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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2036 ● South African Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie met with International Olympic Committee officials in Lausanne (SUI) last week to signal the country’s interest in the 2036 Olympic Games. Said McKenzie:
“The trip this week is the proud culmination of our meeting last month with [IOC President Thomas] Bach during his visit to South Africa. It became clear in discussions with him that bidding for an Olympics is no longer as difficult, prescriptive and expensive as it used to be, and that it would be a very constructive and progressive experience.”
The next step will be a feasibility study from the IOC after a visit, to possibilities for a potential future bid for the Games. The IOC already has perhaps a dozen countries interested in future Olympic Games to be held in 2036 or 2040; South Africa staged the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
● U.S. National Governing Bodies ● Lots of chatter over Friday stories in Colorado media over the potential move of a U.S. National Governing Body to Colorado Springs, which is also the home of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
The Colorado Springs Gazette wrote:
“The national governing body for an unnamed major Olympic sport overseeing six disciplines is considering building a large-scale Training and Wellness Center in Colorado Springs, envisioned to be the ‘heart and hub’ of the sport in the United States.”
Economic incentives for the move were made by the Colorado Economic Development Commission last week, including five-year development funding of up up to $552,500 from the Strategic Fund Job Growth Incentives and up to $1 million Strategic Fund Initiative.
While the NGB being wooed was not named, language used to refer to the target matches with that used by USA Gymnastics, now headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The unnamed NGB is also considering two other locations, including Indianapolis.
● Alpine Skiing ● Sunday’s FIS World Cup men’s Slalom in Gurgl (AUT) was another showcase for Olympic champ Clement Noel (FRA), who won his second straight World Cup race in 1:46.25 after leading by a huge 0.88 seconds following the first run. Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen moved from eighth to second on the second run (1:46.68) and Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath was third in 1:46.69.
Benjamin Ritchie was the top American in 21st (1:48.12). It’s Noel’s 12th career World Cup gold.
● Athletics ● Harvard’s Graham Blanks defended his 2023 title at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, breaking the race open by the 9 km mark and winning in 28:37.2.
New Mexico soph Habtom Samuel (ERI) was second for the second straight year at 28:38.9, with Dylan Schubert of Furman third in 28:39.6. Blanks won back-to-back for the first time since Conner Mantz of BYU in 2020 and 2021. Favored BYU won the men’s team title, its second ever (also in 2019), by 124-137 over Iowa State.
The women’s 6 km race saw BYU win its sixth team title, scoring 147 points to 164 for West Virginia. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole (KEN) – the 2024 NCAA Steeple winner – moved up from second last year to win decisively in 19:21.0, to 19:27.8 for New Mexico frosh Pamela Kosgei (KEN) and 19:28.7 for Florida junior Hilda Olemomoi (KEN).
It was the first time one school won both the men’s and women’s titles since Colorado in 2004.
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Grand Slam Track announced five more “Racer” signings, bringing the total to 37 out of 48 for its inaugural season in 2025. This new group is led by Kenyan Mary Moraa, the 2023 women’s World Champion at 800 m, 2019 World women’s 400 m champ and Paris silver winner Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) and Britain’s 2024 European 200 m women’s silver medalist Daryll Neita.
Also signed were distance runners Elise Cranny, a five-time U.S. national champ, and Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, a two-time Olympian in the women’s 1,500 m and 5,000 m.
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The Athletics Integrity Unit banned Kenyan women’s distance runner Emmaculate Anyango for six years from 26 September 2024 for use of testosterone and erythropoietin. Her results are nullified from 3 February 2024.
Anyango was fourth at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships (result now nullified), but still ranks no. 2 all-time in the road 10 km at 28:57 from her second at Valencia (ESP) on 14 January of this year.
● Badminton ● Two wins for the host country at the 2024 China Masters in Shenzhen (CHN), with Yan Zhe Feng and Dong Ping Huang taking the Mixed Doubles from Pang Ron Hoo and Su Yin Cheng (MAS) by 21-23, 25-23, 21-16, and in an all-China women’s Doubles final, second seeds Sheng Su Liu and Ning Tan defeated Yi Jing Li and Xu Min Luo, 21-10, 21-10.
