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at your service, sir WU2017

Winter Universiade 2017 Almaty (KAZ) - 29 January 2017 - 8 February 2017 Totallympics Results Thread

Vladimir Weiss and his this weekend goal in Qatar...oh dear looking at this defence work I really start have a feeling that even our league is better

Gut continues unbeaten super-G streak at Garmisch-Partenkirchen Lara Gut of Switzerland continued her unbeaten streak this season in super-G at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, taking the win a convincing 0.67 seconds ahead of first-time podium finisher Stephanie Venier of Austria. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein rounded out the podium in third place for her third straight podium finish in the discipline this winter. A challenging course set swallowed up 23 athletes who failed to finish, including crowd favorite Viktoria Rebenburg. Even Gut wasn't convinced when she crossed the finish line that her performance was going to be enough for victory, shaking her head in front of the camera operator. "Our coaches set the super-G, and it was, for sure, more difficult than usually. Lake Louise was really an easy super-G, and in Val d’Isere we had a lot of space between the gates. And here it was again more technical," Gut noted. "I had to ski with my head, and I wasn’t so clean on my lines and not even on the ski. I had the feeling where it was turny in the middle part that I should have skied more on my skis and not just as a passenger of my skis. So I wasn’t really satisfied about that. But that’s the cool thing, when the course setting is difficult, that everyone has to come to the finish and try at least to ski. So today, I was just lucky because of that.” Venier also felt lucky to collect her first World Cup podium finish ever, in second place. She was knocking on the podium door after a sixth-place finish in the Val d'Isere super-G, but she admitted that the result in Garmisch-Partenkirchen still came as a bit of a surprise to her. "Everything is special," said Venier. "I’m on the podium and it’s great, and it’s feeling so good and I’m so happy." Weirather, meanwhile, was reluctant to believe she had secured the 30th podium finish of her career and third straight of the season in super-G until the very last racer was across the finish line. "Today, I really didn’t feel like it was going to be a good result when I crossed the finish line. But I think it’s just my super-G skiing is by far my best discipline right now, so I don’t need to have a perfect run to be further ahead than in downhill, for example, where I ski great and sometimes I end up 10th," said Weirather. "Right now, they’re still pretty fast, so I will wait until I get too excited." By the awards ceremony, Weirather was assured of her milestone podium result and able to enjoy the celebration. Both Anna Veith and Lindsey Vonn made their returns to super-G competition, Veith skiing out after posting a fast top section and Vonn ultimately finishing ninth. The ladies' tour rolls on to a standalone giant slalom race in Kronplatz, Italy, on Tuesday 24 January. Full Results Here Lara Gut

Italian and US duos celebrate wins at Solitude team SBX Team USA1 and ITA1 are the winning duos of the 2016-17 snowboard cross World Cup season's second team race which was staged in perfect conditions at Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah today. The host in waiting of the 2019 snowboard cross world championships decisions had been hit by a snow storm yesterday which had made the individual race not only a fight man against man but also one against Mother Nature. But today, the weather God was a snowboard fan blowing the last clouds away and leaving the field a superb man-built course with great visibility and no head-wind to compete on. A World Cup win as birthday present Four-time world champion Lindsey Jacobellis, who had placed third in yesterday's individual race as well as birthday girl Rosina Mancari did their home country proud winning the big final in a photo finish decision against FRA1. Jacobellis, the first in the team to enter the course, handed over quite a lead to her younger companion hoping that Mancari, who turned 22 today, would be able to keep hold to it. “Today was really awesome. My legs weren't as tired as I though they would be which was cool. Last run was fighting the whole way down. We were all really close, and I was trying to just take away lines and options and slow down the other girls trying to hold the lead so Rosi doesn't have to fight her way through the pack.” And Rosi, who had switched roles with the 2006 Olympic silver medallist in order to best their fourth rank finish from the Montafon World Cup opener, stood true to the game plan blocking off all attacks launched by Nelly Moenne Loccoz who was literally breathing down Mancari's neck. “Oh my God, the last turns. She was right on me. I had to take my line and keep my speed but I also needed to figure out where she would try to pass me. I just tried to hold her off as best as I can,” reported Mancari who did compete in her first US World Cup event. “I can't really put it in words what it means to me. My mom is here watching the first race ever. It's just amazing.” With Mancari, with six World Cup stops under her belt quite a new face on the tour, showcasing some nerves of steel, Team USA1 prevented back-to-back team sbx event triumphs for the French as runner-ups Moenne Loccoz and Sochi bronze medallist Chloe Trespeuch had been successful in Austria earlier this season. Michela Moioli and Raffaella Brutto of ITA1, who had placed second in Austria, rounded out the podium as third. Redemption for Team Italy In the men's event, reigning world champion Luca Matteotti and Emanuel Perathoner clinched the win in the men's final which saw several wash-outs, passes and tight manoeuvres, simply all ingredients which make snowboard cross what it is: a great show. It was the perfect way to delete their yesterday's disappointing results from any memories related to the first ever World Cup stop in Solitude. In the individual race, Matteotti and Perathoner had finished on a respective 35th and 42nd place. However, ITA1 owed today's redemption triumph to Perathoner's sensational comeback. Going out of the gates as fourth and last rider the South Tyrolean stormed through the course, capitalised on riding mistakes of his rivals like the one from yesterday's winner of AUT1 Alessandro Haemmerle and passed one competitor after the other finally bringing home the win for his team ahead of AUT2 young guns Julian Lueftner and Lukas Pachner who celebrated their career's first World Cup podium. “We tried to do better than yesterday and tried to win. Basically I had no pressure. I did very bad yesterday, and I just wanted to do it better today,” Perathoner said. USA1 with Alex Deibold and Nate Holland placed in third position. The snowboard cross World Cup tour continues in Bansko (BUL) with an individual race staged from February 2 to 4, 2017. Full Results Women and Men

