U.S. breaks short track 5000m relay world record

By Nick ZaccardiNov 13, 2017, 8:56 AM EST

International Skating Union

Could the U.S. men’s short track team spoil the South Korean party in PyeongChang?

Certainly if they skate like they did Sunday.

J.R. Celski, John-Henry Krueger, Keith Carroll Jr. and Thomas Hong combined to break the 5000m relay world record at a World Cup in Shanghai.

They clocked 6:29.052, edging South Korea by .024 in the race and taking down Canada’s world record from 2012 by 1.906 seconds. Video is here.

Carroll said they didn’t know they broke the record until a coach informed them.

“We’ve been working hard and this is a long time coming,” Carroll said, according to U.S. Speedskating. “To put it all together and have something go right, feels awesome.”

The victory qualified a U.S. men’s short track relay for the PyeongChang Olympics, where eight nations will vie for medals in February. In 2014, the U.S. men took silver in the relay behind Russia (Celski was part of that team, while Krueger, Carroll and Hong eye their first Olympics).

The U.S. captured bronze in the two Olympics before that.

Sunday’s win also ended a three-year U.S. drought for World Cup victories in any men’s or women’s event.

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Gold medal and a new 5000m World Record set by @TeamUSA at #WCShortTrack Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/rCEOeCF1BA

— US Speedskating (@USSpeedskating) November 12, 2017

Wimbledon reverses ban on Russia, Belarus tennis players

Associated PressMar 31, 2023, 8:30 AM EDT

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Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year.

The players must sign declarations of neutrality and comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted,” All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement.

The players cannot receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states.

Those impacted include Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

Other tennis tournaments have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes.

“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said.

The same conditions will apply for Lawn Tennis Association tournaments used by players as grass-court warmups for the sport’s oldest Grand Slam tournament.

The women’s and men’s professional tennis tours last year imposed heavy fines on the LTA and threatened to pull its tournaments. The ATP and WTA had also responded to last year’s ban by not awarding ranking points for Wimbledon — an unprecedented move against the prestigious event.

“There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, The Championships and British tennis,” the club said.

This year’s Wimbledon tournament will start on July 3. The women’s final is scheduled for July 15 and the men’s final on July 16.

The All England Club said the conditions were developed through talks with the British government, the LTA and “international stakeholder bodies in tennis.”

The club’s statement described “personal player declarations” but didn’t provide details. The LTA said the players and support staff “will be required to sign neutrality declarations” similar to those used in other sports.

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2023 World Junior Gymnastics Championships live stream schedule

By OlympicTalkMar 30, 2023, 8:08 PM EDT

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The world junior gymnastics championships individual finals stream live on the International Gymnastics Federation YouTube channel from Friday through Sunday.

Already this week, Japan swept the men’s and women’s team titles in Antalya, Turkey. The U.S. women took silver.

The U.S. women in Friday’s all-around final are Izzy Stassi (qualified fourth) and Jayla Hang (qualified 22nd). The U.S. men in Friday’s all-around final are Kai Uemura (qualified 11th) and David Shamah (qualified 14th).

Americans also advanced to four of this weekend’s apparatus finals: women’s vault (Stassi, Hang), uneven bars (Hezly Rivera) and floor exercise (Rivera, Hang) and men’s still rings (Uemura).

Gymnastics added a biennial junior worlds starting in 2019. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Women ages 14 or 15 and men ages 15 through 18 compete.

The U.S. team in 2019 included future senior world team members Skye Blakely, Kayla DiCello and Konnor McClain.

2023 World Junior Gymnastics Championships Live Stream Schedule

Day	Competition	Time (ET)	Platform
Friday	Men’s All-Around	7:30 a.m.	FIG YouTube \| LIVE STREAM LINK
	Women’s All-Around	12 p.m.	FIG YouTube \| LIVE STREAM LINK
Saturday	Apparatus Finals	7 a.m.	FIG YouTube \| LIVE STREAM LINK
Sunday	Apparatus Finals	7 a.m.	FIG YouTube \| LIVE STREAM LINK

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