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A16 sports
Friday 18 February 2022
Valieva tumbles out of the medals in Olympic figure skating

By BERNIE WILSON out of were her two best
AP Sports Writer events, the giant slalom
BEIJING (AP) — Bing Dwen and the slalom. The two
Dwen stuffed pandas are times she made it all the
already in the hands of way down the course, she
the top three finishers in finished ninth in the super-G
the women’s figure skating and 18th in the downhill.
competition at the Beijing She had a promising run
Olympics. The medals are in the downhill leg of the
coming Friday. combined, but then she
Heavily favored Russian missed a gate and fell just
teen Kamila Valieva fell seconds into the slalom run.
twice and had two other Shiffrin sat for a few mo-
big mistakes in her free ments in the snow along-
skate on Thursday, drop- side the course. When
ping to fourth place and she eventually got up,
allowing the International she shook her head, then
Olympic Committee to looked up at the hill.
avoid what could have “I’m certainly questioning a
been one of the most awk- lot,” Shiffrin said. “I’m really
ward moments in the his- disappointed. And I’m re-
tory of the Games. ally frustrated.”
Valieva was permitted to Shiffrin has said she plans
skate despite failing a dop- Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, falls in the women’s free skate program during to appear in a sixth race
ing test weeks before the the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Beijing. on Saturday, a team event
Associated Press
Beijing Games. She was the that was added to the
leader after the short pro- doping scandal that is still team event last week. that to a more comprehen- Olympics four years ago.
gram but faltered badly in under investigation, nei- There was no such magic sive investigation later. Michelle Gisin defended
the free skate and team- ther ceremony would have Thursday. She stumbled on IOC President Thomas Bach her gold medal, making
mate Anna Shcherbakova been held if she finished in her opening quad, fell on skipped the free skate Switzerland the first country
won the gold medal after a the top three. two other quads and spun competition. He has of- to win five Alpine golds at
near-flawless program. Rus- Earlier Thursday, American out on another jump. fered Olympic torches to one Olympics.
sian teammate Alexandra star Mikaela Shiffrin skied Valieva tested positive for the U.S. figure skaters who CANADA REGAINS HOCKEY
Trusova won the silver and out for the third time in five a banned heart medica- won team silver medals as GOLD
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan races, guaranteeing that tion at the Russian champi- a holdover gift while they With “Captain Clutch”
took the bronze. she will leave Beijing without onships in December. The await the resolution of the Marie-Philip Poulin scoring
Valieva looked dejected any individual medals. She result wasn’t announced doping case, The Associ- twice, Canada regained
and put her face in her was fifth after the first leg of until last week, shortly after ated Press learned late its place atop the women’s
hands after her program. the Alpine combined, the the team event. Wednesday. hockey world by beating
She sobbed in the kiss-and- downhill, but then missed a She was cleared to com- SHIFFRIN OUT the rival United States 3-2 in
cry area. gate just seconds into the pete earlier this week by Mikaela Shiffrin arrived in the gold-medal game.
Minutes later, the three slalom run and landed on the Court of Arbitration for the mountains above Bei- Poulin scored her third
medalists received stuffed her hip. Sport, which ruled among jing heavily favored to Olympic gold-medal
pandas — the Beijing The 15-year-old Valieva other things that she had add to her career haul of clinching goal. She won
Games mascot — in the put a jolt into the Beijing protected status as a minor two gold medals and one golds in her first two Olym-
flower ceremony. The med- Games when she landed and would suffer “irrepa- silver. After entering all pics, at Vancouver and
als ceremony will be held the first quadruple jumps by rable harm” if she was not the individual events, she Sochi, before Canada
Friday night. The IOC indi- a woman at the Olympics allowed to perform. The was a startling 0 for 5 with lost to the United States at
cated that because Va- and helped the Russians court did not rule on the full three DNFs — Did Not Finish. the 2018 Pyeongchang
lieva is at the center of a win the gold medal in the scope of the case, leaving Among the races she skied Games.q
MLB labor talks last 15 minutes as

lockout continues

By RONALD BLUM rived shortly before 1 p.m. As part of the proposal, the
AP Baseball Writer for just the sixth negotiating union increased the pro-
NEW YORK (AP) — On session on core economics posed bonus pool for pre-
what was supposed to be since baseball’s ninth work arbitration players from
the second day of spring stoppage began Dec. 2. $100 million to $115 million.
training, negotiations The union dropped its re- Clubs are at $15 million.
aimed at ending Major quest to have all players The union also expanded
League Baseball’s lockout with two years of major proposed eligibility for the
resumed Thursday at the league service become bonus pool from 30 players
office of the players’ asso- eligible for salary arbitra- to 150.
The main parking lot at the Los Angeles Angels Tempe Diablo ciation. tion and instead proposed Players made proposals in
Stadium remains closed as pitchers and catchers are not The meeting lasted about expanding “super two” eli- six non-economic areas
starting spring training workouts as scheduled as the Major
League Baseball lockout enters its 77th day and will prevent 15 minutes. gibility — the players with that included the Joint
pitchers and catchers from taking the field for the first time A three-man MLB delega- two to three years of major Drug Program, internation-
since October in Tempe, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. tion led by Deputy Com- league service who are eli- al play, and health and
Associated Press missioner Dan Halem ar- gible — from 22% to 80%. safety.