Denmark’s three-time Worlds medalist Anders Antonsen won the men’s Singles over Jonatan Christie (INA), 21-15, 21-13 and top seed Se Young An (KOR) defeated Fang Jie Gao (CHN), 21-12, 21-8 in the women’s Singles final.
Yong Jin and Seung Jae Seo (KOR) won the men’s Doubles final in straight sets – 21-16, 21-16 – over Sabar Gutama and Moh Reza Isfahani (INA).
● Baseball ● In the final of the Premier12 championship at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Chinese Taipei upset undefeated Japan, 4-0, thanks to home runs from catcher Chia-Cheng Lin and centerfielder Chieh-Hsieh Chen and shutout pitching from four pitchers. The U.S. team of free agents and minor leaguers won the bronze, 6-1, over Venezuela.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Beijing 2022 Olympic Skeleton champ Christopher Grotheer (GER) won his third straight IBSF World Cup race this season, in Yanqing (CHN), beating Britain’s 2023 World Champion Matt Weston, 2:01.93 to 2:01.94. Grotheer was second in both runs, while Weston was the first-run leader, then was third on the second run.
Austin Florian was the top American, in 14th place (2:03.34).
China’s Dan Zhao, the Chinese flagbearer at the 2022 Winter Games, won the women’s race in 2:04.27, beating Olympic champ Hannah Niese (GER: 2:04.64). Mystique Rho was the top American finisher, in 10th (2:06.07).
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At the Pan American Championships in Bobsled in Whistler (CAN), Canada’s Taylor Austin and Shane Ohrt won the Two-Man in 1:46.18 over Americans Geoffrey Gadbois and Collin Storms (1:46.47).
Canada swept the women’s Monobob with Bianca Ribi (1:53.10), Erica Voss (1:53.11) and Mackenzie Stewart (1:54.05). American Riley Tejeck was fourth (1:54.45).
● Cycling ● Olympic medal winners Matthew Richardson and Katie Archibald were the stars of the first round of the UCI Track Champions League, in St. Quentin-en-Yvelines (FRA).
Richardson, who is now competing for Great Britain after five years representing Australia, won the Sprint silver in Paris, and won the Sprint over Olympic champ Harrie Lavreysen (NED) by 0.564 seconds, and then won the Keirin over Lavreysen by just 0.258. Richardson leads the Sprint group by 40-34 over Lavreysen.
In the men’s Endurance group, defending champ Dylan Bibic (CAN) won the Scratch race, but Britain’s William Perrett took the Elimination race. Bibic leads the seasonal table with 33 points, to 25 for Oscar Nilsson-Julien (FRA).
Britain’s Emma Finucane, a Team Sprint gold medalist in Paris, won the women’s Sprint over Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda by 0.042, then finished second in the Keirin to Russian Alina Lysenko, competing as a “neutral.” Finucane leads Lysenko, 37-35, in the seasonal table.
Archibald, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was unable to compete in Paris due to injury, won both the Scratch and Elimination races and leads the Endurance standings with 40 points to 27 for Yareli Acevedo of Mexico.
The series moves to Apeldoorn (NED) next week.
● Diving ● One of the greatest coaches in history, Ron O’Brien (USA) passed away at age 86 on 19 November.
He was most famously the coach of Greg Louganis, but began as a diver himself at Ohio State, just missing qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1960. As a coach, he mentored stars such as Louganis, the double gold medalist in 1984 and 1988, 1976 women’s 3 m gold medalist Jennifer Chandler, two-time women’s Olympic 10 m silver winner Michele Mitchell, and two-time Olympic women’s 10 m bronze medalist Mary Ellen Clark.
O’Brien retired from coaching in 1996 and became the USA Diving technical director.
● Fencing ● At the FIE Foil World Cup for men and women in Tunis (TUN), the U.S. enjoyed an all-American final with three-time Olympic medalist Alexander Massialas getting the win by 15-12 over Bryce Louie, the 2024 NCAA champion for Penn.
The U.S. team of Massialas, Louie, Nick Itkin and Chase Emmer faced off against Italy in the men’s team final, losing a tight battle, 45-43, earning the silver medal.
Italy went 1-2 in the women’s Foil, with two-time Team World Champion Martina Favaretto defeating two-time World Champion Ariana Errigo in the final, 15-10. Japan won the Team event, defeating Ukraine in the final by 24-22.
