Sports
The favorite in slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin aims for Olympic gold
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — On Wednesday, Mikaela Shiffrin will enter the start gate of the Olympic slalom as the favorite for gold. On Sunday, she took a giant step toward that result.
Shiffrin was not expected to medal in Sunday’s giant slalom. Despite being the 2018 Olympic gold medalist in the event, and the all-time World Cup wins leader, Shiffrin only recently returned to a GS podium in January. Less than a year ago, she didn’t know if she would ever stand in another giant slalom start gate.
“After the injury last year and then returning to GS racing, I was so far off,” Shiffrin said Sunday. “I felt like there was no hope to be faster.”
That’s why her 11th-place finish in Sunday’s giant slalom felt like a win for the 30-year-old and why, all smiles in the mixed zone after the race, she called it “a beautiful day of racing.” Shiffrin skied smooth, tight lines with confidence and said she was pushing and “turning nervous energy into intensity and taking power from the course.” Her result was within a few tenths of the podium, a positive step in the right direction.
“To be here now, just in touch of the fastest women, that’s huge for me,” Shiffrin said. “I’m so proud.”
Fifteen months ago in November 2024, Shiffrin crashed in a GS race in Killington, Vermont, on a day she was attempting to win her 100th World Cup title at her home race. She slid off course and into the safety nets and, once in the ambulance, medics realized she had been impaled in her abdomen, likely by the slalom gate she crashed into. Her physical recovery from the injury was grueling. Her mental journey back to racing took longer.
Shiffrin has spoken openly about managing her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder as she fought her way back. In an essay for The Players’ Tribune last May, she wrote that after the crash, her mind and body had become disconnected — the ski racing equivalent of the “twisties.”
“You absolutely need to be able to trust that what you see happening in your mind is fully connected with what you then do with your body,” she wrote. “If that connection is off … the danger level increases exponentially.”
Shiffrin began to find her footing again through therapy and exposure — and by letting go of the outcome. When she stopped caring about times, podiums or medals, fear began to loosen its grip. In January, she finished third in a World Cup giant slalom, her first podium since the crash.
And then she came to the Olympics, where expectations and pressure are unavoidable and unlike on the World Cup circuit, another opportunity comes only once every four years. The first week of these Games alone have seen several top athletes succumb to the pressure, including Shiffrin, who finished 15th of 18 racers in the slalom leg of last week’s team combined, squandering the lead her teammate, Breezy Johnson, had built after the downhill.
That’s why on Sunday, she said she was taking only positives from her performance in the GS, an event she hasn’t raced consistently since her injury. “I was like, I don’t know, maybe I’ll never race GS again,” Shiffrin said. “And here we are, in a totally different position, and it shows that you can fight.”
Wednesday’s slalom will be different.
The slalom is Shiffrin’s best event. Seventy-one of her record 108 World Cup wins have come in the slalom — more than any skier in any discipline ever — and this season alone, she has won seven of eight starts and already clinched her ninth slalom Crystal Globe.
But Shiffrin has a rocky relationship with the Olympics. She’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist, yet she hasn’t earned a medal in her past eight Olympic starts. For Shiffrin, as for most ski racers, success has been punctuated with crashes, injuries, setbacks and comebacks, as well as big wins in big moments when the world is watching.
At 18, she became the youngest Olympic slalom champion in history in Sochi. She hasn’t won Olympic slalom gold since.
In Pyeongchang, she left with giant slalom gold — and disappointment.
In Beijing, she unraveled. Expected to medal in at least three of the six events she raced, she medaled in none.
“I don’t want Beijing to be the reason that I’m scared of the Olympics,” Shiffrin told Olympics.com last fall. Shortly before arriving in Cortina, she recorded an episode of her podcast in which she talked about coming to terms with an awareness that “the Olympics are not designed for the comfort or to prioritize performance of the athletes and teams competing.”
The season after her disappointing Beijing Games, Shiffrin broke the World Cup wins record. She suffered injuries over the next two seasons, has been unstoppable in the slalom this year and has had a confounding start to her fourth Olympics.
Even for the greatest of all time, success is not linear.
On Wednesday, Shiffrin has two runs to trust her mind and her body — and to trust herself to be the best in the world. She said she and her team had a “really wonderful” session of slalom training and that she’s heading into her final race with more knowledge of what it takes to ski fast on this course, and with a new mentality.
“There were a lot of turns where I was quite quick on the team combined day, and a handful where there was just a misalignment,” Shiffrin said. “And then my mentality was not matching the day. So I’m going into [Wednesday] with my eyes open that we can see a very similar situation [to last week]. And I will try to handle it differently.”
On Wednesday, handling it differently might mean more than gold.
Sports
Golfers react to Tiger Woods’ absence at Augusta National during Masters week: ‘It’s unfortunate’
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Tiger Woods may not be competing in this year’s Masters Tournament, but he is on golfers’ minds as they prepare for the major this year.
Woods’ DUI arrest in Florida on March 27 sent a shockwave through the golf community, and despite needing to lock in at one of the hardest courses on the golf schedule, it’s hard not to think about the five-time Masters winner.
Bodycam footage from his arrest, which occurred after a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, saw Woods admit he was “hoping to” play in the Masters. But he released a statement after his arrest, saying he would be stepping away from golf to “seek treatment.”
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Tiger Woods of the United States looks on during a practice round prior to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
“I look at it and go, ‘He’s just a human being like everyone else, and we have struggles,’” Jason Day said on Monday regarding Woods’ situation, per ESPN. “It’s unfortunate. The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way as well.”
Day added that Woods was “my hero growing up.”
