Author: Pat Graham
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Colorado skier Mikaela Shiffrin drops out of Olympic downhill after schedule change
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Back at the last Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin exuberantly talked about chasing five gold medals this time around. Now it turns out she’ll only enter three races at the 2018 Games. The two-time gold medalist dropped out of Wednesday’s downhill race so she can focus on the Alpine combined event that was…
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Ledecka wins surprise Olympic super-G title with late charge; mistake costs Lindsey Vonn a medal
JEONGSEON, South Korea — Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic made a stunning run from back in the pack to take the Olympic super-G title on Saturday, with a mistake costing Lindsey Vonn a spot on the podium. Ledecka, the 26th racer to take the course, blazed through the course in a time of 1…
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Hansdotter wins Olympic slalom title; Shiffrin finishes 4th
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Frida Hansdotter held off Mikaela Shiffrin and the rest of a tightly bunched field to win the Olympic slalom title Friday at the Pyeongchang Games. In second after the first run, the Swedish skier powered through the sun-splashed course on her final run to finish in a combined time of 1…
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Vonn, Shiffrin represent Alpine’s best past, present, future
Separated in age by about a decade, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin head to the Pyeongchang Olympics as the past, present and future of ski racing in the United States and around the world. In the World Cup, their sport’s annual measuring stick, Vonn, 33, owns four overall titles; Shiffrin, who turns 23 in March, is on pace for her second.…
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Japanese snowboarder has tricks, height for Olympic gold
ASPEN — His first name, loosely translated into English, means “Walk the Dream .” No wonder, then, that back home in Japan, expectations soar nearly as high as snowboarder Ayumu Hirano’s jumps above the halfpipe. Hirano stands at only 5-foot-3 (1.61 meters) but his newest tricks are huge. He’s been working on stringing together back-to-back 1440s — a…
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MacKinnon, Avs win 8th straight by holding off Sharks
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche looked unstoppable early and shaky down the stretch in nearly blowing a big lead. Bottom line: The streak goes on. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice during a 58-second span in the first period, Matt Nieto added a late insurance goal and the Avalanche won their eighth straight by holding off the San Jose Sharks…
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Jokic’s big night helps Nuggets hold off Mavericks
DENVER — Michael Malone wasn’t all that thrilled about the lack of composure in the final quarter. Or all the turnovers. Or the shot selection. Or even the defense. Still, he won’t quibble with the outcome. “We survived,” Denver’s coach said. Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds, Gary Harris hit two…
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MacKinnon helps Avs beat Ducks for 7th straight win
DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon kept up his torrid home scoring with a goal, Jonathan Bernier stopped 33 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Monday for their seventh straight win. Matt Nieto and Colin Wilson also scored for the Avs, who are outscoring opponents 29-10 during their longest win streak since…
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A freestyle skier’s wrenching journey toward Olympics
Freestyle skier Torin Yater-Wallace has a simple picture in his mind: His family all together in South Korea for the Winter Olympics and watching him compete in the halfpipe. His journey there has been much more complicated. The family has been through so much over the years — from dad serving time for a white-collar…
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Erik Johnson scores late in OT, Avalanche beat Jets
DENVER — Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway with 9.9 seconds remaining on the clock in overtime, Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots after taking over for an injured Semyon Varlamov in the second period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Tuesday night. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon also scored to help…