AP National Sports

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Taylor Fletcher almost ended his Nordic combined career shortly after his third trip to the Olympics in 2018. Fletcher’s father died of Lou Gehrig’s disease, his stepfather had a near-death experience in a bike accident and he broke up with a longtime girlfriend. Fletcher bounced

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Arianna Fontana became the most decorated short track speedskater in Olympic history in Beijing. She won the 500 meters to collect her 10th medal after earning silver in the new mixed team relay. She did it with her American husband by her side. Anthony Lobello Jr.

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer BEIJING (AP) — Hockey at the Olympics is happening on NHL-sized ice for the first time since the 2010 Vancouver Games. The smaller surface should be an advantage to teams like the U.S. and Canada that want to play a direct, north-south style game. It’s a bit harder on

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Keegan Messing went from being stuck in a room with COVID-19 to traveling around the world. One skate at the Olympics made it all worthwhile. The Canadian figure skater’s preparations were derailed when a positive test for the virus put him off Team Canada’s scheduled flight

By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports Writer HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Freshman Azzi Fudd was supposed to pair with good friend Paige Bueckers this season and lead No. 8 UConn in a romp toward its 14th straight Final Four and 12th national title. Instead, Fudd, the nation’s top recruit, and Bueckers, the reigning national player of

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer As the coach of his son’s 12-and-under Pop Warner championship team, Eric Weddle had a message for the young players to not take the opportunity to win a championship for granted. Weddle is now aiming for a second title, one with much larger stakes than a Pop Warner

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — Davidson junior forward Hyunjung Lee and Kayla Padilla of the Penn women’s basketball team are among the players of Asian descent excelling at the NCAA Division I level in the United States. Both are playing well enough to have legit shots of making it to

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer No. 23 Murray State will play two games this week with its first AP Top 25 ranking since 2015. The Racers are unbeaten in the Ohio Valley Conference. Coach Matt McMahon says the ranking is a “big deal” and that he has a mature enough team to handle the

By JAKE SEINER AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — American-born Eileen Gu earned the first of what she and her many fans in Beijing hope could be three gold medals for China by cranking out the first 1620 of her career in the Olympic debut of women’s freestyle skiing big air. Her trick in her

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — China is fielding naturalized athletes at the Beijing Games in an effort to popularize winter sports and be represented across the Olympic program. Athletes in sports including hockey were born and raised in North America. Some have Chinese heritage and see competing for China as a

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer BEIJING (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin capped a three-goal run by scoring on a penalty shot with 2:35 left in the second period and Canada upended the defending Olympic champion United States 4-2 to claim the women’s hockey tournament’s top seed entering the playoff round. The two global hockey powers

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Nathan Chen had just shattered the world record for a figure skating short program, even throwing a defiant fist in a rare display of emotion, when he was asked how he’d spend the next 48 hours before his long-awaited Olympic coronation. “I’ve been here a while,”

By DANIELLA MATAR AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Matthias Mayer became the first man to win gold medals in Alpine skiing at three straight Olympics after finishing first in the super-G at the Beijing Games. Mayer raised his ski pole in the air as he crossed the line and then faced an anxious wait.

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 21 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-98 for their ninth straight win. Stephen Curry had 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who shot 50% from the field. Lu Dort led the Thunder

GREELEY, Colo. — Daylen Kountz had 22 points as Northern Colorado easily defeated Northern Arizona 82-60. Jalen Cone led the Lumberjacks on Monday night with 22 points.