race Team Combined with Downhill winner Breezy Johnson Tuesday

By
Rich Perelman
-
American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)

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≡ SHIFFRIN’S STRUGGLE ≡

On 30 November, during the Giant Slalom at the FIS women’s World Cup in Killington, Vermont, American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin – who has won more World Cup races than anyone in history – suffered a bad crash.

A puncture wound on the right side of her abdomen – apparently from one of her poles – eventually required surgery to prevent further damage, but she recovered enough to come back to racing on 30 January in a Slalom at Courchevel (FRA), finishing 10th.

But she’s not ready to try the Giant Slalom again so soon and has withdrawn from this event at the Worlds in Austria – in which she is the defending champion – and explained in a post on X, reprinted in full here:

“I’ve poured all of my energy into getting my giant slalom in shape to be prepared to start World Champs GS in Saalbach on Thursday. The long- story-short is…I’m not there. Right now, I feel quite far away. I’m currently working through some mental obstacles in order to return to the GS start with the intensity required for racing.

“Honestly, I really didn’t anticipate experiencing so much of this kind of mental/PTSD struggle in GS from my injury in Killington. Like always, I tried diving into the challenge, hoping to get there by Worlds. I figured my passion and longing to compete would outweigh the mental barriers. Maybe that will be the case over time, but I’m not there yet. Coming to terms with how much fear I have doing an event that I loved so dearly only 2 months ago has been soul- crushing.

“One of my teammates – who knows this experience well – said that the only thing you can do is keep trying. So that’s what I will do.

“Since we have now realized that the GS is not in the cards just yet, that re-opens up the opportunity for me to join my teammates in the Team Combined. I’d feel lucky and grateful to partner with any of my incredible speed teammates – and our coaches have now informed us that Breezy[Johnson] and I will paired together for the event.

“To be continued…”

The second part came minutes later:

“After becoming World Champion in downhill Saturday, Breezy told me ‘If you want to do the [Team Combined], I would be honored to pair with you. Not because of the medal, but because this sport is crazy fun, and it would be fun to bring it full circle after all these years.’ What a wise woman. Breezy and I have been racing together since we were 11. We were at Whistler Cup and Topolino together.

“We’ve been roommates, competitors, friends. And she’s right…it will be so so cool to bring this full circle. What a journey she has been on…she knows the mental challenges of this sport better than anyone. She has fought tooth and nail to get here, and now she is World Champion…her journey and grit and determination has inspired the heck out of me. I’m so honored to partner with her on our little Team Atomic (*USA) for my first start of Saalbach 2025.”

Tuesday’s women’s Team Combined, with one Downhill skier and one Slalom skier and the U.S. will enter four women’s teams:

● USA Team 1: Breezy Johnson (Downhill) & Mikaela Shiffrin (Slalom)
● USA Team 2: Lauren Macuga (Downhill) & Paula Moltzan (Slalom)
● USA Team 3: Lindsey Vonn (Downhill) & AJ Hurt (Slalom)
● USA Team 4: Jackie Wiles (Downhill) & Katie Hensien (Slalom)

Shiffrin owns the Slalom event, with 62 World Cup wins and World Championships golds in 2013-15-17-19 and a 2021 gold in the individual Combined. She and Johnson – both 29 – will be one of the favorites for medals, but Macuga and Moltzan are also not to be underestimated.

The Downhill will start at 10:00 a.m. local time in Saalbach, followed by the Slalom at 1:15 p.m.; Austria is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.

The men’s Team Combined comes on Tuesday; Shiffrin will compete again in the Slalom on Saturday.

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ATHLETICS: The circus continues! Now IShowSpeed is challenging Sha’Carri Richardson to a race!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The meet-up between IShowSpeed (l) and 2023 World women’s 100 m champ Sha’Carri Richardson (IShowSpeed video screenshot).

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≡ SILLY SPEED ≡

When you have 36 million subscribers on YouTube and other channels, you get attention.

In yet another Super Bowl week sound-off in track & field, Darren Watkins Jr. – known as “IShowSpeed” – faced off with 2023 World women’s 100 m champ and Paris silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, challenging her to a race.

“Speed” challenged U.S. sprint star Noah Lyles back on 6 November and was promptly dusted over 50 m, with Lyles exerting very little effort, but intentionally keeping it close enough not to embarrass him. So now he met up with Richardson, accompanied by friend Christian Coleman, the 2019 World Champion and equal-sixth all-time at 9.76.

The informal meet-up was taped, of course, and posted on Saturday (8th) with Speed exclaiming: “We gotta race, Sha’Carri (saying ‘sha’car-re’).”

She immediately corrected him, “It’s Sha’Carri (‘sha’carry’).” And then it went on from there:

● Richardson: “Before we race, I got to teach you how to be a sprinter first. So if you want to come down to my training camp, maybe for a week, maybe a couple days, I give you …”

● Speed: “A couple days, a day. What about a day?”

● Richardson: “Let’s set it up.”

● Speed: “So after that day, I can race you.”

Well, Richardson wasn’t going to make it that easy:

“You come down for a day, you do my entire workout, and after that, we can set something up. But you got to do what I do first before we race. … You got to be a track athlete first before a race.”

Speed immediately demurred, shaking his head and saying, “I’m going to be burned.“

Richardson slammed back, “No, you’re not. I do it every day. We do it every day. So you work out first with me, then the next day we’re going to race.” Then, after a little more chit-chat, and Richardson promising to set this up, Speed wanted to know what he’s getting himself into:

“How long the workout?”

Richardson – who has a best of 10.65 from 2023, no. 5 all-time – was ready now:

“Nine to two. So you got to do a workout from nine to two, on the track, in the weight room, first, every day included and then we race. … You got to be an athlete, a track athlete.

“You got to be all the way a track athlete before we race. You got to endure what we do on a daily, before we race.”

Speed replied, “I’m going to still win, though,” to which Richardson replied “I don’t know about that. I don’t talk too much [what?]… And then if you want to race, this is Christian Coleman.” (Comment added)

Speed then said, “I already beat Noah,” to which Coleman shot back, “No, you didn’t. I saw the video.” And a young bystander added in, “Noah went easy on you,” which Speed was not expecting.

Speed was put in his place, but certainly didn’t care, since he got a two-minute video out of it and lots of views. And if there’s a race, it will be great for Speed, but what does Richardson get out of it? Time for their agents to talk and a sponsor(s) to be found.

Observed: This kind of foolishness is good for exposing the stars of track & field, like Lyles and Richardson, to an audience that might not know much about them already. Watkins, 20, is brilliant at this, but is, at the end of the day, promoting himself.

Lyles, Richardson and Coleman are not Grand Slam Track “Racers” but could make cameo appearances as “Challengers” in Michael Johnson’s new circuit. They will appear in other meets, on the way to the USATF Championships at the end of July to try and make the U.S. team for the Tokyo Worlds in September.

But all of this silliness, with Lyles jawing with Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and now this challenge to Richardson, showcases one of the issues with track & field which makes it so different from leagues which can comprehensively promote its stars across an entire season, based on a published schedule in which specific players can be expected to play.

Johnson’s Grand Slam Track is a move forward in the right direction and as he has noted, the inaugural season is still a couple of months away. Perhaps his approach will be the right one, but unlike Major League Baseball, or the NFL, NBA, NHL or the many soccer leagues, there is no seasonal schedule in which you can reliably expect your favorite stars to compete.

That is one of the things that is holding the sport back.

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ATHLETICS: Asked about Noah Lyles, Grand Slam Track’s Michael Johnson says “We don’t need anyone else”

By
Rich Perelman
-
Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson (l) and hurdles star Devon Allen (c) talking with TalkSPORT in New Orleans (talkSPORT video screenshot).

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≡ GRAND SLAM TRACK ≡

There were all kinds of good, bad and odd promotions going on along “Media Row” during the week-long build-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, and lots of talk about things other than the game.

One of those was on British-based talkSPORT.com, where Grand Slam Track founder and Commissioner Michael Johnson – a long-time track & field analyst for the BBC – was interviewed alongside hurdles star Devon Allen – a signed “Racer” – about the inaugural season that will start in April in Jamaica.

Asked about the absence of Paris 100 m Olympic champ Noah Lyles, Johnson was ready to promote his signed stars:

“We’ve already signed our 48 Racers. We have 48 Challengers that we now will assign for each individual Slam; they can come in if they want. So yeah, we’ll continue talking to Noah.

“To me, it’s always an insult to our 48 Olympic Champions, World Champions, fastest people in the world that we’ve signed to this league; they’re all accomplished in their own right.

“So, that’s enough, if we have nobody else but those athletes, this is the first time we’ve ever had the fastest together.”

