Lochner gets first 4-man bobsled win of the season, Germany sweeps 2-woman World Cup medals
LILLEHAMMER, Norway (AP) — Johannes Lochner of Germany overtook Francesco Friedrich in the second heat Sunday and won a four-man World Cup bobsled race for the first time this season.
Friedrich finished second and extended his lead in the World Cup four-man standings to 61 points over Brad Hall of Britain, who placed third.
Frank del Duca had a 10th-place finish for the U.S.
In the two-woman race earlier Sunday, Germany swept the medals again and Laura Nolte moved a big step closer to what would be her third consecutive overall World Cup title.
Nolte and Leonie Kluwig won gold, Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig won silver and Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide took bronze.
The win — Nolte's fourth in six two-woman races this season — gave her a 75-point lead over Kalicki in the overall standings. That means Nolte needs only a ninth-place finish in next weekend's World Cup finale to clinch the title.
Germany has grabbed 17 of the 18 possible medals in two-woman races this season. The only exception was at Sigulda, Latvia, on Dec. 15, when Kaysha Love of the U.S. drove to a bronze.
Elana Meyers Taylor and Jasmine Jones were the top finishers for the U.S. on Sunday in two-woman, placing seventh.
Up next
Bobsled: World Cup women's monobob and two-man, Saturday in Lillehammer.
Skeleton: World championships for men and women, March 6-7 in Lake Placid, New York.
Luge: World Cup men's doubles, women's doubles and men's singles, Saturday at Pyeongchang, South Korea.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canadian teen Summer McIntosh shatters third world swim record in five days
FILE - Summer McIntosh of Canada reacts after competing in the Women's 200m Butterfly Heats on day three of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, file) VICTORIA, Canada (AP) — Canadian teen Summer McIntosh has done it again. The 18-year-old made it three world records in less than a week when she broke her own 400-meter individual medley mark on Wednesday night. Advertisement McIntosh won at the Canadian swimming trials in 4 minutes, 23.65 seconds to lower her previous best in one of the sport's toughest events by 0.73 seconds. Her closest rival was 12 seconds behind. 'What a week Victoria! Had so much fun in the pool this week,' McIntosh wrote on Instagram. McIntosh had already broken the world best mark in the 200 individual medley on Monday in 2:05.70, two days after shaving more than a second off the 400 freestyle record, completing the race in 3:54.18. The Toronto native also set new Canadian marks in two other events: The 200 butterfly, where she was less than half a second off a record that has stood since 2009, and the 800 freestyle, where she was also just off Katie Ledecky's world record set last month. Advertisement She is scheduled to compete in those five events at the world aquatics championships in Singapore next month. McIntosh won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics last year, winning her three individual events of the 400 and 200 individual medleys and the 200 butterfly. She also won silver in the 400 free. ___ AP sports:
Hamilton Spectator
28 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Will Canada's World Cup Set a Zero-Waste Standard, or Leave a Legacy of Trash?
TORONTO, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In one year, millions of fans will take part in global festivities around Toronto's BMO Field and Vancouver's BC Place as Canada co-hosts the FIFA World Cup 26TM. What they leave behind could be just as monumental: a legacy of trash, or a breakthrough in sustainable sport. Today, Oceana Canada launched #ReuseForTheWin, a campaign urging Toronto and Vancouver to eliminate single-use food and beverage containers during the tournament. The campaign calls on stadium operators to eliminate single-use cups for beer, pop, and coffee during the World Cup. The stadium operator in Toronto is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (BMO Field) and in Vancouver, it is BC Pavilion Corporation (BC Place, which already operates a reusable cup program in select sections and is exploring expansion). The solution is simple: ditch single-use cups bound for the trash and replace them with ones that will be collected, cleaned, re-stocked, and reused for the next game, creating a zero-waste standard in global sport. 'Every match of the World Cup could generate over 100,000 single-use items — and that's just from drinks,' said Anthony Merante, Senior Plastics Campaigner at Oceana Canada. 'We have one shot to get this right. If stadiums make the switch to reuse, Canada can leave behind a legacy of sustainable leadership, not litter.' The Problem: Single-Use Waste on a Global Stage Governments are investing nearly $1 billion to host the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Toronto and Vancouver. Unless major venues stop serving single-use items, millions of cups, trays, bottles, and wrappers could end up in landfill, incinerators, or polluting waterways. This isn't just a waste issue — it's an ocean crisis. Major sports stadiums across Canada routinely serve single-use items, many of them made from or lined with plastic. In Canada, half of all plastic waste is single-use like the products served in the stands. Yet only eight per cent of plastics are recycled, with more than 90 per cent going to landfill, incineration, or directly into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Canadians want better. An Oceana Canada-commissioned poll by Abacus Data found that 88 per cent of Canadians would choose a reusable option over single-use one if available. Right now, fans at BMO Field and BC Place lack choice. It's time to make single use history. #ReuseForTheWin. The Solution: Reuse is a Win for Everyone Each year, more than $7.8 billion worth of plastic is lost to landfills in Canada. Reusables offer a long-term, sustainable investment, eliminating the need to repurchase items that become trash after a single use. Reuse isn't just good for the environment, it's good economics. The Call to Action: One Year to Get it Right The opportunity for change is now. Oceana Canada is calling on: 'Hosting the World Cup will leave a legacy on our cities. Let's make it one of sustainability — not waste,' said Merante. 