“The reason why I play golf is because of this tournament and Tiger. It’s hard to see him go through what he’s going through, and especially under the microscope.
“Some people want him to fail. Some people obviously want him to succeed. It’s really difficult for me to go through that and watch him, and I know that he’s getting the help now, which is good. I’m just hoping he comes out on the other side and is better.”
Patrick Reed, a green jacket winner like Woods, is also missing him in Augusta, as well as fellow LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson, who announced he won’t be playing in the tournament due to a family health matter just days after Woods’ arrest.
“Let’s be honest, without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the events, in golf, when they both step away, honestly I feel it hurts the game of golf,” Reed said, per ESPN. “But at the same time, we want them to come back and be healthy and ready to go.”
In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff’s deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office/AP)
Bubba Watson viewed Woods’ situation from a human perspective — not as a fellow golfer.
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“I could care less about Tiger’s golf,” he said, per ESPN. “I told him from day one that we started hanging out back in [2006 or 2007], somewhere in there, that I’m pulling for him as a human being. Forget his golf — I could care less about his golf.”
Woods’ DUI arrest resulted in charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while he drove impaired.
Woods released his statement after entering a plea of not guilty, waiving his right to an arraignment and demanding a trial with a jury Tuesday.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in a statement posted on social media.
Tiger Woods of the United States plays a shot on the ninth hole during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
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“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
This arrest marked Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and falling asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
LAS VEGAS — Honor Huff made eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 38 to propel West Virginia to an 89-82 overtime victory over Oklahoma on Sunday in the championship game of the College Basketball Crown Tournament.
The senior guard teamed up with Jasper Floyd to do all the scoring in a game-ending 13-0 run for the Mountaineers (21-14) after spotting the Sooners (21-16) the first six points in OT. Floyd missed his first eight shots before sinking 3-pointers on both sides of one by Huff in a 9-0 run that gave West Virginia the lead for good at 85-82. Huff scored the final four points at the foul line.
Huff made 9 of 19 shots with seven of the misses coming from beyond the arc. He made all 12 of his free throws and had four assists. Chance Moore totaled 19 points — on 7-for-8 shooting — and 10 rebounds off the bench. Brenen Lorient added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Nijel Pack led Oklahoma with 24 points and seven assists. Tae Davis had 19 points and Xzayvier Brown scored 13.
Huff hit his first five 3-pointers and West Virginia jumped out to a 26-11 lead in the first 9:25. Davis had a three-point play in a 9-0 run and another one with 22 seconds left as Oklahoma battled back to lead 41-37 at halftime.
Pack sank a 3-pointer 3:31 into the second half to give Oklahoma its first double-digit lead 52-42.
Huff hit a 3 and two free throws and Lorient scored after a Sooners’ shot-clock violation to tie it 71-all with 1:45 remaining.
Pack and Huff traded 3-pointers, but Davis turned it over and then fouled Huff, who hit both free throws with 33 seconds remaining. Davis tied it at 76 with a layup, forcing OT.
Sports
UNC set to hire Michael Malone as next men’s basketball coach after firing Hubert Davis: report
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The UNC Tar Heels are dipping into the NBA pool for its next men’s basketball coach.
After Hubert Davis was fired following a shocking loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament earlier this month, the Tar Heels are set to hire Michael Malone, according to ESPN.
North Carolina was previously linked to top college coaches, including Michigan’s Dusty May, who will be competing for an NCAA title on Monday night against UConn. But May took his name out of any running across college, while Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger were also rumored to be in the Tar Heels’ favor.
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Head Coach Michael Malone claps on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on April 6, 2025. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
But Malone, who the past 10 seasons leading the Denver Nuggets, is the man they’re settling on to lead the Tar Heels back to greatness.
Malone is the winningest coach in Nuggets history, tallying 471 career wins across his career there, while also winning an NBA title in 2023.
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However, Malone, despite what he means to the franchise record books, was fired by the Nuggets in April 2025. He quickly entered the sports media space, joining ESPN in May 2025, but he’s back in the saddle now in a whole new collegiate world compared to the pros.
Perhaps North Carolina wouldn’t have been searching for another head coach if Davis and the Tar Heels didn’t collapse against No. 10 VCU in the first round, as the Rams mounted the biggest first-round comeback in tournament history to ultimately defeat No. 6 UNC in overtime, 82-78.
“We appreciate all that Hubert has done for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader – he has helped make special memories we will never forget,” athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision because of Hubert’s tremendous character and all he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level.”
Davis, who made four NCAA Tournaments, including the last three seasons, over his five campaigns with the Tar Heels, released his own statement on the matter.
Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets watches the game against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“Tonight, I was let go by the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill,” he wrote. “My desire was to continue to coach here. This opportunity has truly been such a blessing. I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together.”
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Davis added that he hopes to be coaching “in the very near future.”
Davis, who played for UNC from 1988-92 before being a first-round pick by the New York Knicks in 1992, left the program with about $5.3 million still guaranteed from his contract, per ESPN.
Davis went 125-54 during his 179-game tenure with his alma mater, which included a first-year Final Four appearance during the 2021-22 campaign. The Tar Heels reached the national championship game, falling to the Kansas Jayhawks, who also overcame a double-digit deficit to be crowned champions.
Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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After missing March Madness in 2023, the Tar Heels earned themselves a No. 1 seed in 2024, but they were taken down by No. 4 Alabama in the Sweet 16, cutting their national title hopes short. Still, Davis earned himself the ACC Coach of the Year Award that year.
The Tar Heels want to get back to the Roy Williams days, as the legendary UNC head coach led his squad to six NCAA titles during his tenure, the most recent coming in 2017.
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