Johnson ran through a list of the signed stars, such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Yared Nuguse and more and added:

“We don’t need anyone else. We will take all of the fastest people, but we don’t have to have them. Ultimately, we will get everyone, because this is year one, this is where you want to be if you’re a premier track and field athlete.

“We have the highest prize money ever paid in the sport, we have the most accessible [meets].

And he emphasized the availability of every session of his four meets on television:

“One of the things that Noah was rightly complaining about, is the fact that outside the Olympics, it’s hard for people to find this product, to find this sport, because it’s not on network television.

“Not only are we on free-to-air network television on The CW, we are simultaneously streaming on Peacock, right. So there is no track meet – there may not be any sport – is existence right now that is more accessible than Grand Slam Track.”

Johnson was also asked about Lyles and his continuing trash-talk with Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, and the possibility of some not-so-serious races as part of the program:

“We’re going to incorporate the fun stuff into our events … we just talked to Tyreek a minute ago!

“I was talking to Kevin Hart on his show just before the Paris Olympics, when we were talking about Grand Slam Track, and he’s like, ‘All right, I see what you’re trying to do, you want me to race, don’t you?’ And I said, ‘yes, I do want you to race, and who would you like to race against, right?’ And he says, ‘OK, I’m there, right.’

“So, we will do those sorts of things, fun things as sort of our ‘halftime,’ so to speak, of celebrities and content creators and athletes from other sports, because – remember – this is the most important sport inside of every other sport.”

Johnson emphasized that Lyles vs. Hill is just one possibility to bring more entertainment into the Slams:

“Everybody wants to be fast in their sport. Everybody gets track; because it’s just racing.

“People think they’re fast. If you think you’re fast, we’re going to give you the opportunity to come out there and show it; we can create these races where it’s fun and it’s exciting, and it’s part of the show of the true professionals like Devon [Allen] and these guys.”

But the Atlanta 1996 double gold medalist also put his foot down on any real racing between Lyles and Hill:

“I’m not putting somebody coming out there like Tyreek against world class athletes. ‘Cause you’re not.

“Now, the Tyreek-Noah thing has become a thing, so we would create something for them that’s really cool. But if it’s a track event, that’s not a race. Noah is killing him.

“There’s track speed, then there’s football speed.”

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PANORAMA: John Carlos’ Mexico City ‘68 awards top on auction; California continues to allow transgenders; extra U.S. record for Nuguse!

By
Rich Perelman
-
The jacket worn by John Carlos at the Mexico City ‘68 victory ceremony! (Photo: Heritage Auctions).

★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The International Canoe Federation took a trip last week, meeting with the LA28 organizers in Los Angeles and then traveling to Oklahoma City to once again visit the Riversport OKC canoe slalom facility, which will host the ICF Slalom Worlds in 2027.

A three-person team led by ICF President Thomas Konietzko (GER) was presented with a “key to the city” by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Said Konietzko:

“This is one of the best facilities in the world for our sport.

“The design of the venue is beautiful so I know the athletes and spectators will love it here and it is located close to the city which makes it very special. We will have our World Championships and Congress here in 2026 and then we can look forward to using this excellent environment to organize fantastic events in 2028.

“You can also be sure that a lot of our athletes and teams will come to Oklahoma City over the next three years to use this facility for training.”

● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● Australian Olympic Committee Matt Carroll said at a Friday hearing of the Australian Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, it’s time to get any new venues decided on and start building.

Asked by Senator Matt Canavan about the progress to date, Carroll explained:

“To a degree, progress has been made. The organizing committee is certainly well established The plans to build the new indoor sports centers across southeast Queensland is still proceeding; it doesn’t get a lot of news either, but certainly, there are things that are happening.”

But as for what needs to happen now, it’s in the hands of the government to figure out the remaining venues: “I think it is time to finalize any more reviews and settle exactly on what the two governments want to fund in terms of venues.”

Asked about the time pressure, Carroll said as to deadlines:

“I think that’s the first half of this year, to be honest with you, Senator, for two reasons. One, the sports program will start to be fleshed out the following year in 2026, which is obviously very important. And importantly, also, obviously, is to start the construction process of whatever work that needs to be done, which is going to take a bit of time. …

“Before I was in sport, I was in the construction industry, and the construction industry in Australia is stretched, at the moment. And therefore, to be able to start to do all these venues, wherever they may be, it needs to be moved along swiftly.”

The latest venue review, especially concerning the sites for athletes and for ceremonies, is ongoing and is expected to be concluded in March, after a change of government control last year.

● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that the national anti-doping agencies of Pakistan and Uganda have challenged the charges of non-compliance, filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. So, no sanctions as of now. Cameroon and Russia remain non-compliant.

● Transgender ● The giant California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), governing more than 806,000 athletes at 1,587 public and private schools, said Friday that it would not follow the Executive Order signed last Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump, which removes transgender women from women’s sport in the U.S.

A statement provided to ABC10 Sacramento explained:

“The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.”

To be continued …

● Memorabilia ● The awards uniform top worn by iconic 1968 Olympic 200 m bronze medalist John Carlos – of raised fist on the podium fame – is up for sale at Heritage Auction’s Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction ending on 22 February.

Carlos finished third in the race and he and winner Tommie Smith raised their fists in a famed racial protest gesture on the awards ceremony in Mexico City, and were promptly dismissed from the Games. (They only had one pair of gloves, so Smith raised his right fist and Carlos, his left.)

Carlos swapped the jacket with a Senegalese athlete at the end of the ‘68 Games, and his nephew ended up with it. The nephew contacted Carlos, and the money raised from the auction will help the nephew’s family.

Made by Wilson, the jacket appears to be in excellent condition and still has Carlos’ bib number – 259 – attached. Ten bids have been received so far, with a high of $18,500; the item is expected to bring around $50,000.

A 10-minute video with Carlos is on the bid page (in which he says he let Smith win and was surprised that Peter Norman (AUS) got second), with the first section of bidding to end at 10 p.m., Central Time, on 22 February, and all bids finalized by 10:30 p.m.

● Boxing ● Another positive for World Boxing, trying to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee in March as the governing body for Olympic boxing, as its continental association – Asian Boxing – signed a memorandum of understanding with the Olympic Council of Asia:

“The partnership focuses on creating a robust certification program for referees, judges, and officials to ensure the highest standards of professionalism and fairness in officiating,” and will promote youth development in the sport.

As the Olympic Council of Asia’s members are the 45 National Olympic Committees of the region, the OCA can also be counted on to encourage the 22 NOCs whose national boxing federations are not yet members of World Boxing to join. The International Olympic Committee has already instructed NOCs to ignore their national federations if they continue to be members of the now-unrecognized International Boxing Association. This may help in Asia.

● Diving ● World Aquatics announced two Chinese stars as their Athletes of the Year: Paris Olympic men’s 10 m Platform winner Yuan Cao and 17-year-old Hongchan Quan, a double winner in Paris in the 10 m Platform (defending her Tokyo title) and the 10 m Synchro.

● Wrestling ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that United World Wrestling approved – on 5 February – a change of status, allowing Russian wrestlers to compete under the flag of the UWW instead of as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN).

This brings the UWW in line with the International Judo Federation, which has also adopted this scheme.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Alpine Skiing ● Sunday’s men’s Downhill at the FIS World Championships in Saalbach (AUT) saw another surprise, as 23-year-old Swiss Franjo von Allmen – with one World Cup win in his career – take the gold in 1:40.68.

Von Allmen has never won a World Cup Downhill – his sole World Cup win was in a Super-G – but had three silvers in his career. No matter, he took the lead as the no. 11 starter, moving past Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr, the 2021 World Champion and an 18-time World Cup winner (1:40.92).

Third was Swiss Alexis Monney, 25, also with one career World Cup win, in a Downhill last December in Bormio (ITA). His 1:40.99 got him the bronze, while the top American was Bryce Bennett, who tied for 10th (1:42.02). Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 13th and Jared Goldberg was 24th, with Sam Morse in 36th.

Monday is a day off, with the Team Combined events to start Tuesday.

● Athletics ● More from the Millrose Games, with intermediate 1,500 m times posted for the men’s Wanamaker Mile, and world mile record claimant Yared Nuguse leading Hobbs Kessler in 3:31.74 and 3:31.89, then France’s Azeddine Habz at 3:32.24 and Cam Myers (AUS) at 3:32.67.

It’s another American Record for Nuguse, breaking his own mark of 3:33.22 from 2023 at Millrose, and moved him to no. 5 all-time, with the no. 6 performance. Kessler is now the seventh-fastest ever at the distance with the no. 10 performance. Habz moves to no. 9 all-time and Myers to no. 12 (he’s 18!), both with national indoor records.