MEN'S UNDER 20 DIVISION III WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkish juniors write history U20 team upsets China in Div. III final It was a thriller. The underdog Turkey proved the pundits wrong when it beat China in a cliff-hanger final. Turkey won the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III final 2-1 in front of an enthusiastic group of expats at the Dunedin Ice Stadium and will be promoted to Division II Group B next year. When the clock ticked time the emotionally fired team on the rink threw their hats on to the ice and players on the bench rushed on to the ice to hug each other. It was an emotional time for a Turkish team that played their hearts out, out-thought and outplayed their more fancied opponents. It was a well thought out strategy by veteran American coach Keith McAdams who has lifted the performance of Turkish hockey since becoming the under-20 and under-18 head coach over two years ago. “Turkey hasn’t won an under-20 medal in a long time so there was a lot of pressure on the players,” he said. “It gives these players something to grow with when they reach the senior team. They are still young and can develop. We knew it would be hard to compete with China with all the ice and financial backing they have. “I’m so happy for the boys. We played very well as a team. The guys have worked hard on the tactics we are using.” McAdams plan began when he selected an under-18 team for the under-20 Division III that was held in Dunedin as well two years ago. The same team also played in the under-18 tournament at Auckland the same year. They were an experienced group when they came back to Dunedin this year. The players all bought into the plan and it worked. The game plan was simple. They had to shut down the neutral zone and stop the breaks that China likes to make in that part of the rink. It meant man-on-man marking and putting pressure on the Chinese players. It worked because the Chinese team became frustrated and rattled at not being allowed to play its own game. Turkey was especially good at competing for the puck when it went behind the net and by making it difficult for China to get out of the tight corners. They did not give China the freedom and open space it had enjoyed in other games during the tournament. The first period was tight but U.S.-based forward Hakan Salt scored with just over a minute left to give Turkey a 1-0 lead. That was the crucial play of the game. It gave the Turkish players the belief that they could win and it put doubts into the minds of the Chinese team. The margin was extended to two goals after 10 minutes in the second period when the Chinese defence failed to clear the puck away from the front of their goal and Yusuf Kars scored from a rebound. The margin was reduced when Ou Li scored China's only goal five minutes later. Turkey’s defence was solid as a rock and no goals were scored in the third period. The best Turkish player in the final and throughout the whole championships was aggressive forward Omer Kars. The forward from Erzurum is also a member of the Turkish senior squad. Others to impress for Turkey throughout the week were Hakan Salt, who scored seven goals, and Yusuf Kars, who was named best defenceman of the tournament. McAdams has coached in Turkey for the last seven years with the Erzurum BBSK teams. They have won eight national titles. Twelve members of the 20-man strong Turkish under-20 team play for the club. Erzurum, a city of 600,000 in Eastern Turkey, has four ice rinks thanks to the 2011 Winter Universiade but only one can be used for ice hockey. “Most of the team have played for me and they know the systems,” McAdams said. “We have been able to build on this over the last three seasons.” Turkey finished sixth last year but has made a significant improvement over the last 12 months. What made the difference? “We had a young team at first and our players have gained a lot of experience of international hockey over the last two years,” the coach explained. “Two years ago we won the under-18 Division III Group B tournament at Auckland and last year we finished second with the under-18 team in the Division III Group A in Bulgaria. “It was the first time, in any age group, that Turkey has ever won any game when moving up to a higher level.” The Turkish U20 team reached 35th place overall this season, its highest placing in the new millennium. Turkey’s biggest advantage was continuity. Only three players of its squad had not played in the team that came to New Zealand two years ago. McAdams knew it would be difficult for Turkey to continue its unbeaten tournament record in the semi-finals and final. Turkey had beaten New Zealand, 6-4, Bulgaria, 8-1, and South Africa, 6-0, in the group stage. The Turks beat Iceland 3-2 in the semi-finals coming back from a two-goal deficit with three unanswered third-period goals. “The goal is always to win but I would have been happy as long as we played well and did our best,” he said. There are 24 indoor ice rinks in Turkey and they are spread over five cities. There are just fewer than 1,100 ice hockey players in Turkey and 576 of them are juniors. But only 22 of them are good enough to make the under-20 team. “We need more hockey players in Turkey,” McAdams said. “Until the government comes up with a supportive plan it’s always going to be hard.” Most of the team did not start playing ice hockey until they were aged 14. “It took five years with me before they became really good players,” McAdams said. “Erzurum BBSK never had a team until I started coaching there. “They have come a long way and every Erzurum player, boys and girls, has made the national team. That is what I am most happy about. I like the players to develop as people and be able to get a university education.” This was the second time McAdams has coached a Turkish team at a World Championships in Dunedin in the south of New Zealand. “Dunedin is a great city and I’m impressed by everything you guys do. Everything is done professionally. I’m impressed with the work the volunteers do. It would be impossible to do this in Turkey.” China China won the gold medal in Dunedin two years ago but was not able to stay in the higher grade. But with new Russian Coach Alexander Barkov on board as head coach China started as favourite. This favouritism was confirmed in the early rounds when China demonstrated that it was able to lift the power of its games to win tight games. China reached its pinnacle when it thrashed home team New Zealand 11-2 in the semi-finals. In that game China sparked into life from the start and scored three goals in the first six minutes and ended the first period with a four goal cushion. New Zealand, as expected, fought back in the second period but China then romped home by scoring six more goals in the third period. If China had repeated that form 24 hours later it was difficult to see it losing. Turkey shut down China’s ability to make breaks through the neutral zone and China had no answer. The best Chinese player was its captain Rudi Ying who plays for Kunlun Red Star in the Kontinental Hockey League. Ying scored the most goals in the week-long championship with nine and was the scoring leader with 19 points. He was named as the best forward by the directorate. The other noted forward was Ou Li, who was second on the leaders scoring table with 10 points and scored six goals. Other Chinese players to impress during the championship were forward Zemin Deng and defenders Pengfei Zhang and Haolin Nie. Iceland Everything worked for Iceland when it beat New Zealand 10-0 in the bronze medal game. It outplayed the hosts in all departments with its speed on skates and its ability to use the width of the rink to create gaps in the defence. It was particularly skilled in the battle for the puck behind the net and in the corners. Iceland tested New Zealand in the first period and then displayed complete dominance in the second period to score five goals. Latvian-born team captain Edmunds Induss, who is in his fifth season in the top senior league in Iceland, was playing dynamically with his speed with the puck down the centre of the rink. He used his skill to score the fourth goal that went between the legs of the goalie. The fifth goal, scored by Elvar Olafsson, was all class. It came from a back pass to the trailing man who had a better angle to shoot the goal. The well drilled Icelandic team continued its dominance in the final period and added five more goals. They were able to jam the New Zealand defence into the neutral zone to open up scoring opportunities. Iceland demonstrated its dominance when its second line scored three goals against a withering New Zealand defence in the final period. It kept peppering the New Zealand net and its dominance was demonstrated by having 59 shots at goal compared to 20 by New Zealand. Iceland was heading for the gold medal game when it led Turkey 2-0 at the end of the second period in the semi-final. But it conceded three goals in the last period to lose 3-2. “We