The cross-country men took on the long 50km race on Saturday in Oslo. Noah Hoffman led the way for the US as the only American to place in the top 50 as he finished 29th, seven minutes behind the winner. Three Americans finished from 51st-56th (Erik Bjornsen, Simeon Hamilton, Reese Hanneman) while two others did not finish.

The women’s 30km will be held on Sunday and seven Americans will take part. Elizabeth Stephen finished 24th and Kikkan Randall 28th in the similar race in Sochi which used the freestyle instead of classic. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results on Sunday evening.

Schedule:

March 9th
- 6 AM ET – Women’s 30km Classic
  - Elizabeth Stephen
  - Kikkan Randall
  - Sadie Bjornsen
  - Caitlin Gregg
  - Sophie Caldwell
  - Ida Sargent
  - Jennie Bender

ATP Tour, Tennis, WTA Tour

20-Year-Old Lauren Davis Knocks off World #4 Victoria Azarenka in Straight Sets at BNP Paribas Open

March 8, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous BNP Paribas Open Coverage

Lauren Davis picked up quite possibly the most significant win of her career on Friday night when she knocked out #3 Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open 6-0, 7-6 (2). Davis is now into the third round where she’ll face another American, Varavara Lepchenko, guaranteeing we’ll have at least one American woman in the round of 16.

Women’s Singles

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I mentioned in the opening how Lauren Davis took full advantage of her opportunity against Victoria Azarenka to get a major upset and move into the third round. Her opponent in the third round, Varvara Lepchenko, also upset her opponent, Daniela Hantuchova, on Friday 6-3, 6-2. Madison Keys lost 3-6, 3-6 to Robert Vinci to end her hopes of making some noise in Indian Wells while Shelby Rogers saw her tournament end 4-6, 3-6 to Magadalena Rybarikova.

On Saturday the top-ten upset chance will be presented to Coco Vandeweghe who takes on world #9 Petra Kvitova. 17-year-old Taylor Townsend has an exciting matchup with #20 Flavia Pennetta while Sloane Stephens will finally get started as she takes on Ajla Tomljanovic to wrap up the day in Stadium 1. Stephens has struggled in tournaments the last month but with a big chance here and playing in the main court I imagine she’ll show up for this one.

Women’s Doubles

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The US doubles teams have fallen quickly in the first round. The only Americans left, Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, advanced by beating another American, Megan Moulton-Levy and partner Sharon Fichman of Canada, 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Friday. Moulton-Levy/Fichman replaced Lisa Raymond/Shuai Zhang (China).

Kops-Jones/Spears will take on #5 Cara Black/Sania Mirza on Saturday to try and remain the last Americans in the field.

Men’s Singles

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The US went 0-4 on Friday in the first round but it wasn’t real unexpected as three of the four were ranked 119 or worse. Hopefully that number doesn’t repeat itself as four Americans play in the second round on Saturday. The best chance for a winner for the US is likely Sam Querrey who takes on #29 Andreas Seppi. The other three US players to play on Saturday (Tim Smyczek, Michael Russell, Ryan Harrison) are all outside the top 100 and will be looking for big upsets.

Men’s Doubles

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Their are only four American men’s doubles teams playing in the tournament and two of them will be extremely challenged in the first round today. Eric Butorac/Raven Klaasen (South Africa) take on #2 Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares in one matchup while Scott Lipsky/Florian Mayer (Germany) face the #1 team in the world, Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. The Americans are likely to have a team deep in to the tournament in Bryan/Bryan but it’s quite possible they will be the only ones to advance from the first round too.

Broadcasting Information:

Tennis Channel will be broadcasting the tournament from 2 PM – 2 AM ET while ESPN3.com has streams of the play at three stadiums that will include 3 of the 7 singles matches involving the US on Thursday including Sloan Stephens.

