2014 Winter Paralympics – Sochi, Russia

In the men’s giant slalom on Saturday Mark Bathum took a DNF on the first run of the visually impaired division while Jonathan Lujan was a DNF in the standing division as was Scott Meyer in the sitting division while Stephen Lawler did not start the event. James Stanton was a did not start on the second run in the standing division. Christopher Devlin-Young did not finish the second sitting run.

As for those who completed two runs, Ralph Green was 16th, Joel Hunt 24th, and Tyler Carter 27th in the standing division. In the sitting division Heath Calhoun notched a top-ten finish for the US as he was sixth. Jasmin Bambur was 17th as well for the US in the sitting division.

In cross-country’s 4×2.5km mixed relay the US team of Tatyana McFadden and Jacob Adicoff (they both went twice) finished sixth, 1:31.1 off the lead. The US also had a team in the 4×2.5km open relay. Augusto Jose Perez, Omar Bermejo, Bryan Price, and Kevin Burton finished ninth, 5:35.5 behind the winners.

Finally, and most excitedly, the US ice sledge hockey team won the gold medal with a 1-0 win over Russia. The US avenged an earlier 2-0 loss to Russia in the group stage as Joshua Sweeney had the only goal and Steve Cash made six saves for the US.

The Paralympics will wrap up tomorrow. The US has seven athletes in the women’s giant slalom event as well as ten men in the men’s 10km free cross-country skiing and four athletes in the women’s 5km free cross-country skiing event.

NBCSN will have live coverage of the women’s giant slalom from 4:30-6:30 AM ET.

Schedule:

• March 16th
  • 1:30 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Visually Impaired
    • Lindsay Ball
    • Staci Mannella
  • 1:55 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Standing
    • Stephanie Jallen
    • Melanie Schwartz
    • Allison Jones
  • 2 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Standing
    • John Oman
    • Omar Bermejo
  • 2:20 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Visually Impaired
    • Kevin Burton
    • Jacob Adicoff
  • 2:35 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Sitting
    • Alana Nichols
    • Laurie Stephens
  • 4:30 AM ET – Women’s Cross-Country Skiing – 5km Free – Sitting
    • Beth Requist
    • Monica Bascio
    • Tatyana McFadden
    • Oksana Masters
  • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Sitting
    • Travis Dodson
    • Aaron Pike
    • Jeremy Wagner
    • Andrew Soule
    • Sean Halsted
    • Daniel Cnossen
  • 5 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Visually Impaired
  • 5:15 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Standing
  • 5:45 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Sitting

Speed Skating World Cup Final – Heerenveen, Netherlands

The US continued to have success at the Speed Skating World Cup Final on Saturday. Starting things off Shani Davis finished fifth in the men’s 1500m with Brian Hansen in seventh. Both were within 0.6 seconds of the winner and 0.3 seconds of the bronze. It was a disappointing fifth though for Davis who would have won the season title with a second place finish but instead ends up third in the season standings. Hansen placed fifth for the season.

Heather Richardson placed second in the women’s 500m, 0.12 seconds back, with Brittany Bowe back in 10th. There is one last women’s 500m race tomorrow and Richardson has the co-most points on the season standings. If she can better Olga Fatkulina of Russia’s result tomorrow she’ll win the season title. Fatkulina won today’s event.

In the men’s 500m Mitchell Whitmore was 11th and Tucker Fredricks was 13th. Fredricks is still sixth in the season standings but needs a good finish tomorrow in the final men’s 500m of the season to lock down a top finish.

Finally in the men’s team pursuit the US team of Brian Hansen, Patrick Meek, Mitchell Whitmore finished fourth and were 11.54 seconds behind the winners (Netherlands) and 6.46 seconds behind Norway. The US finished second in the season long standings behind the Netherlands.

Things wrap up on Sunday with the second race in both the men’s and women’s 500m as well as the women’s 1000m event with both Bowe and Richardson. Richardson leads the season standings by 70 points over Bowe so a good result will give her the season title and the US could easily go 1-2 for the year.

Schedule:

• March 16th
  • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 500m Division A (Race 2 of 2)
    • Brittany Bowe
    • Heather Richardson
  • 11 AM ET – Women’s 1000m Division A
    • Brittany Bowe
    • Heather Richardson
  • 11:49 AM ET – Men’s 500m Division A (Race 2 of 2)
    • Mitchell Whitmore
    • Tucker Fredricks

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Moguls – Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway

The start list is in for the dual moguls event tomorrow in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway. Six women will represent the US with Eliza Outtrim (6th), Heather McPhie (5th), Hannah Kearney (2nd) and Sophia Schwartz (9th) all in the top ten of the World Cup standings. On the men’s side there are seven US competitors and Bradley Wilson (5th) and Patrick Deneen (3rd) currently sit in the top ten.

There is another dual moguls event next week in La Plagne, France so there are still a lot of points up for grabs in the season standings.

Schedule:

• March 16th
  • 3:15 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • Ali Kariotis
    • Heather McPhie
    • Hannah Kearney
    • Keaton McCargo
    • Eliza Outtrim
    • Sophia Schwartz
  • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • Patrick Deneen
    • Troy Murphy
    • Jeremy Cota
    • Joseph Discoe
    • Bryon Wilson
    • Bradley Wilson
    • Dylan Walczyk
  • 7 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
  • 7:12 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
  • 7:24 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
  • 7:32 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
  • 7:40 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
  • 7:48 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
  • 7:59 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Finals
  • 8:07 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Finals

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The start lists have been released for the final Alpine Skiing World Cup events of the year. The men wrap up with the slalom and Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, and Tim Jitloff will represent the US. The women will wrap up with the giant slalom and the only one in the event for the US is Mikaela Shiffrin. The US has been so strong this week and it’d be great to see a medal on the final day. Unfortunately the top skiers for the US in these events were doing their better event on Saturday so there’s less chance of medals here. Still both Ligety and Shiffrin are in great form and are good enough to medal on Sunday to wrap up the year.

Schedule:

• March 16th
  • 4 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 1
    • Ted Ligety
    • Bode Miller
    • Tim Jitloff
  • 5 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
    • Mikaela Shiffrin
  • 6:30 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 2
  • 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals – Falun, Sweden

The start lists are finally in as well for the final Cross-Country Skiing World Cup event of the season. Kikkan Randall will be the first American across the start line. She’s 14th to start and 2:54 behind the leader. Elizabeth Stephen starts 18th, 3:13 back, with Sadie Bjornsen right behind her in 19th at the same time. Jessica Diggins, Ida Sargent, Sophie Caldwell, and Caitlin Gregg are also in the event but start at least four minutes back.

On the men’s side Noah Hoffman will start 21st, 4:19 back, with Reese Hanneman starting 38th, 9:56 back, and Andrew Newell starting 39th, 10:15 back.

Schedule:

• March 16th
  • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 10 km Free Pursuit
    • Kikkan Randall
    • Sophie Caldwell
    • Sadie Bjornsen
    • Ida Sargent
    • Jessica Diggins
    • Elizabeth Stephen
    • Caitlin Gregg
  • 11 AM ET – Men’s 15km Free Pursuit
    • Andrew Newell
    • Reese Hanneman
    • Noah Hoffman