Comebacking Shelby Houlihan, having served her doping ban, got a world-leading mark in the women’s mile in Boston on Saturday, winning in 4:20.30, well ahead of Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi (4:23.69). Houlihan’s mark moves her to no. 2 on the all-time U.S. women’s indoor list, passing Mary Decker (4:20.5 in 1982, with the no. 4 performance ever. Only Elle St. Pierre has run faster.

Houlihan passed 1,500 m in 4:03.40, now no. 6 on the all-time U.S. indoor list.

The controversial “take-off zone” long jump was experimented with at the ISTAF Indoor meet in Dusseldorf (GER) on Saturday, and it makes a difference.

Using the standard style, using the take-off board, Pauline Hondema (NED) won with a 6.65 m (21-10) best, ahead of Pole Anna Matuszewicz (6.40 m/21-0). Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Malaika Mihambo, who jumped a world-leading 7.07 m (23-2 1/2) on Friday in Karlsruhe using a take-off board, was only third at 6.39 m (20-11 3/4).

Among the seven jumpers, there were 41 attempts (one pass), of which 13 were fair, or 32%. Using the “take-off zone” approach, where a 40 cm (15.8 inches) long area was legal – vs. 20 cm (7.9 inches) for the take-off board – 36 of the 41 attempts were legal and the results changed dramatically, measured from their take-off point instead of the end of the board.

Under this style, Mihambo won at 6.87 m (22-6 1/2) on her fourth try (otherwise a foul) and Hondema was second at 6.68 m (21-11) on her first jump, which was measured at 6.56 m (21-6 1/4) using the take-off board.

● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The IBSF World Cup circuit was in Lillehammer (NOR), with the German 1-2 punch of Olympic gold and silver medal drivers Francesco Friedrich (+ Alexander Schueller) and Johannes Lochner (+ Georg Flesichhauer) going 1-2 in the 2-Man races, in 1:41.15 and 1:41.29. Britain’s Brad Hall, the 2023 Worlds 4-man runner-up was third in 1:41.63; Frank Del Duca has the top American sled in sixth (1:42.17).

Lochner, the Beijing 2022 runner-up in both sleds, got his first win of the season in the Four-Man racing, taking the second run to pass Friedrich, 1:39.85 to 1:39.90. Swiss Michael Vogt was third (1:40.05) and Del Duca had the best U.S. finish, in 10th (1:41.03).

The women’s Monobob saw a win for Australian Bree Walker, her first of the season and fourth medal, tying with the U.S.’s Kaysha Love in 1:49.14. The 2024 Worlds winner, Laura Nolte (GER), was third (1:49.21). American stars Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Armbruster Humphries finished 7-8 in 1:49.52 and 1:49.64.

The Two-Woman was the fourth straight German World Cup sweep, this time with Beijing Olympic champ Nolte (and Leonie Kluwig) winning in 1:44.40, ahead of 2023 World Champion Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig (1:44.42) and 2018 Olympic gold winner Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide (1:44.70). The U.S. sleds finished seventh (Taylor-Jasmine Jones: 1:45.18), ninth (Kaysha Love-Lolo Jones: 1:45.24) and 10th (Armbruster Humphries-Emily Renna: 1:45.39).

● Cycling ● Race three of the UCI Women’s World Tour was the UAE Tour, a four-stage affair that was decided in the uphill-finishing third stage, won by Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini, the 2024 Giro d’Italia winner.

Dutch star Lorena Wiebes won the first two, flat stages, creating a 13-second lead. But Longo Borghini took off with 3 km left at the end of stage 3, winning by 35 seconds and taking a 2:09 lead into the flat fourth stage. Sunday’s finale was the expected mass sprint, with Wiebes winning her third stage, in 3:03:28 over 127 km, with Longo Borghini 59th, but with the same time.

So Longo Borghini won the race at 13:14:57, ahead of countrywoman Silvia Persico (ITA: +2:06). Wiebes, despite winning three of four stages, was 13th (+4:06).

● Fencing ● Italy’s 2023 Worlds silver winner Davide Di Veroli won the FIE World Cup men’s Epee tournament in Heidenheim (GER), winning the final by 14-13 over Tibor Andrasfi (HUN); it’s Di Verolio’s first career World Cup gold. Japan defeated Israel for the team title.

Hungary’s Olympic bronzer Eszter Muhari won the Women’s Epee in Barcelona (ESP), with a 15-9 victory over 2022 World Champion Sera Song (KOR). It’s Muhari’s third career World Cup win. Italy beat China, 45-37, for the team gold.

At the Foil Grand Prix in Turin (ITA), home favorite Tomasso Marini – the 2024 World Champion – won his second career Grand Prix tournament with a 15-6 win over Czech Alexander Choupenitch, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalist.

Martina Favoretto, the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, completed the Italian sweep of the wins with a 15-12 win in the final over Canada’s Eleanor Harvey, who won a 2024 Paris Olympic bronze.

● Freestyle Skiing ● Japan’s Ikuma Horishima, the double 2017 World Champion in men’s Moguls and Dual Moguls, finally stopped the four-race win streak of Canadian star Mikael Kingsbury at the FIS World Cup in Deer Valley, Utah.

Horishima won Thursday’s Moguls event at 86.24 points, ahead of Pavel Kolmakov (KAZ: 84.95) and two-time Worlds medalist Benjamin Cavet (FRA: 83.82). Saturday’s Dual Moguls saw Horishima get a second win, defeating Kingsbury in the gold-medal final, for his 20th career World Cup gold.

Olympic runner-up Jaelin Kauf of the U.S. got her first win of the season in the women’s Moguls (80.75), beating 2018 Olympic champ Perrine Laffont (FRA: 79.63) and Maia Schwinghammer (CAN: 75.22).

Kauf won again in the Dual Moguls final, again over Laffont, for her 12th career World Cup win, including eight in Dual Moguls. Olivia Giaccio won the all-American final from Tess Johnson for the bronze.

Aerials competition was held on Friday, with American Quinn Dehlinger getting his first win of the season (and second career win), scoring 122.57 points to 115.49 for Ukraine’s Dmytro Kotovskyi and 104.43 for 2021 Worlds runner-up Chris Lillis of the U.S.

Australia swept the women’s Aerials, with two-time World Champion Laura Peel winning her third straight World Cup event at 87.57 points, ahead of three-time Worlds medalist Danielle Scott (86.31) and Abbey Willcox (81.58). Tasia Tanner was the top U.S. placer, in sixth (20.01).

At the Ski Cross World Cup in Val di Fassa (ITA), the men’s final was a re-run of the Beijing 2022 Olympic final, with Swiss Ryan Regez again defeating countryman Alex Fiva. It was more amazing as Regez suffered an anterior cruciate injury soon after his Olympic win and hadn’t won a World Cup medal since. Fiva, 39, also tore an ACL in 2022 and was out of action for months.

On Sunday, Canada’s Reece Howden got his second win of the season and second against 2023 World Champion Simone Deromedis (ITA), who nevertheless regained the seasonal lead.

The women’s Saturday race was the third straight win for Canadian star Marielle Thompson, the Sochi 2014 Olympic winner. She defeated France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel in the final, who got her first World Cup medal of the season.

Sunday saw Italian Jole Galli, 29, got her first career World Cup win and third career medal in the final, beating Berger Sabbetel and 2013 World Champion Fanny Smith (SUI) to the line.

● Ice Hockey ● In the final two games of the annual Rivalry Series, the Canadian took the 2024-25 series by three games to two, splitting the matches in Halifax and Summerside.

On Thursday, the U.S. won by 2-1 in a shoot-out, after a 1-1 tie in regulation and an overtime period. Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka and Kelly Pannek all scored in a 3-0 rout in the penalty-shot decider.

Canada came back with a 3-1 win on Saturday, with Jennifer Gardiner getting the key goal with 6:44 to play to give the home team the lead. The U.S. added an extra attacker and Canada’s Laura Stacey scored an empty-netter with 1:19 left for the final score.

● Luge ● The 53rd FIL World Championships were in Whistler (CAN), with Germany once again leading the way, winning 12 of the 21 medals on offer.

Max Langenhan repeated as men’s World Champion, in 1:39.922, ahead of teammate Felix Loch (1:40.057), who won his 22nd Worlds medal. Austrian Nico Gleirscher, the 2024 runner-up, was third (1:40.144). Jonny Gustafson was the top American, in eighth at 1:40.541, with Tucker West 12th in 1:40.899.

Hannes Orlamunder and Paul Gubitz won the men’s Doubles – their first Worlds gold – winning both runs, with a 1:16.538 total. Latvia’s Martins Bots and Roberts Plume, four-time European medalists, took second in 1:16.640 and three-time Olympic winners Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt claimed the bronze in 1:16.671. Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa of the U.S. finished seventh in 1:16.856 and Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander took 10th (1:17.054).

