ALTENMARKT-ZAUCHENSEE, Austria -- Marie-Michele Gagnon ended a 30-year drought for Canadian women in World Cup combined events by earning her maiden victory on
Sunday.
Harry Carson Giants Jersey . Gagnon was 1.37 seconds off the lead in 16th after the super-G portion but went ahead of the
field after posting the second fastest time in the slalom run. "Its really
exciting, a magical moment," said Gagnon, who wasnt even born when Gerry
Sorensen won a combined event in Puy St. Vincent, France, on Jan. 8, 1984 for
the last triumph by a Canadian woman. "My teammate Erin Mielzynski won two years
ago in Ofterschwang. She was the first Canadian woman to win in slalom in like
40 years," Gagnon said. "That was unbelievable and I didnt expect our team to
make history again." Gagnon finished in an overall 2 minutes, 5.55 seconds to
beat second-place Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria by 0.32. Maria Hoefl-Riesch of
Germany trailed Gagnon by 0.39 in third. Nicole Hosp of Austria, who led the
competition after the super-G, finished fourth. "Its amazing. I was quite
surprised," said Gagnon, whose only previous podium came in a slalom in Are,
Sweden, in 2012. "I didnt expect that after the first run. I knew I had to do a
really good slalom run to be on the podium. I just tried to do my best and it
looks like the pieces of the puzzle have come together." The super-combined
format was introduced at the start of the 2005-06 season to replace the classic
combined races, which consisted of one speed run followed by two slalom legs. No
Canadian skier -- male or female -- had ever made the podium in a super-combined
before. The last Canadian to get in the top three of any combined event was
Emily Broydon, who came third in San Sicaro, Italy, in 2005. The combination of
super-G and slalom at Sundays event suited Gagnon, who was in the top 10 of two
super-G races this season and in the top six of all four slaloms. "I am happy
with my season so far and this tops it off for sure," said Gagnon, coming off a
disappointing season following her first top-three finish at the end of the
2011-12 campaign. "I ended that season really strongly and I came in the season
after and I was expecting a lot," Gagnon said. "But I was trying too hard. This
year, I just try my best. I know I have done all the work in training."
Second-place Kirchgasser made an even bigger jump as she climbed from 20th after
the super-G. "I knew something would still be possible (after the first run),"
said the Austrian. "But after my slalom run, I first thought it wasnt enough."
Kirchgasser failed to finish five races this season, but said she had forgotten
about 2013 already, adding "2014 has been really good so far." Hoefl-Riesch
regained the lead in the overall standings one day after she lost it to Austrias
Anna Fenninger after Saturdays downhill. The German has 731 points and
Fenninger, who finished eighth, 709. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein is third
with 673. "Of course I am really happy," Hoefl-Riesch said. "But theres also a
little bit of disappointment. It wasnt perfect skiing from me. And I missed
second place by 0.07 yesterday and again today. But all in all it was a very
satisfying weekend." Earlier Sunday, most of the 19 starters who failed to
finish the super-G went out at the Panorama, a sharp right turn about 40 seconds
into the run. Going into the curve with too much speed made it difficult to make
the next gate. Julia Mancuso, who won the super-combined in
Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in 2007, also went out at that point. Her American
teammate Lindsey Vonn, who has a record 12 podium finishes in super-combined
including a win here in 2009, is out for the season because of a right knee
injury. It was the first super-combined event of the season and the only one
before the Sochi Olympics next month. The womens World Cup travels to nearby
Flachau for a night slalom on Tuesday.
Rashad Jennings Giants Jersey . - Erick Torres scored his 10th goal of the season on a stunning volley, and Chivas USA
edged 10-man Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night.
Larry Donnell Giants Jersey . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has
happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his
players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio
recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his
girlfriend not to bring black people to games. DAVIE, Fla. -- In the stadium
program sold at the Miami Dolphins game on Halloween, Richie Incognito was asked
whos the easiest teammate to scare. His answer: Jonathan Martin. The troubled,
troubling relationship between the two offensive linemen took an ominous turn
Monday with fresh revelations: Incognito sent text messages to his teammate that
were racist and threatening, two people familiar with the situation said. The
people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the
Dolphins and NFL havent disclosed the nature of the misconduct that led to
Sundays suspension of Incognito, a veteran with a reputation for dirty play.
Martin, a tackle, remained absent from practice Monday one week after he
suddenly left the team because of emotional issues. Also missing was Incognito,
a guard suspended indefinitely late Sunday by coach Joe Philbin for his
treatment of Martin. Agents for the two players didnt respond to requests for
comment. Martin is with his family in Los Angeles for counselling. The 319-pound
Incognito, a ninth-year pro, is white. The 312-pound Martin, who is in his
second NFL season, is black. For much of the season, theyve played side by side.
