SPEED READ: Headlines from The Sports Examiner for Friday, 8 February 2019

Welcome to The Sports Examiner SPEED READ, a 100 mph (44.7 m/s) review of what happened over the last 96 hours in Olympic sport:

LANE ONE

Wednesday: What do International Federation review commissions do, anyway? In Biathlon, quite a lot. Faced with criminal investigations of its ex-President and Secretary General for possible bribery to cover up Russian doping positives, the IBU External Review Commission has taken an activist role, with specific actions designed to find out what is going on, recommend changes to make it doesn’t happen again, cooperation with the criminal authorities, its own interviews of witnesses and a lot more. This could be a blueprint for federations going forward.

Friday: The Olympic Games cannot solve the world’s problems, as Paris 2024 is finding out. French president Emmanuel Macron criticized his own government’s work on the 2024 Games for not “doing more” for the area which will get much of the Olympic construction work, including the Olympic Village. It showcases the folly of making a lot of promises that can’t be kept. Isn’t it better to under-promise and over-deliver? That’s hard in a time when humility seems to be a disappearing virtue.

THE BIG PICTURE

Thursday: Race walkers are desperate to save their place in the Olympic Games, and have proposed a massive change to their events to stay there. This includes giving up on the first walking event to be held in the Games … 87 years ago!

Friday: The International Paralympic Committee conditionally reinstated Russia on Friday, but with a laundry list of conditions. The IPC’s disclosure of its step-by-step reasoning, list of new requirements and transparency on the impact of Para-athletes on the decision, was a breath of fresh air. Hopefully, more will follow in this way; well done!

GLOBETROTTING by Phil Hersh

Monday: A celebration of American skiing star Lindsey Vonn, who won a lot and crashed a lot, but never gave up and will end her career at the Alpine World Championships with her head held high.

Thursday: It may be hard for fans of Japan’s double Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu to hear this, but – at his best – Nathan Chen may be just as good!

ALPINE SKIING

Tuesday: The World Alpine Championships opened in Sweden, with Mikaela Shiffrin speeding to victory in the women’s Super-G, while Lindsey Vonn missed a gate and was disqualified.

Wednesday: Dominik Paris (ITA) won the men’s Super-G, while Shiffrin decided not to compete in the Alpine Combined. She will try for wins in the Giant Slalom and Slalom; if successful, she would be the ninth woman to win three golds in a single Alpine Worlds!

Friday: Swiss Wendy Holdener defends her title in the women’s Alpine Combined. She wasn’t the fastest in either the Downhill or Slalom, but she was the most consistent and that’s what mattered.

ARCHERY

Wednesday: Preview of the world’s largest indoor archery tournament – the Vegas Shoot – which will also host the World Archery Indoor World Series Final. What will 14-year-old Casey Kaufhold do?

ATHLETICS

Wednesday: At the IAAF World Indoor Tour in Torun (POL), home favorite Ewa Swoboda upset Marie Josee Ta Lou (CIV) in the women’s 60 m and American Sam Kendricks won a duel with Poland’s Piotr Lisek to take the pole vault. Plus two world-leading marks!

Thursday: Preview of Saturday’s Millrose Games in New York, with a try for a world record in the men’s mile, starring Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who has already run 3:51.70 this season!

FIGURE SKATING

Tuesday: Preview of the Four Continents Championships in Anaheim, California, with American Ice Dancers Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue for their second Four Continents gold!

FREESTYLE SKIING & SNOWBOARD

Tuesday: A World Snowboard Championships Parallel events sweep for Russia’s Dmitry Loginov, but the weather cancels the Snowboard Big Air event in Utah.

Wednesday: Britain’s James Woods wins the Freestyle Slopestyle title at the World Championships in Utah, with American Nick Goepper claiming the bronze. Mac Forehand of the U.S. got fourth, even though he broke his skis in training … his Mom came to the rescue!

Thursday: The Swiss team wins the first Freestyle Mixed Team Aerials event at the World Championships, this time in Deer Valley in Utah.

SPEED SKATING

Wednesday: Brittany Bowe goes for two titles in the World Single-Distance Championships in Inzell (GER), but will have stiff competition, especially from Japan’s Nao Kodaira!

UPCOMING

Highlights of the coming week, with full coverage on TheSportsExaminer.com:

Alpine Skiing: The World Championships continue in Are, Sweden.

Athletics: The Muller Grand Prix indoor meet in Birmingham, Great Britain.

Ice Hockey: Old rivals meet: the U.S. and Canadian women’s teams, in three games.

Many more previews for this weekend’s action are available, here on TheSportsExaminer.com.