Israel’s Yuval Freilich won the men’s FIE Epee World Cup in Vancouver (CAN), winning the final over Eugeni Gavalda (ESP), 15-13. Korean Sera Song, the 2022 World Champion, took the women’s title, beating Katrina Lewis (EST), 15-8.
Hungary defeated Japan for the men’s team title, 45-31; Korea won the women’s team event over Ukraine, 45-34.
● Figure Skating ● American Amber Glenn, the 2024 national champion, scored her second ISU Grand Prix victory of the season, winning the Cup of China in Chongqing, moving from second to first by winning the Free Skate to score 215.54 points. That was enough to edge ahead of Short Program winner Mone Chiba (JPN: 211.91). Glenn now qualifies for the Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) from 5-8 December.
Japan’s Shun Sato, second in the men’s Singles at Skate Canada International, won in Chongqing with 278.48 points, ahead of Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ: 276.17), who won the Free Skate. France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, the 2024 European Champion, was third at 252.53.
Italy’s 2023 European Champions Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii won the Pairs at 211.05, winning the Short Program, ahead of Germans Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin (209.36). Conti and Macii were second at the Grand Prix de France and got their first win of the season. Americans Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman finished fifth at 159.92.
In the Ice Dance, two-time European champs Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri won both segments to pile up 209.13 points and win comfortably against Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha (CAN: 205.16). Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko took the bronze at 198.18, their fourth career Grand Prix medal.
● Freestyle Skiing ● The FIS World Cup in Slopestyle in Stubai (AUT) saw American Colby Stevenson, the 2022 Olympic Big Air runner-up, take the season opener in windy conditions, scoring 92.00 on his second run to win over Swiss Andri Ragettli (91.00 on his first run) and Norway’s Tormod Frostad, who scored 90.00 on his second run. American Mac Forehand was fourth at 89.00.
France’s Tess Ledeux, the 2017 Slopestyle World Champion, won the women’s division, scoring 87.00 on her second run, enough to win over Mathilde Gremaud (SUI: 85.00 on first run) and Sarah Hoefflin (SUI: 82.25 on second run). American Marin Hamill was fourth at 80.00.
● Ski Jumping ● The seasonal FIS World Cup opener was in Lillehammer (NOR) off the 140 m hill, for both men and women, with good conditions on Saturday, but snowy on Sunday, with a lower start for safety.
Germany’s Pius Paschke scored 317.1 to get his second career World Cup win in the first men’s competition, trailed by Daniel Tschofenig (AUT: 309.2) and Maximilian Ortner (AUT: 307.1). Tate Frantz (USA) was the top American, in 10th at 292.2.
On Sunday, Austria’s Jan Hoerl, a Team gold medalist at Beijing 2022, handled the conditions best and won at 285.3, posting the best jump in the second round to take the event. He passed Paschke, the first-round leader, who ended up second (277.8). Tschofenig was third at 273.8. Frantz was 10th again (246.5).
Slovenia’s Nika Prevc was a decisive winner in Saturday’s women’s jumping, scoring 269.9 for her eighth career World Cup win, well ahead of Germans Katharina Schmid (247.6) and Selina Freitag (244.4).
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Schmid and Freitag moved up to 1-2 on Sunday, scoring 238.9 and 236.1, respectively, with Lisa Eder (AUT: 231.7) in third. Paige Jones of the U.S. was 29th (145.1).
● Speed Skating ● The ISU World Cup opener was in Nagano (JPN), with American Jordan Stolz once again dominating the competition.
A triple World Champion at 500-1,000-1,500 the last two years, Stolz won the men’s 500 m on day one at 34.43, ahead of 2021 World Champion Laurent Dubreuil (CAN: 34.58), then breezed to a track record 1:43.65 win in the 1,500 m, beating Sander Eitrem (NED: 1:44.59).
On Friday, Stolz won the 1,000 m in a track record of 1:07.18, well ahead of Jenning De Boo (NED: 1:08.29) and Cooper McLeod of the U.S. (1:08.43). Then Stolz won the second 500 m race on Saturday in 34.41, with Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama second (34.49); McLeod was fifth (34.81). Four races, four wins.
Italian Davide Ghiotto, twice a 10,000 m World Champion, took the 5,000 m in a track record of 6:12.71, followed by Beau Snellink (NED: 6:13.99). American Casey Dawson was eighth (6:21.35). Timothy Loubineaud (FRA) won the Mass Start at 7:52.12, with Daniele de Stefano (ITA: 7:54.35) second.