The team and NFL continued their investigation into allegations by Martins
representatives that he was bullied, and Philbin said Dolphins owner Stephen
Ross asked Commissioner Roger Goodell for assistance. The NFL Players
Association also planned to look into the matter. "Every decision Ive made,
everything weve done in this facility has been done with one thing in mind,"
Philbin said. "Thats to help our players and our organization reach their full
potential. Any type of conduct (or) behaviour that detracts from that objective
is not acceptable and is not tolerated." Its unclear whether coaches or
management had any inkling of harassment between the players before Martin left
the team, and Philbin declined to answer a question about the locker-room
culture. Recent rumblings of dissension have also included complaints by young
players that theyre pressured to pay more than their share when team members
socialize together. After beating Cincinnati in overtime Thursday, the Dolphins
had three days off while the Martin story mushroomed. They returned to practice
Monday and afterward found nearly 100 reporters and cameramen in their locker
room. Teammates praised both Incognito and Martin and expressed regret regarding
their absences, but said it was time to get on with business. "The only thing
affecting us is we cant even get dressed," said receiver Mike Wallace as he
surveyed the media throng. Wallace said he found Incognito to be intense but a
good teammate. Newcomer Bryant McKinnie agreed. "When I got here, he was a guy
who had everybody laughing and told jokes," said McKinnie, a tackle who joined
the team two weeks ago. "I didnt really see the side being portrayed right now."
Hazing of young players has a long history in sports, but Incognitos treatment
of Martin raised questions about whether coaches or teammates should have
intervened. "Its not a thin line. Its pretty obvious stuff that shouldnt be
crossed," Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty said. "You would hope if
stuff was getting out of hands, there were guys in the locker room who would
step up and maybe nip it in the bud before it got out of control." Arizona
Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said he was glaad the Dolphins took
action against Incognito.
Shane Vereen Giants Jersey. "Especially when you try to bully a guy. Thats so classless," Dockett said. "His whole makeup is
to play dirty and hurt guys. Everybody knows that. I just dont understand how he
got away with it for so long. I think the NFL really needs to buckle down on it
now, because its bigger than trying to hurt other guys. Youre trying to hurt
guys on your team mentally, which sometimes can actually be worse than hurting
someone physically." Philbin said he was unaware of hazing incidents that
involved Incognito -- such as hacking into a teammates Facebook page -- shown on
the HBO series "Hard Knocks," which chronicled the Dolphins training camp in
2012. Philbin said he never watched the program. "If the review shows that this
is not a safe atmosphere, I will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure
that it is," Philbin said. "I have that obligation to the players that I coach
on a daily basis, and I will do that." Before being suspended, Incognito posted
several tweets saying he wanted his name cleared. "Three things cannot be long
hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth," Incognito tweeted, quoting Buddha.
Incognito, whos in the final year of a $13 million, three-year contract, has
long had a reputation of being among the NFLs dirtiest players. During his first
four years, he led the league in penalties for unnecessary roughness, and the
St. Louis Rams got fed up with his undisciplined play and released him during
the 2009 season. "Theres certain people out there who are just punks, and he
wants to be that kind of guy," former Seahawks and Lions defensive end
Lawrence Jackson said Monday. "But because hes a lineman, he gets away with a
lot of stuff that people dont see. ... Incognito is way worse than anybody I
ever played against." However, there have been fewer such complaints since
Incognito joined the Dolphins in 2010. Last year he was voted by the leagues
players into the Pro Bowl for the first time. He was the co-winner of the
Dolphins Good Guy Award, given to the teams most co-operative player by the
local media. He also won frequent praise from Dolphins coaches for his
leadership, and this year he was voted by teammates to serve as a member of the
Dolphins player council. At Nebraska, Incognitos career was cut short when he
was suspended in 2004 before his junior season following a locker room
altercation with a teammate. He also ran into problems with the law while with
the Cornhuskers, and they said he repeatedly violated team rules. Martin
protected Andrew Lucks blind side at Stanford before joining Miami as a
second-round draft pick in 2012. He has been a starter since the beginning of
his rookie season, but has struggled while dividing his time between left and
right tackle. Stanford coach David Shaw said people at the school had been in
touch with Martin. "Im a Jonathan Martin fan, so my interest is just in him
getting back to the point where he gets a chance to play this game that he loves
again," Shaw said. "By all accounts hes doing well. Not sure if hes going to
rejoin the team this year, or when he is, but I know hes going to get himself
back ready to play the game." For the first six games this year, Incognito and
Martin were the two players protecting Ryan Tannehills blind side. Their
troubled relationship may help explain his NFL-high 35 sacks.
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