Category Archives: Olympics

Mike Sullivan is getting his chance.

The Penguins coach had been tabbed to coach Team USA four years earlier, but schedule alterations due to the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible. Now, the two-time Stanley Cup winner will guide Team USA in the 2026 Olympics and the 2025 4 Nations Face-off.

Team USA general manager Bill Guerin worked with Sullivan for many years in Pittsburgh and has a strong bond with him.

Were excited to have Mike guiding our teams, Guerin said. He is one of the very best coaches in the game and his background, including with international hockey, is well-suited to help put our team in the best position to win.

Sullivan, 56, was an assistant coach at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and has coached on many other occasions internationally for Team USA. Hes coached the Penguins since December 2015, guiding them to championships in 2016 and 2017.

While he has come under fire from some members of the fan base in Pittsburgh because of the teams recent woes the Penguins havent made the playoffs in either of the past two seasons and havent won a postseason series since 2018 he remains highly regarded in NHL circles.

Sullivan, a native of Marshfield, Mass., was eager to coach Team USA when he was last presented with such an opportunity and it comes as no surprise that he was picked to guide this team.

He commands much respect around the NHL, especially among star players. Sullivan is one of the most successful coaches in recent NHL history and has extensive experience coaching in international tournaments. His reputation as a good communicator is well known and, in such short tournaments, that skill would seem particularly important.

No one will be more familiar with the competition in these tournaments than Sullivan. Canada is Team USAs biggest rival and the Canadian captain figures to be Sidney Crosby, who Sullivan has coached for nearly a decade. Other big names from the Penguins could play in these tournaments, and Sullivan will likely get another chance to coach Jake Guentzel, an American whom the Penguins recently traded to Carolina.

Probably. Sullivan has three years remaining on his contract, not to mention firm backing from Crosby, president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and Fenway Sports Group ownership.

Still, there will be unprecedented pressure on Sullivan with the Penguins this season, as the franchise has only missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons once in the past 35 years.

Extremely good. Team USA will be one of the favorites in this tournament. They are loaded at the goaltending position with the likes of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko.

Theyre loaded everywhere. Consider the star power: Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel and Tage Thompson could play down the middle, and will have potential teammates such as Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy (Sullivans son-in-law).

(Photo: James Guillory / USA Today)

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Penguins' Mike Sullivan to coach Team USA for 2026 Olympics - The Athletic - The New York Times

Jeff Jacoby is exactly right that Boston dodged a bullet no, make that a cannonball in not hosting the Olympic Games this summer (I rejoice that Boston didnt get the 2024 Olympics, Ideas, May 12). The likely costs and disruption were staggering. Imagine Bostons current fiscal woes with a few hundred million dollars of Olympic shortfall added to the mix.

Unfortunately, the laudable goal of international, peaceable athletic competition has been sullied by an untransparent, unaccountable organization, the International Olympic Committee, and the trail of financial and physical ruin to its host cities is long and well-documented.

So its especially heartening, and an important lesson for us today, that the determined efforts of a few committed citizens can overcome the powers that be every once in a while. The grass-roots effort that beat back Bostons proposal about 10 years ago was much like the successful effort in the late 1960s to prevent the Inner Belt freeway from destroying city neighborhoods. A few so-called little guys said no to the self-aggrandizing plans of Bostons monied and political elite and won. Sometimes it takes a few Davids to take down a Goliath.

Mark Lohr

West Roxbury

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Score one for the little guys in fending off Boston's Olympic bid - The Boston Globe

BILLINGS The First Interstate Arena was host to hundreds of athletes from around Montana Wednesday night for the opening ceremony for the 2024 Special Olympics Montana games, marking the event's three-year stay in Billings.

(Competitors are) all running and giving each other hugs and its a competition, but they are coming together," said Holli Bennett, the director of Silver Bow Developmental Disabilities Council Incorporated in Butte.

The event included a torch lighting, notable speakers like Billings Mayor Bill Cole, honorees, and a dance party, but athletes said they were most excited to connect with family and friends.

