Humphries hits bobsled milestone
ALTENBERG, Germany — Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. got a milestone medal Saturday, winning a World Cup women’s monobob race for the 100th top-three finish of her career in major international competition.
Humphries has won 70 medals in two-woman races in her career; 60 in World Cups, seven at the world championships and three at the Olympics. She’s won another 11 medals in monobob events — including Olympic gold at Beijing last year — plus 10 more on the North American Cup circuit and nine medals in team competitions.
Humphries used a blazing second run to finish two heats on Saturday in 1 minute, 57.92 seconds. Germany’s Laura Nolte was second in 1:58.47, and Canada’s Cynthia Appiah was third in 1:58.86. Humphries’ winning margin of 0.55 seconds was the largest in a World Cup monobob race this season.
In the two-man race later Saturday, Germany’s Johannes Lochner drove to the win in 1:49.20. Britain’s Brad Hall was second in 1:49.63, and Germany’s Francesco Friedrich drove to third in 1:50.26. There were no U.S. sleds in the race.
Brignone wins as Shiffrin sits
ST. ANTON, Austria — Federica Brignone won a World Cup super- G on Saturday for the 2020 overall champion’s first victory this season in a race that Mikaela Shiffrin skipped.
Brignone mastered a course shortened because of heavy overnight snowfall and triumphed after her Italian teammate Sofia Goggia skied faster but went out following a nasty crash.
Shiffrin was sitting out this weekend’s speed races after completing a block of seven tech races within 15 days. The American is expected back for a super- G in Cortina on Friday, aiming for a record-setting 83rd women’s World Cup win to break the 82-win tie with Lindsey Vonn.
Kilde dominates downhill
WENGEN, Switzerland — The dominant men’s downhill racer is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde — clearly.
Kilde won Switzerland’s marquee World Cup race Saturday by a big margin for his fourth win in six downhills this season.
That Kilde won with Swiss standout Marco Odermatt second was less of a surprise than the gap between them on a shortened version of the storied Lauberhorn course — 0.88 seconds.
Ole Miss hires Alabama’s Golding
OXFORD, Miss. — Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding is leaving for the same job at rival Mississippi.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin announced the hiring on Saturday of Golding, who had been the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator since 2018. The 38-year-old joins Kiffin, himself a former offensive coordinator under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, and remains in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.
Lauren Davis wins 2nd WTA title
HOBART, Australia — American Lauren Davis has claimed a second WTA title six years after her first, beating Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6 (0), 6-2 on Saturday in the Hobart International final.
The 29-year-old Davis upset fourth-seeded and 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and didn’t drop a set all week. It was Davis’ first WTA title since winning the Auckland event in 2017.
Davis will play 54th-ranked Danka Kovinic in the first round of the Australian Open.
Man United beats Man City
MANCHESTER, England — Marcus Rashford struck the winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
United issued a statement of its title intent with victory in the 189th Manchester derby to move within a point of the reigning champions.
Substitute Jack Grealish had put City ahead in the second half, but goals from Bruno Fernandes and Rashford secured the win for Eric ten Hag ’s team at Old Trafford.
Everton directors issued ‘threat’
MANCHESTER, England — Everton’s board of directors were instructed not to attend Saturday’s home match against Southampton because of a “real and credible threat to their safety and security,” the Premier League team said.
The decision was made ahead of reports of a possible protest at Goodison Park in the wake of Everton’s poor form this season.
“The board members received the instruction following malicious and unacceptably threatening correspondence received by the club and increasing incidents of anti-social behavior — including targeted physical aggression — at recent home matches,” the club said in a statement.
Everton is third from the foot of the table and three points ahead of last-place Southampton going into Saturday’s game.