First gymnasts named to U.S. Olympic team

By Nick ZaccardiJun 13, 2016, 7:20 AM EDT

Getty Images

The first eight members of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team were named Sunday night, including the first rhythmic group to qualify for a Games.

Individual rhythmic gymnast Laura Zeng, trampoline gymnasts Logan Dooley and Nicole Ahsinger and five rhythmic group gymnasts from Illinois are going to Rio.

The U.S. Olympic artistic gymnastics teams will be named in the next month.

The list of U.S. athletes qualified for the Rio Games is now at 181.

Zeng, who was born Oct. 14, 1999, is the youngest U.S. woman to qualify for the Rio Olympic team and three months shy of becoming the second American born in the 2000s to qualify for Rio (Kanak Jha, table tennis).

Zeng finished eighth in the rhythmic individual all-around at the 2015 World Championships, the best-ever finish for an American. In May, she became the first U.S. gymnast to earn a medal at a World Cup event.

Russia dominates rhythmic gymnastics, having won every Olympic title since 2000 and sweeping every individual gold and silver medal at the 2015 Worlds.

The U.S. qualified a rhythmic team for the Olympic group competition for the first time. Its only previous appearance was as the automatically qualified host nation at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The five-woman U.S. group includes Kiana Eide, Alisa Kano, Natalie McGiffert, Monica Rokhman and Kristen Shaldybin. Three were born in 1997 and one in 1998. Rokhman’s identical twin, Jenny, was named the alternate.

The six gymnasts knew for months that five of them would be chosen for Rio, with a sixth being the alternate. They qualified for Rio by finishing 13th at the 2015 Worlds and being the highest non-Asian or European country.

In trampoline, Ahsinger earned the single Olympic berth after the top U.S. trampolinist, Charlotte Drury, suffered a broken talus on her right foot in training Friday.

Dooley, 28, will be the oldest first-time U.S. Olympic gymnastics competitor since 1972, according to sports-reference.com. Dooley was an Olympic alternate in 2008 and 2012.

MORE: Danell Leyva’s medals found on bus, lucky towel stolen

Follow @nzaccardi

Canada wins men’s hockey world title; Latvia wins first medal

Associated PressMay 28, 2023, 8:00 PM EDT

Getty

TAMPERE, Finland — Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the world men’s hockey championship on Sunday.

It’s a record 28th world title for Canada, and its second in three years. Russia has 27 while Germany has never won the trophy.

Blais netted with a backhand 4:51 into the final period for a 3-2 lead for Canada, which was playing in its fourth straight final.

“It feels really good,” Blais said. “We’ve been in Europe for a month and we’ve all waited for that moment to play for the gold medal game. And we’re lucky enough to have won it.”

Lawson Crouse, Tyler Toffoli and Scott Laughton also scored for Canada, Peyton Krebs had two assists and goaltender Samuel Montembeault stopped 21 shots.

Toffoli stretched the lead to 4-2 from the left circle with 8:09 remaining and Laughton made it 5-2 with an empty net goal.

Adam Fantilli became only the second Canadian player after Jonathan Toews to win gold at the world juniors and world championship the same year.

Canada had to come back twice in the final.

John Peterka wristed a shot past Montembeault from the left circle 7:44 into the game. It was the sixth goal for the Buffalo Sabres forward at the tournament.

Blais was fed by Krebs to beat goaltender Mathias Niederberger and tie it 1-1 at 10:47.

Daniel Fischbuch put the Germans ahead again with a one-timer with 6:13 to go in the middle period.

Crouse equalized on a power play with 2:32 remaining in the frame.

It was the first medal for Germany since 1953 when it was second behind Sweden.

The two previously met just once in the final with Canada winning 6-1 in 1930.

LATVIA GETS BRONZE

Defenseman Kristian Rubins scored his second goal 1:22 into overtime to lead Latvia to a 4-3 victory over the United States and earn a bronze medal earlier Sunday.

It’s the first top-three finish for Latvia at the tournament. Its previous best was a seventh place it managed three times.

The U.S. lost in the bronze medal game for the second straight year. The U.S. team was cruising through the tournament with eight straight wins until it was defeated by Germany in the semifinal 4-3 in overtime.

Rubins rallied Latvia with his first with 5:39 to go in the final period to tie the game at 3 to force overtime.

Roberts Bukarts and Janis Jaks also scored for Latvia.

Rocco Grimaldi scored twice for the U.S. in the opening period to negate Latvia’s 1-0 and 2-1 leads.

Matt Coronato had put the U.S. 3-2 ahead 6:19 into the final period.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkMay 28, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

At the French Open, Iga Swiatek of Poland eyes a third title at Roland Garros and a fourth Grand Slam singles crown overall.

Main draw play began Sunday, live on Peacock.

Swiatek, the No. 1 seed from Poland, can join Serena Williams and Justine Henin as the lone women to win three or more French Opens since 2000.

Turning 22 during the tournament, she can become the youngest woman to win three French Opens since Monica Seles in 1992 and the youngest woman to win four Slams overall since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Men’s Draw

But Swiatek is not as dominant as in 2022, when she went 16-0 in the spring clay season during an overall 37-match win streak.

She retired from her most recent match with a right thigh injury last week and said it wasn’t serious. Before that, she lost the final of another clay-court tournament to Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the No. 4 seed and Wimbledon champion, are the top challengers in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, are the best hopes to become the first American to win a Grand Slam singles title since Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open. The 11-major drought is the longest for U.S. women since Seles won the 1996 Australian Open.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

More: Olympics

2023 French Open Women’s Singles Draw

More: Olympics