Italy also won the men’s Team Pursuit at 3:39.82, with the U.S. (Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, Ethan Cepuran) second in 3:41.83.
The U.S. women got a win from Olympic champ Erin Jackson in the 500 m (37.78), ahead of Dutch star Dione Voskamp (37.84), with fellow American Kimi Goetz in third in 37.98.
Japan’s Miho Takagi, the Olympic 1,000 m gold medalist, won the 1,000 m and 1,500 m – she’s the reigning World Champion in both – in 1:14.60 and 1:55.02. Brittany Bowe of the U.S. was third in the 1,000 m in 1:15.77, with Goetz in fifth at 1:15.56. Bowe was also sixth in the 1,500 m at 1:55.77.
Canada’s Ivanie Blondin, a five-time Worlds gold medalist, won the 3,000 m from Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, 4:03.78 to 4:04.60, then finished second in the women’s Mass Start, behind 2024 Worlds bronze medalist Marijke Groenewoud (NED), 8:36.64 to 8:36.71. American Mia Manganello was fifth in 8:37.81.
The Dutch won the women’s Team Pursuit, with Japan second and the U.S. (Bowe, Manganello and Greta Myers) in third.
● Sport Climbing ● The U.S. won two golds and eight medals at the Pan American Championships in Santiago (CHI).
In the men’s Lead final, Nathan Sato (USA) won at 40+, just ahead of Joaquin Urrutia (CHI: 38+) and fellow American Declan Osgood (34+). The men’s Speed title went to Carlos Granja (ECU) at 5.51, ahead of Thomas Lin (USA: 5.79).
Canada’s Matthew Rodriguez took the Boulder final at 1T4Z ~ 4/13 over American Hugo Hoyer (1T2Z ~ 3/2).
Valentina Aguado (ARG) won the women’s Lead at 41+, ahead of Americans Olivia Ma (38+) and Kyra Condie (37). Andrea Rojas (ECU) won the Speed final over Anahi Riveros (CHI), 7.87-8.71, with American Liberty Runnels winning the third-place final.
The women’s Boulder title went to Adriene Clark of the U.S. at 2T2Z ~ 6/8, ahead of Aguado, who cleared 2T3Z ~ 6/5.
● Swimming ● Tokyo 2020 Olympic open-water gold medalist Florian Wellbrock (GER) triumphed in the finale of the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup in Neom (KSA), swimming in the Red Sea.
Wellbrock won by more than four seconds in 1:50:17.7, ahead of Sacha Velly (FRA: 1:50.21.8) and French teammate (and two-time Worlds open-water gold medalist) Marc-Antoine Olivier (1:50:25.6). Olivier won the seasonal title with 3,100 points ahead of Dario Verani (ITA: 2,850) and Marcello Guidi (ITA: 2,558).
In the women’s 10 km, Olympic silver winner Moesha Johnson (AUS) was a dominant winner at 1:58:52.2, with Lea Boy (GER: 1:59:23.5) second and Paris bronze medalist Ginerva Taddeucci (ITA: 1:59:24.1). Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha won the seasonal title with 2,750 points over Boy (2,638) and Tadeucci (2,200).
In the Mixed 4×1,500 m relay, the German team with Boy on lead-off and Wellbrock on anchor won in 1:07:13.5, ahead of Italy (1:07:34.6) and France (1:08:04.3).
● Table Tennis ● China swept the singles title at the WTT Finals in Fukuoka (JPN), with 2023 Worlds runner-up Chuqin Wang sweeping aside Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) in the final by 4-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5). It’s Wang’s third WTT Finals win in a row.
Second-seed Manyu Wang (CHN), the 2021 World Champion, won the all-Chinese women’s final from Xingtong Chen by 4-3: 13-11, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8 and 11-5.
In the men’s Doubles final, France’s Paris Team bronze medalists Felix LeBrun (18) and Alexis LeBrun (21) won a 3-2 final over Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami (JPN), 12-14, 14-12, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4.
The women’s Doubles final was an all-Japan affair, with Hitomi Sato and Honoka Hashimoto defeating Sakura Yokoi and Satsuki Odo, 3-0 (11-5, 12-10, 11-8).
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