BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen turned in a powerful final run to win the Olympic giant slalom Saturday and earn South America’s first medal at a Winter Games. The race isn’t official yet, though, with dozens of lower-tier racers still to take the course. But he’s the leader after the top 30 fastest from the first run. With snow falling and fog settling in, the 25-year-old Pinheiro Braathen remained cool and relaxed as he navigated his way through the technical Stelvio course. After seeing his place — No. 1 — he fell to the snow before starting to scream. He finished in a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds. He beat Swiss racer Marco Odermatt, the defending Olympic champion, by 0.58 seconds. Odermatt’s teammate, Loic Meillard, earned bronze position.
MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin was trying to figure out what had happened in a disastrous Olympic free skate Friday night while already turning his attention to what might come next. He could take inspiration from Nathan Chen. His fellow American similarly struggled during his short program at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, but he came back four years later to win gold in Beijing. Malinin was the heavy favorite to make it back-to-back golds for the U.S., but he fell twice and struggled throughout the rest of his free skate, falling all the way off the podium. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan wound up winning the surprising gold medal.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan pulled off a stunner in men's figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Shaidorov soared to gold after the free skate, helped in part by a collapse from U.S. star and two-time world champion Ilia Malinin. The 21-year-old nicknamed the “Quad God” fell twice during his program, slipping all the way to eighth. Elsewhere in the Games, Yuto Totsuka held off five-time Olympian Scotty James of Australia for gold in the men's snowboard halfpipe.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson plans to end his illustrious Cup Series career at the 2027 Daytona 500. The seven-time NASCAR champion who starts 31st in the season opener Sunday says he will enter one additional Daytona 500 before calling it a career. He wants to continue racing in other series, maybe even in other NASCAR events, but won’t return to stock car’s premier level again. He has won the Daytona 500 twice and finished third last year. The 50-year-old Johnson is the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, which fields full-time Cup rides for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune share the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after two days of low scoring. Bhatia is bogey-free and shot 64 at Spyglass Hill that included a chip-in for eagle. Hisatsune followed his 62 at Pebble Beach with a 67. Rickie Fowler and Sam Burns are one shot behind. They all were at Spyglass Hill and far away from the speculation at Pebble Beach over whether Taylor Swift would show up to watch fiancé Travis Kelce play at Pebble Beach. There was a big buzz and a big crowd. There was no Swift.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — For two solid decades, LeBron James was a main attraction at every NBA All-Star weekend. He was a 20-year-old starter in his All-Star debut back in 2005, and he became the youngest MVP of the game just one year later. Never begging off due to injury or exhaustion while his less-accomplished teammates enjoyed their breaks from the season’s grind, James dutifully appeared in every midseason showcase until 2025. Now 41, James will be back this weekend for the All-Star Game at Intuit Dome south of central Los Angeles, spending another Sunday in February under the spotlight while extending his records for the most All-Star selections and All-Star appearances.
Chris Paul has announced he is retiring from the NBA after a 21-season career that stacks up as Hall of Fame worthy. He shared the news Friday during All-Star weekend at the Clippers’ arena in Inglewood. Paul finished the year in a strange way. The Clippers sent him home in December. They traded him to Toronto earlier this month, even though he never planned to play there. Paul said he wants to “show up for others.” He leaves as a 12-time All-Star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He also ranks near the top in assists and steals.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron chases an unprecedented third straight Daytona 500 win Sunday when he attempts to make NASCAR history. He'll be trying to win NASCAR's season opener for the third consecutive year in a backup car after he damaged his primary in a qualifying race. He starts near the back in 39th, but he says that does not scare him. Byron has won here with a backup before. He has also won by staying patient and avoiding trouble, not by leading lots of laps. The field also has big storylines. Kyle Busch starts on the pole while stuck in a long winless skid and Brad Keselowski races while recovering from a broken leg.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — American skiing great Mikaela Shiffrin will try to bounce back from a fourth-place finish in the women's combined when she takes the hill for the giant slalom during Day 9 of the Milan Cortina Olympics. Shiffrin is riding a seven-race medal-less streak while competing under the Olympic rings. Norway cross-country star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo can make history if Team Norway earns gold in the men's 4 x 7.5 kilometer race. A gold by the Norwegians would give Klaebo a record nine golds in his Olympic career. On the ice, teammates Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok of the Netherlands renew their rivalry in the 500 meters after going 1-2 in the 1000 meters earlier in the Games.
Finals
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Wisconsin 92 (10)Michigan State 71
Final (18)Saint Louis 86 Loyola Chicago 59