NEWSMAKERS
Harvey hits milestone with sprint bronze
Canadian cross-country skier Alex Harvey earned the 30th World Cup medal of his career after finishing third in Friday’s 1.6-kilometre sprint at Lillehammer, Norway. Italy’s Federico Pellegrino was first in three minutes, 19.14 seconds, followed by Norway’s Emil Iversen (3:19.61) and Harvey (3:19.85). Harvey, from Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., entered the final stretch in fourth place and used an energetic push to overtake Norway’s Sindre Bjornestad Skar before the finish. It was Harvey’s first sprint medal since winning gold in Quebec City in March. In the women’s 1.3-kilometre sprint, Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Stina Nilsson were first and second, respectively, followed by American Sadie Bjornsen.
Vonn plans to ski at Lake Louise next year
Lindsey Vonn can’t bring herself to say goodbye to ski racing without one final run at her favourite course. So she intends to extend her farewell tour into next season. The all-time winningest women’s World Cup racer announced on her new YouTube channel Friday that she plans to come back for one more series of speed races at Lake Louise, Alta., next season. Her firm retirement plans changed when she hyperextended and sprained a ligament in her knee during a training crash on Nov. 19. She posted video of the crash in which she fell on a turn, did the splits and went into the protective fence. She also suffered a bone bruise. That wipeout forced her to skip the speed events this weekend in Lake Louise, a course she has dominated so often that her fans playfully call it “Lake Lindsey.” Vonn has 18 career World Cup wins at the venue.
Schmidhofer wins Lake Louise downhill
Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria won the season-opening women’s World Cup downhill Friday at Lake Louise, Alta. The 29-year-old was the fastest in the final training run and carried her speed over into the race with a time of one minute, 48.13 seconds. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland was second in 1:48.28. Germany’s Kira Wiedle was third, half a second back of Schmidhofer. Roni Remmi of Collingwood, Ont., was the top Canadian in 35th.
Stroll joins father’s Force India F1 team
Montreal driver Lance Stroll is joining the Force India Formula One team. The team was purchased by Stroll’s father, Lawrence, this summer, creating instant speculation that Lance would drive for Force India in 2019. The 20-year-old Stroll drove for Williams in his first two seasons in F1, notching one podium finish when he came third at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Mexican Sergio Perez will be Stroll’s Force India teammate.
Canada falls to Kiwis in Dubai sevens final
New Zealand downed Canada 26-14 on Friday in the final of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, posting its fifth straight tournament win at Dubai. The Black Ferns won the 2018-19 season opener in Glendale, Colo., and finished off the 2017-18 campaign with victories in Japan, Langford, B.C., and France. While New Zealand built its lead atop the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series standings after two of six events, Canada vaulted over the U.S. to move into second spot. The Canadian women have won 10 of 12 matches this season, losing only to the Black Ferns twice.
White Sox add reliever Colome from Mariners
Reliever Alex Colome was acquired by the Chicago White Sox from the Seattle Mariners Friday for catcher Omar Narvaez. Colome has 96 saves in six seasons with Tampa Bay and Seattle, earned US$5.3 million this year and is eligible for salary arbitration. The 29-year-old righthander was an all-star in 2016 and became the first Tampa Bay Rays pitcher to lead the league in saves in 2017 with 47. He was dealt to the Mariners in May. Colome finished 7-5 with a 3.04 ERA and 12 saves in 17 chances last season, including 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in 47 appearances for Seattle. He is eligible for free agency after the 2020 season. Narvaez, 26, hit .275 with nine homers and 30 RBIs last season, his third with the White Sox.