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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2036 ● The Hungarian Supreme Court rules Thursday that a referendum can be held on the question of whether Budapest should bid for a future Olympic Games.
Budapest is in “dialogue” with the International Olympic Committee in the informal discussion process of future hosing of Olympic Games, but the Momentum Party – which rose to prominence in opposing Budapest’s 2024 Olympic bid – has asked for a public vote on the issue.
The request was blocked by the National Election Committee, but has now been successfully appealed. Voter concerns center primarily on the potential costs of an Olympic Games in the country; they will now have a chance to vote on it.
● Memorabilia ● Auction 97 from Ingrid O’Neil closed on Saturday evening, with five items bringing more than $5,000:
● $35,000: Athens 1896 second-place (bronze) medal
● $30,000: Tokyo 2020 silver medal for cycling
● $26,000: Paris 2024 Olympic torch
● $20,000: London 2012 silver medal for artistic gymnastics
● $6,500: Los Angeles 1932 silver medal
There were no bids on the ultra-rare 1968 Grenoble Olympic Winter Games torch, one of only 33 made, with a starting bid of $180,000.
● Alpine Skiing ● American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin “won” her eighth reindeer and 98th FIS World Cup gold in the Slalom in Levi (FIN), leading the first run and then sixth-fastest on the final run to win in 1:47.20.
She was a clear winner over Katharina Liensberger (AUT: 1:47.99) and German Lina Duerr (1:48.03). Fellow American Paula Moltzan was eighth in 1:48.71.
On Sunday, the men’s Slalom went to Olympic champ Clement Noel (FRA), who led after the first run and had the second-fastest second run to win in 1:53.98 over Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR: 1:54.78). Benjamin Ritchie was the top American, in 13th (1:56.11).
It’s Noel’s first win at Levi and his 11th career World Cup gold.
● Archery ● At the World Archery Indoor World Series GT Open in Strassen (LUX), France’s Anthony Barbier won the men’s Recurve win by 6-4 over Alen Remar (CRO), and in the all-Korean women’s final, Duna Lim defeated Hana Lim, 6-2.
● Athletics ● USA Track & Field posted its 2024 award winners, with the men’s Athlete of the Year – the Jesse Owens Award – going to Olympic 110 m hurdles champ Grant Holloway and the women’s Jackie Koyner-Kersee Award to Olympic 200 m winner Gabby Thomas.
The USATF Nike Coach of the Year winner is UCLA head coach Joanna Hayes, who mentored Rai Benjamin, the winner of the men’s 400 m hurdles. Prep sensation Quincy Wilson, 16, who won an Olympic gold for his lead-off leg in the prelims of the men’s 4×400 m relay that eventually won the final (with Benjamin on anchor), won the Youth Athlete of the Year.
● Badminton ● China scored two wins at the BWF World Tour Kumamoto Masters Japan in Kunamoto, with Shi Feng Li taking the men’s Singles over Jun Hao Leong (MAS), 21-10, 21-13, and Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan winning the women’s Doubles against Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto (JPN), 21-15, 21-5.
Japan got a win in the women’s Singles from second-seed Akane Yamaguchi, 21-12, 21-12 over Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA), but Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) lost the men’s Doubles final to third-seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA), 21-15, 17-21, 21-17.
The new pairing of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran (THA) won in the men’s Doubles, 21-16, 10-21, 21-17, over Thom Qicquel and Delphine Derue (FRA).
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● A big surprise at the season-opening IBSF World Cup for Skeleton only in PyeongChang (KOR), with Britain’s Amelia Coltman getting her first World Cup medal – a victory – coming from 15th after the first run to first after the second!
Coltman had the second-best second run to vault past the top 14, finishing in 1:48.41, ahead of three-time Worlds medal winner Austria’s Janine Flock, the first-run leader (1:48.49), and Nicole Rocha Silveira (BRA: 1:48.54).
Katie Uhlaender was the top American in 14th (1:49.08) and Mystique Ro was 15th (1:49.10).
Britain scored again in the women’s second race, with Freya Tarbit winning both runs to finish at 1:44.68 for her first career World Cup victory, ahead of Olympic champ Hannah Niese (GER: 1:45.64) and Flock (1:45.70).
Sara Roderick was the top U.S. finisher, in 12th (1:46.49).
Three-time World Champion Christopher Grotheer (GER) won the men’s first run and finished the first race in 1:46.32, ahead of British riders Marcus Wyatt (1:46.47) and 2023 World Champion Matt Weston (1:46.95).
Grotheer completed a sweep with a second-race victory in 1:42.81, coming from third after the first run. Wyatt and Weston were 2-3 again, in 1:42.87 and 1:43.31, with Wyatt the first-run leader. Austin Florian was the top American, in 11th (1:43.93).
● Figure Skating ● Japan scored men’s and women’s victories for the second week in a row in the ISU Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki (FIN), led by three-time men’s Worlds silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama.
He won the Short Program by more than 13 points, but was only fifth in the Free Skate. Still, he finished with 263.09 points, ahead of teammate Kevin Aymoz (FRA: 259.15) and Italy’s Daniel Grassl (258.55), the Free Skate winner. American Camden Pulkinen finished ninth (195.18).
