分类： sports

MILAN — The atmosphere at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena shifted palpably as Canada’s women’s hockey team delivered a powerful statement just days before the Olympic quarterfinals. Their emphatic 5-0 victory over Finland on Thursday served as both a psychological reset and competitive declaration following their historic 5-0 defeat to Team USA earlier in the week.

The defending Olympic champions showcased remarkable resilience, with Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” becoming the day’s anthem as Canada secured the second seed in Group A. The victory sets up a quarterfinal encounter with Germany on Saturday, while simultaneously erasing doubts about the team’s championship mentality.

Forward Laura Stacey articulated the team’s mindset: “We needed a good message to be sent, honestly to everybody, but more importantly ourselves. We know what we can do. Obviously, it wasn’t our best game the other night. But this is the Olympics here, and we regrouped.”

The preliminary round concluded with tournament-favored Team USA dominating all four matches by a combined 20-1 scoreline, earning them a quarterfinal meeting with host Italy. The Italian squad, making only its second Olympic appearance, features numerous North American players with Italian heritage, including Canadian-born leading scorer Kristin Della Rovere.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Czechia faces Group B winner Sweden in what promises to be a compelling matchup. Czechia’s program has flourished under coach Carla MacLeod, earning consecutive bronze medals at recent world championships. Sweden, seeking to reestablish its women’s hockey prominence twenty years after their silver medal performance, enters the knockout stage with a perfect 4-0 record and an 18-2 goal differential.

Finland and Switzerland complete the quarterfinal pairings in a matchup of Group A’s fourth and fifth-place finishers. Finland captain Michelle Karvinen emphasized the fresh start mentality: “It’s a quarterfinal, everything is on the line and it’s going to be a totally different game.”

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Germany has once again asserted its supremacy in Olympic luge, capturing the team relay gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Thursday night. The victory extends Germany’s perfect record in the event since its Olympic introduction, maintaining an unbroken streak of four consecutive gold medals.

The championship team featured an assembly of individual medalists: women’s singles gold medalist Julia Taubitz, men’s singles champion Max Langenhan, women’s doubles silver medalists Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, and men’s doubles bronze medalists Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. Their collective effort secured the top podium position with a combined time of 3 minutes, 41.672 seconds.

This victory marks a historic seventh Olympic gold for the legendary doubles pair of Wendl and Arlt, comprising three doubles titles and four relay championships.

Austria claimed the silver medal with a time of 3:42.214, while host nation Italy delighted the home crowd by earning bronze in 3:42.521. Latvia finished fourth, followed by the United States in fifth place.

The competition concluded with a poignant demonstration by the Ukrainian team, whose six athletes all took a knee upon crossing the finish line. In a unified gesture, they raised their helmets skyward in tribute to compatriot skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified earlier Thursday for wearing a helmet honoring those who have died in Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

The team relay format requires each nation to complete one run with all four sled types (women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, and men’s doubles). Competitors must slap an overhead pad upon finishing to activate the starting gate for the next teammate or stop the final clock.

With this victory, Taubitz and Langenhan become the only double gold medalists in luge at these Games. Germany solidified its overall dominance with three golds among its five total medals. Italy collected four medals (two gold, two bronze), matching Austria’s count (three silver, one bronze).

The World Cup circuit continues with two remaining events in St. Moritz, Switzerland (February 28-March 1) and Altenberg, Germany (March 7-8), though participation levels for many teams remain uncertain.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been barred from competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics following his refusal to stop wearing a specially designed helmet memorializing Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The helmet, painted by Kyiv-based artist Iryna Prots, features detailed portraits of more than 20 individuals from Ukraine’s sporting community who lost their lives during the conflict. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed the helmet in violation of regulations prohibiting political statements at the Games.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Prots praised Heraskevych’s decision to prioritize honoring the deceased over Olympic participation, calling it “a great act of heroism.”

“He could have refused. He could have said, ‘Fine, I’ll wear another helmet and fight for a medal,’” Prots stated. “But he didn’t. To stand up for his truth—that is great heroism.”

The project was a personal departure for Prots, who typically paints Tuscan landscapes exhibited in Italy. She expressed frustration at what she perceives as a lack of awareness among Europeans regarding the ongoing realities of the war.

“I understand that when a war is somewhere far away, people get used to it,” she remarked. “They have their own lives. But we are fighting every day. Fighting to survive.”

Prots described the emotional intensity of creating the helmet, working from photographs of the fallen. “This is pain—pain for our country,” she shared. “For the fact that we lost Olympic champions, essentially, and coaches who were raising this generation of Olympic champions.”

She also questioned the continuation of international sporting events like the Olympics while conflict persists. “The Olympics are supposed to symbolize peace,” Prots noted. “But today it’s hard for me to understand how there is celebration, anthems, dancing and singing, while we live under air raid sirens and bombs.”