It makes our relationship stronger," Jessica Hasler, a competitor, said about herself and her boyfriend, Payton Miller, who is also a competitor.

Many said despite the bonds, there remains a focus on friendly competition.

"I feel like a champion," said competitor Frank Zapada, who has earned over 100 medals during his special Olympic career.

It is estimated that coaches, volunteers, and organizers contribute hundreds of hours throughout the year to make the event come together.

People who have never been to a special Olympics event or participated in anything like this, they should come and experience what it does for your soul," said Bennett.

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Montana Special Olympics begins three years of family and friends in Billings - Q2 News

Scottish runner out-sprints Fiona OKeeffe to take womens win as Mohamed Ismael of Djibouti enjoys mens victory over Patrick Dever

After training in Edinburgh and Inverness in the build-up to the Night of the 10,000m PBs, Megan Keith applied a bit of self-tanning lotion before taking to the track at Parliament Hill. I hate to say it, but I just had enough of being really pasty in photos! she said.

There was nothing fake or artificial about her performance on Saturday (May 18) though as she stormed to a thrilling and narrow victory in 31:03.02 ahead of Fiona OKeeffe of the United States. With an Olympic qualifying time of 30:36.84 already in the bag from earlier this year, it means the 22-year-old has booked her spot in the GB team for the Olympics. Paris, she said, is a reality now, which is nice.

On a night where the main British sporting spotlight focused on the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk boxing fight in Saudi Arabia, a similarly brutal battle unfolded on Hampstead Heath in north London as Keith and OKeeffe slugged it out for 25 laps. This was hardly a two-horse race either as Amanda Vestri of the United States, Klara Lukan of Slovenia and Francine Niyomukunzi were all prominent and in the mix until the final three laps when Keith began to draw away with OKeeffe.

Megan Keith pips Fiona OKeeffe (David Hicks)

Until that point, Keith had run a patient race too. I dont mind being at the front and pushing it along, she said, but I didnt have to tonight and it was hard not to take my turn leading in the early stages. I had to be selfish and didnt want to be the workhorse for everyone else. I had to be patient, which is difficult when the crowd are making so much noise.

When she made her move, though, the lead group splintered. Only OKeeffe, 22, the surprise winner of the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Florida in February, could match Keiths pace. Ultimately, in a rip-roaring home straight sprint, Keith edged past her rival with a packed Parliament Hill crowd screaming them on.

The crowd carried me down the home straight, said Keith.

OKeeffe was less than half a second behind at the finish with Vestri seven seconds back in third, Lukan a further three seconds behind in fourth and Niyomukunzi, who had threatened to run away from the field mid-race, fifth.

Jess Warner-Judd leads Fiona OKeeffe and Megan Keith (David Hicks)

With the event doubling as the British Olympic trials, Jess Warner-Judd faded to ninth in 31:36.37 almost a minute outside the 30:40.00 qualifying target and she spent some time in the medical tent post-race.

Abbie Donnelly, one of the big British success stories of the recent cross-country season, ran a PB of 31:45.37 in 11th as Sophie Wallis was 12th in 31:57.65.

With American athletes like OKeeffe and Vestri excelling, it was not Keira DAmatos night as the former US marathon record-holder dropped out at 7km.

Megan Keith and Fiona OKeeffe (David Hicks)

As for Keith, the Edinburgh student is on the rise right now after winning European under-23 5000m and cross-country titles last year. After demolishing her rivals at the Euro Cross in December, she must have been tempted to run the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade in March but instead she focused on getting a solid block of training in before her 30:36.84 Olympic qualifier in California in March, followed by another build-up to these Olympic trials in London.

Next for Keith is the Euro Championships in Rome from June 7-12. Then Ill probably take a break and build back up for the Games, she said.

Like the main womens championship race, the athletes in the mens main event also failed to break the Olympic qualifying mark of 27:00.00. It was nevertheless a thrilling race as Mohamed Ismael of Djibouti clocked 27:22.38 to out-sprint Patrick Dever the British hope running 27:23.88.

