WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2014 SPORTS Maze strikes double gold

ROSA KHUTOR: Slovenia’s bagged super-combined winner complaining of ‘flu-like her second gold of the Sochi conditions. “I can hardly believe it,” said a Olympics yesterday when she won a thrilling stunned Rebensburg. “I was quite far down in women’s from Austrian arch-rival the first run but I knew I could go looking for a Anna Fenninger. bit more. “I’m still not firing on all cylinders but I In tricky weather conditions that included got a and that’s essential.” Rebensburg heavy snow, torrential rain and fog, the 30-year- laid down the fastest second run as three of just old Slovenian clocked a combined total of 2min four racers to get within a second of Maze’s 36.87sec over the two runs in Rosa Khutor. leading first run, Sweden’s World Cup giant Maze, who’d had to share downhill gold with slalom leader Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, Italian ’s Dominique Gisin last week after a Nadia Fanchini and American teenager Mikaela first-ever Winter Olympic alpine dead heat, had Shiffrin, all fell out of contention. it all to do on her second run. The Slovene set the fastest time down the REMARKABLE GAMES first run, meaning she started last of the top 30 Shiffrin, 18, ended up fifth at 0.50sec, just racers in running for the second descent. behind Fanchini (+0.38sec), and will now con- Maze had seen fourth-placed Fenninger, tinue her bid to become the youngest American who was also looking for a second gold after to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing in winning Saturday’s super-G, storm into the lead, her preferred slalom on Friday. It has been a which changed hands seven times in a dramatic remarkable Games for Maze, further confirming climax to the event. Starting with an 0.85sec that her hard-nosed decision to switch coaches lead over the Austrian, Maze’s deficit was slowly to Mauro Pini just a month before the Olympics eroded away in the increasingly slushy condi- was paying off. tions, but she hung on through to the finish line Last year’s overall World Cup winner and a to sneak home by just seven-hundredths of a triple-medallist at the Schladming world cham- second. pionships, Maze had been left stunned with her poor performances at the start of the season. FOCUSED But her form in Sochi has rebounded and she is “I can live with that!” Maze said. “This season yet to finish lower than seventh in a race on the I’d focused on the Olympics. I was ready for this, Rosa Khutor slopes. “You don’t normally change it’s what I came here to do. coaches in mid-season,” said Maze. “But I had “It was tough for me to keep the same that opportunity, so why not if it could work out SOCHI: Russia goaltender Sergei Bobrovski clears the puck away from forward Per-Age Skroder as Russia defenseman Andrei Markov rhythm as last year in the World Cup. but I knew better for me?” helps defend in the third period of a men’s game at the . — AP I was going to show my best here, it’s great. The The giant slalom also saw the debut of violin rest of the season doesn’t matter.” Fenninger virtuoso Vanessa Mae, who became Thailand’s was also left satisfied despite missing out on first ever female skier at the Olympics. The 35- gold by the smallest of margins. year-old Singapore-born British former child Russia crush Norway 4-0 “My second run was really cool,” said the 24- prodigy, racing for the country from which her year-old. “After the first run I knew in the start I natural father hails, finished in 67th and last would have to take a lot of risk and I did and I’m place, with a time of 3min 26.97sec, a massive SOCHI: scored twice as Kazan forward Alexi Tereshenko also scored for IMPROVING really happy that that was enough for a medal.” 50.10sec off Maze. Her hesitant, conservative Russia beat Norway 4-0 to reach the quarter- Russia as they got all their goals from KHL play- Ovechkin is not the only Russian who isn’t Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of style of skiing was a marked difference to that finals of the Olympic ice hockey tournament yes- ers while their NHL stars continue to fire blanks. scoring. Four goals in a game is the second most took bronze, a further 0.20sec adrift, of the elite skiers, but at least, she finished the terday but the hosts’ NHL stars once again failed The Russia-Norway game was one of four for Russia this tournament. He said they are to make up for the absence of teammate Maria race-unlike 22 of the initial 89 racers who failed to shine. Sergei Bobrovski stopped 22 shots for qualifying matches on Tuesday that will deter- improving each game but still need to work on Hoefl-Riesch, who was a late withdrawal, the to make it down over the two legs. — AFP the shutout and Pavel Datsyuk had three assists mine the final eight teams of the tournament. getting the puck out of their own zone quick- for the Russians, who will face Finland on The Russians have a quick turnaround before er.”We started well. We took some shots and put Wednesday for a spot in the semi-finals. facing the 2006 silver medallist Finns in less than pressure on their defence,” he said. “And we had Russia is desperate to win gold on their home 24 hours for a spot in the semis. “It is do or die a few mistakes especially when our defence had soil after crashing out of the Games right now. Everybody is ready for tomorrow,” said the puck. We forwards didn’t move our feet and in the quarters four years ago. Radulov star forward Alex Ovechkin. we stopped on the blueline. And then we made redeemed himself with his two goals and an Ovechkin finished with four shots on but some changes and it worked.” assist Tuesday in front of a crowd of 