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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Deaflympics ● Sad news that Ralph Fernandez (USA), the chief executive of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) passed away suddenly at age 60 on Sunday (5th).
He was a Deaflympian himself in cycling, winning a silver in the 1,000 m Sprint in 1985. A tireless coach, he stayed involved with cycling for decades and was the ICSD technical director for road and mountain bike from 2010-17.
He designed the ICSD logo in 2004 and was the ICSD’s Information Technology Officer since 2011. He was the organization’s Sports Director beginning in 2023 and became the chief executive in 2024. He received the ICSD Medal of Honor, at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics.
● Athletics ● A touching video tribute from triple World Champion and Paris 2024 100 m gold medalist Noah Lyles on YouTube, to 1972 Olympic 400 m hurdles silver winner and sports performance guru Ralph Mann, who passed away at 75 on 2 January:
“An Olympian and former world Record holder But that’s not why I know him. I know Ralph because he is the crazy scientist that helped me and my coach turn me into the athlete I am today.
“He brought a new way of thinking to my starting blocks that help me to become a great 60m runner and 100m Olympic Champion. I will forever be grateful for the love and support he showed me and for sharing his craft I will forever remember you. RIP Ralph and THANK YOU”
Lyles included some videos of he and Mann working together in 2024, specifically on his start. Lyles plans to open his 2025 season on 2 February at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston.
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Johnny Gregorek, a 3:34.35 1,500 m man (2023) and 3:49.98 indoor miler (2019), announced his retirement on Saturday at age 33. He made two U.S. World Championships teams in the 1,500 m, in 2017 (ninth) and 2022 (eighth in his semi). He won the Pan American Games silver in the 1,500 m in 2019. He finishes as no. 12 all-time in the indoor mile and no. 4 all-time U.S. indoor.
He’s the son of John Gregorek, a Georgetown star who made the U.S. Olympic in the Steeple in 1980, but did not compete in Moscow due to the U.S. boycott. He was a 1984 Olympian in the Steeple, but did not advance out of the heats, and did not make the 1988 team. He had bests of 3:35.3 and 3:51.34 – both from 1982 – and 8:18.45 for the Steeple, in 1984.
● Figure Skating ● Monday marked the 31st anniversary of the infamous attack on reigning U.S. figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan, struck with a baton at Detroit’s Cobo Arena after she finished a practice session, on 6 January 1994.
Kerrigan was attacked by Shane Stant, engaged by Jeff Gilooly, ex-husband of star skater Tonya Harding and Shawn Eckardt, in order to injure Kerrigan and remove her from the ongoing U.S. national championships and the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer (NOR),
While Harding, the 1991 national champion, won in Detroit, Kerrigan was not able to skate, but was named to the 1994 Olympic team anyway. Meanwhile, U.S. Figure Skating Association was convening a hearing panel over Harding’s conduct, but had run out of time vis-a-vis the Olympic women’s figure skating competitions, which began on 23 February.
To prevent any interference with her participation in Lillehammer, Harding filed suit in her home state of Oregon to restrain the U.S. Olympic Committee from holding a hearing to remove her from the Olympic team. Kerrigan won the Olympic silver and Harding finished eighth.
Eventually, Gilooly, Stant, Eckardt pled guilty to varying charges and Harding pled guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution, but avoided prison. She resigned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association and was eventually banned for life.
The U.S. Congress took note of the incident, including Harding’s suit in Oregon, and passed what became known as the “Tonya Harding Rule” in its 1998 amendments to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978:
“In any lawsuit relating to the resolution of a dispute involving the opportunity of an amateur athlete to participate in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, or the Pan American Games, a court shall not grant injunctive relief against the Corporation [USOC] within 21 days before the beginning of such games if the Corporation, after consultation with the chair of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, has provided a sworn statement in writing executed by an officer of the Corporation to such court that its constitution and bylaws cannot provide for the resolution of such dispute prior to the beginning of such games.”
● Gymnastics ● The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation Disciplinary Commission Panel imposed sanctions on four Azerbaijani coaches and officials, but suspended any ban on the Azerbaijan federation. Considering charges of athlete abuse, the panel responded to a 2020 complaint, which was followed by an investigation in 2023:
Former Rhythmic team coach Mariana Vasilieva was suspended for eight years from gymnastics activities (and for life as a coach) for “various mistreatments and physical abuse against athletes, including beating for weight gain; for requiring athletes to perform or train when they were not fit to do so, so as to put the gymnasts’ wellbeing and health at risk; for orally abusing and weight-shaming athletes; for withholding monies and/or rewards of athletes; for depriving and/or preventing athletes from having contact with their families and/or other private communication by depriving them of their mobile phone.”
Two others received sanctions for “hitting a gymnast with a phone” and “harassing a gymnast about her weight” and received suspended sentences of 2-3 years. The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation received a ban of six months, which was suspended for 12 months pending a review and upgrading of its safeguarding procedures, with a first report due by 31 March. A fine of CHF 30,000 was also imposed.
● Ski Jumping ● The final leg of the 73rd Four Hills Tournament in Bischofshofen (AUT) ended with a showdown between two Austrian stars, with 2015 champion Stefan Kraft in the lead.
And Kraft added to his lead by winning the first jump off the 142 m hill, scoring 154.8 points. Countryman Daniel Tschofenig – who won the second leg in Garmisch (GER) – got off a big jump in round two, scoring 159.0 points and putting him in the lead at 308.6 points, with Kraft getting the final jump.
But Kraft’s ending jump was impeded by a 10-delay due to high winds and then ranked only eighth in the round – 148.4 points – and left him third on the day (303.2), with teammate Jan Hoerl completing a sweep in second place (306.5).
All together, Tschofenig was crowned the Four Hills champion, at 1,194.4 points, barely ahead of Hoerl (1,1.93.0) and Ktaft, the 2015 winner (1,190.3). In fact, it was the first Austrian win since Kraft in 2015 and Austrians swept all four legs, something which has not happened since Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi won all four events in 2019. Austria last won all four events in 2012.
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It took until the ninth event of the season in the women’s World Cup for someone other than Katharina Schmid (GER) or Nika Prevc (SLO) to win, but Austria’s Eva Pinkelnig came through on Monday’s jumping in Villach (AUT) in the 98 m hill for victory.
The 2023 Worlds runner-up, Pinkelnig, 36, picked up her 16th career World Cup gold by moving from second to first in the second round, scoring a combined 244.1 points. Second was Schmid, who was only seventh after round one, but was second to Pinkelnig in round two and took the silver at 237.0. Prevc led after the first round, but her fourth-place finish in the second round moved her down to third overall (236.7).
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