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sports Dialuna 10 Januari 2022

With CFP title on line, Georgia gets another crack at ’Bama

(AP) — Georgia coach No. 3 Georgia gets another
Kirby Smart got an in- shot to take down the king Georgia had stomped ev-
side look at what it takes Monday night. The Bull- erything in its path behind
to build a college football dogs face the top-ranked and a defense that was smother-
juggernaut working for defending national cham- ing opponents at an histori-
Nick Saban at Alabama pion Tide in all-Southeastern cally stingy pace before Bryce
for eight seasons. Conference College Football Young and the Tide picked
Playoff title game played in the Bulldogs apart 41-24 in
Blueprint in hand, Smart the heart of Big Ten country. Atlanta.
took over at his alma mater in
2016, and the Bulldogs have Five weeks after Alabama “He is elite at what he does,”
been ascending ever since, once again asserted its domi- Smart said. “We’ve talked
going 57-10 in the last five nance over Georgia in the about him as Houdini be-
seasons. SEC title game, the Bulldogs cause he can he can make
drag the weight of a seven- people miss.”
“I think the University of game losing streak against the
Georgia, Kirby’s program is Tide and a 41-year national Young adeptly avoided Geor-
probably one of the elite pro- title drought into a rematch gia’s pass rush while throw-
grams in the country,” Saban at Lucas Oil Stadium. ing for 421 yards in a perfor-
said Sunday. mance that essentially won
“I mean, it’s definitely mo- him the Heisman Trophy.
But to truly be like ’Bama tivation,” Georgia tackle Ja-
you have to beat ’Bama. maree Salyer said of the los- SEC championship favored “He’s slippery,” Georgia All-
Smart and the Bulldogs are ing streak to Alabama. “It’s The last meeting was espe- and undefeated, the unani- America nose tackle Jordan
0-4 against the Tide. the truth. You can’t really run cially painful for Georgia. mous No. 1 team in the Davis said.
away from the truth.” The Bulldogs entered the country.

Knierim and Frazier join Cain-Gribble and LeDuc at Olympics

(AP) — Like most young cluding Hawayek’s this past competition in Beijing.
skaters, Brandon Frazier summer.
had developed a carefully The three American teams
crafted picture in his mind “With full transparency, I plan to spend the next three
of what it would be like to didn’t know what the course weeks in Montreal, putting
learn he finally realized of the injury was going to in the final work for Beijing.
his Olympic dreams. look like as we entered the But the biggest goal is not so
Olympic season. There was a much fine-tuning their mid-
Reality looked a whole lot lot of doubt whether we’d be line step sequence, tighten-
different. able to get back to a compe- ing their synchronized twiz-
tition-ready place,” she said. zles or working on their lifts.
There was no hugging fam- “I think we’ve set ourselves It’s ensuring they stay healthy
ily members. No tearful cel- up to continue to grow as the with COVID-19 running
ebration with friends. Only winter went on.” rampant.
a Facetime call with his pairs
partner, Alexa Knierim, while All three American teams, “We’re in our bubble, do-
Frazier waited for the nega- who are close friends as much ing what we can control, and
tive COVID-19 tests that as rivals and training partners, right now the No. 1 concern
would finally free him from to his family’s Airbnb rental. Pyeongchang; and Kaitlin work under the watchful eyes for all of us in the next 20
his hotel quarantine. Hawayek and Jen-Luc Baker of Marie-France Dubreuil, days is to be healthy,” Hub-
As for Frazier, sitting alone in give the Americans a third Patrice Lauzon and Romain bell said. “We all have to
“I never imagined it like it ac- his hotel room? team that could stand on the Haguenauer at the Gadbois travel and be on an airplane
tually went down last night,” podium next month. Centre in Montreal. and be around people, and
Frazier said Sunday, four days “I hugged the crap out of certainly COVID is our No.
after his positive test forced that pillow,” he said with a Their selection for the Olym- Also training there are 2018 1 concern. It’s the next thing
the pair to withdraw from the Cheshire cat-like grin. pic team also was confirmed Olympic silver medalists Ga- that can stand in the way of
U.S. Figure Skating Cham- Sunday, shortly before the briella Papadakis and Guil- all our dreams. We’re going
pionships and petition for a The women’s team of U.S. men’s free skate at nationals. laume Cizeron, the French to be as diligent as we can be
spot at the Winter Games. champion Mariah Bell, sil- ice dancers who had the high- to do our best and represent
ver medalist Karen Chen, “It’s the honor of a lifetime. est scorer of the Grand Prix Team USA with honor.”
“But that’s when I knew it and Alysa Liu was announced It’s the greatest honor we season and likely their biggest
meant the absolute world to Saturday, while Nathan can achieve in our sport,”
me,” Frazier said, “because it Chen and Vincent Zhou are said Bates, who will make his
meant just as much to me.” expected to lead the three fourth Olympic trip after go-
men chosen for Beijing later ing in 2010 with former part-
Newly minted U.S. cham- Sunday. ner Emily Samuelson. “We’re
pions Ashley Cain-Gribble fortunate to go back for the
and Timothy LeDuc will join There was no drama in the third time, or fourth time,
Knierim and Frazier in Bei- three dance teams picked but it never gets old. It’s al-
jing. for Beijing: Madison Chock ways special each time.”
and Evan Bates will carry the
Gain-Gribble said she momentum of a record-set- Unlike their teammates, Ha-
learned the news after finish- ting win at nationals to their wayek and Baker will expe-
ing “a huge pizza and cookie third Olympics; runners-up rience the Olympics for the
dough, so I was feeling pretty Madison Hubbell and Zach- first time. It’s been a long
good.” LeDuc, the first non- ary Donohue will try to im- and difficult road for the pair,
binary Olympic athlete, got prove on their fourth-place both of whom have come
the call just as he was arriving finish at the 2018 Games in back from concussions, in-