Getty Images The Figure Skating World Championships kick off in London, Ontario Wednesday, with the pairs short program first thing in the morning, and the men’s short program later in the afternoon. Here’s a quick rundown of who and what you should be watching this weekend.
American upstarts: Taking a cue from The Cutting Edge, hockey player turned U.S. figure skating champ Max Aaron will highlight the men’s team with at least a few quad jumps in his repertoire. Ross Miner is also a contender after finishing second to Aaron in January for his third straight podium finish at nationals. The two will need to combine for thirteenth place or better to assure the U.S. team a third spot in Sochi.
U.S. Women’s rivalry: Ashley Wagner may have won nationals for the second straight year, but Gracie Gold might be the American to beat after she earned the second highest free skate score in U.S. Championship history, roaring back from ninth to second after a poor short program. She’ll need to be solid on both nights to prove she has what it takes to compete against the world’s best in Sochi next year.
America’s Hat: Speaking of rivalries, things are heating up between Ice Dancing teams Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and Meryl Davis and Charlie White from the U.S. The Canadians already have an Olympic gold, two world titles, and home ice advantage this weekend, but the five-time U.S. champs are constantly on their heels and would love to even things up with a second world title.
Sochi Stories: Russia’s chances at a medal aren’t looking good at next year’s hometown Games after Yevgeny Plushenko was sidelined with back surgery. He says he’ll return in time for the Olympics, but for now the country’s hopes rest on the skates of 17-year-old Maxim Kovtun, who only has a year at the senior level under his belt. Russia’s best chance at a Sochi medal is probably in pairs.
Vancouver Queen: Yuna Kim took a couple years off after winning gold at the 2010 Games, but she’s already won two events this season and has Australian star Hugh Jackman rooting for her, so she’s likely to be a favorite again this weekend. Aside from the American ladies, Kim’s best competition will come from Vancouver silver medalist Mao Asada and defending world champ Carolina Kostner of Italy.
Canadian King: Patrick Chan has already won back-to-back world titles, and plans to make it three-in-a-row on his home Canadian ice. If he can pull it off, he’ll be the first since Russian star Alexei Yagudin more than a decade ago, but Quad King Javier Fernandez of Spain (who also trains in Canada) and 2012 worlds silver medalist Daisuke Takahashi should have something to say about it.
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Wrestling officials implement significant rules changes at Moscow meeting
May 18, 2013, 10:34 AM EDT
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
FILA, wrestling’s governing body, is spending the weekend in Moscow cleaning house before an upcoming IOC vote will determine if they end up on the 2020 Olympics schedule. And apparently the meeting has been productive. On Saturday, acting president Nenad Lalovic, who took over after the forced resignation of president Raphael Martinetti, was officially elected…
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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The swimming world went a little nuts Friday when NBC Fort Myers anchor Peter Busch, son of U.S. national swim team director Frank Busch, tweeted that he confirmed what many of us have hoped: Olympic champ Michael Phelps was already “planning a return to competitive swimming” after only a year or so away from the…
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Amateur International Boxing Associating president C.K. Wu of Taiwan has also apparently thrown his hat into the ring in hopes of becoming the next IOC president when current leader Jacques Rogge’s tenure is up this September. “Dr Wu handed over a letter this morning to Dr Rogge informing him about his candidacy,” a source explained…
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After the Iranian national wrestling team put a 6-1 whooping on the U.S. at Wednesday’s “Rumble on the Rails” at New York’s historic Grand Central Station, the two teams were preparing to square off again in Los Angeles Sunday as part of the “United 4 Wrestling” event to help save the sport. But USA Wrestling…
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Nintendo Global
In addition to Olympic champs like Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, and Evan Lysacek all prepping for the Sochi Games next February, a couple other familiar faces are getting ready to compete as well: Mario the plumber and Sonic the hedgehog. Nintendo Global president Satoru Itawa announced Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter…
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While many were simply mourning the IOC’s recommendation to remove wrestling from the 2020 Olympics schedule, Billy Baldwin was busy doing something about it. And trust us, he went full Baldwin. Billy named himself Hollywood Point Man for the “Keep Olympic Wrestling” effort and has has asked Olympic champs, Hollywood friends, and strangers on the…
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Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE
After the World Baseball Softball Confederation was unceremoniously shot down by MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who said he won’t stop his season for the Games, the governing body is giving one last ditch effort to earn a spot in the Olympics before the IOC votes on its fate. Members of the WBSC met with the…