made a good effort but it was not our lucky day,” head coach Magnus Blarand said. “We did a lot of good things today but the final result was a big disappointment to us.” Iceland led 1-0 after the first period but Turkey had the momentum for 10 minutes in the second period and only good defending kept Iceland’s goal intact. A goal in the last minute by Vignir Arason gave Iceland a 2-0 lead and an upset was on the cards. It was a frustrating time for Iceland supporters when Turkey stormed back in the third period to score three goals. Fatih Faner, a member of the Turkish senior squad, used his experience to hit the winning puck with 3:20 left in the game. The best player for Iceland in the game was goalie Maksymilian Mojzyszek, who made 25 saves and conceded three goals. Iceland showed its best game in the 4-1 group-stage loss to China. The score was 1-1 after two periods but China held its structure and scored three goals in the final period. “China thought they would beat us easily but we showed fight and dominated. It showed that Iceland hockey is on the move,” coach Blarand said. Iceland’s best players in the tournament were goaltenders Arnar Hjaltested and Maksymilian Mojzyszek, defencemen Sigurdur Thorsteinsson and Jon Arnason, and forwards Edmunds Induss and Hjalti Johannsson. Mojzyszek saved 89 shots and conceded only eight goals. New Zealand New Zealand struck China in vintage form in the semi-finals and lost 11-2. It was a big occasion for the young team in front of their home supporters and they froze in the first period when China raced to a 4-0 lead. New Zealand got its ice legs back in the second period and played with more urgency and put their bodies on the line. Goalie James Moore let in three early goals in the first six minutes and was replaced by Taylor Goodall, who let in only one goal to the end of the second period when New Zealand out-scored China 2-1. But the wheels fell off in the third period when China scored six more goals. The best player for China was captain Rudi Ying who scored four goals. New Zealand finished runner-up in 2015 and third last year. But assistant coach Matthew Sandford knew that it would be a re-building year with only six members of last year’s squad returning. “It was a good tournament for us to get this far with so many rookies in the team,” Sandford said. “To reach the top four was a bonus.” Sandford was pleased with the second-period effort against China. “The boys went hard and came out with a lot of pride,” Sandford said. “But the skill of the Chinese team broke our resistance in the third period. It was tough.” Sandford could hear the noise and praised the partisan crowd for its support. New Zealand started nervously in its home patch and lost its first game to Turkey 6-4. But the performances got better as the tournament progressed and experienced Robin Vortanov kept his cool to score late goals to give the Kiwi’s a 3-2 win over South Africa and a 5-4 margin against Bulgaria to progress to the semi-finals. “The chips were down but the boys never gave up,” Sandford said. “It was a good fight in both those games.” New Zealand had six players returning from 2016 when it finished third and Vortanov, captain Mason Kennedy, Logan Fraser, Ben Harford and Taylor Rooney displayed composure under pressure and stood up when it counted. Rooney, who finished fourth equal on the goal scoring table, was named the Kiwi’s best player of the tournament and the best new boy was Shaun Brown, who plays for the Canterbury Red Devils national league team. Israel Israel finished fourth last year and the team was disappointed not to be in medal contention after the three round-robin games. It needed to beat China in its last game to reach the semi-finals. It was outplayed in the first period and was down 3-0 at the break. But it fought back after that to only trail by two shots, 6-4, at the end. It came back strongly in its last two games to beat South Africa 9-0 and narrowly beat Bulgaria 3-2 to finish fifth. Israel held a 2-0 lead after two periods and added a third goal early in the third period. But Bulgaria was a team that never gave up and scored two quick goals in the 56th minute by Veselin Dikov and Yanaki Gatchev to give Israel a tense last four minutes. The star player in this game was goal keeper Raz Werner, who stopped 35 of the 37 Bulgaria shots at goal. Bulgarian keeper Dimitar Dimitrov stopped 19 of Israel’s 22 shots. Werner, named the top goal keeper by the directorate, saved 141 goals and conceded only 11. This was only the third time that Israel had competed at the under-20 championships. With only three players returning from last year it suffered by a lack of experience at crucial times. The big problem for the development of Israeli hockey is that 18-year-olds are drafted into the army for two years and eight months and only a few return to the sport after their military service. The best players for Israel at the championships were overseas based players Dan Hoffman, Tom Ignatovich, Ariel Kapulkin, Raz Werner, and Denis Kozev and Mark Revniaga who have had experience in the United States. Others to impress were Ori Kafri, who plays for the Israeli senior team, and promising newcomer Itay Mostovoy. Bulgaria Bulgaria finished runner-up to home team Mexico last year when beaten 3-0 in the crunch game. “We hit the post so often and their goalie made some crazy saves,” Bulgarian captain Tomislav Georgiev said. “I thought we could win it this year because we had six of our players back.” They began confidently this year with a 5-2 win against South Africa but then slumped to a big 8-1 loss to Turkey. The crunch final game in section play was won by New Zealand 5-4 when the Kiwis scored two late goals. The last by Robin Vortanov on a power play snuffed out Bulgaria’s medal chances. It beat Chinese Taipei 6-1 in the first placement game but lost was beaten 3-2 by Israel in the game for fifth place. Its best players were goaltender Dimitar Dimitrov, who made 41 saves in the 5-4 loss to New Zealand, Daniel Dilkov, Tomislav Georgeiev, Miroslav Vasilev and assistant captain Yanaki Gatchev. Bulgaria has been a member of the IIHF since 1960 but the sport does not have lot money and has just three indoor and five outdoor rinks for its 760 players. The country’s strength is with its 575 junior players and it could build its future on this. South Africa & Chinese Taipei South Africa and Chinese Taipei were always were seeded at the bottom and ended up in the game for seventh place. Both countries need international competition and that’s what they got. Originally seeded as the only teams in the Division III Group B, the organizer managed to accommodate to add the teams and make the Division III an eight-team event. Chinese Taipei coach Ryan Lang was happy that it worked out so the team could get the experience of playing games against five different teams. Canadian Lang played junior hockey in Canada and the United States and was a professional in the Australian Ice Hockey League. He has been coaching for the last 12 years and has been involved with a club side on the island of Taiwan and with the national side for the last three years. This was the first tournament that the Chinese Taipei under-20 team has played in the last six years and it has been a big boost to the morale of hockey in the country. “We were excited to get back,” Lang said. “It was a huge bonus for us to be here.” For the first time Chinese Taipei will compete in four World Championship categories with the under-18, under-20 and senior men’s teams and the women’s team. They finished the championship on a high note with a comfortable 7-1 win against South Africa to claim seventh place. Their best players were goalie Sheng-Chun Huang, who made 34 saves in the 3-0 loss to Israel, forward Po-Jui Huang and assistant captain Wei Chiang. South Africa did not win any games when it finished last in the seven-team competition in 2016. It finished eighth this year when beaten by Chinese Taipei. It expected to be demoted to the lower grade but received a reprieve when two extra teams were added to the competition this year. South Africa’s best game was the narrow 3-2 loss to New Zealand in its second game when the Kiwis scored a late goal to win the game. Goalie Ryan Boyd was the hero in that game and stopped 38 goals. The other goalie to excel was Aslam Khan, who made 49 saves in the 6-0 loss to Turkey. The other standout player was defender John Venter. South African coach Marc Giot said that his aim was to secure a spot in the competition for next year. “We wanted to do well but we had to be realistic at the same time,” he said. “Ice hockey is an expensive sport and we only have seven indoor rinks in the country. We have to pick our teams from a small pool of players. Our competitive level is not as high as in other countries we come up against. “With so few rinks our players have to travel long distances to get to rinks to train and it is difficult to get enough ice time to progress our skills.” Results Thread

