By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Jamaican Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt was beaten in his first race of the 2013 season on Saturday, finishing third in a low-key 400 metre event in his hometown of Kingston. The triple gold medallist from both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics easily won his […]

Courtesy of isu.org The 2013 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships opened in Osaka, Japan, Friday with the Short Dance, Pairs and Men’s Short Programs. 85 skaters from 13 ISU members have been entered for the Championships. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) dance to narrow lead in Short Dance Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir of Canada danced to […]

United States’ Ted Ligety speeds down the course on his way to win the men’s super-G at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Wednesday, Feb.6, 2013. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) By Manuele Lang SCHLADMING, Austria, Feb 6 (Reuters) – American skier Ted Ligety picked the right occasion to win the first super-G of his […]

LONDON, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Britain’s Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis will skip this year’s indoor athletics season in order to concentrate on her preparation for August’s world championships in Moscow. “I went back into tough winter training with an open mind on whether or not I would want to compete indoors this year – […]

Courtesy of USAGym.org INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 29, 2013 – 2008 Olympic team silver-medalist Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass/Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, whose 10 World Championships medals is a record for the United States in gymnastics, today announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics. Sacramone won two individual World titles (floor, 2005; vault, 2010); helped Team USA to its […]

KITZBUEHEL, Austria, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Slalom world champion Marlies Schild, out of action after injuring knee ligaments in Are in December, might be fit to defend her title in Schladming in nearly two weeks. Austrian team director Hans Pum told reporters in Kitzbuehel that Schild was “training physically with the hope of racing in […]

Courtesy of fisalpine.com KITZBUEHEL, Austria – Under a clear blue sky and in perfect conditions, the second scheduled Downhill training on the Streif took place as scheduled Wednesday. After struggling with tough weather on the first training run, the finish area was filled with smiling faces. Aksel Lund Svindal was once again the man to […]

Jan 23 (Reuters) – Triple London Olympic champion Usain Bolt is injury free and eyeing three gold medals at this year’s world championships in Moscow in August. As part of his preparations, the Jamaican 100 and 200 meters world record holder will run the longer sprint at the Bislett Games Diamond League meeting in Oslo […]

Men’s World Cup Skiing at the Famed Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel Headlines 30 Hours of World-Class Winter Sports Action Universal Sports Network announced its on-air schedule for this weekend’s “Winter Bowl” programming lineup. From Friday, January 25 through Sunday, January 27, Universal Sports will air 30 hours of premier winter sports action from around the globe, […]

Germany’s Felix Neureuther speeds past a pole on his way to win an Alpine ski World Cup men’s slalom, in Wengen, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Shinichiro Tanaka) By Manuele Lang WENGEN, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Germany’s Felix Neureuther won the classic Wengen World Cup slalom on Sunday, 39 years on from his […]

Jan 18 (Reuters) – Olympic champion Evan Lysacek has withdrawn from next week’s U.S. figure skating championships as he is still not fit enough to compete following surgery. “It’s disappointing because health-wise I’m fine,” Lysacek said in a statement released by U.S. Figure Skating on Friday. “Due to the long layoff from the surgery I […]

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Double Olympic distance champion Mo Farah will run the 3,000 meters at the British Athletics Grand Prix in Birmingham on Feb. 16, his only indoor race in 2013, organizers said on Thursday. Farah, Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, finished fourth in the 3,000m at the world indoor championships in Istanbul […]

Cadel Evans (AUS) during stage twelve of the 2012 Tour de France between Saint Jean de Maurienne and Annonay Davezieux. (Bernard Papon/Presse Sports via US PRESSWIRE) NAZARETH, Belgium, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Former Tour de France winner Cadel Evans has recovered from the mental scars of last year’s race and is looking to rediscover his […]

Lindsey Vonn from the U.S. starts during the first training for the Alpine Skiing World Cup downhill ski race in St. Anton, January 10, 2013. (REUTERS/ Leonhard Foeger) Courtesy of fisalpine.com St. Anton, Austria – Switzerland’s Lara Gut was fastest in this morning’s downhill training in a time of 1:38.31, more than one second ahead […]

ALTENBERG, Germany (Jan. 4, 2013)-The U.S. women’s skeleton team kicked off the New Year with silver and bronze medal performances in the Altenberg, Germany World Cup event today. Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) finished just 0.01 seconds shy of gold in second place, while Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) moved up in the final run to claim […]

LONDON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – Former world road race champion Alessandro Ballan is out of intensive care as he continues to recover from surgery following a high-speed crash in training last week, his BMC team said on Friday. The Italian, being treated in Spain, remains in hospital after he underwent surgery over a week ago […]

By Patrick Lang VIENNA, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Austria’s Marlies Schild, injured in training for a World Cup slalom in Are, will not defend her world title in February, the Austrian Ski Team (OSV) said on Friday. Schild, one victory short of the record of the 34 World Cup slalom wins held by Swiss Vreni […]