Germany’s 2021 World Champion Julia Taubitz won her second women’s Singles title in 1:17.206, ahead of teammate Merle Fraebel (1:17.247). American Emily Sweeney, the 2019 women’s Singles bronze medalist, scored another bronze, leading after the first run and then third in the second run (1:17.249 total). Americans Ashley Farquharson and Summer Britcher finished sixth (1:17.353) and 10th (1:17.466).

Austrians Selina Egle and Lara Kipp repeated as World Doubles Champions, winning in 1:17.724, ahead of 2022-23 Worlds winners Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal (GER: 1:17.753). Fellow German Dajana Eitberger – with new partner Magdalena Matschina – took the bronze (1:17.784). Americans Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby was fifth (1:17.968).

In the non-Olympic Mixed Singles, Taubitz and Langenhan won in 1:22.354, with Americans Gustafson and Sweeney second (1:22.449). The Mixed Doubles went to Austria (1:22.894) with German teams going 2-3, and the U.S. (Di Gregorio-Hollander and Forgan-Kirkby: 1:23.059). Germany also won the Team Relay, ahead of Austria and Canada, with the U.S. (Sweeney-Mueller-Haugsjaa-Gustafson-Forgan-Kirkby) fourth.

● Nordic Combined ● The sixth of eight stops on the 2024-25 FIS World Cup tour was in Otepaa (EST), with five-time World Cup seasonal champ Jarl Magnus Riiber – who will retire at season’s end – getting his fifth win of the season in Friday’s 97 m jumping and 10 km Mass Start race with 137.0 points, ahead of former champ Johannes Lamparter (AUT: 126.9) and Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger (126.4).

Geiger notched his fifth win of the season on Saturday, winning the 10 km Gundersen race in 24:28.0, just edging Riiber (24:28.7), with Jens Oftebro (NOR) third in 24:38.9. Sunday’s Compact jumping and 7.5 km race saw Geiger win again, ahead of Riiber, 16:53.5 to 17:09.5, with Julian Schmid (GER) third in 17:19.5.

Japan’s twin sisters, Yuna Kasai and Haruka Kasai went 1-2 in the women’s 97 m jumping and 5 km Mass Start race on Friday, with 99.9 and 97.8 points, with German Jenny Nowak third (97.6). It was the first event this season without a Norwegian medal winner!

Norway’s Ida Marie Hagen, who won the first seven events of the season, got her eighth in the 97 m jumping and 5 km Gundersen race, in 13:50.5, with Haruka Kasai second (14:06.1) and Nathalie Armbruster (GER) in third at 14:44.1. American Alexa Brabec, 20, was ninth at 14:13.2.

On Sunday, Armbruster, the seasonal leader, won her third event of the season in 13:33.7 to 13:34.9 for Hagen and 13:50.9 for Haruka Kasai.

● Short Track ● The fifth of six ISU World Tour stops was in Tilburg (NED), with Canadian men’s skaters having won nine of the 12 individual races held so far. That continued with 2024 World 1,000 m Champion William Dandjinou winning the 1,500 m in 2:22.541, ahead of 2024 Worlds silver winner Jens van’T Wout (NED), second in 2:22.659. Beijing Olympic 500 m bronze winner Steven Dubois took the 500 m win, in 40.313, with teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles second in 41.362.

On Sunday, the men’s 1,000 m went to van’T Wout in 1:25.045, with Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs a distant second in 1:34.623. The Dutch won the 5,000 m relay in 6:55.717.

Belgium’s 2021 Worlds silver winner Hanne Desmet won the women’s 1,000 m in 1:30.454, beating American Corinne Stoddard (1:30.454) and seasonal event leader Xandra Velzeboer (NED: 1:30.883). The Dutch won the 3,000 m relay in 4:11.508, with the U.S. (Julie Letai, Kristen Santos-Griswold, Louisiana Stahl and Stoddard) third in 4:12.463.

The women’s 500 m went to Canadian Florence Brunelle, the 2022 World Junior Champion, who finished in 43.141 to best Michelle Velzeboer (NED: 43.257; younger sister of Xandra) and American star Santos-Griswold (43.500), with Stoddard fifth (43.733).

Canada scored again in the 1,500 m, with 2021 Worlds runner-up Courtney Sarault winning in 2:27.388, beating Elisa Confortola (ITA: 2:27.406) and Americans Stoddard (2:27.525) and Santos-Griswold (2:27.565). Desmet won the race on the ice, but was disqualified for impeding another skater.

In the Mixed Relay, the Dutch won in 2:37.729, with the U.S. (Andrew Heo, Santos-Griswold, Sean Shuai, Stoddard) third in 2:51.378.

● Ski Jumping ● The FIS World Cup was back in Lake Placid, New York, jumping off the 128 m Mt. Van Hoevenberg, with Norway getting its first win of the season with 2018 Olympic silver medalist Johann Forfang winning with 259.5 points, to turn back Austria’s Jan Hoerl (256.6) and seasonal leader Daniel Tschofenig (255.0).

Tschofenig won his eighth tournament of the season on Sunday, coming from third to first in the second round, totaling 275.1 points. Hoerl was second again (269.1) with 2021 Worlds bronze winner Anze Lanisek (SLO: 262.3) scoring his first medal of the season.

The women’s competition was the first women’s World Cup ever held in North America, on which 19-year-old Slovenian star (and seasonal leader) Nika Prevc made an indelible impression. The Friday morning event was canceled midway due to high winds, but was re-run in its entirety in the evening, with Prevc winning 295.7 points, ahead of Eirin Kvandal (NOR: 283.6) and Alexandria Loutitt (CAN: 273.2).

Prevc was equally dominant on Saturday, taking her seventh win of the season with 272.1 points, with Germans Agnes Reisch (261.2) and Selina Freitag (254.7) going 2-3.

● Wrestling ● The U.S. women’s Freestyle squad won five golds at the Zagreb Open, the first United World Wrestling ranking event, and took the team title with 155 points to 96 for Hungary.

American wins came from 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester (57 kg), Adaugo Nwachukwu (62 kg), Olympic silver winner Kennedy Blades (68 kg), Skylar Grote (72 kg) and World U-23 Champion Yelena Makoyed (76 kg).

The U.S. won two bronze medals in the Greco-Roman tournament, from Ellis Coleman at 63 kg and Brady Koontz at 55 kg. Iran won the team title; the U.S. was 11th.

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ATHLETICS: Fisher blasts 3,000 m WR at Millrose Games, followed by Nuguse’s historic 3:46.63 mile mark amid eight world leaders!

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. star Yared Nuguse, winning the London Diamond League meet in 2023 (Photo: Diamond League AG).

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≡ 117th MILLROSE GAMES ≡

The 117th Millrose Games was expected to be a hot meet at The Armory in New York, but volcanic was more like it with two world records, an American Record and eight world leaders:

● Men/600 m: 1:14.04, Will Sumner (USA)
● Men/800 m: 1:43.90, Josh Hoey (USA) ~ American Record
● Men/Mile: 3:46.63, Yared Nuguse (USA) ~ World Record
● Men/3,000 m: 7:22.91, Grant Fisher (USA) ~ World Record
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.38, Dylan Beard (USA)
● Women/60 m: 7.02, Jacious Sears (USA)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.76, Masai Russell (USA)
● Women/Pole Vault: 4.82 m (15-9 3/4), Katie Moon (USA)

The much-anticipated men’s 3,000 m had Olympic 1,500 m champ Cole Hocker, double bronze winner Grant Fisher and more, with the American Record and possibly the world record under threat. Fisher led Hocker and Ty Robinson (AUS) as the pacesetter dropped off at 1,800 m. Fisher passed 2,000 m in a fast 4:58.01, and Fisher and Hocker were 1-2 and Hocker took the lead with three laps left. That surge broke Robinson, but Fisher was a stride behind at the bell.

Fisher tried for the lead on the back straight, but could not pass and tried one more time on the home straight and got by and blasted to the line in a world record of 7:22.91! That smashed Ethiopian Lamecha Girma’s mark of 7:23.81 from 2023, and, of course, the American Record of 7:28.23 by Yared Nuguse in 2023. That earned Fisher a $25,000 world-record bonus.

Hocker finished 7:23.14 – no. 2 all-time – and Jimmy Gressier (FRA) came up for third in 7:30.18, with Robinson fourth at 7:30.38. Fisher won the Olympic 5,000 m and 10,000 m bronzes in 2024; he is signaling that he can run with anyone now.

The men’s Wanamaker Mile had Olympic 1,500 m bronze medalist Nuguse trying for a third straight win in this race, and he settled in behind pacemaker Abe Alvarado in the first quarter (57.17). World Road mile champ Hobbs Kessler was just behind Nuguse; Alvarado passed 880 yards in 1:53.02 (55.86), and Nuguse took over with three laps left.

