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Finland, without its NHL stars, tops Canada for hockey world title

By OlympicTalkMay 26, 2019, 4:40 PM EDT
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Finland’s roster for the world men’s hockey championship included zero players who finished the 2018-19 season on an NHL team. Didn’t matter, the Finns knocked out the last three nations to win world titles en route to their first gold since 2011.

Finland beat Canada 3-1 in Sunday’s final in Bratislava, Slovakia, getting two goals from captain Marko Anttila, a 2004 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick who plays in the KHL (and has never played in the NHL). Anttila also scored the lone goal in Saturday’s semifinal with Russia.

The most notable name on Finland’s roster may be its youngest. Forward Kaapo Kakko, 18, could be the No. 2 pick in the NHL Draft behind American Jack Hughes.

Finland became the first nation to win a world title without a player who finished the season on an NHL roster since at least 1993, not counting the 1995 and 2005 lockout years. The NHL didn’t participate in the Olympics until 1998.

Canada’s roster was headlined by Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray, Nashville Predators forward Kyle Turris as captain and Philadelphia Flyers veteran forward Sean Couturier. But it lacked the superstars of recent years like Connor McDavid (2018), Claude Giroux (2017), Brad Marchand (2016) and Sidney Crosby (2015).

The Russians had stalwarts Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk but were blanked by Finland in the semifinals and ended up with bronze over the Czech Republic. They eliminated the Patrick Kane-captained Americans in the quarterfinals.

MORE: Great Britain gets first win at hockey worlds in 57 years

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U.S. diving roster for world championships finalized at nationals

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By OlympicTalkMay 26, 2019, 2:54 PM EDT
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More: Olympics

Finland, without its NHL stars, tops Canada for hockey world title Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat win first tournament title together David Boudia wins U.S. title, qualifies for worlds after break from diving

Collegians David Dinsmore and Brandon Loschiavo beat out Olympian Steele Johnson for the two U.S. men’s platform spots at July’s world championships.

Dinsmore, a rising Miami senior, had the highest cumulative score at the U.S. Championships in Indianapolis, while Loschiavo, a rising Purdue senior, was second while earning the national title with the top tally in Sunday’s final.

Johnson, coming back from two foot surgeries in the last eight months, ended up third, 41.95 points behind Loschiavo.

Johnson is still going to worlds in South Korea with former Purdue teammate Ben Bramley in the synchronized platform. Johnson is an Olympic silver medalist in that event with David Boudia, who left the platform for the springboard and won the national title on that event Saturday.

Also Sunday, Brooke Schultz and Sarah Bacon earned world spots in the women’s springboard, the one event this weekend without an Olympian in the field. Schultz won the previous world championships trials in 2017 and placed 25th at those worlds. Bacon, a rising Minnesota senior, is going to her first worlds.

Divers will compete at worlds for themselves but also to earn Olympic quota spots for the U.S.

U.S. roster for World Diving Championships
Women
Synchronized Springboard — Alison Gibson/Krysta Palmer
Synchronized Platform — Murphy Bromberg/Katrina Young (Olympian)
1m Springboard (Not an Olympic event) — Sarah Bacon, Maria Coburn
3m Springboard — Brooke Schultz, Sarah Bacon
Platform — Amy Cozad Magana (Olympian), Delaney Schnell

Men
Synchronized Springboard — Andrew Capobianco/MIchael Hixon (Olympian)
Synchronized Platform — Ben Bramley/Steele Johnson (Olympian)
1m Springboard (Not an Olympic event) — Briadam Herrera, Michael Hixon (Olympian)
3m Springboard — Michael Hixon (Olympian), David Boudia (Olympian)
Platform — David Dinsmore, Brandon Loschiavo

Mixed (Not Olympic events)
Synchronized Springboard — Briadam Herrera/Lauren Reedy
Synchronized Platform — Zach Cooper/Olivia Rosendahl

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VIDEO: Relive Greg Louganis diving board accident on 30th anniversary

David Boudia wins U.S. title, qualifies for worlds after break from diving

By OlympicTalkMay 25, 2019, 4:00 PM EDT
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More: Olympics

Finland, without its NHL stars, tops Canada for hockey world title U.S. diving roster for world championships finalized at nationals Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat win first tournament title together

David Boudia, after a year away from diving, two more children, a concussion and a goodbye to the platform, is back in familiar territory. He’s on the U.S. team for the world championships.

Boudia, a 30-year-old, four-time Olympic medalist, outscored fellow Rio Olympian Michael Hixon to win the springboard at the U.S. Championships on Saturday.

The top two per individual event by cumulative score at nationals go to July’s worlds in South Korea. Boudia was in third place going into the finals but had the top Saturday score by 23.35 to leap onto the team with Hixon.

“It’s relieving, but in my mind, as an athlete, there’s a lot of work to be done before 2020,” Boudia said on NBCSN. “I have to learn new dives if I want to contend with the best in the world.”

Later Saturday, Rio Olympian Amy Cozad Magaña and Delaney Schnell made the world team in the women’s platform, with Schnell helping knock out Rio Olympian Jessica Parratto. Competition concludes Sunday with the women’s springboard and men’s platform.

Boudia, whose 72 career Olympic dives all came off the platform, switched to the more forgiving springboard after a February 2018 concussion.

He considered retiring after a third Olympics in Rio, where he earned synchro silver and individual bronze after an individual gold at London 2012. He even began a real-estate job in Indiana. But he announced a diving comeback in September 2017, saying he didn’t want to have any “what ifs” later in life.

Boudia then beat Hixon at the 2018 Winter Trials, proving he could master the new event. The other Rio Olympian on the springboard, Kristian Ipsen, has retired.

Boudia has competed at every Olympics and world championships since 2005, except in 2017 of course, and is the only U.S. diver to earn a medal in an individual Olympic event at either meet since 2009.

“I don’t think I have been that nervous since 2005,” Boudia said, according to TeamUSA.org. “Hix and I are going to have a lot of training to do if we want to be even close to cracking that top five.”

Cozad Magaña, 28, placed seventh in synchro at the Rio Olympics and plans to retire after 2020. Schnell, 20, was sixth individually at the 2016 Olympic Trials and second at the 2017 world trials before placing 27th at her world debut two years ago.

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VIDEO: Relive Greg Louganis diving board accident on 30th anniversary