标签： Europe

In an unconventional approach to Olympic preparation, the U.S. women’s bobsled and skeleton team has incorporated professional hairstyling into their final training regimen ahead of the Milan Cortina Games. While typically focused on physical conditioning and strategic planning, the athletes recognized the psychological benefits of self-care during their extended European training camp that began in November.

Five-time Olympic bobsled medalist Elana Meyers Taylor initiated the unique arrangement, recalling hairstylist Jessica Sinclair from her time in California. Despite never having visited Europe and possessing minimal knowledge of sliding sports, Sinclair immediately accepted the unusual booking request, traveling from California to Austria with her equipment.

The comprehensive styling services benefited all six U.S. women’s bobsled competitors—Meyers Taylor, Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, Kaysha Love, Azaria Hill, Jasmine Jones, and Jadin O’Brien—along with skeleton athletes Kelly Curtis and Mystique Ro. Treatments ranged from haircuts and trims to conditioning and coloring, with many athletes sharing their transformed looks on social media platforms.

Meyers Taylor emphasized the psychological significance beyond mere aesthetics: ‘A major part of being a woman isn’t necessarily trying to look good for other people. You want to be able to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, I feel good, I look good.’ After months of maintaining fundamentals through winter, this opportunity to feel pretty again makes a substantial difference.’

The timing proved particularly strategic as athletes prepared for Olympic processing, where official photographs would be taken. Though helmets conceal hairstyles during competition, the mental refresh provided by professional grooming offered valuable psychological preparation for the world’s premier sporting stage.

Sinclair’s versatility with diverse hair types made her particularly valuable to the team. ‘She can do Black people’s hair, white women’s hair—Jessica is a jack of all trades,’ Meyers Taylor noted. The stylist’s brief European immersion included her first viewing of a sliding track, and she anticipates cheering for her Olympic clients when competition begins next month.

BIRMINGHAM, England — The stage is set for a dramatic conclusion to the UEFA Europa League’s opening phase this Thursday, with six direct berths to the round of 16 on the line. In a format mirroring the Champions League, all 36 teams will compete simultaneously in the final 18 matches of this stage.

Only two clubs, Olympique Lyonnais and Aston Villa, have already secured their progression to the last 16, both sitting tied at the summit of the standings with identical records of six victories and a single defeat. This leaves eleven teams vying for the five remaining automatic qualification spots, while the intricate standings will determine which clubs must navigate a two-leg playoff.

The simultaneous kick-offs promise high-stakes drama across Europe. Key fixtures include Lyon hosting PAOK Thessaloniki and Aston Villa facing FC Salzburg at Villa Park. In a critical match for Bundesliga side SC Freiburg, who trail the group leaders by a mere point, a draw against LOSC Lille would be sufficient to advance. AS Roma, currently in sixth, faces an away test against Panathinaikos, while Nottingham Forest takes on Ferencváros at the City Ground.

Further down the table, Celtic occupies the final qualifying position and will battle it out with already-eliminated FC Utrecht. Scottish rivals Rangers are also out of contention for the knockout stages.

Amidst the sporting competition, a somber note was struck across stadiums to honor seven PAOK fans who tragically lost their lives in a minibus accident in Romania while traveling to support their team. Lyon expressed its profound condolences, and moments of silence were observed at matches in France and Greece, including at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon and in Athens during the Panathinaikos vs. Roma fixture. Players in the Lille-Freiburg match also participated in a round of applause to pay respects to the victims, as confirmed by UEFA.

In a spectacular display of athletic prowess, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has decisively advanced to her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, where she will confront Elena Rybakina in a highly anticipated championship match. The Belarusian powerhouse delivered a commanding performance against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, securing a 6-2, 6-3 victory despite encountering an unusual hindrance call during the fourth game.

The match took an unexpected turn when chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell penalized Sabalenka for an irregular grunting sound during a rally, awarding the point to Svitolina under the hindrance rule. Despite Sabalenka’s request for video review and visible frustration, she demonstrated remarkable composure by immediately breaking Svitolina’s serve and dominating the remainder of the match with 29 winners against just 15 unforced errors.

Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina earned her place in the final by overcoming American Jessica Pegula in a tightly contested 6-3, 7-6(9-7) semifinal battle. The Kazakh fifth seed displayed exceptional resilience after squandering multiple match points, ultimately prevailing in a dramatic tie-break to set up a final rematch of the 2023 championship.

Both finalists enter Saturday’s showdown in exceptional form, having not dropped a single set throughout the tournament. Sabalenka brings an 11-match winning streak and tournament-leading 172 winners, while Rybakina boasts the most aces (41) and has won 37 matches since Wimbledon—more than any other WTA player. The hardcourt head-to-head record slightly favors Rybakina at 6-5, adding another layer of intrigue to what promises to be a explosive final between two of tennis’s most powerful strikers.

In an extraordinary climax to the Champions League group stage, Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin authored one of European football’s most dramatic moments with a stoppage-time header that eliminated 15-time champions Real Madrid while salvaging his team’s continental campaign.

The defining moment unfolded deep into added time at Estadio da Luz with Benfica clinging to a 3-2 lead. Despite the advantage, mathematical elimination loomed until the Ukrainian goalkeeper’s unprecedented intervention. Sent forward for a final free-kick, Trubin connected perfectly with a bullet header that sparked pandemonium throughout the Lisbon stadium.

“A fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down,” declared manager José Mourinho, who secured his first victory against Real Madrid since returning to Benfica 25 years after his brief initial tenure. “For Benfica, it’s incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid.”

The victory proved particularly crucial given the tournament’s revamped league format, with 18 matches concluding simultaneously. Trubin’s goal propelled Benfica from elimination to the playoff round at Marseille’s expense, completely altering the competition’s landscape in the closing seconds.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper admitted initial confusion about the mathematical situation: “I didn’t understand what we needed. I see everyone start to point at me and I go. We need one more goal. I don’t know what to say—a crazy moment.”

The victory carries special significance for Mourinho, whose Benfica tenure had faced skepticism despite remaining unbeaten domestically. The Portuguese giants trail league leaders Porto by 10 points, making European success particularly valuable for the veteran manager.

The dramatic conclusion attracted attention throughout football, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola monitoring events closely. City needed Benfica’s victory to secure a top-eight finish, with Guardiola noting: “We didn’t know Benfica needed a goal to qualify. But it was good strategy for Jose to score the fourth goal!”

With Real Madrid finishing ninth and Benfica 24th in the league phase, statistical probability suggests a 50% chance of the teams meeting again in the playoff round. Alternatively, Benfica could face Inter Milan—the club where Mourinho achieved his historic treble in 2010.

Trubin’s goal places him among only five goalkeepers to score in Champions League history, creating an instant legend that might surpass even Mourinho’s renowned capacity for scripting dramatic narratives.