'Stadiums across the world have already been upgraded to reuse and found success. This is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the BC Pavillion Corporation's moment to lead.' Oceana Canada's recommendations follow a workshop with stadium operators, policy experts, reuse providers, and government representatives from across Canada and the United States exploring practical approaches to zero-waste operations in sport. Visit to learn more and add your voice to the call for zero-waste World Cup cities. Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to ban single-use plastics, end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada's formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada's oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits and protect our future. Find out more at . Media contacts: Vaishali Dassani, Oceana Canada, vdassani@ ,+1 647-294-3335; Rose-Marie Ménard, Pilot PMR, , +1-579-622-9925
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
With more spots available than ever before, here is where World Cup qualifying stands, region by region
There will be three more qualifying periods this year — in September, October, and November — jammed into a crowded calendar that already has obliterated the offseason. You might think that would do it, but after two-plus years of eliminations, six spots will remain open. So, why not two sets of playoffs next March? One will be held in Europe, involving 16 teams; the other in the US, a six-team 'interconfederation' playoff, presented as 'a preparatory event.' FIFA apparently likes its playoffs. But they are something to be avoided by teams such as Italy, a four-time champion that fell in playoffs in the last two campaigns. The Azzurri got off to a slow start this time, falling to Norway, 3-0, in its qualifying opener last week, leading to coach Luciano Spalletti being fired. Spalletti, though, hung around for a 2-0 victory over Moldova before being replaced by Gennaro Gattuso, who played for the 2006 champions. Advertisement Meanwhile, FIFA's questionable reasoning that a bigger World Cup would be better could turn into a logistical nightmare. But it also opens opportunities for regions such as Africa, Asia, plus CONCACAF as hosts — regions that could end up supplying as many as 25 teams, though only 15 of their member nations are ranked among the top 48. Advertisement Jordan and Uzbekistan capitalized on the increased openings, clinching their first-ever berths with victories last week. Australia and South Korea also celebrated advancement last week. But the Iranians, who gained a berth in March, have had to mute their celebrations because of a travel ban. A summary of qualifying by region: Europe: 16 berths; qualified: none On merit, UEFA could fill more than half the tournament slots, as 25 of its members are ranked among the world's top 45, excluding No. 34 Russia (banned from the event). So, though the region's numbers have increased by three, qualifying could still prove challenging. The 12 group winners qualify, and 16 others will enter playoffs for the other four places. The idea has been to incentivize the Nations League, so South America: six berths, plus one playoff; qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador The continent will have the highest percentage of qualified countries (70 percent), rewarding the success of Brazil (five titles), Argentina (three), and Uruguay (two). Argentina clinched a place with four games remaining and will be attempting to become the third team to repeat. Brazil stumbled through the campaign — firing two coaches along the way — before clinching with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay Tuesday night in Carlo Ancelotti's second game in charge. Surprisingly, Bolivia and Venezuela remain in contention with two matches remaining, while Chile has been ousted and Peru has only a slim chance for a playoff. Advertisement Africa: nine berths, plus one playoff; qualified: none Morocco's run to the 2022 semifinals symbolized the potential of the continent, which had three berths in 1994, increased to five from 1998-2022. The biggest surprise has been underperforming Nigeria, which stands in fourth place (1-1-4, 7 points) in Group C. The Super Eagles' fate could be decided when they meet group leader South Africa and second-place Rwanda in September. Asia: eight berths, plus one playoff; qualified: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan The Asian Federation has only recently stamped its mark on the World Cup, with Qatar (2022) and Saudi Arabia (2034) named to host. Asian teams, though, have yet to make an impact on the field. Japan became the first to clinch on March 20, going on to compile a 54-3 goal differential in 16 matches. After having survived two group-play rounds, six countries — Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — move on to a round-robin playoff Oct. 8-14. Two will qualify and two others will go to — you guessed it — the interconfederation playoff. Of the continent's 34 eliminated teams, Palestine came closest to surviving. The Palestinians were knocked out by Oman via a 1-1 tie, following a controversial stoppage-time penalty kick in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday. Related : CONCACAF: three berths, plus two playoffs; qualified: Canada, Mexico, US (co-hosts) Even the host countries, excluded from qualifying, could be feeling the pressure as they prepare for the Gold Cup. Well, maybe not Canada, which has compiled a 6-1-3 record in the last 10 games. The Tricolor lost, 4-2, to Switzerland, before recovering for a 1-0 victory over Turkey last week. And the US fell to both the Advertisement Oceania: one berth, plus one playoff; qualified: New Zealand This is the first time the region has been awarded automatic qualification, and the Kiwis easily advanced, going 5-0-0 with a 26-1 goal differential. New Caledonia, ranked 160th in the world, will enter the playoffs. Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at