He passed 1,320 yards in 2:50.23 (56.95), with Kessler and Robert Farken (GER) right in line behind him. At the bell, Nuguse was pulling, but Kessler was a step behind and coming hard off the final turn. But Nuguse would not be denied and pushed through the tape in a world record of 3:46.63! Kessler was also under the old mark of 3:47.01 by Yomif Kejelcha (ETH: 2019) at 3:46.90, then 3:47.48 – a World Junior record – for Cam Myers (AUS), Azeddine Habz (FRA: 3:47.56) and Gary Martin (USA: 3:48.82 lifetime best).

Nuguse became the first American world-record holder in the indoor mile since Dick Buerkle ran a 3:54.93 stunner on 13 January 1978, 47 years ago!

The American 1,000 m record holder, Josh Hoey, had the lead in the men’s 800 m at the bell, chased by World Indoor champ Bryce Hoppel. But Hoey was too strong off the final turn and got to the line in an American Record of 1:43.90, also the world leader in 2025 and now no. 3 all-time! Hoppel was close behind at 1:44.19 (no. 6 all-time world) and then Jonah Koech (1:44.82, no. 4 all-time U.S.). In sixth was Cooper Lutkenhaus (Northwest HS of Justin, Texas), who got the indoor high school mark at 1:46.86, breaking Hoey’s 1:47.67 mark from 2018!

In the men’s 600 m, a lot of the interest was on 17-year-old prep star Quincy Wilson, but it was 2023 NCAA 800 m champ Will Sumner who had control of the race at the bell, trying to hold off Olympians Brandon Miller and Isaiah Jewett. Sumner broke away down the final straight and won in a world-leading 1:14.04, moving him to no. 3 all-time, with the no. 4 performance!

Jewett was body-to-body with Miller to the tape and had to raise his left arm to get past the shorter Miller to get second in 1:14.17 (no. 4 all-time), with Miller third in 1:14.37. Wilson got fourth in 1:16.20, the no. 2 performance in U.S. high school history.

Dylan Beard took charge of the men’s 60 m hurdles from the start and withstood a challenge from Cordell Tinch to win in a world-leading 7.38, also a meet record and equal-11th on the all-time list! Tinch finished a clear second in 7.43, a lifetime best and Cameron Murray was third in 7.52.

The women’s 60 m confirmed the full-power return of former Tennessee sprinter Jacious Sears, who blew out of the blocks and ran away to a world lead of 7.02, now equal-22nd all-time and equal-8th all-time U.S. Celera Barnes came up for second at the line in 7.15, just ahead of Tokyo relay Olympian Aleia Hobbs at 7.16.

In the women’s 60 m hurdles, Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, the 2024 100 m hurdles world leader was charged with a false start and allowed to run under protest. On the re-start, Olympic champ Masai Russell got to the front right away and held on to win in a world-leading 7.76. Nugent came on at the fifth hurdle and appeared to get second, but her disqualification was upheld, so Paris Olympian Grace Stark was second in 7.83 and world-record holder Devynne Charlton (BAH) was third in 7.83.

Katie Moon won the women’s vault – the only elite-level field event – at 4.82 m (15-9 3/4), on her second attempt. Emily Grove and Gabriela Leon went 2-3 at 4.60 m (15-1). Moon increased her world lead by 2 cm.

There was a lot more, of course.

Former Purdue and Texas sprinter Marcellus Moore reached the NCAA and Olympic Trials semis in 2024, but got a good start and clearly defeated a good field in the men’s 60 m in 6.65, equaling his lifetime best. Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 World Indoor champ, closed hard but was second in 6.59.

American Olympic gold medalist Alexis Holmes got to the lead right away in the women’s 400 m and won going away in 51.21, ahead of Leah Anderson (JAM: 52.12). Holmes moved to no. 3 on the year list.

Addy Wiley took the lead in the women’s 800 m with a lap and a half to go, but Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) took over off the back straight and ran away to a decisive win in 1:59.07, no. 2 in the world for 2025 and a meet record. Americans Olivia Baker (2:00.02) and Kaela Edwards (2:00.14) came up to get second and third, with Wiley fourth (also 2:00.14).

The women’s Wanamaker Mile saw Australia’s Linden Hall lead at the 1,320 mark, with Susan Ejore (KEN) just behind and then taking the lead at the bell over 2022 U.S. indoor champ Heather Maclean. Britain’s Georgia Bell, the Olympic 1,500 m bronzer in Paris, moved up with 100 m to go and she moved best on the final straight to win in 4:23.35, no. 3 in the world in 2025. Maclean got second in 4:23.41 and Nikki Hiltz, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials 1,500 m winner, was third in 4:23.50.

Sarah Engelhardt of Ventura HS (California) finished in 4:27.97 in 11th and got the U.S. high school record, previously held by the legendary Mary Cain from 2013.

Olympic 1,500 m silver winner Jess Hull (AUS) was the headliner in the women’s 3,000 m, and took over at 1,400 m. But Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama was the leader with six laps left, and continued until American Josette Andrews burst into the lead on the penultimate lap. Andrews then was passed herself as Paris Olympian Whittni Morgan blew by on the backstraight and ran solo to the line in 8:28.03, a lifetime best, no. 2 on the 2025 world list, and no. 5 all-time U.S. Andrews was a clear second in 8:29.77 (no. 4 in 2025), with Ireland’s Sarah Healy in 8:30.79, and Hull fourth in 8:30.91.

At the World Indoor Gold meet in Karlsruhe (GER) on Friday, Germany’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s long jump champion, Malaika Mihambo, got a world-leading win at 7.07 m (23-2 1/2), equaling her lifetime indoor best.

In the women’s shot, Canada’s Sarah Mitton – the 2024 World Indoor champ – was third heading into the final round, but exploded to equal her outdoor lifetime best at 20.68 m (67-10 1/4), the world lead in 2025. She passed two-time European champ Jessica Schilder (NED: 20.09 m/65-11) and two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. (20.06 m/65-9 3/4).

Reigning World Indoor champ Molly Caudery (GBR) moved to no. 2 in the world for 2025 at 4.75 m (15-7) to win the women’s vault.

South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso won the women’s 800 m in 1:59.88, a national record and no. 4 in the world for 2025.

At the World Indoor Tour Silver meet in Metz (FRA), Ethiopia’s 2024 World Indoor women’s 800 m champ, Tsige Duguma, got the world lead in 1:58.97 over Jemma Reekie (GBR: 1:59.72) and German Max Hess won the men’s triple jump with a world-leading 17.41 m (57-1 1/2).

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ALPINE SKIING: American Breezy Johnson starts first, finishes first for stunning Worlds Downhill gold!

By
Rich Perelman
-
American Breezy Johnson, the 2025 World women's Downhill Champion (Photo: Stifel U.S. Ski Team on X).

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≡ ALPINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

The FIS Alpine World Championships are nothing like the FIS World Cup. The World Cup season is a months-long tour of faraway slopes, with lots of travel and logistics between the skiing. And over that period, the best overall skiers emerge with the season’s Crystal Globe.

Not at the World Championships – now continuing in Saalbach, Austria – where anything can happen and often does. Like on Saturday.

American Breezy Johnson, 29, came into her fourth Worlds not having won a World Cup race in her eight seasons on the World Cup tour. She had seven medals, all in Downhills, and had finished 19th in the Super-G on Thursday.

She drew the first starting position, and roared down the course in 1:41.29, setting the stage for the rest of the field.

But no one could catch her!

The no. 5 starter, Czech star Ester Ledecka, won who a shock gold in the 2018 Olympic Super-G in Korea, moved into second at 1:41.50 and was passed for second by the no. 9 starter, Austria’s Mirjam Puchner, 32, the 2022 Olympic Super-G silver medalist, but with just eight World Cup medals in 10 seasons on the World Cup tour. She timed 1:41.44. The big names were to come.

Italian star Sophia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champ and always a favorite, started 14th and finished 16th. Teammate and overall World Cup leader Federica Brignone started 16th and finished 10th. Reigning World Cup champ Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) didn’t finish and Cornelia Huetter (AUT), a two-time winner on the World Cup tour this season, finished in 1:41.63 and had to settle for fourth.

American Lauren Macuga, who won the Super-G bronze earlier, also skied well and was fifth (1:41.67) from the no. 18 slot and 2009 Worlds gold medalist Lindsey Vonn started 21st and finished 15th (1:43.25). Jacqueline Wiles did not finish.

“I was just trying to hammer, trying to send and really just keep charging, and stay in the low tuck and execute all of my things,” said an overwhelmed Johnson later.

“It’s definitely a fast course in places. It was fun. I was just kind of moving, you know, section to section and just trying to execute my plan.