Mohamed Ismael wins (David Hicks)

Enjoying an inspired race in front of several thousand cheering fans as darkness fell on the venue at close to 10pm, Dever broke away from the rest of the field soon after passing halfway in 13:30 although Ismael caught him with two kilometres to go before out-gunning the Preston Harrier.

In third, Felix Bour of France ran a PB of 27:27.11 as Paul Chelimo, the 2023 winner at the Night of the 10,000m PBs from the United States, finished a gritty fourth in 27:34.04.

Mohamed Ismael, Patrick Dever and Charles Hicks follow the pacer (David Hicks)

It was a little bit bittersweet, said Dever, but winning the British title is great. To come short of 27:00 is a bit annoying but I gave it my best.

When I was out by myself I was struggling a bit so I was quite glad when I was caught as it meant I wasnt out there alone anymore. I expected a great atmosphere but didnt quite expect it to be this big. It was quite chaotic and it was hard to keep calm before the start. The crowd was incredible.

Dever could still make the Olympics, too, as UK Athletics has a separate standard of 27:20.00 which they say will make athletes eligible for consideration assuming they also have a World Athletics rankings position.

Rory Leonard (David Hicks)

Dever had run 27:08.81 earlier this year and couldnt quite match that on Saturday, but he proved the best of the Brits as Rory Leonard clocked 27:38.39 in eighth, Charles Hicks 27:46.41 in 15th and Zak Mahamed 27:46.55 in 16th with, further down the field, Charlie Wheeler running 28:04.89 and Scott Beattie 28:23.25.

For Leonard it was a particularly pleasing run as the European under-23 champion smashed his PB of 28:04.83 to qualify for the European Championships in Rome. Im in a little bit of shock, said Leonard. I felt as the race progressed that if the wheels dont fall off randomly then Im going to run really fast here.

Zak Mahamed (right) with Tadesse Getahon (David Hicks)

The winner, Ismael, says the 5000m will be his main goal at the Olympics in August. The 27-year-old ran an Olympic qualifying mark of 12:56.43 for that distance in Stockholm a few days ago and eagle-eyed fans will remember him finishing ninth in the world indoor 3000m final which was won by Josh Kerr in Glasgow in March.

With GB international runner Mo Aadan helping translate from Somali to English, Ismael who does most of his training at altitude in Ethiopia told AW he thought the spectators were really good and hes looking forward to coming back to the event in future.

Was winning a surprise? After running 12:56 for 5000m I was feeling good and feeling in shape so I was confident.

Rory Leonard, Patrick Dever, Charles Hicks (David Hicks)

The Night of the 10,000m PBs continues to grow following its humble beginnings in 2013. Organised by Ben Pochee with members of Highgate Harriers and sponsors On Running all lending their support, the 2024 event was perhaps the biggest yet with warm sunny weather drawing the crowds during the afternoon.

The in-field is particularly packed with people, trade stands and plenty of things to keep young fans entertained such as a climbing wall. The only downfall is that it makes viewing the races difficult as the athletes circle the track.

Still, the basic principle of allowing fans on to parts of the track to cheer the athletes as they run through a tunnel on each straight is one that is simple yet effective. In between races there were also jugglers, music and even some sprint hurdling through rings of fire.

Athletics entertainment at Parliament Hill (David Hicks)

The young athletes 800m races have also expanded this year and are well received by competitors and fans. Among these, Jorjia March of Barnet & District won the under-15 girls race impressively in 2:08.70 just a few days after winning another young athletes race at the Bannister Miles meeting in Oxford.

Noah Penfold of North Shields Polytechnic won the under-13 boys race of 2:13.96. His mum, Charlotte Moore, was on hand to watch, too. Back in 2002 Moore reached the Commonwealth 800m final aged 17 on home soil in Manchester where she clocked a British junior record of 1:59.75.

There were even more links with those 2002 Commonwealth Games too. In the under-17 womens race when Florence East, the daughter of 2002 Commonwealth 1500m champion Mike East, was runner-up in 2:10.28 as Natasha Wynn of Woodford Green with Essex Ladies lived up to her name to win in 2:09.36.

Holly Ovens, the daughter of 2002 Commonwealth 1500m finalist Hayley, won the under-20 womens 800m in 2:09.35.

Elsewhere, Evan Grime once again showed his great ability by taking the under-17 mens race in 1:51.83, while William Rabjohns, who is probably better known as a 1500m runner, surprised himself with a big 800m PB and win in the under-20 race in 1:49.63.

Full results here.

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Megan Keith seals Olympic selection in Night of the 10,000m PBs thriller - AW - Athletics Weekly

Hong Kongs Olympic triathlon hopeful Jason Ng Tai-long remained ahead of his rival in the race for Paris, but only just, after failing to finish the Asia Cup event in Lianyungang, China on Saturday.

Ng was one of the three Hongkongers, alongside Robin Elg and Mark Yu Shing-him, with a DNF (Did Not Finish) next to his name, while Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan was just 26 seconds off the podium places, which were occupied by Chinese triathletes in Jiangsu province.

Beisenbayev and Ng are vying for the Games only new flag berth, reserved for the highest-ranked Asian nation or region not already represented in Paris. There is one race left for Beisenbayev to overtake the Hongkonger, on Beisenbayevs home territory next Saturday.

The China team gave us a lifeline by filling the podium, Hong Kong head coach Andrew Wright said. But next week it will mean the Kazakh has to get no points for us to qualify.

Its not the best day for the team, to be honest. We were visibly struggling, but as were all athletes who raced last weekend [in Taizhou].

Elg helped Ng during the cycling leg and did not run. Ng and Yu ran 5km before dropping out. Luke Schofield, of Australia, who triumphed last week in Zhejiang, did not even make it to the start line.

Teamwork could thwart Ng in Kazakhstan. Five of Beisenbayevs six teammates finished in the top 25 on Saturday, with Temirlan Temirov the best, in eighth.

Chinas Teng Yunfeng won the race in two hours, one minute and 18 seconds, with compatriots Ma Yunxiang and Fan Junjie second and third.

Hong Kongs Oscar Coggins, in his first official race since his abandoned Asian Games outing last September, finished 65 seconds behind Beisenbayev, in 2:04:36.

Coggins was good, he hasnt trained much and got an 11th place, Wright said. Its looking good for him going forward.

Entering the final race in Burabay, Ng is still ahead and his team know where they stand.

[Beisenbayev] needs a podium next weekend, Wright said. But we are only really in control of our squad.

So what we have to do is make the swim and bike as hard as possible and get Jason finishing as high as we can.

The Hong Kong team will stay in Jiangsu to recover until Tuesday, when they will travel to Xian to spend a night before heading to Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Optimising recovery is the most important objective between these events, Wright said. We have a physio travelling with the team. Other than that, its about doing the basics well. Nutrition, sleep and discipline.

Its equal pressure all round on both them and us, but I dont think the pressure will affect our performance.

In the womens event on Saturday, Hong Kongs Bailee Brown finished first in a field of only nine triathletes.

The 24-year-old clocked a time of 2:22:32 seconds, over four minutes ahead of Lu Meiyi of China and almost 10 minutes quicker than Lus compatriot Xu Xinyi.

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Hong Kong triathlon hopeful Ng down to wire in race for last ticket to Olympics - South China Morning Post

OF NOTE Travis J. Anderson

Attorney Travis J. Anderson will serve as general counsel and has been appointed to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games board of directors to help oversee the event to take place June 20-26, 2026, in the Twin Cities. Anderson is with the Minneapolis law firm Fredrikson, which announced the appointment.

Aqua-Tots Swim School, an international swim school franchise, announced plans for a location at 7645 Metro Blvd., Edina, its second in Minnesota. The franchisee is Ross Habben and the general manager is Alex Brumley. Kaleidoscope, a Minneapolis-based Full-Cycle Scholarship Platform, connecting students and educators with scholarship and grant opportunities, has appointed Glen Gunderson to its board of directors. Gunderson is president and CEO of the YMCA of the North, which announced his appointment.

Stearns Bank, St. Cloud, announced the appointment of Marlice Johnson as chief brand officer and Maggie Rivera as vice president of corporate social responsibility and inclusion. Craig Lundquist has been appointed to the Senior Advisor Leadership Team with TruStage Wealth Management Solutions. Lundquist is a financial professional at Ideal Wealth Advisors, located at Ideal Credit Union, Woodbury, which announced his appointment.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Garett Lamppa of Lamppa Manufacturing as SBAs Minnesota Family-Owned Small Business of the Year. Lamppa Manufacturing is a Tower, Minn.-based maker of wood-burning furnaces and sauna stoves. It has been a family business since the 1930s. TIME100s Most Influential People list for 2024 includes Land OLakes CEO Beth Ford and University of Minnesota professor Rachel Hardeman. Land OLakes is based in Arden Hills. The Performance Excellence Network announced the recipients of its 2023 Minnesota Performance Excellence Award: University of Minnesota School of Nursing Care, Minneapolis; Region 5 Community Bridgemakers, Staples; State of Minnesota, Department of Human Services Direct Care & Treatment Administration, St. Paul, and Episcopal Homes of Minnesota, St. Paul. The award is based on the Baldrige Framework, a recognized business achievement criteria.

Chestnut Cambronne, Minneapolis, announced that Eric Bjerva has been named partner. Bjerva is developing a mental health aaw practice group at the firm. Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Victoria Yang has joined as an associate in its International, Asia Practice, Mergers & Acquisitions, Finance & Securities, Intellectual Property, Technology & Data, and Corporate groups.

Stratasys Ltd., a 3D printing and additive manufacturing company based jointly in Eden Prairie and Rehovot, Israel, announced the appointment of Amir Kleiner as chief operating officer. Kleiner has served in numerous leadership positions at Stratasys, most recently as global VP of customer success. Intek Plastics, a Hastings provider of plastic manufacturing components and products to industry, announced Mike Corcoran as vice president of operations. He succeeds Rick Zeien, who is retiring.

Solventum, a St. Paul-based provider of medical components, announced the appointment of Shirley Edwards, former partner at EY, to its board of directors. Solventum spun off from Maplewood-based 3M Co. earlier this year. Kindeva Drug Delivery, a Woodbury-based developer of drug-delivery combination devices, announced that Denis Johnson has joined the company as chief operating officer. Johnson most recently served as head of global manufacturing and technical operations at Biogen and held several leadership roles at Catalent, Boston Scientific, Teradyneand Johnson & Johnson.

Horwitz, a New Hope-based specialty equipment contractor for industry, announced the promotion of Sam Augspurger to preconstruction manager. Augspurger has been with the company since 2016 and was promoted to partner in 2021. BlackHawk Industrial, a national distributor of metalworking and other industrial products, announced the appointment ofTroy Deans as redeployment center supervisor, based in Minnesota. Community Association Group, an Eagan-based residential property management company, announced the appointment of Alyson Beckstrom as CEO, succeeding company founder Deborah Ho-Beckstrom. Great Clips, a Bloomington-based franchisor of retail hair salons, announced the following executive changes: Rachelle Johnson, promoted to chief financial officer; Kevin Barnd, promoted to vice president of business technology services, andMari Fellrath, moving into the new role of senior director of operations applications and reporting. The company also announced it ranked first in the Hair Care category in Entrepreneur magazines Franchise 500.

EMAIL ITEMS tobusinessnews@pioneerpress.com.

