All posts by Jon Green

From Omaha, Nebraska. On Twitter @MaverickManiacs
Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Sochi 2014

February 20th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Just four disciplines and competition in five events with five gold medals up for grabs.

In today: nordic combined. Out today: Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country, snowboarding, and speed skating.

All times below are ET.

Figure Skating

Events: All three US ladies had strong short programs. Now they are all in the top seven but all quite a bit behind the top three and probably needing help to reach the medal stand. The free skate begins at 10 AM but Polina Edmunds, seventh in the short program, will be the first American at 17th, fifth in group three. That should be about 12:42 PM.

In the final group going 22nd overall and fourth in the group will be Gracie Gold. Gold is in fourth heading into the free skate and will know if there is room for her to jump onto the medal stand. She will skate at about 1:30 PM. She’ll be followed immediately by Ashley Wagner who is in sixth and will skate at about 1:38 PM.

This is the final event for figure skating in Sochi. There will be a gala still to come on Saturday but that is just for entertainment purposes.

When:

  • *Ladies’ free skate – 10 AM
    • Polina Edmunds – Approx. 12:42 PM
    • Gracie Gold – Approx 1:30 PM
    • Ashley Wagner – Approx 1:38 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 10 AM-2 PM ET and included in NBC’s primetime coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.

Continue reading February 20th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Tennis, WTA Tour

Venus Williams Joins Serena in Dubai Quarterfinals

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Venus Williams has been looking to regain the form she once had and we all remember and if Wednesday was any indication that form may not be that far from her. Williams was dominant in a 56 minute 6-2, 6-1 win over the #12 player in the world in Ana Ivanovic. Williams serve wasn’t totally up to speed with a first serve % of just 44%, but she won all 18 that she got in and was a strong 52% on second serve points. She broke Ivanovic five times in eight service games by attacking her second serve and winning 68% of those points.

In doubles action Venus and Serena Williams were knocked out by top five doubles players Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina  6-4, 4-6, 10-4. The match was always tight with both teams winning over 60% of their service points and each team being broken twice in ten service games. Things just went the way of the Russians in the deciding super-tie break. It isn’t the worst thing though for the Williams sisters who both have quarterfinal matches on Thursday to focus on and could be quite busy the next few days with singles play.

Singles Draw

This is the route for each American to the main draw if the higher rankings win. Green means the American on the left would be the higher ranked player, red means they would be lower ranked. Bold on an athlete indicates that match has been completed. Matches highlighted in yellow are on today’s schedule. Click to expand.

Dubai Tennis Championships - Singles - 2-20-14

The draw for Venus Williams has gotten a bit easier as second seed Agnieszka Radwanska was knocked out on Wednesday by Flavia Panetta. Panetta will still be the higher ranked player, but it’s not a world top-five player in the quarterfinals anymore. In fact the only top five player left that Williams could face is her own sister Serena. This also means Serena wouldn’t need to beat any top five players to win this tournament. When #4 Sara Errani was beaten by #8 Caroline Wozniacki it meant that Venus wouldn’t face any top-ten players on her side of the draw. A finals appearance looks more and more doable for Venus.

On Serena’s side after Carla Suarez Navarro upset Petra Kvitova there is only one top ten player between Serena and the title, her next opponent Jelena Jankovic.

Continue reading Venus Williams Joins Serena in Dubai Quarterfinals →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 19th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The US won gold on Monday. The US won gold on Tuesday. The US won gold AGAIN on Thursday! It’s been a nice start to the final week of the Olympics for the US.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • *Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1
  • *Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Ted Ligety was the first American to go in the first run and made his mark with a 1:21.08 that would stand as the best run and was nearly a full second faster than anyone else. Bode Miller went next but couldn’t come close to matching Ligety’s time with a 1:23.64 that placed him just 26th. Tim Jitloff was the second best American with a 21st place, 1:23.23 run. Jared Goldberg was the final American and he placed 27th in 1:23.66.

In run two Goldberg went first for the US and put up a fantastic time of 1:23.82. That ended up being the sixth fastest second run and he finished 19th in a time of 2:47.48. Miller was next for the US and wasn’t as quick as his 1:24.18 was only 13th fastest in the second runs. Miller finished in 20th for the US with a total time of 2:47.82.  Jitloff had a really nice run as well with a eight place second run of 1:23.90 that moved him into 15th overall with a 2:47.13.

When it came time for Ligety’s final run he knew he wouldn’t even need to be nearly the best as his margin gave him some breathing room. When he got to the finish he was only 14th fastest in the second runs but the 1:24.21 was fast enough as his overall time of 2:45.29 gave him the gold by a 0.48 second margin.