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For those intently waiting for the IOC to reveal the Sochi Olympics medals – and yes, we’ve received emails – you only have to hold out a couple more weeks. The medals will be unveiled by Sochi organizing CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko at the IOC’s meeting in St. Petersburg on May 30. “A record number of…
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NYWrestlingNews.com
A day after four-time NCAA wrestling champ Kyle Dake beat Iran’s Hassan Tahmasebi at Wednesday’s “Rumble on the Rails” – the lone American win against the world’s top team – Dake woke to a much simpler task: taking down Dan Patrick radio show producer Paulie Pabst. Dake pinned him in eleven seconds. Check out the…
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Q&A: Mark Ruffalo joins effort to “Keep Olympic Wrestling”
May 16, 2013, 12:00 PM EDT
Sue Schneider, MGP Agency
On top of all the incredible athletes wrestling at Wednesday’s “Rumble on the Rails,” many familiar faces showed up to the event in support of the Keep Olympic Wrestling movement, including champions like Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, and Kurt Angle, NFL hall of famer Ronnie Lott, ESPN personality Mike Golic, and Hollywood point man Billy…
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VIDEO: Jordan Burroughs hopes the flair of events like “Rumble on the Rails” can save wrestling
May 16, 2013, 9:48 AM EDT
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Just ahead of Jordan Burroughs match against Russia’s Saba Khubetzhty, which Burroughs won to go 53-0 in his international career, the London Olympic 74kg champ chatted with NBC’s Jimmy Roberts about what events like “Rumble on the Rails” mean amid the effort to save Olympic wrestling. “Huge events like this are awesome. I think we…
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IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang of Singapore officially entered the race for IOC president on Thursday, announcing his candidacy at the Sorbonne in Paris where the Games were originally founded back in 1894. Ng, 64, a former vice president of the international sailing federation, has served the IOC since 1998, including time spent as…
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AP Photo/Paul Sancya
After being suspended by the IOC last December for failing to comply with the Olympic Charter, India is on the road back to the Games. The IOA has agreed, during a meeting at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne Wednesday, to hold new elections and a new Annual General Meeting. “It was a good and fruitful…
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Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
Because “nobody remembers losers,” and because winning a gold on his home ice in Sochi next February is something that might help that problem, two-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin is going to join his national team in Finland and Sweden for the IIHF World Championships. Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals were ousted from the NHL playoffs in…
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As part of Hollywood Pointman Billy Baldwin’s campaign to Keep Olympic Wrestling, he’s enlisting friends and former athletes to take part in an upcoming series of public service announcements. First up: Swimming legend and nine-time gold medalist Mark Spitz, who, despite earning every medal in the pool, admits in this new video that, “There is…
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AP Photo/Georgy Abdaladze
Despite spearheading Georgia’s recent unanimous decision to compete at the Sochi Olympics, newly elected Prime Minster Bidzina Ivanishvili said that received an invite to attend next February’s Winter Games just yet. “I haven’t received an official invitation,” Ivanishvili told R-Sport. “I don’t know if I’ll go to the Olympic Games. We will see how our…
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Matt Kryger-USA TODAY Sports
The U.S., Iranian, and Russian wrestling teams are set to square-off Wednesday at New York’s historic Grand Central Station for “The Rumble on the Rails,” in hopes that their competitive cooperation can save their beloved sport from being removed from the 2020 Olympic Games. “In this crisis, we all stick together. Wrestlers maybe can do,…
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ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
Following the lead of Oscars organizers, the Grammys have fled their normal spot on the second Sunday of February in order to avoid conflicting with next year’s Sochi Games. The Grammys would have traditionally been on Feb. 9, the third night of the Olympics, so the CBS broadcast will instead be moved up two weeks…
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eBay.com
You there. You will likely never win an Olympic gold medal. Because very few are awarded each year, and to earn the ones that are, you’re probably forced to go up against the likes of Michael Phelps. But, good news: You, yes you, can purchase your very own 1952 Helsinki gold medal for the low…
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London 100m hurdling champ Sally Pearson of Australia suffered another setback Sunday, injuring her already ailing hamstring during a rare 4x100m relay appearance in Sri Lanka. Pearson, who was expected to make her season debut on the hurdles two weeks from now in Manchester, had already missed the Australian season. Now the fresh grade-one tear…