[hide] Knockout Round January 21st - January 29th, 2017 16 Nations, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Bronze Medal Match and Gold Medal Match. Quarterfinals Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 January 24th 2017, h. 17:00, La halle de glace Olympique, Albertville Norway 3 Hungary January 24th 2017, h. 19:00, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille France 5 Sweden January 24th 2017, h. 20:45, AccorHotels Arena, Paris Slovenia 2 Qatar January 24th 2017, h. 20:45, Park&Suites Arena, Montpellier Spain 2 Croatia [/hide]

MEN ' S UNDER 20 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017 UNOFFICIAL FINAL STANDING RANK NATION 2018 WCh 1 United States A 2 Canada A 3 Russia A 4 Sweden A 5 Denmark A 6 Czech Republic A 7 Switzerland A 8 Slovakia A 9 Finland A 10 Latvia I A 11 Belarus A 12 Germany I A 13 France I A 14 Kazakhstan I A 15 Austria I A 16 Norway I B 17 Hungary I A 18 Poland I B 19 Slovenia I B 20 Italy I B 21 Ukraine I B 22 Great Britain II A 23 Lithuania I B 24 Japan II A 25 Romania II A 26 Estonia II A 27 Netherlands II A 28 Croatia II B 29 South Korea II A 30 Spain II B 31 Serbia II B 32 Belgium II B 33 Mexico II B 34 Australia III 35 Turkey II B 36 China III 37 Iceland III 38 New Zealand III 39 Israel III 40 Bulgaria III 41 Chinese Taipei III 42 South Africa III

Biathlon Qualification Standing after Event 12/22 Womens 1 Germany 4519.0 2 France 4449.0 3 Ukraine 3749.0 4 Czech Republic 3618.0 5 Russia 3595.0 6 Italy 3587.0 7 Norway 3565.0 8 Sweden 3442.0 9 Belarus 3272.0 10 Austria 2996.0 11 Poland 2935.0 12 Kazakstan 2929.0 13 Switzerland 2820.0 14 Finland 2785.0 15 Canada 2657.0 16 USA 2345.0 17 Slovakia 2167.0 18 Japan 2102.0 19 Bulgaria 1864.0 20 Slovenia 1566.0 21 Estonia 1547.0 22 Lithuania 1476.0 23 South Korea 1462.0 24 Romania 1140.0 25 China 816.0 26 Latvia 653.0 27 United Kingdom 458.0 28 Spain 257.0 29 Hungary 197.0 30 Bosnia and Herzegovina 123.0

Okay, so let sum up todays race...almost half of the race I thought I´m just lost myself in some parallel galaxy, Both Fialková sisters (especially Paulína ) showed amazing and extraordinary efforts ! All respect babes, thanks for this afternoon ! you, me, we all needed it but as usual the fairytale came to end in the last 2 legs, without Kuzmina we didn´t expected anything great, but destroying such amazing and promising evolution of the race is so..what a pitty... so from a realistic attempt of a huge result we finished 14th...our traditional place... still 17th in the Nations Cup, at least the gap is higher against 21st place..

Triumph for local hero Kamil Stoch In an incredible final local hero Kamil Stoch took the win in Sunday's competition in Zakopane (POL). In front of 40 000 enthusiastic fans Stoch, who was sixth after the first round, had an outstanding jump in the final round. At the end he won with 287.4 points (130.5 m and 131 m), ahead of the three Germans Andreas Wellinger, Richard Freitag and Markus Eisenbichler. This was the 20th win in the World Cup for Kamil Stoch, the fifth this winter and the fourth in a row. Pure emotions at the Wielka Krokiew hill in Zakopane after Richard Freitag made his second jump and it became clear that local hero Kamil Stoch was the winner. 30 000 fans, among them the Polish president Andrzej Duda, celebrated the winner. "I can't believe it, it's like a dream", the obviously moved winner said in front of his cheering fans after his triumph. Again and again Stoch tried to find the right words in the many interviews. "Of course I'm satisfied with what I achieved today, especially my second jump was really good. The level of the competition was very high and even though the spectators might not have seen it, the conditions were difficult. The wind was changing a lot. After the first round I didn't think about the podium anymore, I was just focusing on my jump. I want to thank all the fans here and in front of the TV, it was great", the double Olympic champion from Sochi said after the competition. In the final round Markus Eisenbichler, Daniel Andre Tande, Michael Hayboeck, Andreas Wellinger and Richard Freitag, who was in the lead after the first round, could not get ahead of Kamil Stoch after his jump of 131 m. But, besides Stoch, the German team is also a winner of the weekend in Zakopane. After their victory in Saturday's team competition, the athletes of head coach Werner Schuster did great again on Sunday. Andreas Wellinger in second, Richard Freitag in third, Markus Eisenbichler in fourth, Karl Geiger in eleventh and Stephan Leyhe in 16th provided an outstanding team result and this comes right on time for the upcoming home events in Willingen and Oberstdorf. "This was a great competition, the crowd is amazing, every competitor feels like home here. It was an incredible moment when 40 000 people sang the national anthem during the award ceremony. I will continue to work hard and take it step by step, maybe then I can beat Kamil one day", said Andreas Wellinger, who was already third in Wisla and achieved his second podium result in Poland today. Richard Freitag ended an about two-year dry spell without a podium result with his third place. "Regarding the weather conditions it was one of the best weekends we had in Zakopane for a while. The fans are really fair and cheered for all the athletes, it's really something special to jump in front of such a big crowd. My goal are the World Championships in Lahti, there I want to win a medal in the team and also in the indivdiual. This weekend was a step in the right direction." "This atmosphere here in Zakopane is incredible, during my jump they were cheering as if I was a Pole, that's special", Karl Geiger was also impressed by the atmosphere at the Wielka Krokiew hill in Zakopane. Norway's Daniel Andre Tande, fourth after the first round, came in seventh. "I was too aggressive in my second jump, it was my own mistake. This happens in Ski Jumping", Tande said self-critical after the final. "But the hill in Willingen suits me well, I'll attack again there", said the Norwegian, who is already looking forward to next weekend. Michael Hayboeck was the only Austrian among the best today. Manuel Fettner came in 17th and could, to some degree, follow up on his recent performances. Markus Schiffner and Andreas Kofler were 28th and 29th, Gregor Schlierenzauer missed the final of the Top 30 in 33rd. Besides Schlierenzauer other well-known names also failed to make the cut, among them Johann Andre Forfang, Simon Ammann, Janne Ahonen and Jurij Tepes. Kamil Stoch extended his lead in the overall World Cup. With now 933 points he leads ahead of Daniel Andre Tande (803 points) and Domen Prevc (780 points). The next competitions will be held in Willingen (GER) next weekend. Full results Here

Norway takes both relay events in Ulricehamn Today's team relay's in Ulricehamn capped off a great weekend up competitions for the first time World Cup venue. In the ladies' relay Norway dominant from the second leg when Heidi Weng openned up a big lead over the chasing teams and then began the battle for the final spots on the podium. Charlotte Kalla skiing third leg for the Sweden I team took over the chase with three other teams including Germany, USA, Norway II. Each team took their turn trying to separate from the group and pull seconds back from Norway I. On the final leg it was the hometown favourite Hanna Falk for Sweden who attacked with just a under 2 km remaining in an attempt to get rid of Germany and USA I. All three final leg skiers for those teams had top 10 finishes the day before. In the end it was Germany anchored by Sandra Ringwald who took second place - for the team's first podium since 2010 - just ahead of Falk in third by just 0.2 seconds. The USA's Jessie Diggins wasn't able to overtake the two athletes on the finishing stretch and had to settle for 4th place just 0.2 seconds from third. Norway saw their lead shrink of around 25 seconds to just 8.8 seconds in the finish but were never under threat of being caught with Marit Bjoergen skiing their final leg. Just when it seemed that the racing couldn't get anymore exciting the men's relay came down to 9 teams together with just 2 kilometers remaining and at the finish all nine were separated by just 3.8 seconds. From the beginning it looked like it would be a showdown between final skiers for Norway I with Finn Haagen Krogh and Sweden I's Calle Halfvarsson and it was Norway ultimately that took the win in the final meters of the competition. Several teams had anchor skiers with sprinting ability and it was Canada's Len Valjas who brought his team home for their first ever men's World Cup relay podium. It was Len Valjas' second World Cup podium in the last two World Cup weekends with his team sprint win with teammate Alex Harvey last weekend in Toblach. For Harvey it was his 3 podium in a row which included two wins. The World Cup now travels across and up Sweden to Falun the site of the 2015 FIS World Ski Championships for a free technique sprint and mass start classic competitions 28-29 January 2017. Full Results Men and Women

Team Germany can’t stop winning in Chaux-Neuve Fabian Rießle took the win in the second Individual Gundersen event in Chaux-Neuve. In another German podium sweep, Rießle took the victory in a strong finish against teammate and yesterday’s winner Johannes Rydzek (+2.2 seconds). Eric Frenzel returned to the podium on the third position, finishing 7.9 seconds behind the winner. Jarl Riiber proved to be unbeatable on the jumping hill one more time but today, the result was closer than yesterday. 115 metres from gate 16 gave Riiber 139.8 points but only a 16-second head start on young Austrian Franz-Josef Rehrl, who continues in strong jumping shape. 113 metres (gate 19, 135.7 p.) put Rehrl in second and directly ahead of teammate Bernhard Gruber. Gruber showed 114 metres and accumulated a total of 131.7 points. 32 seconds of time to make up had Gruber starting 2 seconds ahead of World Cup dominator Eric Frenzel, who was out for blood after his unlucky day yesterday. He showed 113 metres (131.2 points). Local hero Francois Braud positioned himself on the intermediate sixth rank with 41 seconds to catch up. A strong group of skiers went out on the track around the one minute mark: Fabian Rießle made his ambitions for victory clear with 111 metres and just 44 seconds to take in, Johannes Rydzek followed at +0:52. Magnus Krog and Björn Kircheisen has 56 and 57 seconds to make up respectively and „Le Roi Magnus“ Moan started exactly at +1:00. Leader Riiber was caught in the stadium at the 5 kilometre mark as yesterday and from then on, it was a huge train leading the field. 20 athletes skied together for the biggest part of the race. The leading group contained all big favourites: Eric Frenzel, Fabian Rießle, Johannes Rydzek, Magnus Moan and Magnus Krog as well as Bernhard Gruber and Björn Kircheisen but also surprises like young French athlete Antoine Gerard and Austrians Franz-Josef Rehrl and Paul Gerstgraser. The crowd was enthusiastic about local hero Francois Braud also accompanying the leading group. As yesterday, the decision was made on the last lap. When the Germans accelerated the speed, all other nations were hard pressed to follow. Rydzek, Rießle and Frenzel went to battle the podium out between themselves and by the 8.6 kilometre point, Magnus Moan, Björn Kircheisen, Magnus Krog, Akito Watabe, Samuel Costa, FJ Rehrl and the rest of the group had to let go. It was Rießle who had the strongest sprint in the end and Rydzek and Frenzel had to concede defeat. Behind the top three, Magnus Krog beat young Austrian Paul Gerstgraser for the fourth rank but with a new career best, the 21-year-old will not be too disappointed. Watabe, Kircheisen and Gruber filled up the Top Ten ranks and local hero Antoine Gerard delighted with the first Top Ten position of his career with rank 10. Full Results Here

Hirscher wins his 20th Slalom - Ryding writes GBR's history Another amazing day concluded the Hahnenkamm race week in Kitzbuehel, with a thrilling slalom on the Ganslern course. Marcel Hirscher earned his 20th slalom win ahead of Great Britain’s Dave Ryding and Russia’s Alexander Khoroshilov. The challenging course saw a bunch of top athletes putting an early end to their chase for podium placements, as for example Henrik Kristoffersen, Manfred Moelgg, André Myhrer didn’t make it to the finish line. The door was now wide open for the other athletes, and Great Britain’s Dave Ryding created the surprise by setting the fastest time of first run. Only 9th in the first leg, +1.02 seconds off the pace, Austira’s Marcel Hirscher knew he had to push the limits in the second run. Especially as it was clear that Kristoffersen wouldn’t score points on that day. So he risked it all and laid down the best performance in every single section of the course, to finally claim his 20th slalom win in career and a second “Goldene Gams” after his win in 2013 in Kitzbuehel. "You know, after the first run, that was for sure not what I was looking for. So often in this season so far, the first runs are not my best ones, maybe too much thinking of making points (for the overall). I don't know. Between the runs, I was thinking about what I can do to be faster in the second run. At the end, it was the complete trust in myself to take the risk. Before second run, we discussed it; take the risk, it doesn't matter if I ski out or not. It is racing and not a tactical game." By topping the first run, Dave Ryding proved that he is ready for his first career podium and close to write history for Great Britain, as no British skier has ever won a World Cup race and the last podium goes back to 1981. He was able to stay focused and to repeat a fantastic performance in the second run, claiming his best career result (previously a 6th place in Levi at the beginning of the season). "I never even dreamed it. It's so far beyond my dream that it's just like, 'Is this really happening? Am I really doing this in Kitzbuehel, of all places?' It's incredible, I'm speechless. Crossing the line, I couldn't believe it; it was just so cool that it really happened. Coming down into second felt like a win. I had two runs where I really did exactly what I wanted. I just hope it inspires a whole generation now and we can take from this, like, it's been so long since a Brit was in the top ten -- never mind a podium. All the Brits out there, it's time to go and we can do it." The third place goes to Russia’s Alexander Khoroshilov, who earns his second podium this season (after his 3rd place in Val d’Isère) and his eight podium in career. So far, the Schladming winner of 2015 had never been on the podium on the Kitzbueheler Ganslernhang and his particularly happy to finally achieve this feat this year. "I've had some injuries before, but now I am in good shape. I am really happy to be on the podium every time and it's amazing, especially in Kitzbuehel. It's a quite difficult slope and also, you need some experience to ski fast here. I think it's almost impossible to beat Marcel, he is really fast. Every time second run he is pushing like hell. I tried also, but I made some mistakes on the top, so it was not easy to catch him. Congrats to him and especially Dave also." There will not be much time to rest for the men’s World Cup Tour, as the next race is scheduled on Tuesday in Schladming, where the Night Race will celebrate his 20th anniversary. Full Results Here Dave Ryding 1st Run Marcel Hirscher 2nd Run Dave Ryding 2nd Run

Second Konrad Bartelski was also second in Val Gardena Downhill 1981

Cancelled ladies‘ Alpine combined from Altenmarkt-Zauchensee (AUT) to be rescheduled in Crans-Montana (SUI) This is to inform you that the cancelled ladies‘ AUDI FIS Ski World Cup Alpine combined from Altenmark-Zauchensee (AUT) will be rescheduled in Crans-Montana (SUI) on Friday, 24th February 2017, starting time at 11:00/14:30 CET.