 No. 5: Lolo Jones Wins Silver in Her Bobsled Debut Universal Sports Staff Picks: Did you miss a day of “12 in ’12″? CLICK HERE to view all previously released 2012 moments. In the World Cup bobsled season-opener in Lake Placid, NY, two-time Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, along with her driver Jazmine Fenlator, took the silver […]

By Manuele Lang VAL D’ISERE, France, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Four-times overall World Cup winner Lindsey Vonn, dejected after crashing out of a downhill race for the first time in five years, said on Saturday she was tired and had lost some self belief. In an interview with Reuters held after a World Cup super-giant […]

By Patrick Lang VAL GARDENA, Italy, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Steven Nyman took advantage of improving weather conditions to conquer the Val Gardena classic downhill for the second time on a shortened Saslong course on Saturday. Six years after his only World Cup victory to date on the same Italian piste, the 30-year-old American upset […]

LA PLAGNE, France (Dec. 15, 2012) – Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) won the La Plagne women’s skeleton World Cup event today to become the first female slider to win two World Cup races this season. Uhlaender took her first season victory in Park City, Utah three weeks ago, and was determined to climb the medal […]

LA PLAGNE, France (Dec. 11, 2012)-The World Cup tour stops this week in the mountains of La Plagne, France for the final event before the holiday break. The La Plagne track was the sliding venue for the 1992 Winter Olympics, whose host city was neighboring Albertville. This is the second season in a row that […]

By Gennady Fyodorov SOCHI, Russia, Dec 11 (Reuters) – After getting their first taste of the Olympic figure skating arena in Sochi, American ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White cannot wait to return for the main event in 2014. The 2011 world champions said they have only positive memories from their trip to the […]

VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 9) – World Champion Ted Ligety battled soft snow and a shortened course to finish third in the Val d’Isere giant slalom behind race winner and reigning Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall and GS champ Marcel Hirscher of Austria. The podium kept Ligety in the World Cup GS driver’s seat […]

The competition at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating concluded Saturday at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia, with the Junior Ladies and Junior Pairs Free Skating, the Ladies, Men’s and Pairs Free Skating and the Free Dance. Mao Asada (JPN) strikes gold Japan’s Mao […]

By Patrick Lang VAL D’ISERE, France, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Frenchman Alexis Pinturault began to fulfill his potential when the exciting young alpine skiing all-rounder won a men’s World Cup slalom in Val d’Isere on Saturday. The 21-year-old had claimed his first World Cup win in a city event in Moscow last winter but it […]

WINTERBERG, Germany (Dec. 8, 2012)- Three North American sleds finished in the top four in this morning’s women’s bobsled World Cup race in Winterberg, and two were U.S. teams. Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) and Katie Eberling (Palos Hills, Ill.) slid a silver medal performance, while Jamie Greubel (Newtown, Pa.) and Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.) were […]

Ryan Lochte of USA poses with his Gold medal after winning the Men’s 200m Individual Medley on day three of the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex on December 17, 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Courtesy of http://www.fina.org Ryan Lochte […]

Christof Innerhofer of Italy skis past a gate on his way to winning the men’s World Cup downhill ski race in Beaver Creek, Colorado, November 30, 2012. (REUTERS/Mike Segar) By Patrick Lang BEAVER CREEK, Colorado, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Christof Innerhofer put his latest injury woes behind him by winning the Beaver Creek men’s downhill […]

Marco Sullivan of the United States, speeds down the course during a training run for the men’s World Cup downhill ski race in Beaver Creek, Colo., on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow) BEAVER CREEK, CO (Nov. 29) – Times are dropping and energy is building in Beaver Creek in anticipation of Friday’s Audi […]

By Justin Palmer LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) – In the months that followed Chris Hoy becoming Britain’s most successful Olympian, he has been coveted at civic receptions, saluted during open top bus rides, flown in fighter jets and received the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh. Away from the track distractions have passed in a […]

Courtesy of fisalpine.com LAKE LOUISE, Canada – Let the ladies speed season begin! After a very exciting technical weekend in Aspen, the ladies head to their first speed races of the season in Canada. Other than a few minor differences with start position and gate placement, this is the only track on which both men […]

By Patrick Lang LAKE LOUISE, Alberta, Nov 24 – Aksel Lund Svindal made the most of his experience and terrain knowledge to clinch his fourth World Cup victory in Lake Louise, this time in a downhill, on Saturday. “To me, it’s like home here. The snow, the cold, the landscape, it’s very similar to Norway […]

Courtesy of http://www.isu.org NHK Trophy continued Saturday in Miyagi, Japan with the Pairs Short Program, the Free Dance, Ladies and Men’s Free Skating. NHK Trophy is the sixth and last event in the series and thus provides the last opportunity for skaters to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Sochi, […]

First Tracks 2012-13 U.S. Alpine Ski Team Announcement in Vail, CO. (Photo: Sarah Brunson) Olympic gold medalists Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso and Ted Ligety highlight a powerhouse team of 48 athletes named to the 2013 U.S. Alpine Ski Team during Nature Valley First Tracks. Hundreds of fans packed into Arrabelle Square to welcome […]