Results Summarized:

  • Bode Miller – Finished 20th with a time of 2:47.82. Was 26th in the first run with a 1:23.64 and 13th fastest in the second run with a 1:24.18.
  • Jared Goldberg – Finished 19th with a time of 2:45.29. Was 27th in the first run with a 1:23.66 and 6th fastest in the second run with a 1:23.82.
  • Tim Jitloff – Finished 15th with a time of 2:47.13. Was 21st in the first run with a 1:23.23 and 8th fastest in the second run with a 1:23.90.
  • Ted Ligety – Won the gold medal with a time of 2:45.29. Was fastest in the first run with a 1:21.08 and 14th fastest in the second run with a 1:24.21.


Continue reading February 19th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Freestyle Skiing, Olympics, Sochi 2014

Sochi 2014 – USA Gold Medal Winner #6 – David Wise

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This was the first time we’d ever seen the halfpipe competition in freestyle skiing as part of the Olympics and so no one has ever had a chance to ride the pipe on skis to such attention before. David Wise is the first ever gold medalist in the freestyle skiing halfpipe.

Wise is an interesting story. He’s just 23 years old but already married with a daughter, perhaps not what you think of when you see someone drop into a halfpipe. His gold medal in Sochi was no surprise at all. This is the defending world champion in the halfpipe and he’s won the X-Games superpipe golds in three straight years as well.

Still it’s unlikely the attention those accomplishments brought him, especially in the mainstream press, will be anything like what he’ll see after Sochi.

You can give Wise a follow on twitter @mrDavidWise and follow his career on his website, david-wise.com. From everything we’ve seen from him so far he’s a classic American success story. A family man who is on the top of his career at the moment as well.

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 19th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Lots of changes in what you’ll see! Eight disciplines and competition in nine events with seven gold medals up for grabs.

In today: Cross-country skiing, figure skating, and ice hockey. Out today: Freestyle skiing, nordic combined, and short track speed skating.

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: Four American men are in the field of 109 for the first run of the giant slalom at 2 AM. Ted Ligety goes first for the US, seventh overall with Bode Miller going 16th. The final two Americans are Tim Jitloff who goes 22nd and Jared Goldberg who goes 40th. The second run will be held at 5:30 AM with the two times combined for the final standings. In the second run the top 30 times will go first in reverse order of the standings, so we’ll know the winner before the final 70+ skiers have gone.

When:

  • Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1 – 2 AM
  • *Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2 – 5:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.

Continue reading February 19th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Figure Skating, Olympics, Sochi 2014

Sochi 2014 – USA Gold Medal Winners #5 – Meryl Davis and Charlie White

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For the first time when it comes time to talk about a gold medalist for the US in Sochi we aren’t talking about someone in a halfpipe or on a slopestyle course. We’re talking figure skating! Meryl Davis and Charlie White entered Sochi as the defending World Champions so there is no surprise around the world that they are now the gold medalists.

Still their story of being paired up 17 years ago and becoming gold medalists in a sport that the United States has never done much in is pretty incredible. I’ve watched figure skating in the Olympics for years and never was ice dancing something relevant to an American crowd, that just wasn’t the kind of skating the US was good at.

They have dominated ice dancing in the United States for years now, they are the six-time defending champions, and their last four world championship appearances have resulted in two golds and two silvers. They won silver in 2010 at the Olympics but now they are gold medalists.

The scores of Davis and White: 78.89 in the short dance, 116.63 in the free dance, and 195.52 in the total score, were all world records in the newer scoring system.

The gold medal in the Olympics will only propel Davis and White’s popularity to a new level in the US and at 26 and 27 their story would appear to be far from over.

Tennis, WTA Tour

Serena Williams first into the Quarterfinals in Dubai

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The only American in action on Tuesday was Serena Williams who was facing Ekaterina Makarova in the second round. The first set was a really tight affair with Williams being broken two times but breaking back and forcing a tiebreak. The tiebreak itself went long before Williams finally pulled out the 10-8 win. That seemed to break the match wide open as Williams went on to break Makarova every time in the second set as she won the match 7-6 (10-8), 6-0.

Serena will now have Wednesday off in singles play (she does have a doubles match with her sister Venus) before her quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.

Singles Draw

This is the route for each American to the main draw if the higher rankings win. Green means the American on the left would be the higher ranked player, red means they would be lower ranked. Bold on an athlete indicates that match has been completed. Matches highlighted in yellow are on today’s schedule. Click to expand.