“I’m just gonna enjoy this. Because I’ve had a lot of times where, you know, I gave my best and I didn’t win.”

Wow! It’s an amazing turn for Johnson, who was suspended for 14 months from October 2023 to December 2024 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for “whereabouts” failures. Now, she will forever be introduced as “World Champion.”

It was also the first-ever World Alpine champs medals for Puchner and Ledecka!

The U.S. already has two medals at the Worlds – Johnson and Macuga – and neither from the returning Vonn or Mikaela Shiffrin, who will be contesting the Slalom and Giant Slalom. The men’s Downhill comes on Sunday.

No upset in the men’s Super-G on Friday, as reigning World Cup champion Marco Odermatt (SUI) won his third career Worlds gold – Downhill and Giant Slalom in 2023 – in 1:24.57, ahead of home favorite Raphael Haaser (1:25.57) and surprising Norwegian Adrian Sejersted (1:25.72).

Odermatt has won seven World Cup races this season, including two Super-Gs. American Ryan Cochran-Siegle tied for seventh at 1:25.88, with teammates Bryce Bennett at 15 (1:26.83) and River Radamus in 19th (1:27.09).

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LOS ANGELES 2028: City of L.A.’s Olympic-funded youth sports program explodes to 228,312 users, asks LA28 for $4.45 million more!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ L.A. CITY-LA28 YOUTH SPORTS ≡

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic bid team agreed with the International Olympic Committee to invest $160 million in City of Los Angeles youth programs between 2017 and 2028, providing a direct “legacy” benefit to Angelenos for years prior to the 2028 Games.

The participation baseline for the fiscal year 2018-19 was at 148,274, and the program got off to a slow start due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with virtually no programs for two years.

But it is moving along nicely now!

A report from the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department filed Thursday (6th) showed that total participants in the 2023-24 fiscal year reached a high of 228,312, an increase of 54.0% over the original baseline total.

And the 2023-24 total was up 39% over the budgeted (expected) total of 164,116. The participation numbers have risen strongly in the post-pandemic period:

● 2018-19: 148,274 (baseline)
● 2020-21: Collapsed by the pandemic
● 2021-22: 90,132 (pandemic impact)
● 2022-23: 176,596
● 2023-24: 228,312

The programming records show that the City Recreation Centers attracted 181,906 participants and the “Signature” specialty programs had 46,406. That’s well up from 136,082 at Rec Centers and 40,514 at “Signature” programs in 2022-23.

(Special programs were offered in swimming, surfing, kayak, paddleboard, track & field, judo, tennis, golf, skateboarding, equestrian, and teqball, and adaptive or Paralympic sports including archery, track & field, skateboarding, swimming, soccer, equestrian, surfing, basketball, volleyball and tennis.)

Due to the influx of participants, costs also rose beyond the original request of $18,798,240, leading to a new request for added funding of $4,454,559 for a 2023-24 total of $23,252,799.

An earlier estimate of programming for 2024-25 led to a request of $30.536 million, but the project is hardly out of money, thanks to the lack of spending early in the program.

● 2017-19: $2,001 million for SwimLA programs
● 2020-21: $2.481 million, due to pandemic
● 2021-22: $7.654 million
● 2022-23: $13.216 million
● 2023-24: $23.253 million with current request
● 2024-25: $30.536 million requested

All of that adds up to $60.741 million spent to far and $91.277 million with the 2024-25 request included. That still leaves $68.723 million to go for the last three years of the program, an average of $22.908 million available each year, well above the planned availability of $19.200 million for each year of the program from 2020 to 2028.

The figures do present the question of whether the $160 million funding will even be enough to continue the current programming at the current dizzying participation rates, and if LA28 will be asked to contribute more money … at the very time when the funding needs to stage the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be at their height.

But that’s a question for another day. For now, this program is bringing more sport to more people at a low cost, that means more can play in L.A.

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PANORAMA: One year to go for Milan Cortina 2026; U.S.’s Macuga wins Alpine Super-G bronze; Canadian sport reeling from low funding

By
Rich Perelman
-
The first invitations to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina were given to reps from six countries on Thursday (Photo: IOC/Greg Martin).

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The formal invitations to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina, Italy, were distributed on Thursday in the year-to-go ceremony, held at the Teatro Strehler.

Present at the ceremony itself were representatives of the National Olympic Committee of Greece, plus the countries of recent and future Games: China (2022 Winter), France (2024 and 2030 Winter), Italy (2026 Winter), the U.S. (2028 and 2034 Winter) and Australia (2032).

Catherine Raney Norman, a four-time Olympic speed skater and Chair of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games bid team, was the U.S. rep for the ceremony.

Milan Cortina chief executive Andrea Varnier reported that some 85,000 volunteer applications had been received, with about 18,000 expected to be needed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.

On the construction front, the new Arena de la Santa Giulia in Milan, slated for ice hockey, is now anticipated to be finished and turned over to the organizing committee some time in the fall of 2025.

● Canada ● The Canadian Press filed a lengthy story about hard times for Canada’s national federations and athlete development program, with no national funding increase in years:

“The last increase in core federal funding for Canada’s 62 summer and winter national sport organizations was in 2005.

“Core funding is money all [national sports organizations] count on to fund operations, athletes, coaches and support staff.”

Most of the world’s National Olympic Committees, and then the national federations, depend on government funding for support of current and development athletes. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, which receives a share of the NBC television rights paid to the International Olympic Committee as well as TOP sponsorships, national sponsorships and donations, is the only National Olympic Committee which is not government funded.

Requests for C$104 million more in national funding for Canadian programs were turned aside last year, and the request is now up to C$144 million in 2025 (~$100.65 million U.S.).

Now, athletes are having to pay fees to national federations:

“Bobsledders fork anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 from their own pockets to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, which CEO Kien Tran said was a five-fold increase over the previous year.

“‘If I could sum it up, because of this lack of funding, sports in Canada is becoming just pay to play,’ Tran said. ‘It falls on the athletes. You may be not be getting the best athletes. You may be getting the best athletes that can afford this.’”

Luge Canada chief executive Tim Farstad warned, “The athletes aren’t just paying for their travel. They’re having to pay for us to have an organization. … The government doesn’t understand how critical it is right now. It’s not just us asking for more money again. We’re at the end of the rope.”

Canada won 27 medals at the Paris Olympic Games (9-7-11), ranked 11th by total medals, and 26 Winter Games medals – ranked fourth by total – at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games (4-8-14).

● Alpine Skiing ● The FIS Alpine World Championships are often a showcase not for the consistent World Cup winners, but for skiers who get it just right on the right day.

On Thursday, 31-year-old Stephanie Vernier (AUT), a skier with three World Cup wins across 11 seasons, won her first Worlds medal in eight years and got her first gold with a splendid performance in the women’s Super-G.

Starting seventh, she timed 1:20.47 to take the lead from Italian star Federica Brignone (1:20.57) … and it held up! There were more challengers and Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie – the bronze winner in 2023 – skied into third place in 1:20.71. That held up under the challenge of Italian star Sofia Goggia – the silver medalist in this event at the 2019 Worlds – who was just behind at 1:20.77.

Up 14th was the rising American Lauren Macuga, 22, who won her first World Cup medal (a gold) on 12 January. She was fast from the start and had the fastest first split, then settled down and ended up at 1:20.71, the same as Vickhoff Lie and they shared the bronze medal!

Breezy Johnson of the U.S. was 19th (1:22.20) and Keely Cashman was 24th (1:22.46). Lindsey Vonn, who won this event at the 2009 Worlds, started 30th and did not finish, as she hooked a gate with her arm.

The men’s Super-G comes on Friday, the women’s Downhill on Saturday and the men’s Downhill on Sunday.

● Athletics ● The 117th Millrose Games comes on Saturday from New York and will be shown nationally on NBC from 4-6 p.m. Eastern time. The featured race is once again the Wanamaker Mile, with Paris Olympic 1,500 m silver medalist Josh Kerr (GBR) – the 2023 World 1,500 m Champion – competing with American Olympic bronze winner Yared Nuguse, the two-time defending champion.

Olympic men’s 1,500 m winner Cole Hocker of the U.S. moves up to 3,000 m and will face two-event Olympic bronze winner Grant Fisher and Tokyo Olympic 5,000 m silver medalist Moh Ahmed (CAN), and the women’s mile will have Paris Olympic 1,500 m bronze winner Georgia Bell (GBR) competing with American Elise Cranny, who moved to no. 4 all-time U.S. last week in the indoor mile at 4:20.83, and U.S. Olympic Trials 1,500 m winner Nikki Hiltz.

World Indoor men’s 800 m champ Bryce Hoppel will face New Balance Grand Prix 1,500 m winner Josh Hoey.