Mens Under 20 Division III World Championships in Dunedin (NZL) Day 5 (22nd January 2017) Last Day Gold Medal Match 20:30 Turkey vs China 2-1 Bronze Medal Match 17:00 Iceland vs New Zealand 10-0 5th Place Match 13:30 Israel vs Bulgaria 3-2 7th Place Match 10:00 South Africa vs Chinese Taipei 1-7 So the last of the Under 20 World Championships tournaments 2017 is over. Turkey is this year U20 division III Champion and is promoted to the mens Under 20 Division II Group B next year. China was one of the main contenders for the gold medal as last year div II B participant and because of Rudy Ying the first chinese KHL player in their roster,but this time lost only one but the most important match and will have to stay in this division another year more. Bronze medal goes to Iceland, 4th place for home team of New Zealand which experienced a horrible knockout phase, 5th place for Israel, 6th for Bulgaria, 7th for the newest IIHF under 20 WCh member Chinese Taipei and the last place for this year remains to South Africa.

1000 points scored in NHL - Henrik Sedin became the 85th player in all NHL history to reach this legendary mark Vancouver’s 1,000-point man Henrik Sedin fourth NHL Swede to hit magic mark With a second-period goal in a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers, Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks earned his 1,000th NHL point in front of an ecstatic Rogers Arena crowd on 20 January. The milestone play was highlight-reel material. Henrik took a pass from his twin brother Daniel on a 2-on-1 rush and backhanded the puck through the legs of Roberto Luongo, his former Canuck teammate and Canada’s 2010 Olympic gold medal goalie, to open the scoring. The Canucks’ bench emptied to congratulate their captain, and then Henrik skated around, clapping for the fans. “I think the best part by far was my teammates coming out on the ice and celebrating with me,” said Henrik. “That’s something I will remember forever.” “It’s a lot of points,” added Daniel. “He’s played a long time with good teammates. So I think he’s very proud.” Henrik Sedin becomes the first Canuck, fourth Swede, and 85th NHL player in history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. All three of his Swedish predecessors are legends, and all played with Sedin on the 2006 Olympic gold medal team in Turin Italy: Mats Sundin (1,349), Daniel Alfredsson (1,157), and Nicklas Lidstrom (1,142). The 36-year-old Ornskoldsvik native has played his entire 16-year NHL career with Vancouver and became the captain in 2010. The 2010 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP is also Vancouver’s all-time leader in assists (767) and games (1,213). His accomplishments are invariably linked to those of Daniel. Famed for their cycling tactics, they have an uncanny ability to find each other on the ice. The former co-MVP’s of the Swedish elite league with MODO Ornskoldsvik were selected second (Daniel) and third (Henrik) overall by Vancouver in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader with 112 points, while Daniel followed suit in 2011 with 104. Triumph and heartbreak merged in 2011 when Henrik led the Canucks in playoff scoring with 22 points as they lost Game Seven of the Stanley Cup final at home to the Boston Bruins. The twins have racked up points with a rotating cast of linemates over the years, including IIHF veterans like Trent Klatt, Anson Carter, and Jannik Hansen. In the Sedins’ heyday, the best fit on right wing was arguably Alexandre Burrows, who peaked with 35 goals and 32 assists in 2009-10. “It’s well-deserved for him,” Burrows said of Henrik’s milestone. “He’s been playing well for so long and he’s been such a big part of this team for a long time. He’s been such a leader, not only on the ice but also in the community and the city.” “It’s been a very long ride, but a fun ride,” said Henrik. “Our old linemates have all given us something and made us better. Sometimes it might not be easy to play with us, but they’ve all done a great job. Trent Klatt, when we started out, to have him as a guy we could talk to and look up to, that was a good start for us.” In IIHF play, Henrik’s resume is even more impressive. Sedin led the 2000 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden in scoring with 13 points. He won bronze at the 1999 and 2001 IIHF World Championships before the 2006 Olympic gold, his biggest career victory. Yet the graceful, heady playmaker would play an even bigger role at the 2013 IIHF World Championship in Stockholm. The Swedes, coached by Par Marts, broke the infamous “home ice curse” dating back to the Soviet triumph in Moscow 1986. After being air-lifted in from the NHL playoffs, Sedin delivered a whopping nine points in four games. He was named to the tournament all-star team as Tre Kronor celebrated their title in golden helmets at the Globen Arena. Too often in this sport, the phrase, “He’s an even better person than player,” is bandied about. In Henrik Sedin’s case, it rings true. Throughout the ups and downs of his career, this surefire future IIHF Hall of Famer has consistently been respectful, friendly and available to both fans and media. In 2010, he and Daniel donated $1.5 million to help build a new BC Children’s Hospital. Daniel, who has 968 career points, could also crack the 1,000-point plateau with an exceptionally strong finish to the season. And other NHL and IIHF legends have been chasing the mark as well this year. Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin hit 1,000 points on 11 January in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins with his goal 35 seconds in. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, with 989 points, should also get there soon. The moment of writing history (and the reaction of Luongo , Respect !!!)