Dubai Tennis Championships - Singles - 2-19-14

Continue reading Serena Williams first into the Quarterfinals in Dubai →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Daily Olympic Reviews, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Tuesday saw another gold medal for the US as the US had a number of really good performances. Disciplines are wrapping up as we head into the final few days of the Olympics and people make their final appearance in Sochi.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
  • *Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2

The first competitor up for the US was Mikaela Shiffrin and she put up a great run of 1:18.79 that was only fourth best at the time. It would have staying power though and ended up fifth best in run one. Julia Mancuso was next and after chasing the pace in the first half of the hill she got off course and missed a gate to take a DNF. Later on Megan McJames finished in 1:22.77, 32nd, and Resi Stiegler finished in 1:22.69, 31st. 

The second run began with the first 30 in reverse order so Shiffrin was the first one to go for the US after 25 skiers. Shiffirn put up a good 1:18.58 run, sixth best of the second runs, and stayed in fifth with a 2:37.37, half a second off the lead. After the top 30 had gone McJames finished in 1:21.60, 30th best of the second heats, and her total time of 2:44.37 was 30th best. Stiegler went 29th best in run two with a 1:21.38 and she finished 29th overall with a 2:44.07.

Results Summarized:

  • Julia Mancuso – DNF on run one.
  • Megan McJames – Finished 30th with a time of 2:44.37. Was 32nd in run one with a 1:22.77 and 30th in run two with a 1:21.60.
  • Resi Stiegler – Finished 29th with a time of 2:44.07. Was 31st in run one with a 1:22.69 and 29th in run two with a 1:21.38.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin – Finished 5th with a time of 2:37.37. Was 5th in run one with a 1:18.79 and 6th in run two with a 1:18.58.

Continue reading February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Tennis, WTA Tour

Sloane Stephens Out in Dubai, Williams Sisters Only US Singles Left

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Sloane Stephens is out in Dubai after a disappointing 6-3, 7-5 loss to Lucie Safarova in the first round on Monday. It wasn’t a good showing by Stephens who was fine on her first serve but won just eight of 28 points on her second serve and was broken in five of her 11 service games. She did well against Safarova’s second serve but didn’t get enough opportunities and was really poor on her first serve.

The loss was not as bad as the one Stephens suffered in Qatar last week, Safarova is a top 30 player, but still it’s another non-Grand Slam tournament that Stephens hasn’t done much in.

In other singles action Venus Williams was impressive in a 6-3, 6-2 upset (by the numbers) over Elena Vesnina. Venus faced only one break point (which she saved) and broke Vesnina in four of her eight service games. Williams won 59 of the 97 points in the match.

In doubles action Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears defeated fellow American Liezel Huber and her partner Hao-Ching Chan 6-3, 7-6 (4). The two Americans took aim at the Huber/Chan second serve as they won 16 of the 19 points off of it as they broke them three times.

The other American to play on Monday was Lisa Raymond who was teamed with Shuai Zhang. Originally scheduled to face twin sisters Karolina Pliskova and Kristyna Pliskova they ended up playing Kirsten Flipkens and Petra Kvitova. Things did not start well with a 6-0 doughnut in the first set. They rebounded strong though with a 6-4 second set win and a 10-7 tiebreak victory to win the match.

Singles Draw

This is the route for each American to the main draw if the higher rankings win. Green means the American on the left would be the higher ranked player, red means they would be lower ranked. Bold on an athlete indicates that match has been completed. Matches highlighted in yellow are on today’s schedule. Click to expand.

Dubai Tennis Championships - Singles - 2-18-14

Continue reading Sloane Stephens Out in Dubai, Williams Sisters Only US Singles Left →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Daily Previews, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Lots of changes in what you’ll see! Eight disciplines and competition in nine events with six gold medals up for grabs. Of course that is all assuming there are no weather issues today…

In today: Alpine skiing, nordic combined, short track speed skating, and speed skating. Out today: curling (done at the Olympics for the US), figure skating, ice hockey, and ski jumping (done at the Olympics).

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: Four American women are in the field of 90 for the giant slalom at 12:30 AM. Mikaela Shiffrin goes first for the US, sixth overall with Julia Mancuso going 17th. The final two Americans are Megan McJames who goes 33rd and Resi Stiegler who goes 41st. The second run will be held at 4 AM with the two times combined for the final standings.

When:

  • Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1 – 12:30 AM
  • *Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2 – 4 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.

Continue reading February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →