Sports
Will we see Mikaela Shiffrin at 2030 Games? 'I don't know'
Feb 18, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin has more records to break, more wins to celebrate and surely more medals to drape around her neck.
But the most successful Alpine skier in World Cup history, and one of the greatest of all time, struggled on Thursday to see far beyond the Milan Cortina Olympics when asked about her sporting future.
“I don’t know if I have an answer for that,” the American told Reuters.
“I’m so in it right now. There’s actually so much left of this season. It’s a big goal for me to be competing for this overall title. And there’s potentially four to six races left in the season for me.
“There’s so many things to look forward to.
“I feel that there’s some kind of transition in my career coming closer, but I don’t know what that looks like and I don’t know how to say it.”
MOST GOLDS BY A U.S. ALPINE SKIER
The 30-year-old now has the most Olympic gold medals ever won by a U.S. skier, along with a record 108 World Cup wins.
Wednesday’s slalom title was her third Olympic gold since the first in 2014 and she now has a total of four Olympic medals.
At world championships, Shiffrin has 15 medals, eight of them gold.
The American, who is engaged to Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, is also heading for her sixth overall World Cup crystal globe, having already secured the smaller slalom one for a record ninth time.
“Every day I go out for training and I love it,” she said. “I love skiing and I love training and I love practicing.
“So I don’t know how it looks for the next four years. Four years feels like a really long time, but also it goes by so fast. So I could tell you something now and then we’d be four years from now, like, ‘Oh. Oopsie.'”
Shiffrin spoke emotionally on Wednesday about the struggle of competing without the presence of her father, who died in 2020, the silent connection she felt after crossing the finish line and a new reality.
“I have wanted to and I have really been angry and resentful of people who talk about feeling their loved one with them after passing,” she said on Thursday.
“And I’ve wanted to talk to my dad so many times and I’ve tried talking to him and he doesn’t respond. And that makes me mad.
“In this race, maybe it was the first time where I thought that I can just talk to him and he doesn’t have to respond. And maybe that was a key thing to accept — the reality that I can win a medal and he’s not here to see it.”
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
Sports
Speed skater Jordan Stolz denied 3rd gold medal, takes silver in 1500m
Jordan Stolz of the United States won the silver medal in the men’s 1500m speed skating event Thursday at the Winter Olympics in Milan. MILAN — China’s Ning Zhongyan won the men’s 1,500 meters at the Winter Olympics on Thursday, denying American Jordan Stolz of his third speed skating gold medal of these Games.
Stolz claimed silver, while two-time defending Olympic 1,500m champion Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands secured bronze to round out a high-caliber podium.
Stolz entered the event as the overwhelming favorite after record-breaking victories in both the 1,000m and 500m. He was undefeated in the 1,500m this season.
But the field was stacked with heavyweights, including Nuis, the 1,500m world record holder; newly crowned 5,000m Olympic champion Sander Eitrem; 10,000m gold medalist Metodej Jilek; as well as Dutchman Joep Wennemars and Poland’s Vladimir Semirunniy.
But Ning, 26, already buoyed by two bronzes at the Milan Cortina Games in the men’s 1,000m and the team pursuit, had other plans.
Skating in the 13th of 15 pairs, Ning started in the inner lane alongside Nuis. On a remarkable day for the distance, the Olympic record fell twice: first to Wennemars in the 11th pair, and then to Ning, who obliterated the new mark moments later.
He stopped the clock at 1 minute, 41.98 seconds, finishing 0.77 seconds ahead of Stolz.
With Ning’s triumph, China now holds three gold medals at these Games, following Mengtao Xu’s victory in the women’s freestyle skiing aerials and Yiming Su’s win in the men’s snowboard slopestyle.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
US, Canada women advance to Olympics curling semis
Taylor Anderson-Heide, Tabitha Peterson and Tara Peterson of the United States advanced to the women’s curling tournament semi-finals on Thursday with a win against Switzerland in the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. REUTERS/Issei Kato CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Rachel Homan’s Canada team beat South Korea 10-7 on Thursday to book a spot in the semi-finals of the women’s curling competition at the Winter Olympics, where they will be joined by the United States.-
Both teams needed to win to lock in a place in the final four, and Homan delivered a fine performance to seal an Olympic semi-finals spot for the first time in her career.
Canada, two-time world champions, were pre-tournament favorites to win gold, but Homan’s record at the Olympics has been poor. She participated in the past two Games, finishing sixth as skip of the women’s team in 2018 and then once again ending up outside the qualification spots for the semi-finals while competing in the mixed doubles in 2022.
Canada had a poor start to its round-robin campaign with just one win after the opening four games.
“We’ve been in a single elimination tournament. We started off a little bit slow,” Homan said.
“We knew our game. We knew our training. We had belief in each other and just tried to stick with the process. … It’s hard playing a single elimination game the entire time, but that’s what the Olympics is. It’s a tough field.
“Everyone’s gunning for you, and you have to bring your best every single time or it’s going to be a loss.”
Tabitha Peterson and her United States teammates are hoping to become the first U.S. women’s team to win an Olympic medal. They claimed a 7-6 win over Switzerland, which already had sealed a spot in the semi-finals.
The game went into an extra end and Switzerland set up two stones in the house, but Peterson made a difficult draw with her last shot to snatch the win.
Asked about the final shot, the team’s second Tara Peterson said: “We just told her the speed. … You give Tab a draw, she’s going to make it, so we were very happy to have that opportunity.”
The United States will meet Switzerland once again in the semi-finals on Friday, while round-robin leader Sweden takes on fourth-place Canada.
Great Britain, the defending Olympic champion, beat host Italy 7-4 to finish sixth.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-skipper Bob Melvin rejoins A's as special assistant
Oct 3, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin (6) looks on from the dugout before the start of the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Longtime Oakland manager Bob Melvin has rejoined the Athletics as a special assistant in baseball operations.
Melvin, 64, “will serve as an adviser to the front office on baseball matters,” the team announced on Thursday.
Melvin managed the Oakland A’s from 2011-21, reaching the playoffs six times and winning two American League Manager of the Year awards (2012, 2018).
He compiled a record of 1,678-1,588 in 22 seasons as a skipper with the Seattle Mariners (2003-04), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-09), Athletics, San Diego Padres (2022-23) and San Francisco Giants (2024-25).
The Giants fired Melvin following an 81-81 finish last season.
Melvin also earned National League Manager of the Year honors with the Diamondbacks in 2007. None of his teams reached the World Series.
–Field Level Media
Speed skater Jordan Stolz denied 3rd gold medal, takes silver in 1500m
US, Canada women advance to Olympics curling semis
