NO SKATEBOARDING FOR SHAUN WHITE
IL» If the world sees Shaun White
V A at an Olympics again, it will be in 2022, not later this year.
The three-time snowboarding champion told The Associated Press that he is taking skateboarding off his plate and won’t try to qualify for that sport’s Olympic debut later this year in Tokyo.
“The decision became less about going for skate and more about, am I willing to walk away from snow?” White said this weekend while attending the Burton U.S. Open. “It just was going in that direction, and I didn’t feel comfortable with it and I can’t wholeheartedly choose this path with what I’ve got going on snow.”
White, who for years was every bit as successful a skateboarder as a snowboarder, had been dangling the possibility of joining the rare group of athletes to compete in both Winter and Summer Games.
He has long excelled in vert contests, which most resemble a snowboard halfpipe competition, but is not part of the Olympic program. He was trying to make the switch to park, which combine halfpipes and quarterpipes with stairs and rails. White headed to Brazil last summer to compete at skateboarding world championships, where he finished 13th.
He thought about it for a while and realized the work he’d have to put in to compete against full-time skateboarders for an Olympic spot would compromise his chances of returning to the Winter Games in Beijing for a shot at a fourth gold medal.
“It doesn’t mean I’m committed to going to China, but it doesn’t feel too far-fetched for me,” said the 33-yearold White. “I still feel great and that’s where it got left for me. I’m dipping back into snow, and doing what feels right.”
Atlanta’s Martinez tears ACL.
» Atlanta United star Josef
A TL A NT A
Martinez will undergo surgery after tearing the ACL in his right knee during the season-opening match at expansion Nashville, dealing a huge blow to one of Major League Soccer’s top teams.
United announced the diagnosis for the league’s 2018 MVP but did not disclose if the anterior cruciate ligament was completely torn.
The seriousness of the injury will likely be known after Martinez has surgery. It can take anywhere from two to six months to recover from a torn ACL.
Manchester City wins League Cup.
LONDON» Manchester City won the League Cup for a third consecutive season by beating Aston Villa 2-1, providing the club with a moment of celebration as it fights to protect its reputation off the field.
City got both its goals in the first half, from Sergio Agüero and Rodri.
It is a season where the Premier League trophy is almost certainly going to be surrendered to Liverpool. But a first Champions League title for City remains a possibility just as the club fights a two-season ban from European competitions for breaches of UEFA financial regulations.
Pinturault wins combined.
» Alexis PinHINTERSTODER, A USTRI A turault dominated the last men’s World Cup alpine combined race of the season to win his fourth career discipline title in style.
Pinturault posted the fastest time in the slalom to win the race by 0.99 seconds from Mauro Caviezel of Switzerland, who had led by 0.23 after the super-G run.
Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was third.
Snowfall cancels women’s race.
LY» Heavy snowfall
L A THUILE, IT A caused the cancellation of the alpine combined race, reducing the number of races left for the season to seven — in Sweden and Italy.
However, the international ski federation said it was yet unclear whether those races could go on amid health concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus in Europe.