Schedule:

March 8th – Tennis Channel – 2 PM-2 AM ET
- Men’s Second Round
  - 2 PM ET – Michael Russell vs. #14 Mikhail Youzhny
  - Approx. 4 PM ET – Sam Querrey vs. #29 Andreas Seppi
  - Approx. 6 PM ET – Tim Smyczek vs. #28 Alexandr Dolgopolov
  - Approx. 8 PM ET – Ryan Harrison vs. #13 Fabio Fognini – Stadium 3 – ESPN3.com
- Women’s Second Round
  - Approx. 4 PM ET – Coco Vandeweghe vs. #8 Petra Kvitova – Stadium 3 – ESPN3.com
  - Approx. 8 PM ET – Taylor Townsend vs. #20 Flavia Pennetta
  - Approx. 12 AM ET – #17 Sloane Stephens vs. Ajla Tomljanovic – Stadium 1 – ESPN3.com
- Women’s Doubles Round of 16
  - Approx. 6 PM ET – Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears vs. #5 Cara Black/Sania Mirza
- Men’s Doubles First Round
  - 2 PM ET – Eric Butorac/Raven Klaasen (South Africa) vs. #2 Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares
  - Approx. 12 AM ET – #1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Scott Lipsky/Florian Mayer (Germany) – Stadium 2 – ESPN3.com

Soccer

Sweden Goal Ends Two Years Without a Loss For US Women’s Soccer

March 8, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous 2014 Algarve Cup Coverage

The streak is finally over. A stretch of 43 games without a loss came to an end in the same place it began, the Algarve Cup in Portugal. A goal by Lotta Schelin of Sweden in the 24th minute stood up for the rest of the way as the US again struggled to create offense.

The US had 12 shots to Sweden’s four and six shots on goal to Sweden’s three but for the second straight game the dominance in possession and shots didn’t see itself reflected on the scoreboard. Through 180 minutes of play in the Algarve Cup the only goal for the US has been off a deflect clearance when Sydney Leroux.

The US now sits third in their group with the possibility of winning the group gone. If Sweden defeats Japan the US can finish second by beating Denmark by two or more goals or by having Japan beat by two or more goals. If the US loses to Denmark they’d finish last. The US can face any of the four teams from Group A except for Germany (China, Iceland, Norway) in their final match. The US takes on Denmark on Monday morning in their final group stage match.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have a recap on the final group stage matches on Monday and a look at who the US will face in their final match.

Group Stage Schedule:

March 5th
- 7:45 AM ET – USA 1-1 Japan
- 1 PM ET – Sweden 2-0 Denmark
March 7th
- 8:30 AM ET – USA 0-1 Sweden
- 9:10 AM ET – Japan 1-0 Denmark
March 10th
- 9:40 AM ET – Japan vs. Sweden
- 9:40 AM ET – USA vs. Denmark

FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing

John Teller Eliminated in 1/8 Finals of Men’s Ski Cross World Cup Event in Arosa

March 8, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Arosa – FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Coverage

John Teller’s day in the men’s ski cross in Arosa, Switzerland didn’t last long. Teller finished third in his heat behind Andreas Matt and Christopher Wahrstoetter of Austria and was eliminated in the 1/8 finals. Matt went on to finish seventh in the event.

Teller will (I assume) be back in action next weekend when ski cross is contested again on the World Cup tour with two races in Are, Sweden. Qualifying will begin for that event on Friday and WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Ski Jumping

After 2nd Place in Rasnov, Jessica Jerome Looks To Compete for Title Again at Ski Jumping World Cup in Oslo

March 8, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Coverage

Earlier this week Jessica Jerome had her best ever finish in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup with a second place finish in Rasnov. Now we get to find out what she has in store for the encore performance. Jerome is in a group of 30 women who will be competing in Oslo showing off their abilities right before the men get underway.

Speaking of the men Nick Alexander and Anders Johnson are just trying to qualify for a men’s world cup event right now. Only once since the Olympics, Alexander in Falun, did either man qualify for the first round. It’s now four straight events where they haven’t reached the first round. Both are capable of reaching the round with a good jump and there are 40 spots available for the 57 men trying to qualify.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have a recap of the men’s and women’s ski jumping action on Saturday evening. Hopefully I can report good news on both the men’s and women’s side with another top-five for Jerome and a couple men competing in the main event on Sunday!

