PHELAN STRIKES GOLD IN SKI CROSS
Canadian Brittany Phelan finally has her first women’s ski cross World Cup gold medal. Phelan, 32, finished first in the women’s final Sunday. The Canadian has been competing in World Cup events since 2016.
“This is my 17th World Cup podium and it’s been a bit of a joke that I’m always the bridesmaid and never the bride, so to cross that line in first and to get the win feels amazing,” said Phelan, of Mont-tremblant, Que.
She finished ahead of France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel for the win. Talina Gantenbein and Margaux Dumont, both of Switzerland, crashed partway through the race and finished tied for third in the four-skier competition.
Phelan earned silver medals in two prior events this month. She stepped on to the podium for the fifth time this season.
Marielle Thompson, of Whistler, B.C., who’d won three straight World Cup gold medals, was 13th after not finishing her quarterfinal heat. India Sherret of Cranbrook, B.C., was ninth overall. Thompson, though, remained atop the World Cup standings with 832 points. Phelan is third with 632 points.
The Atlanta Hawks have lost all-star point guard Trae Young for at least four weeks with a left hand injury. The Hawks announced Sunday that Young suffered a torn ligament in the fifth finger of his left hand during Friday night’s loss to Toronto.
Young’s loss comes as the Hawks, fighting for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference, are facing front-line depth issues as centre Onyeka Okongwu recovers from a sprained left toe.
Young, who made his third all-star team this year, leads Atlanta with his averages of 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game.
Virgil van Dijk headed Liverpool to a record-extending 10th English League Cup title by securing a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
The centre back’s header in the 28th minute of extra time settled a tense clash that had ended 0-0 in regulation. It clinched an eighth piece of major silverware for Jurgen Klopp and ensured the Liverpool manager will not end his final season at the club empty-handed.
Klopp will step down at the end of the season, but victory in the League Cup has kept his team on course for an improbable quadruple of trophies.
Liverpool currently leads the Premier League and is still in contention for the FA Cup and Europa League.
Sheffield United players Jack Robinson and Vinicius Souza were involved in an on-field clash following a dispute during the team’s Premier League game against Wolves on Sunday. The teammates pushed each other in a heated exchange at Molineux, which led to VAR reviewing the incident for potential punishment. Robinson and Souza could be seen in conversation after a Wolves attack.