For the second week in a row, Japan went 1-2 in the women’s Singles, with Hana Yoshida – the 2024 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist – winning at 199.46, just ahead of Rino Matsuike (199.20). Lara Gutmann (ITA: 198.49) was third, with American Sarah Everhardt fourth (191.17), and Lindsay Thorngren of the U.S. in ninth (170.64).
In Pairs, Canada’s 2024 World Champions, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, won their second Grand Prix title of the season, winning both segments and scoring 207.44 points. Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko finished second (184.21).
Americans Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe were fifth (174.40) and Naomi Williams and Lachlan Lewer finished eighth (153.34).
The Ice Dance victory went to Britain’s European Championship runner-ups Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who won the Free Dance to vault from second to first with 203.22 points. Just behind were Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN), the Rhythm Dance leaders, who scored 200.79, ahead of Finland’s Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis (196.60).
Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik placed third in the Free Dance and finished fifth overall at 189.48, with Eva Pate and Logan Bye in seventh (180.35) and siblings Oona Brown and Gage Brown in eighth (176.57).
The circuit moves on to the Cup of China in Chongqing from 22-24 November, the last event before the Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) in December.
● Lacrosse ● World Lacrosse elected American Bob DeMarco as its new President during its online 2024 General Assembly, succeeding Sue Redfern (GBR), for a four-year term.
DeMarco, a board member since 2017, was selected over Jakob Grossehagenbrock (GER) and Ronald Jones (NZL). DeMarco played football and lacrosse at Hofstra University in New York and was a long-time coach at Old Bridge High School in Matawan, New Jersey and an assistant at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Lacrosse Sixes has been added to the 2028 Olympic program for Los Angeles, and World Lacrosse chief executive Jim Scherr had his contract extended through 2028. Scherr joined the federation as chief executive in 2017 and led the charge for Olympic inclusion. The first World Championships for Sixes will take place in 2027.
● Rugby ● The World Rugby Council elected Australian Brett Robinson as Chair at its interim meeting in Dublin (IRL). Robinson competed with Abdelatif Benazzi (FRA) and Andrea Rinaldo (ITA), with Robinson receiving 22 votes in the first round to 21 Benazzi and nine for Rinaldo, who was eliminated.
The vote was again close in the second round, with Robinson winning with 27 to 25. A former Australian player with 16 national-team appearances, Robinson was the Australian Rugby Union’s General Manager of High Performance for 10 years, leaving in 2005. He will serve a four-year term and could be re-elected for a second, four-year term.
● Speed Skating ● The U.S. scored seven wins at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Hachinohe City (JPN), with triple World Champion Jordan Stolz leading the way.
The World Champion at 500-1,000-1,5000 m two years in a row, Stolz won all three events, in 34.47, 1:08.04 (track record) and 1:44.45 (track record). Stolz beat 2024 Worlds runner-up Laurent Dubrueil (CAN: 34.68) in the 500 m, 2020 World Sprint Champion Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN: 1:08.38) in the 1,000 m and China’s 2024 Worlds runner-up Zhongyan Ning (1:45.84) in the 1,500 m.
American Cooper McLeod was fourth in the 500 m (34.99), and Zach Stoppelmoor was seventh (35.21), plus a fifth in the 1,000 m (1:09.79). Emery Lehman was fifth at 1,500 m at 1:47.77.
Canada’s Graeme Fish, the 2020 World Champion at 10,000 m, won the men’s 5,000 m in 6:18.06, a track record, and Vitaliy Chshigolev (KAZ) won the Mass Start race in 8:22.05, with Ethan Cepuran of the U.S. fifth in 8:23.48.
The U.S. won both relays. In the Team Sprint, Austin Kleba, McLeod and Stoppelmoor (1:19.43) won over China (1:19.78), and Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Stolz won the Team Pursuit in 3:43.13, with Japan second at 3:44.47.
American stars Erin Jackson and Brittany Bowe won the women’s 500 m and 1,000 m. Jackson, the Olympic champ, timed 38.16 to win over Kurumi Inagawa (JPN: 38.26), with fellow Americans Kimi Goetz fifth (38.53) and Bowe sixth (38.56).
Bowe, the three-time World Champion at 1,000 m, won that race in 1:15.65, ahead of Nadezhda Morozova (KAZ: 1:17.16) and Goetz (1:17.23).
World Champion Miho Takagi (JPN) was an easy winner in the 1,500 m at 1:54.86, beating Mei Han (CHN: 1:56.53), and teammate Momoka Horikawa took the women’s 3,000 m in 4:06.91. Canada’s Ivanie Blondin, the 2022 Olympic runner-up, won the Mass Start in 9:23.28, with American Mia Manganello second in 9:23.36.
Canada also won the women’s Team Sprint, with China taking the Team Pursuit.
● Volleyball ● Brazilian Fabio Azevedo was elected by acclimation for an eight-year term as President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) at the FIVB Congress in Porto (POR).
He succeeds fellow Brazilian Ary Graca, termed out after 12 years. Azevedo’s first action was to appoint his replacement as Secretary General, naming New Zealand’s Hugh McCutcheon, already an FIVB advisor. McCutcheon was a highly successful coach, leading the U.S. men to a Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medal, and the U.S. women to a London 2012 Olympic silver.
He was the University of Minnesota women’s head coach from 2012-22, retired and has been an Assistant Athletics Director and Sport Development Coach at Minnesota.
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