Schedule:

March 8th
- 10:30 AM ET – Women’s First/Final Round
  - Jessica Jerome
- 1 PM ET – Men’s Qualification Round
  - Anders Johnson
  - Nick Alexander

Track and Field, World Championships

Ryan Whiting Wins First Gold for US at 2014 World Indoor Track and Field Championships

March 8, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships Coverage

Lots of US athletes kicked things off in the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships on Friday but very few were in events that would reach the final. One who was is Ryan Whiting in the shot put. Whiting grabbed the gold medal for the US to get them off to a great start. More gold medals are sure to follow the rest of the weekend, but first here’s a more detailed recap of all of Friday’s action.

Women’s High Jump

Inika McPherson came very close to moving on to the final of the women’s high jump as she cleared the same 1.92m as the final two qualifiers. The problem for McPherson was that she needed two tries on both 1.92m and 1.88m so she ended up 12th.

Women’s 400m

Two Americans started the day off in the women’s 400m heats and both advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals Francena McCorory won her heat while Joanna Atkins took third in her’s. Both of those finishes were good enough to advance to Saturday’s final.

Womens 400m - Semifinals

Men’s Shot Put

In the men’s shot put Ryan Whiting got the qualification round off to a great start by throwing 20.75m on the first attempt. That automatically qualified him for the final. Kurt Roberts faulted on his first two attempts and managed 20.17m on his third attempt but wasn’t able to qualify for the final. In the final Whiting was in second after two throws but went on top on the fourth attempt by hitting 22.05m. That distance held up as he won the gold over David Storl of Germany.

Mens Shot Put - Final

Men’s 400m

In the men’s 400m heats both David Verburg and Kyle Clemons won their heats to move into the semifinals. Both took care of business and advanced to the final with Clemons second in his heat and Verburg third in his. They will both be racing for medals in the 400m final on Saturday.

Mens 400m - Semifinals

Women’s 3000m

The women’s 3000m was a good example of how different heats can give you different results. Shannon Rowbury was fourth in her heat and within a second of the heat winner while Gabrielle Grunewald was over five seconds behind her heat winner in sixth. Who was faster overall? You gussed it, of course it was Grunewald whose time would have been second best in the other heat.

Continue reading Ryan Whiting Wins First Gold for US at 2014 World Indoor Track and Field Championships →

Cross-Country Skiing, FIS Cross-Country World Cup

Six US Men, Headlined by Noah Hoffman, in Field For 50km Mass Start Cross-Country World Cup Event in Oslo

March 7, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Coverage

For the first time since the Olympics the cross-country men will be going the full 50km in the most grueling event on the circuit. The 50km event in Oslo this Saturday will be done with the classic style instead of the free style that was used in Sochi. In the Olympics Noah Hoffman was the top American with a 26th place finish. None of the other five Americans in the field were in that race in Sochi.

This is the last time a race of this distance will be held this year with the longest race for the men at the World Cup Finals the skiathlon (15km classic/15km free).

WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results of the men’s 50km on Saturday evening as well as a look at the start list for the women’s 30km that will be held on Sunday.

Schedule:

March 8th
- 6 AM ET – Men’s 50km Classic
  - Noah Hoffman
  - Sylvan Ellefson
  - Erik Bjornsen
  - Andrew Newell
  - Reese Hanneman
  - Simeon Hamilton

Alpine Skiing, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup

Julia Mancuso in 20th the Top American in Women’s Giant Slalom in Are, Slalom Featuring Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin Tomorrow

March 7, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Are – Women’s FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Coverage

The giant slalom didn’t result in any big results for the US on Friday. Julia Mancuso did rebound from a 28th place finish in the giant slalom on Thursday to finish 20th in this one but Mikaela Shiffrin fell from 15th to 24th. This isn’t the best event for either of these women but Shiffrin will get a shot at her best event, the slalom, on Saturday.

Shiffrin had a better first run where she placed 18th overall but she was only 23rd in the second run and gave up enough time to end up 24th. Mancuso’s 18th place in the second run bumped her up only a spot to 20th. Both were roughly three seconds behind the winner.

As mentioned earlier Shiffrin will stick around to compete in the slalom on Saturday as will Megan McJames. Joining those two in the field will be Resi Stiegler who was 20th in the first run of the slalom in Sochi. Visit WeSupportTheUS.com tomorrow night for a recap of the slalom.