11,423 at no points in over 16 minutes of playing time but Norway’s Patrick Thoresen said the Russians the Bolshoi Ice Dome. says he is not worried about his lack of scoring in have some glaring weaknesses that they are Radulov, who plays for CSKA Moscow of the this tournament. going to have to correct if they want to get to Kontinental Hockey League, took two penalties “I’m trying to score, otherwise I am doing sim- the Olympic podium. on Saturday which led to two American goals. ple things for the team,” Ovechkin said. “When “They need to be more compact in their The USA won the match 3-2 in a shootout we are leading we don’t have score, we have to defensive unit,” said Thoresen, who used to play thriller that helped them finish atop of Group A protect the lead.” in the NHL with the . “If they of the preliminary round and forced Russia to He says he is waiting for moments when he can come together as a team then they certainly have to play an extra game in the qualification can show his offensive skills but they just haven’t have the confidence to go through. round. come yet. “The most important thing is the “But I am not so sure to be honest. They are team,” he said. “It is not about personal stats. We allowing so many chances in front of the goal.” In FIRING BLANKS are here to win the gold. It is not about winning the earlier game yesterday, Slovenia blanked Ilya Kovalchuk, of St. Petersburg, and Ak Bars some scoring titles.” Austria 4-0 and will face Sweden today. — AFP USA-1 lead in bobsled

KRASNAYA POLYANA: An American track star is SOCHI: Women’s giant slalom gold medal winner Sloveniaís Tina Maze of Slovenia two runs from Olympic history. No, not her. poses for photographers on the podium at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics yes- , who had never pushed a bob- terday. — AP sled or even sat inside one until just six months ago, and teammate lead in USA-1 at the halfway point of women’s Olympic bob- celebrates sled. They completed two drives down the Sanki Sliding Center track in 1 minute, 54.89 seconds on Tuesday to lead ’s best ever Games and . The Canadians, trying to win their second straight Olympic title, trail by 0.23 SOCHI: The ex-Soviet state of Belarus, once “Modern history does not know similar great seconds heading into Wednesday’s final two described as Europe’s last dictatorship, is cele- deeds,” Lukashenko told Domracheva in a con- runs. brating the best in its history at gratulatory telegram. Lukashenko had already USA-3’s and Aja Evans are in Sochi 2014 in a gold rush led by a sharp-shoot- showed his admiration for “Dasha” Domracheva third, 0.56 back. Williams, a two-time sprint ing and glamorous female biathlete. by personally congratulating her in Sochi on her medalist in the Summer Olympics, is attempting Belarus, which until these Games had only first gold in the pursuit race. to become just the second to win gold won a single medal at a Winter Olympics, has Donning a tracksuit that looked like it dated in both the Winter and Summer Games. now won five gold medals in Sochi with three from the Soviet-era, Lukashenko hugged , on the other hand, wants just one. from the skiing and shooting prowess of its star Domracheva while his extra-marital son Kolya- biathlete . It also scored an who he once took to visit the pope-presented The former hurdler is 11th with teammate unprecedented double in the freestyle aerials at her with flowers, official pictures showed. Jazmine Fenlator in USA-3, 1.84 seconds behind Sochi, with Alla Tsuper taking the women’s The presidential newspaper Soviet Belarus Meyers and Williams. It’s not the result Jones had event and Anton Kushnir the men’s. said after Domracheva’s third gold: “The race hoped for after switching to bobsled to pursue “These Olympics can be called the showed once again that the mechanism of the her dream of winning a medal after ballyhooed Belarussian Games. We have left many world Belarussian team is working ideally. Dasha liter- failures on the track in Beijing and London. giants on our wake,” Belarus’ state First Channel ally flew above the wet Sochi snow.” The success- She’s on an icy track at these games, and to television said. The reasons for the success lie es of the team at Sochi have boosted Belarus at this point, it’s been as slippery as the dry ones KRASNAYA POLYANA: The team from the United States USA-1, piloted by Elana Meyers with a time of economic hardship for the nation of she once ran in the summer. “Everything went as brakeman Lauryn Williams, speed down the track during the women’s bobsled competition at 9.5 million with many Belarussians posting expected,” Jones said. “We knew we would have the 2014 Winter Olympics. — AP admiring comments about the exploits of to fight. We knew it would be four tough runs.” Domracheva. Some pro-opposition voices on So far, this Olympic competition has been no Summer Games. social media, however, have dug up claims that different than most during this past World Cup Meyers, of Douglasville, Ga., and Williams got she is a serving officer with the Belarussian secu- season, with Meyers and Humphries dunking it off to a shaky start in their first days on the Olympics medals table rity service, which is still known by its Soviet out for first. mountain. Meyers crashed her BMW-built sled acronym KGB. Humphries edged Myers for the overall on their initial training run, and Williams was late SOCHI, Russia: Winter Olympics medals Such a position in this country would be championship by one point. But the stakes are applying the brakes the following day and the table yesterday (after six of seven gold nothing extraordinary for a top sportsperson in much higher in Sochi, and although the two are pair