Despite ongoing air attacks on Kyiv, Prots continues to paint, viewing her art as an act of resilience. “I keep painting beauty and nature,” she said. “It’s a form of resistance of my soul—believing that peace will return.”

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Aijaz Rahi, an accomplished photojournalist and photo editor with over thirty years of experience at The Associated Press, has chronicled some of the world’s most significant events. Based in Bangalore, his extensive career spans conflict zones in Kashmir and Afghanistan, major news across South Asia, and premier global sporting events including the soccer World Cup, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and multiple Cricket World Cups.

His recent work at the Winter Olympics produced a powerful image that encapsulates the essence of athletic triumph. The photograph in question captures the raw, unfiltered emotion of Italian luge athletes the instant they clinched a gold medal on their home turf. It is a moment of pure, unadulterated joy and national pride, representing the ultimate payoff of years of dedication.

The technical execution of the shot was as deliberate as it was challenging. Rahi stationed himself directly at the finish area, enduring freezing temperatures to secure a head-on vantage point. This strategic positioning was crucial to immortalize the competitors’ immediate, visceral reactions as they completed their run. The composition naturally frames the medalists at the center while their elated teammates lean in from the sides, creating a layered narrative that emphasizes collective achievement and shared emotion.

The photograph’s power lies in its masterful fusion of dynamic action and profound human sentiment. The athletes’ ecstatic expressions instantly telegraph victory and relief, while the surrounding team members provide crucial context, adding depth to the story of a shared triumph. The tightly cropped composition eliminates distractions, pulling the viewer directly into the intensity of the celebration and fostering a tangible connection to the pinnacle of Olympic success.

MILAN — The Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team delivered a commanding performance on Thursday at the Milan Cortina Games, shutting out Finland 5-0 to secure second place in Group A. The victory sets up a quarterfinal matchup against Germany this Saturday.

Emily Clark emerged as the offensive standout with two goals, while goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens recorded a 17-save shutout in a game originally postponed due to Finland’s roster being depleted by a stomach virus.

The Canadian squad demonstrated resilience by bouncing back decisively from their previous 5-0 defeat against tournament favorites United States on Tuesday. That loss marked Canada’s first shutout defeat in Olympic competition history.

Team Canada continued to compete without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who sustained a lower-body injury during Monday’s 5-1 victory over Czechia. Medical staff reported positive progress as Poulin returned to the ice for skating drills on Thursday, with expectations for her return during the knockout stage.

The outcome finalized all quarterfinal pairings, with Group A top-seeded United States set to face host nation Italy on Friday. Italy secured Group B’s final playoff seed with a 2-2 record.

Additional scoring contributions came from Kristin O’Neill (one goal, one assist), Jennifer Gardiner, and Daryl Watts. Finland, blanked in all three losses during preliminary rounds, will face Switzerland after finishing fourth in Group A.

In a bold strategic move, French national rugby head coach Fabien Galthié has selected 20-year-old Fabien Brau-Boirie for his international test debut at center against Wales in this Sunday’s Six Nations matchup. The rising star from Pau club will form a dynamic midfield partnership with his clubmate Émilien Gailleton, who earns his 12th cap for Les Bleus.

This unexpected selection comes as a direct response to France’s injury crisis following their commanding 36-14 victory over Ireland last Thursday. The defending champions lost three key centers—Nicolas Depoortère (calf), Kalvin Gourgues (ankle), and Yoram Moefana (knee)—forcing Galthié to tap into France’s deep talent pool.

Galthié expressed confidence in his young prospect, stating: “Brau-Boirie has been integrated within our system for over a year. His exceptional performances with the under-20 squad, combined with consistent weekend appearances for his club, have truly earned him this opportunity. He was originally slated to join our tour to New Zealand last July but unfortunately sustained an ankle injury.”

The selection marks a significant moment for Pau club, which currently sits second in the French Top 14 league, thanks in part to the contributions of both Brau-Boirie and Gailleton. Adding to the youthful injection, 21-year-old Stade Francais center Noah Nene has been named among the reserves, awaiting his potential debut.

France faces a Welsh squad reeling from a devastating 48-7 defeat against England at Twickenham last weekend. Despite Wales facing the prospect of a record-extending 13th consecutive Six Nations defeat, Galthié remains wary of the challenge awaiting in Cardiff.

The French coach acknowledged the unique atmosphere of the Welsh stadium, noting: “In my opinion, it represents the most magnificent stadium globally, with those relentless Welsh chants that create an extraordinary environment. This distinctive atmosphere effectively levels the competitive field and provides the Welsh team with additional motivation.”

Wales hasn’t secured a victory against France on home turf since 2018, adding historical context to this highly anticipated Six Nations confrontation.