The sprints have 2016 World Indoor champ Trayvon Bromell of the U.S. against Tokyo 2020 100 m champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA), and comebacking Jacious Sears – who won at the New Balance Grand Prix – headlines the women’s 60. The best short race might be the women’s 60 m hurdles, with Olympic champ Masai Russell and world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton (BAH), who were 1-3 in Boston.

There’s more, with teen 400 m star Quincy Wilson moving up to 600 m, and Tokyo Olympic women’s vault winner – and world leader – Katie Moon slated to compete.

A new report says that as many as 30 Kenyan athletes are being investigated by Athletics Kenya and the Athletics Integrity Unit for falsifying their ages.

The inquiry is focusing on the national trials for last year’s World Athletics U-20 Championships held in Peru, an event where age cheating has been an issue in the past. Said Athletics Kenya’s Director of Youth and Development, Barnaba Korir, “It involves parents, coaches, teachers, and athletes, who are already talking to us. They have given us credible leads, and the revelations are disturbing.”

● Football ● The FIFA Council suspended the national federations of the Congo and of Pakistan:

● “FECOFOOT [Congo] has been suspended with immediate effect due to a particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties in the affairs of the organisation, which constitutes a clear violation of FECOFOOT’s obligations in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.”

FIFA requires that “the FECOFOOT headquarters, the Ignié Technical Centre and the association’s other facilities” must be returned to the control of FECOFOOT and that the federation be allowed to operate normally.

● “The PFF has been suspended with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt a revision of the PFF Constitution that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thereby fulfil its obligations as mandated by FIFA as part of the ongoing normalisation process of PFF.”

The suspension will be continued until the federation approves a new constitution “presented by FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation.].”

● Freestyle Skiing ● The penultimate FIS World Cup Big Air competition was in Aspen, Colorado on Thursday, with Austria’s Matej Svancer – the 2021 World Junior Champion – getting his first win of the season, scoring 190.25 to edge New Zealand’s Luca Harrington, the seasonal leader, who finished with 187.25 points. American Konnor Ralph was third at 183.75 for his second career World Cup medal.

Canada’s Megan Oldham, the 2023 Worlds bronzer, won the women’s event at 183.75, ahead of Flora Tabanelli (ITA: 175.25). Tabanelli is the only one to medal in all five of the Big Air events this season (1-3-1) and is the discipline leader heading to the finale in France in March.

● Gymnastics ● The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, the disciplinary arm of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, imposed a four-year ban on judge Evangelia Trikomiti (CYP). A three-person panel:

“found Ms. Trikomiti guilty of score manipulation at the 2024 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships and sanctioned her with a 4-year period of ineligibility from all gymnastics-related activities, excluding coaching activities. Moreover, her FIG Judge Brevet is annulled.”

She was accused of supporting an athlete from Cyprus, Vera Tugolukova, who qualified for the Paris Olympic Games with an individual quota spot out of the qualifying round over Liliana Lewinska (POL) by 0.025 points. The GEF held that Trikomiti “manipulated the competition through interfering in the scores to ensure that ‘her’ athlete, the athlete from Cyprus, obtained the Olympic quota.”

European Gymnastics, of which Trikomiti was the head of the Rhythmic technical committee, was also found liable and fined €8,000.

● Snowboard ● The FIS World Cup Big Air concluded in Aspen, Colorado, with 17-year-old Eli Bouchard (CAN) winning his first World Cup medal with a gold at 189.00, ahead of Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa (184.50) and Yuto Miyamura (171.25). Americans Oliver Martin (170.75) and Red Gerard (168.00) – the 2018 Olympic Slopestyle winner – finished 4-5.

It was Hasegawa’s fourth medal in five events (2-2-0) and he ran away with the seasonal title with 360 points.

New Zealand’s 2022 Olympic silver winner Zoi Sadowski Synnott won the women’s event at 172.25, followed by Japan’s Kokomo Murase (170.25) and Momo Suzuki (150.00), and Americans Lily Dhawornvej (145.50) and Hahna Norman (144.25).

British star Mia Brookes, the 2023 World Slopestyle champ, took the seasonal title at 305 points, tied with Mari Fukada (JPN), but with two wins to one on the season.

● Wrestling ● Strong performance for the U.S. men’s Freestylers at the first United World Wrestling ranking event for 2025, the Zagreb Open in Croatia, with three wins.

Three-time World Champion Kyle Snyder took the 97 kg gold with a 12-1 technical fall over Iran’s Abolfazi Babaloo, while Paris 2024 silver winner Spencer Lee (57 kg) won his final by 6-2 over Islam Barazganov (AZE). Zahid Valencia, the 2023 Worlds bronzer, won the 86 kg gold with an 8-0 victory against Arseni Dzhioev (AZE).

The U.S. also had three silver medalists, with the 2023 Worlds bronze winner, Mason Parris, making the final at 125 kg, Joey McKenna at 65 kg and David Carr at 74 kg.

The American men’s Freestyle squad won 13 medals in total and won the team title over Iran, 190-182. Competition continues in women’s Freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman.

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NCAA: Board of Governors changes rules – in about 22 hours – to comply with Trump’s Executive Order on transgenders in women’s sport

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ NCAA BANS TRANSGENDERS ≡

“The new policy limits competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”

That’s from the NCAA on Thursday afternoon, quickly complying with President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order, about 22 hours after it was signed Wednesday.

The announcement, following approval by the NCAA Board of Governors, stated that:

“This policy is effective immediately and applies to all student-athletes regardless of previous eligibility reviews under the NCAA’s prior transgender participation policy.”

NCAA President Charlie Baker added:

“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.

“This national standard brings much needed clarity as we modernize college sports for today’s student-athletes.”

The new policy notes that the men’s category is essentially open, “regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity,” and also follows the language already included in H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 that was passed by the U.S. House on 14 January, and has been introduced in the Senate (S. 9), allowing men to practice with women’s teams “and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice.”

The NCAA’s transgender policy has been in flux. In 2010, rules required testosterone suppression therapy for men-to-women transitions for a minimum of one year. That was updated in 2022:

“NCAA policy calls for transgender participation in each sport to be determined by the policy for the national governing body of that sport. If there is no NGB policy for that sport, it would then be determined by the policy for that sport’s international federation.”

A transitional period was in effect for about a year, then:

“Beginning Aug. 1, 2023, participation in NCAA sports requires transgender student-athletes to provide documentation that meets the sport-specific standard submitted twice annually (once at the beginning of competition season and the second six months following) for one year. This process will continue annually for eligible student-athletes.

“For participation in NCAA championships, transgender athletes must additionally provide documentation of testosterone levels to the [NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports] with laboratory work completed within four weeks of the championship selections.”

Now, the NCAA has simply signed up for the women-at-birth standard implemented by the Trump Administration, noting:

“Individual schools have the autonomy to determine athletics participation on their campuses,” but also “NCAA schools are subject to local, state and federal legislation and such policy supersedes the rules of the NCAA.”

There may be litigation on the matter, but for now, the overnight policy shift has been made.

Observed: The NCAA’s quick compliance not only acknowledged the Executive Order, but is also in line with the organization’s deep need for new laws regulating name-image-likeness rules for collegiate athletes and a desire for an anti-trust exemption to end the cascade of lawsuits by former and current players for compensation of all kinds, and collective bargaining rights.

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LANE ONE: Trump promises no transgender women at the LA28 Olympics; can he really do that?

By
Rich Perelman
-
President Donald Trump at the signing of his "Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order on 5 February 2025 at The White House (Photo: C-SPAN video screenshot).

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≡ TRUMP AND THE 2028 GAMES ≡

“Marco is going to make clear to the International Olympic Committee there, and he’s going to make it as clear as anybody can make it that America categorically rejects transgender lunacy. We want them to change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject.”

That was U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking on Wednesday to an overflow crowd in the East Room of The White House, and referring to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where he signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order, which included:

“[I]t is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”

He further explained:

“[I]n Los Angeles in 2028, my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes, and we’re just not going to let it happen and it’s going to end, and it’s ending right now and nobody’s going to be able to do a damn thing about it because when I speak, we speak with authority. …

“And for the same reason, just to make sure, I’m also directing our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem … to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes, to try and get into the Games.”

Can Trump really do this?

The answer is a definite “maybe.”

First of all, Trump’s Executive Order is in the mix with Congressional legislation to essentially the same end:

● H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 was passed by the U.S. House on 14 January, and included:

“[A] recipient of Federal financial assistance who operates, sponsors, or facilitates an athletic program or activity to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls” and “For the purposes of this subsection, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

● A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate – S. 9 – by Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville and has been placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, awaiting action.

