RUSSIAN CURLER CAUGHT DOPING
PYEONGCHANG» According to media reports Sunday, Russian curler Alexander Krushelnytsky failed a drug test and could potentially lose the bronze medal he earned in a mixed-doubles competition at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Krushelnytsky reportedly tested positive for meldonium, which has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances since January 2016. The Associated Press reported Sunday that the Russian delegation in PyeongChang acknowledged that a Russian athlete failed a drug test, though the delegate did not confirm a specific athlete.
The New York Times reported that the athlete in question is Krushelnytsky, according to an unnamed source. Krushelnytsky won a bronze medal in mixeddoubles curling with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova. The pair earned third place in a win over Norway and, according to a Reuters report citing an unnamed source published Sunday, Norway would receive the bronze medal if Krushelnytsky’s failed drug test is confirmed by a “B sample.”
This news comes in the wake of a statewide Russian doping scandal, which the Russian government denies but led the International Olympic Committee to have the roughly 160 Russians in PyeongChang compete under the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia” (OAR). Those athletes are not allowed to compete under the Russian flag, and they marched in the PyeongChang opening ceremony under the white Olympic flag.
Meldonium is the drug that led to tennis star Maria Sharapova’s two-year ban from her sport in June 2016.
Canada, Sweden advance to men’s hockey quarterfinals.
Canada had a difficult time finishing off South Korea on Sunday, looking unconvincing for large parts of a 4-0 win over the host country.
Third-period goals by Maxim Lapierre and Gilbert Brule helped make the score look more flattering for Canada, which struggled for two periods to assert its superiority.
Sweden beat Finland 3-1 in the Olympic hockey tournament Sunday night to win Group C in the preliminary round and advance directly into the quarterfinals.
The Swedes will play Switzerland or Germany in Wednesday’s quarterfinals and could meet Canada or Finland in the semifinals. The Finns were forced into a qualification game Tuesday against South Korea.
Japan beats Sweden in OT.
Japan now has an Olympic winning streak in women’s hockey.
Ayaka Toko scored on a slap shot from the high slot 3:16 into overtime Sunday, and Japan beat Sweden 2-1 in a classification game.
Sweden, which lost in the quarterfinals to Finland, will play the combined Korea team for the final two slots in the eight-team tournament.