smashed into a wall near the finish, damag- a sport involving shooting. Several top Belarus medal events): close friends after training and even roomed ing the front end of the carbon-fibered sliding biathlon officials are serving KGB officers. together last summer, Meyers and Humphries machine. However independent Belarussian newspaper Gold Silver Bronze Total are going hard for gold. Mechanics worked hard to get USA-1 up and Nasha Niva said this week there was no proof for running, and the sled seemed to handle perfect- Germany 8 3 4 15 the claims and “no-one has ever seen any docu- Humphries celebrated her triumph in 2010 ly on Tuesday, surviving her pinball-like first run. Norway 7 4 7 18 ments.” on her home track in Whistler by adding a tattoo of her gold medal to the many on her chiseled The US team arrived in Russia early to get Netherlands 6 6 8 20 acclimated to their surroundings and “The POOR FACILITIES body. She’s considered her artistic options if she Russia 5 8 6 19 Wolfpack,” as they call themselves, brought some Domracheva was born in but moved at wins again, but Humphries has to catch Meyers United States 5 4 10 19 drama with them. SOCHI: Belarus’ Darya Domracheva, the an early age with her parents to Siberia, where first. Switzerland 5 2 1 8 she started biathlon and country skiing and Humphries and Moyse were first on the track Jones’ selection over Katie Eberling and Emily gold medalist in the women’s biathlon Azevedo was criticized by some who believed Belarus 5 0 1 6 12.5K mass start, smiles while holding her made her first appearances at junior international Tuesday and made a clean trip, staying in the level for Russia. Her talent was spotted by coaches were influenced by the track star’s Canada 4 8 4 16 medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. — AP middle and keeping away from any bumps that Belarussian coaches who invited her onto the might slow them down. They finished in 57.39 celebrity. Regardless, Jones got the nod, but was Poland 4 0 0 4 partly in the aggressive athlete selection policy national team. Her success has caused much seconds, but the pair barely had time to then was paired with Fenlator in USA-3, the China 3 2 1 6 of the Belarussian federations-every single one debate in Russia where many are angry such a acknowledge they had set a track record when weakest of the sleek American sleds. France 3 1 4 8 of its medallists were either born in, or initially superb athlete was allowed to slip through the For Jones, these games are another shot at Meyers and Williams lowered it. Austria 2 6 1 9 performed for, Russia or Ukraine. system. Meanwhile the aerials gold medallists Olympic glory. The Des Moines, Iowa, native had USA-1’s first heat wasn’t pretty, but it was fast: Sweden 2 5 2 9 The performance is also likely the result of Tsuper and Kushnir were both born not in Belarus a 57.26-second descent that moved them ahead to bulk up for bobsled, eating up to 9,000 calo- Slovenia 2 1 3 6 the hands-on support from sports-mad strong- but in Ukraine’s northwestern Rivne region. of the Canadians. The Americans stretched their ries per day to add 20 pounds of muscle so she man President , who has Several top Ukrainian winter sports lead by one-tenth of a second on their second could help power the 400-plus-pound sled from South Korea 2 1 1 4 ruled the ex-Soviet state for almost two decades have moved to Russia or Belarus due to the poor the starting gate without losing any of her Czech Republic 1 3 2 6 and was once accused by Washington of run- facilities at home, like gold medal winning run. world-class speed. Japan 1 3 2 6 ning Europe’s last dictatorship. Russian pairs skater Tatiana Volosozhar. Greubel, of Newtown, Pa., and Evans, of Chicago, can’t be overlooked. The pair had two Williams’ promotion into USA-1 wasn’t with- Great Britain 1 0 1 2 Belarus’ other medallist Nadezhda Skardino out controversy and risk. She and Meyers only speedy trips down the track, which is covered Slovakia 1 0 0 1 MERCURIAL STYLE who took bronze in the individual was born in raced once together in a World Cup event, plac- In typically mercurial style, Lukashenko Russia but then switched allegiance to Belarus and wasn’t affected by daylong downpours in ing second in Lake Placid, N.Y. Williams’ inexperi- 0 2 4 6 reacted to Domracheva’s third gold in the due to lack of opportunity. this new ski resort area northeast of Sochi. Australia 0 2 1 3 women’s mass start Monday night by immedi- Russian sports daily Sovietsky Sport said it Williams, of Rochester, Pa., won a silver medal ence could be a problem, but Meyers said her Finland 0 2 0 2 ately giving her the country’s highest honour, was time to stop lamenting the fact that “Dasha” in the 100 meters in 2006, and she received gold blazing speed makes up for time not spent on of Belarus. The award-which stems from was not Russian and admire her achievement as as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team in the track. Latvia 0 1 2 3 the USSR’s top award Hero of the USSR-is given the first female biathlete to win three biathlon London. She’s attempting to join Eddie Eagan, “It’s not really taking a chance when you have Croatia 0 1 0 1 out only extremely rarely and Domracheva joins golds at a single Winter Olympics. “What she did, who won gold in boxing in 1920 in Antwerp and one of the fastest women in the world behind 0 0 1 1 a roll of honour of just 10 other such “Heroes”, no-one else in history has managed to do,” it in four-man bobsled in Lake Placid in 1932, as you,” Meyers said after a practice run. And right Ukraine 0 0 1 1 only four of whom are still alive. said. — AFP the only winner of gold in both Winter and now, Williams has USA-1 out front. — AP