Audi FIS Ski World Cup organizers in Lake Louise were given the go-ahead Wednesday to host the first speed races of the 2012/13 season following a successful snow inspection. FIS confirmed that men’s and ladies’ downhill and super-G races are scheduled to take place as planned on Nov. 24-25 (men) and Nov. 30-Dec. 2 (ladies). […]

United States 1 pilot Steven Holcomb, with brakeman Steven Langton, races to the win the two-man bobsled World Cup competition on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, in Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Nov. 9, 2012)- The U.S. men stepped up to the challenge set by the women’s bobsledders this morning with gold […]

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Nov. 8, 2012)- The U.S. women’s bobsled team has a goal of finishing 1-2-3 at the 2014 Sochi Games, and the talented squad proved they are on track by earning silver and bronze in today’s World Cup season opener at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) and Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones […]

A car pulls into the petrol station where British cyclist Bradley Wiggins and a van collided near his home, Chorley in northern England, November 8, 2012. Tour de France and Olympic time trial champion Wiggins spent the night in hospital with minor rib injuries after a collision with a van near his home in Lancashire, […]

Rescue workers tend to British skier Chemmy Alcott after she crashed in the Women’s Downhill thrid training of the FIS Ski World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada, December 2, 2010. (BILL HALLIWELL/AFP/Getty Images) Courtesy of fisalpine.com Fearless British alpine racer Chemmy Alcott has revealed she will make her comeback to competitive skiing at the scene […]

Lindsey Vonn in action at Solden last season. (REUTERS) By Steve Keating TORONTO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – If Lindsey Vonn is cleared to race the men’s World Cup downhill at Lake Louise it would give the sport a huge boost, but the American should reconsider loftier plans to tackle Kitzbuehel, the head of Alpine Canada […]

Austria’s Michaela Kirchgasser celebrates after winning an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, in Schladming, Austria, Saturday, March 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati) Courtesy of fisalpine.com Like her famous teammate Marlies Schild, who already declared forfeit for the Sölden event, Michaela Kirchgasser has decided to skip the season opening giant slalom in Sölden this weekend […]

Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) competes in the men’s short program in the 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America competition at the ShoWare Center. (Mike Nelson-US PRESSWIRE) The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is officially under way as the pairs and men each performed their short programs at 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America at the ShoWare […]

Armin Mahbanoozadeh competes in the men’s short program during Hilton HHonors Skate America at Citizens Business Bank Arena on October 21, 2011 in Ontario, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) Colorado Springs, Colo. – U.S. Figure Skating announced that Armin Mahbanoozadeh will compete at 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America, set for Oct. 19-21, at the […]

British athlete Paula Radcliffe competes in the half-marathon challenge of the Vienna City Marathon on April 15, 2012 in Vienna. (DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images) LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) – Paula Radcliffe has had her funding cut by UK Athletics after she missed the London Olympics and last year’s World Championships because of injury. The 38-year-old marathon […]

Tour winner Tony Martin of Germany, center, second place Francesco Gavazzi of Italy, left, and third place Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway, right, spray champagne to celebrate during an award ceremony for the 2012 Tour of Beijing cycling competitions on the outskirts of Beijing, China, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan) Courtesy of […]

By Mike Tierney, Special to Universal Sports In the sport of triathlon, there are ironman competitions and there is (begin ital) the (end ital) Ironman. The original swim/bike/run test of stamina remains the gold standard, the first still widely considered the best. This year’s Ironman World Championship unfolds Oct. 13 in the Kona District of […]

Champion Germany’s Tony Martin of HTC-Highroad team (R) sprays champagne with third-placed David Millar (L) of Garmin-Cervelo team on the podium during the award ceremony for the inaugural Tour of Beijing cycling race in Beijing on October 9, 2011. Tony Martin claimed his first stage race victory as world time trial champion when he won […]

Radioshack Nissan Trek rider Frank Schleck of Luxembourg reacts after crossing the finish line of the 166 km ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia from San Giorgio del Sannio to Frosinone, May 14, 2012. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo) Courtesy of http://www.tourofbeijing.net Two-time Tour de France runner up Andy Schleck will make the trip to China for the […]

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (L) shakes hands with New Zealand’s Melissa Ingram after the women’s 400m freestyle final during the FINA Swimming World Cup 2012 in Dubai, October 3, 2012. (REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah) Courtesy of FINA.org October 3, 2012 DUBAI – Chad Le Clos may have been king of the pool with his six golds in Dubai […]

Geoffrey Mutai, left, of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the 39th Berlin Marathon ahead of his second placed fellow countryman Dennis Kimetto, right, in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) By Karolos Grohmann BERLIN, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Kenyan favorite Geoffrey Mutai survived a brave challenge by compatriot and marathon debutant […]