Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany won the pairs title at the World Figure Skating Championships, completing a sweep of all the year's major titles.
Savchenko and Szolkowy, also the Grand Prix and European champions, took advantage of their hugely difficult routine to win the title, beating China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao by more than five points. Canada's Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison won the bronze.
Earlier on Wednesday, two-time European champion Carolina Kostner edged reigning world silver medalist Mao Asada by the slightest of margins, a mere 0.18 points, to win the short program. Former world champion Kimmie Meissner, who is hoping a coaching switch can reverse a dismal season, was in ninth place. But Meissner was more than satisfied with the performance, punching the air when she finished.
The women's competition was expected to be a showdown between Asada of Japan and South Korea's Kim Yu-na, winner of the Grand Prix final. But Kostner had a different idea.
The Italian has departed from her classical comfort zone with this year's short program, packing elongated spirals, tight spins with ever-changing arm positions and big jumps between the opening shrieks and closing groans of The Doors classic Riders on the Storm.
She matched Asada's jumping ability with a huge triple-triple combination.
Her only error was a step out on the landing of her triple lutz, but it had little bearing. Her score of 64.28 included the best technical mark of the night.
Asada hit all of her jumps easily, seeming to hover momentarily above the ice before making her rotations. Her triple flip-triple loop combination, triple lutz and double axel were all gorgeous.
"The difference between first and second is not so much, so I will do my best in the long," said Asada, who finished with 64.10 points.
Asada's Japanese teammate, Yukari Nakano, was third with 61.10 points. Kim, who had to skip last month's Four Continents championship in her native South Korea because of a hip injury, is in fifth place.
Melinda Sherilyn Wang of Taiwan was 22nd with 44.77 points.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to