Whether this bill can get through the Senate, which requires 60 votes to end debate and move to a vote, is unclear. Trump’s Executive Order brings the policy forward now, for his administration, through 2028.

Now, onto the International Olympic Committee. Here, there is mis-information and dis-information at multiple levels.

● In November 2015, the IOC Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism issued a document which offered guidelines – not rules – to International Federations. Transition from the female category to the male category was allowed without restriction.

Transition from male to female was allowed only once per four years, with “total testosterone level in serum has been below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months prior to her first competition.”

● This stance was changed in 2021, with the issuance of the much longer “IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations,” which eliminated the 10 nmol/L standard in favor of decisions by each federation for its own sport, noting specifically:

“The IOC is therefore not in a position to issue regulations which define eligibility criteria for every sport, discipline or event across the very different national jurisdictions and sport systems.”

So, the IOC has no direct regulations on transgenders at all. It’s up to each sport.

The federations are all over the lot on this. Multiple federations, in aquatics, athletics, swimming, rowing, tennis, triathlon and others have issued detailed regulations on this subject. While the early leader in this area was World Athletics, which has seen extensive litigation over differences in sex development – notably by South Africa’s two-time Olympic women’s 800 m champ Caster Semenya – the most aggressive regulations recently published have come from World Aquatics, which issued 2023 rules that include:

“Male-to-female transgender athletes (transgender women) and athletes with 46 XY DSD whose legal gender and/or gender identity is female are eligible to compete … if they can establish to World Aquatics’ comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later.”

This effectively shuts the door to male athletes such as Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who swam for the men’s team as William Thomas as a freshman and sophomore and then transitioned to female for a year at age 20 before joining the women’s team for the 2021-22 season.

World Triathlon’s regulations, effective this year, allow transgender women to compete in the women’s division after a four-year transition period during which time the athlete must maintain testosterone levels of 2.5 nmol/L, close to the norm for biological women.

Trump made an oblique reference during his remarks on Wednesday to boxing, where two controversial athletes in the women’s 2024 Olympic competitions – Algerian Imane Khelif (66 kg) and Chinese Taipei’s Yu-ting Lin (57 kg) – won gold medals after being accused of being men by the already-excommunicated International Boxing Association. Neither are transgender and both have competed in the women’s division their entire lives.

However, the IOC has dropped sex-testing – in 1999 – but has come under criticism that it should reinstate it. In October, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls called for “sex screening,” which was characterized as “a lot more reliable now, cheap, [and] can be administered in a confidential, dignified manner.”

So, now what?

Can Trump and the U.S. government really keep transgender athletes out of the 2028 Olympic Games? Sure.

The Executive Order makes clear how this would be done, via 8 U.S.C. §1182(A)(6)(C)(i) by the Secretary of Homeland Security:

“Any alien who, by fraud or willfully misrepresenting a material fact, seeks to procure (or has sought to procure or has procured) a visa, other documentation, or admission into the United States or other benefit provided under this chapter is inadmissible.”

However, this could come into conflict with the 2028 Host City Contract between the IOC and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the City of Los Angeles over admission of a holder of an “Olympic identity and accreditation card,” which allows the holder – designated by a National Olympic Committee and under the protection of the IOC – to come and compete at the 2028 Olympic Games.

This would be a flash point which the IOC would treat very seriously and could consider a violation of the Olympic Charter. What sanctions could be attached? The removal of the Olympic Games (from the U.S.) is a listed possibility, which would require a majority vote of the IOC membership.

However, it may not come to that and Trump may actually be a forerunner to a future IOC policy.

That is because multiple candidates for the IOC Presidency in March have come out as clear advocates for a definitive policy to “protect” the women’s category. This includes World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR), IOC member and Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), skiing and snowboard head Johan Eliasch (GBR) and veteran member Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Coe, Coventry and Samaranch are all considered serious candidates for election; Eliasch less so. And Coe has been a ferocious defender of women-in-sport, the most outspoken on the issue among all International Federation presidents.

So U.S. Secretary of State Rubio may not have that much convincing to do, but he’ll need to wait until after 20 March, when the IOC Presidential election will be held.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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PANORAMA: Russia’s Valieva still delinquent on medals and costs; new Chinese TOP sponsor? NFL revving up flag football league!

By
Rich Perelman
-

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Winter Games 2022: Beijing ● The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed to the Russian news agency TASS that figure skater Kamila Valieva, disqualified for doping as of 25 December 2021 and banned for four years, has not returned the medals from competitions after that date.

That includes her 2022 European Championships women’s Singles gold and medals from the Russian national championships and qualifying stages. It does not include any Olympic medals as the Beijing 2022 Team Event medals were not awarded at the Games due to her doping positive; following her disqualification, they were awarded to the U.S. team at the Paris 2024 Games instead.

It was also reported that the World Anti-Doping Agency is waiting for CHF 8,000 in costs from Valieva, which it was awarded in the CAS decision (CHF 1 = $1.11 U.S.).

● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The carousel continues to revolve, trying to identify the head of the new organizing committee for the 2030 Winter Games. Media reports in France speculate that with the withdrawal of biathlon icon Martin Fourcade, perhaps the choice will not be the most-discussed former biathlete Vincent Jay or Freestyle skier Marie Martinod, but 1992 Albertville Freestyle Moguls gold medalist Edgar Grospiron.

Now 55, Grospiron directed the failed Annecy bid for the 2018 Winter Games that went to PyeongChang (KOR). Multiple other names have surfaced, but a decision is expected within the next couple of weeks.

● International Olympic Committee ● SportBusiness reported that Chinese electronics firm TCL is close to finalizing an agreement to become a TOP sponsor in the audio-visual products category previously held by Japanese giant Panasonic.

TCL has a long history of sports sponsorship, including deals with the National Football League in the U.S., the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the South American football confederation CONMEBOL and others.

● American Football ● Make no mistake, flag football is important to the National Football League. As a way to directly involve women in the sport in a big way, as well as a recreational football option that removes the violent aspects of the game, there is significant effort being placed into its future. And, of course, Flag Football will be an added medal sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted at his annual Super Bowl news conference this week:

“That’ll be a big part of the Olympics in a few years. But it’s also something that we want to look at all levels, the youth level all the way up, and we’re exploring very aggressively now an opportunity to create a professional-type league for both men and women. …

“This is something that we’ve been working on for several months. And there’s a tremendous amount of interest from players, from investors, to people who recognize, particularly, that women sports are in a place where it’s real and it’s something we all want to be part of.”

The NFL Pro Bowl Games flag football event last Sunday drew 4.7 million viewers across the ABC and ESPN platforms, less than the prior two years in which the flag game was held: 5.8 million in 2024 and 6.3 million in 2023. It was reported as the least-watched Pro Bowl ever, outside of the Covid-impacted 2021 edition.

● Boxing ● World Boxing has called an Extraordinary Congress online for 1 March 2025 for the specific purpose of formally approving the membership of more than a dozen national federations.

World Boxing approvals have been made for 55 members already, but 17 more have been confirmed by the Executive Board, but need a vote of the Congress for official membership. Additional federations are expected to be presented prior to 1 March, just 2 1/2 weeks prior to the International Olympic Committee Session in Greece from 18-20 March, when World Boxing could be recognized as the governing body for Olympic boxing.

If so, then the sport will be confirmed for the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

● Figure Skating ● A “Legacy on Ice” benefit will be held on Sunday, 2 March at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. to remember and support the 28 skaters, coaches and family who perished in the 29 January crash of American Eagle flight 5342.

All proceeds will be collected by the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation and equally distributed to the U.S. Figure Skating Family Support Fund, Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund” and DC Fire & EMS Foundation.

The program is being presented by Monumental Sports and Entertainment, U.S. Figure Skating, DC Fire & EMS Foundation and the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Stars such as World Champions Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, U.S. women’s champions Amber Glenn and Alysia Liu and past stars Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir, Kristi Yamaguchi and Scott Hamilton are expected to participate.

Said Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chair, “By raising funds to support their families, we hope to provide a small amount of comfort during this terrible time.”

● Football ● The brother of Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso and Spanish keeper Misa Rodriguez both testified in the criminal trial of former Royal Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales and three others, saying they were aware of the pressure being placed on Hermoso to downplay Rubiales’ forcible kiss following Spain’s win at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Rafael Hermoso said Spanish coach Jorge Vilda “said that the president [Rubiales] wanted me to talk to Jenni to ask her to record the video together downplaying the kiss, because that would be the best thing for everyone. …

“I told him that I was not going to try to convince her to do something that I also don’t agree with.”

Rodriguez also said her teammate was being pressured to record a video downplaying the incident:

“She told us that she didn’t want to do it and we supported her decision. We told her that she should not talk to anybody anymore and should try to get some rest, because we noticed that she was not well.”

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