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Business People: Fredrikson attorney Travis J. Anderson to be Special Olympics general counsel - St. Paul Pioneer Press

1. Shawn Johnson excited for Simone Biles' return at Paris Olympics following 2021 twisties: 'The best forever'  Fox News
2. What does Gabby Douglas' comeback mean to the sport?  ESPN
3. Gabby Douglas, Olympic gymnastics champion, going out on her terms  USA TODAY

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Shawn Johnson excited for Simone Biles' return at Paris Olympics following 2021 twisties: 'The best forever' - Fox News

Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed reservations about a proposed ceasefire in Ukraine during the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

The proposal, first mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron and later discussed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, aims to halt hostilities during the Games.

Zelensky told the online news site Ukrainska Pravda on Friday that the details of the initiative were not clear to him.

He highlighted the risks of Russia potentially using the ceasefire to move military equipment closer to Ukraine then.

Zelensky raised the question of "who will ensure that their forces do not advance towards us during a ceasefire?

"So I don't understand the details. It sounds like a non-viable story to me so far."

Putin, returning from a state visit to China, acknowledged that Xi had brought up the ceasefire idea but did not elaborate further.

However, he criticized the West for demanding that Russia adhere to an Olympic truce while excluding Russian athletes from the Games.

Moscow had also previously expressed doubts about such an initiative, as Ukraine could use the period of the Games to further arm its armed forces and regroup for war.

After Macron brought up the idea earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said there were no concrete proposals from Paris on how to proceed.

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Zelensky and Putin react to Paris Olympics ceasefire proposal - Yahoo! Voices

Therell be no lovemaking in the City of Love.

Anti-sex beds have arrived in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, with their materials and small size allegedly aimed at deterring athletes from getting kinky during the competition.

The beds twin size means theres no room for the competitors to sidle up together.

The beds are manufactured by Airweave, which also made the products for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

According to Inside the Games, sustainability is cited as the primary reason why Olympic officials opted for the beds this year.

The mattresses and cardboard frames are 100% recyclable.

I hope that Paris 2024s efforts to reduce its impact will show that it is possible to do things differently, Georgina Grenon, director of environmental excellence for the organizing committee, stated, per the publication.

Over the years, stories about wild sex occurring among Olympic athletes have abounded in the media.

Table tennis player Matthew Syed previously told the Times of London that he had a debaucherous time at the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain, saying: I got laid more often in those two and a half weeks than in the rest of my life.

At the 2012 games in London, one anonymous athlete admitted to having a foursome with a male teammate and two women at the Olympic Village, according to the Mirror.

However, its unlikely cardboard beds will stop the horny Olympians from fornicating, with one competitor claiming a hot tub orgy took place one year.

The Mirror also cites a US two-time gold medalist as saying: Ive seen people having sex right out in the open. On the grass, between buildings, people are getting down and dirty.

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'Anti-sex' beds have arrived at Paris Olympics after horny athletes admit to orgies amid competition - New York Post

Jon Urbanchek, a Hungarian immigrant who became a revered swimming coach in the United States and guided 44 swimmers to the Olympics, where they won 21 medals, 11 of them gold, died on May 9 in hospice care at his home in Fullerton, Calif. He was 87.

Jack Roach, a close friend and fellow coach, said the cause was complications of Parkinsons disease.

Urbanchek mainly made his name at the University of Michigan pool, where he coached the mens swim team from 1982 to 2004 and led it to 13 Big Ten Conference titles, including 10 in a row at one point, and the 1995 N.C.A.A. championship.

In all, his Michigan swimmers earned 315 All-America honors.

Michigan was like a freight train, Urbanchek told The Orange County Register in California in 2012. By the mid-80s, we built a freight train people jump on, they get off and new kids jump on. The machine was going constantly.

He served on the coaching staffs of six United States Olympic teams, from 1988 to 2012, and was a technical adviser to U.S.A. Swimming, the national governing body, from 2018 to 2020.

The part that made him special is that he found a way to get the best out of you while still encouraging you to enjoy the process, Lindsay Mintenko, managing director of the national team at U.S.A. Swimming, said in a phone interview.

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Jon Urbanchek, Who Led Swimmers to Olympic Glory, Dies at 87 - The New York Times