Canadians dominant on home soil in Val St. Come moguls A trip back to home soil was just what the Canadian moguls team needed after getting shut out of the awards last week in Lake Placid, as the host squad took four out of a possible six spots on the podium in Val St. Come (CAN), with Justine Dufour-Lapointe leading a Canadian sweep of the ladies’ podium and Mikael Kingsbury taking the win and reclaiming the yellow World Cup leader’s bib for the men. Mild temperatures in Val St. Come meant that the Alex Bilodeau moguls course got progressively tougher as the day went on, as each run through the soft snow carved deeper grooves around each bump. However, come big final time, the last six ladies and men were locked in and ready to put on a show for the big crowd in the heart of Quebec’s moguls country. After being blanked off the podium in both previous events of the 2016/17 World Cup season, the typically strong Canadian ladies’ team came into Val St. Come desperately looking to right the ship. And, lead by Justine Dufour-Lapointe, with her teammate Andi Naude and sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe coming in second and third, the Canadian ladies were able to do just that. Justine skied stronger as the day went on; qualifying in third place, bumping World Cup leader Britteny Cox for top spot after final one, and then putting it down solid in the tough conditions of the big final to earn a score of 78.36 - just enough to edge her teammate Naude’s score of 78.10 for the win. “Sometimes the toughest part is having to speak to everybody about ‘Oh, those two rough competitions you’ve had,” said Justine of her slow start to the season, “Yes, it was rough, and it creates some doubt, but on the other hand I learned a lot that I wanted to improve on, and today I think I showed those improvements. I stayed focused, I fought to the end, and I had fun. I skied for me, and I skied with my guts, and it felt right.” For Naude, who now has four career podiums, it was a thrill to share the podium with her teammates. “I really couldn’t be happier. It’s been a tough road for me so far this year. I know there were only two events before today, but to be able to stand on the podium here in Canada with my teammates is going to give me a huge boost heading into the rest of the season. I’m super excited.” With a fifth place performance, Cox was able to retain her lead atop the moguls World Cup, with 245 points to second overall Perrine Laffont’s 196. Kingsbury back on top of men's field For Kingsbury, it was back to business as usual after a disappointing sixth place finish last week in Lake Placid that resulted in him losing the yellow World Cup leader’s bib to Dmitriy Reiherd (KAZ). “I’m happy to be back doing my full run with the full degree of difficulty - with the double full and the 1080 (airs),” said Kingsbury about his performance on Saturday, “This was my plan and I stuck to it. In Lake Placid I got a bit excited with the speed and my run fell apart. Today still wasn’t my best skiing, but it’s good for me to still have something to work on, and just to get back to winning and do it at home is a great feeling.” Not to be lost in the Canadian triumphs were the performances of Sacha Theocharis (FRA) and Walter Wallberg (SWE), second and third respectively and both claiming the first podiums of their careers, though both doing so at vastly different stages. 27-year-old Theocharis is a veteran of 54 World Cup competitions dating back to the 2010/11 season, and his best performance before Saturday was an eighth place last season in Deer Valley. On Saturday he found another level, picking his way smoothly through the soft Val St. Come course to score 82.20, edging Wallberg by just .01. Wallberg, meanwhile, is in his first full World Cup season, and Saturday was just the fourth competition of his very young career. Coming off a fifth place result last weekend in Lake Placid, Wallberg looked mature far beyond his 16 years, topping the qualifications and then laying down two strong final runs with no signs of feeling any pressure. “I’m really happy,” Wallberg said from the awards area, third-place trophy in hand, “I brought a lot of self-confidence from my last competition in Lake Placid and I wanted to really just focus on my run and not on the results today. It ended up really working well.” Kingsbury now sits atop the men’s moguls World Cup with 240 points, with Reiherd in second at 182 points. From Val St. Come the FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup now moves to Calgary for the second Canadian competition of the 2016/17, returning to one of the longest-running and most historically significant venues on tour in Calgary, Alberta. Competition in Calgary gets underway next Saturday with qualifications beginning at 9:25 and finals set for 13:30 MST. Full Results Men and Women

Samkova and Haemmerle prevail in Solitude sbx Eva Samkova (CZE) and Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT) have claimed victory in this season's second snowboard cross event which was staged at Solitude Mountain Resort today where the field of 24 women and 48 men did not only battle head to head in heats of six but also with the weather situation. Heavy snow fall and challenging wind conditions at the venue of the 2019 sbx world championships decisions had forced Race Organisers to postpone the start of the finals several times after some of the teams did have some problems making it to the resort. A massive snowstorm had heavily impacted the only access road through Big Cottonwood Canyon. However, after a delay of 90 minutes, there was some racing going on which featured the tight finals everyone was hoping for. In the women's finals, Samkova rode her own race controlling the field from the front and keeping herself out of the battles for the positions and lines finally snatching her career's sixth in dominant fashion. “The first days were perfect but today was tricky. We almost didn't get up the hill because the traffic was crazy. But we made it and waited a little bit. Finally we were able to race. It was nice but everything was different compared to training and qualifiers. I'm really happy,” Samkova said. Thursday's best qualifier therefore also took over the lead from Belle Brockhoff (AUS), who finished sixth today, in the World Cup standings being in front with 1,400 points now. Michela Moioli (ITA) and four-time world champion Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) rounded out the women's podium as second and third. In the men's event, Alessandro Haemmerle came out victorious of a nail-biting final edging off new World Cup leader Omar Visintin (ITA) to the second rank. “The day started pretty weird. It took us three hours to come up her but then it all ended up fine. Racing was tough. It was very difficult with the snow fall and wind. But once you had the feeling for the course you were just going for it. And I was fortunate to take home that win,” Haemmerle stated after securing his career's third in a breathtaking showdown. In fact, things could have ended the other way round with him missing out the win as the decision between him and Visintin was a photo finish decision. Second race, second again. I guess that's good, also there was just a few centimetres missing in a tough race,” commented Visintin. The 2014 sbx World Cup title winner took over the lead in the race for the Crystal Globe with his second consecutive runner-up finish and now 1,600 points in his pocket. Alex Deibold (USA) rounded out the men's podium in third admitting that he likes those adverse weather competitions: “It was challenging conditions. But you know, I tend to do well in adverse weather growing up in New England. I think the snow brought the pressure down a little bit. It seemed to be a little bit less tense up there. I just rode my own race. I'm just so stoked I was able to put it together.” The snowboard cross World Cup tour continues tomorrow in Solitude with this season's second sbx team event scheduled at 8 PM CET. Several TV stations will broadcast the race live. Check here for an overview. Full Results Men and Women

Germany the best team in Zakopane The German Ski Jumping team, with Markus Eisenbichler, Stephan Leyhe, Andreas Wellinger and Richard Freitag, won the team competition in Zakopane (POL) this evening. In front of over 40 000 fans, the team of head coach Werner Schuster took a hard-fought win ahead of Poland and Slovenia. For Germany this was the eleventh win a team competition in the World Cup. "The guys rewarded themselves. This is a huge success in front of a great crowd", Werner Schuster said after the competition. The Germans scored a total of 1116.3 points and after eight jumps they had a lead of 5.1 points over Poland, represented by Piotr Zyla, Maciej Kot, Dawid Kubacki and Kamil Stoch. With this performance today, the German athletes could repeat their win from last year in Zakopane. Only 8.5 points behind Poland, the team of Slovenia, Jurij Tepes, Jernej Damjan, Peter Prevc and Domen Prevc, came in third. "The competition went really well for us. It was hard for me to be the first jumper because my jumps in training yesterday were really bad. I was a bit nervous in the first round and I had not my best jumps today but they were consistent. The other guys did a very good job. Poland and Slovenia were also jumping on a high level. I'm really happy that we can win also when Severin is not there", said Markus Eisenbichler. Piotr Zyla summed up the competition for the second-placed Poles: "My jumps were very good today, I think they were some of my best this season. But also the others of our team showed good jumps today. The atmosphere is always amazing in Zakopane, I always like competing at home. I didn't think too much aber the yellow bib we were wearing today, I was focusing on my jumps, not on the bib." For Slovenia Jernej Damjan said: "I'm really very happy about this result. Jurij made a mistake in the second round, but he was jumping with a high fever, so he did a really good job. It's nice to see the Slovenian team strong again and we are proud. Everything here is amazing, I can't find the right words to explain how nice it is to jump here", Damjan was impressed by the over 40 000 enthusiastic fans. Peter Prevc showed an impressive performance today and returned to the World Cup after his short break with two great jumps. Prevc now has to be considered one of the top favorites for Sunday's competition. With the teams of Austria and Norway in fourth and fifth two other top teams were jumping on a high level. Both were fighting for a podium result for a large part of the competition, but at the end they could not keep up with the best. The best athletes of these two teams were Michael Hayboeck and Daniel Andre Tande. Both will have to be reckoned with in the fight for the top spots on Sunday. The teams of the Czech Republic, Russia and Japan finished on the places six, seven and eight. Finland, the USA and Kazakhstan failed to qualify for the final round. Poland still leads the Nation's Cup with 2747 points, followed by Austria (2479 points) and Germany (2429 points). The second competition in Zakopane starts on Sunday at 4:00 pm CET. Full Results Here