Schedule:

March 8th
- 4:30 AM ET – Women’s Slalom – Run 1
  - Mikaela Shiffrin
  - Resi Stiegler
  - Megan McJames
- 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Slalom – Run 2

ISU World Cup, Speed Skating

Heather Richardson Wins First 500m Race at ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Inzell

March 7, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

What was it about Sochi? The US showed no lingering effects from a horribly disappointing Olympics as they won one event and grabbed a medal in another in the first day of competition at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Inzell. Both came from the women with Heather Richardson winning the 500m by just one hundredth of a second while Brittany Bowe grabbed a third in the women’s 1500m.

Men’s 5000m

The only American men skating on Friday was Patrick Meek. Meek was in the A Division of the men’s 5000m race and finished 12th, 18 seconds behind the leader. Meek will compete again on Saturday in the men’s mass start race.

Women’s 500m

The women’s 500m race was where most of the action was happening for the US. The 500m is raced twice over the weekend but the results are not combined at all. Heather Richardson won the first of the two races by one hundredth of a second over Judith Hesse of Germany. Brittany Bowe made it two Americans in the top ten with an eighth place finish.

Women’s 1500m

The US had competitors in both the A and B division women’s 1500m races on Friday. The two races are considered separate events. In the Division B event Anna Ringsred finished fifth in a time of 2:01.42. In the Division A race Brittany Bowe took home third place finishing just over a second behind the winner while Heather Richardson finished 11th.

Upcoming on Saturday:

Things will continue with five different events on Saturday involving US athletes. Shani Davis will be skating in the men’s 1000m and Heather Richardson has a chance to win another women’s 500m race. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results on Saturday evening.

Schedule:

March 8th
- 4:24 AM ET – Women’s 3000m Division B
  - Anna Ringsred
  - Maria Lamb
- 7:30 AM ET – Women’s 500m (2 of 2) Division A
  - Kelly Gunther
  - Sugar Todd
  - Heather Richardson
- 7:57 AM ET – Men’s 500m (1 of 2) Division A
  - Mitchell Whitmore
  - Tucker Fredricks
- 9:41 AM ET – Men’s 1000m Division A
  - Jonathan Garcia
  - Joey Mantia
  - Mitchell Whitmore
  - Brian Hansen
  - Shani Davis
- 10:31 AM ET – Men’s Mass Start
  - Brian Hansen
  - Joey Mantia
  - Patrick Meek

FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, Nordic Combined

Four for Four, All Four Americans Qualify for Saturday’s Nordic Combined World Cup Event in Oslo

March 7, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Trondheim – FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Coverage

The Americans continued a strong week in the Nordic combined World Cup by qualifying all four of their athletes for the event in Oslo. Bryan Fletcher led the way with a ninth place jump that is the kind of jump that can make him a medal contender. Bill Demong followed in 29th after a very clean jump while Nick Hendrickson (42nd) and Taylor Fletcher (48th) both weren’t great but did enough to make the field.

It will be interesting to see if the Americans can put up some strong numbers again tomorrow when it will set the start times for the cross-country portion and determine if they are capable of catching the top skiers or not. If the past few days have taught us anything it’s that this is a good spell for them and tomorrow could be very exciting. Visit WeSupportTheUS.com again tomorrow for coverage of tomorrow’s results.

Schedule:

March 8th
- 4 AM ET – Ski Jumping Round
  - Bill Demong
  - Bryan Fletcher
  - Taylor Fletcher
  - Nick Hendrickson
- 9:45 AM ET – 10km Cross-Country Round

Schedule:

Women’s Singles

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Women’s Doubles

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Men’s Singles

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Men’s Doubles

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Broadcasting Information:

Schedule:

Group Stage Schedule:

Schedule:

Women’s High Jump

Women’s 400m

Men’s Shot Put

Men’s 400m

Women’s 3000m

Schedule:

Schedule:

Men’s 5000m

Women’s 500m

Women’s 1500m

Upcoming on Saturday:

Schedule:

Schedule:

Covering America's Athletes