CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Milan Cortina Games after he refused to stop wearing a banned tribute helmet. IOC President Kirsty Coventry met him at the track before the men’s race for a private talk to make a last-minute plea but Heraskevych refused to change his stance. His helmet shows the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia. The IOC says the helmet breaks rules against political statements in competition. Coventry wept as she discussed the decision with reporters.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Italian skier Federica Brignone's pursuit of her first Olympic gold is complete. Brignone posted the fastest time in the women's super-G on Thursday. The 35-year-old broke multiple bones in her left leg in April that required two surgeries to fix. She looked just fine in difficult foggy conditions at Trofane. Romane Miradoli of France and Cornelia Huetter of Austria won silver and bronze. Several stars crashed or missed gates, including downhill champion Breezy Johnson of the U.S. and Italian star Sofia Goggia.
MILAN (AP) — The new French ice dance team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron has claimed Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina games. Beaudry and Cizeron upset the dominant team of the past four years, American stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates. The French duo had to follow a season-best performance by the three-time reigning world champions, and they did it with near perfection. The Canadian team of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier earned the bronze medal. Chock and Bates joined the crowd inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena in applauding the winners after their score was announced.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Casey Wasserman is keeping his job leading the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after the LA28 board reviewed his past Jeffrey Epstein-linked contacts. The board’s executive committee met Wednesday to discuss his appearance in newly released government files. The Justice Department documents show Wasserman exchanged flirtatious emails in 2003 with Ghislaine Maxwell. The board says he faces no accusations of wrongdoing. LA28 says an outside legal firm helped conduct a review with Wasserman’s full cooperation. The executive committee says his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell does not go beyond what is already public. The board says his leadership remains strong.
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks rookie teenage standout Cooper Flagg will miss their final game before the All-Star break and not play in the NBA’s Rising Stars game this weekend because of a left midfoot sprain. The Mavericks announced Wednesday than an MRI revealed the injury that occurred in their loss at Phoenix the previous night. The 19-year-old had 27 points in 36 minutes against the Suns. Flagg, the No. 1 overall draft pick last summer, is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his 49 games with Dallas. The Mavericks play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin keeps teasing fans with a planned quad axel at the Milan Cortina Olympics. So far, the American sensation has yet to try the most difficult quadruple jump in figure skating. Malinin has one more chance in the free skate Friday night. He takes a five-point lead over Yuma Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa into the conclusion of the men's competition. Malinin is the only one to have ever landed the quad axel. What makes the jump so difficult is that it is the only one of the six main jumps in figure skating with a forward-facing entry, which adds an extra half-revolution to the jump.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Busch has won the pole for the Daytona 500 and has another shot at the win that has eluded him his entire career. Busch topped qualifying with a fast lap in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He enters the race 0 for 20 in the Daytona 500. He also brings a 93-race overall losing streak into the weekend. Chase Briscoe qualified second in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The final starting order is not set yet. Drivers settle it after two qualifying races on Thursday night. Corey Heim and Justin Allgaier claimed two open spots on speed. Two more spots are still up for grabs.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Detroit center Isaiah Stewart was suspended seven games by the NBA on Wednesday, while three other players were also penalized for their roles in a fight during a game between the Pistons and Charlotte Hornets. Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté were each suspended four games for fighting and escalating the altercation, while Pistons center Jalen Duren got two games for initiating the altercation and fighting, the league announced. But the heaviest penalty went to Stewart, with the league saying it was based in part on his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” The league said he left the bench area, aggressively entered an on-court altercation, and fought during Monday night’s game.
Prosecutors in Utah have filed a first-degree felony rape charge against Brigham Young University standout wide receiver Parker Kingston. Washington County prosecutors said Wednesday that Kingston was being held without bail in St. George, a city near Arizona. His initial appearance in court is scheduled for Friday. Prosecutors say a 20-year-old woman told officers at a St. George hospital last February that Kingston assaulted her. It was not clear if Kingston had an attorney. He didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A phone message left for his family was not immediately returned.
Finals
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Michigan 87 Northwestern 75
Final (6)UConn 80 Butler 70
Final (14)Florida 86 Georgia 66
Final (16)Texas Tech 78 Colorado 44
Final Virginia Tech 76 (20)Clemson 66