US domination at LAAX OPEN halfpipe event U.S. Snowboarding's riders have dominated the halfpipe finals of the LAAX OPEN which have been part of the snowboard freestyle World Cup tour for the first time in history. While nine of 18 spots in the finals were taken by US athletes, Chloe Kim (USA) and Chase Josey (USA) stood out taking home the win from Europe's most prestigious snowboard event. Last year's winner Arielle Gold (USA; 86.50) and Xuetong Cai (CHN, 85.25) finished as respective second and third in the women's event while 2015 world champion Scotty James (AUS; 96.50) and 2014 Olympic champion Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI; 91.75) rounded out the men's podium as second and third, respectively. Facing perfect conditions in the biggest superpipe on earth snowboard sensation Chloe Kim earned a 90.50 to celebrate a back-to-back World Cup win and her career's third in four starts. And by being untouchable in today's event landing a method to frontside 1080 tail, cab 540 stalefish, switch backside 540 mute and a cab 720 stalefish to finish things off the teenage halfpipe wonder rang in a new era in women's halfpipe riding: the age of Kim. “I'm so stoked that I was able to put down some good runs today. I couldn't be any happier,” the two-time gold medallist of the 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games said. “I was really excited about my victory lap but obviously I wanted to do better than in my second run but unfortunately I fell on the 1080. But you know, I'm just trying to beat myself in every possible way.” With the triumph at the top-dollar international contest in her bag today, the first person to win three X Games golds under the age of 16 is only missing a win at one major event: the Olympic Winter Games. However, there are still some more riders who also have the skill-set to make it hard for the uber-talented rider with Korean roots – including today's finalists who introduced the next level of women's halfpipe progression. Four of them – Kim herself, fourth ranked Kelly Clark as well as Jiayu Liu (CHN) and Queralt Castellet (ESP) – landed 1080's as it would be nothing. Caliber of runs tight at the top And while the women's final field made the iconic event at Crap Sogn Gion a vintage competition to remember, the boys did so as well by going big and clean as it could be. The LAAX OPEN 2017 finals were definitely one of the best ones in the event's history. Especially thanks to the top-3 male riders with Chase Josey scratching at the perfect score of 100.00 with a total of five doubles in a row, two of them being switch to switch. The 21-year-old regular rider threw down a double michalchuk to frontside double cork 1080 stalefish, switch double crippler indy, switch double michalchuck melon and a cab double cork 1080 mute in his final run being given a 97.75. “Winner of the LAAX OPEN 2017 sounds pretty special. It's so cool. I dreamed of it, I'm so stoked,” stated Josey who also gave an insight on his comp tactic in run three: “ My third run was just full throttle. I just went for it. I gave it everything I had, and I was fortunate to land it. It worked out for me today.” The third ranked rider of the Word Cup opener in Copper Mountain staged last December therefore edged off so far leading 2015 world champion Scotty James from the hot seat to the second rank (96.50). In the two runs before, the rider from down under had re-defined the level of amplitude in his second run going huge over the whole course of his run, starting with a steezy method to frontside double cork 1080 stalefish, cab double cork 1080 mute, frontside 900 lien and wrapping things up with a backside double cork 1260 mute. However, the tallest guy in the field was still pleased with today's outcome – although the precious win just slipped through his hands at the very last moment: “I'm really happy with the second rank. It was an amazing competition to be part of. I love coming to Laax. It was tough, I knew that someone could answer my run. I tried to up it again in my last run but I unfortunately crashed on my last hit. But I'm stoked to be part of the podium.” Talking about the podium – the top three were rounded out by reigning Olympic champion Iouri Podladtchikov. The best qualifier and last to drop in tried to best his rival scores in the final run of a sensational week in Laax which also featured the 2016-17 second slopestyle World Cup. The Russian-born Swiss athlete who underwent almost 100 percent of the team's season preparation for the first time ever landed a method to frontside 900 tail, backside 900 nose, frontside double cork 1080 truck driver, cab double cork 1080 and an alley oop double rodeo nose – the trick he recently had put on his to do list for contest runs – but couldn't top his competitors with a 91.25. Thanks to today's win Chase Josey also took over the World Cup lead while Chloe Kim is still sitting atop of the women's standings having won both halfpipe World Cup competitions so far. The snowboard freestyle World Cup tour continues in Italy next week where Seiser Alm will host its first ever World Cup event with a slopestyle competition slated to take place from January 25 to 27. Full Results Men and Women

Last Day of the Men´s Under 20 Division III 2017 World Championships scheduled tomorrow. The headlight of the program is naturally the final match for the only available ticket for the next year Under 20 Div. II B tournament between both undefeated teams of this tourney China and Turkey. Mens Under 20 Division III World Championships in Dunedin (NZL) Day 5 Schedule (22nd January 2017) GMT +13 Last Day Gold Medal Match 20:30 Turkey vs China *Only the winner of this match will qualify for the Men´s Under 20 Division II Group B 2018 World Championships, the losing team will have to stay with all others 6 teams in this Under 20 Division III World Championships also for the next year edition. Bronze Medal Match 17:00 Iceland vs New Zealand 5th Place Match 13:30 Israel vs Bulgaria 7th Place Match 10:00 South Africa vs Chinese Taipei Livestreams

Biathlon Qualification Standing after Event 12/22 Mens 1 Germany 4275.0 2 Norway 4201.0 3 Russia 4163.0 4 France 4086.0 5 Austria 3770.0 6 Ukraine 3594.0 7 Czech Republic 3466.0 8 Switzerland 3137.0 9 Italy 2995.0 10 Sweden 2973.0 11 Bulgaria 2924.0 12 USA 2785.0 13 Canada 2646.0 14 Belarus 2503.0 15 Kazakstan 2392.0 16 Slovenia 2355.0 17 Slovakia 2318.0 18 Romania 1914.0 19 Estonia 1853.0 20 Latvia 1791.0 21 Finland 1732.0 22 Lithuania 1715.0 23 Poland 1592.0 24 Japan 1231.0 25 South Korea 747.0 26 Belgium 708.0 27 Croatia 335.0 28 United Kingdom 219.0 29 Serbia 47.0 29 Greece 47.0

Another wasted chance for a so extremely needed (especially mentally) result.... we tried this time another system, changed the legs order, starting from the older to the younger (Kazár, Otčenáš, Hasilla, Šíma) and our boys worked very hard today to achieve it, all first 3 legs were very solid and at maximal limitis of our actual possibilities, it looked very promising and our deepest hopes of a 10th place was very realistic, but then came the last 4th leg and the this season so familiar disaster...Šíma messed up everything with his terrible skiing and unfortunately this time also disastrous prone shooting resulting in penalty loop and logical drop in the result...what is even worse, we lost today again with Slovenia, USA, Kazakhstan all our main rivals in the nations cup, meaning we are still 17th...horror season...