Canada's Cynthia Appiah captures her first monobob medal of the season
LILLEHAMMER — Canada's Cynthia Appiah captured her first monobob medal of the season, taking second in a World Cup event Saturday.
Appiah, of Toronto, claimed the winder medal with a two-run time of one minute 48.66 seconds over the 16-corner track.
"Finally," Appiah said at the finish line. "This feels amazing.
"It's been a frustrating season for me, similar to last year, waiting until the last World Cup to get on that podium. I'm choosing to look at it as a positive though, and that we are peaking right time before world championships. There is no better time for this than now."
Appiah earned her 11th monobob medal but first since claiming bronze in the final race of last season in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Austrian Bree Walker finished first with a combine time of 1:48.51. Germany's Lisa Buckwitz was third in 1:48.67.
Appiah appears to have found comfort on the Lillehammer track. She was fifth at the rare Norwegian stop one year ago and sixth last weekend.
"I really love this track in Lillehammer," she said. "It's a pusher's track — easy to get down but hard to get down fast.
"I had an extra sense of confidence that I can put it together. Last week was an indication of that. With an extra week of training under my belt here, it gave me the confidence that I can win here.'
Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., was seventh at 1:49.20 while Toronto's Erica Voss was 13th in 1:49.68.
In the men's event, Taylor Austin, of Lethbridge, Alta., and Mark Zanette, of Woodbridge, Ont., were 13th in 1:42.66, just ahead of the Ottawa team of Pat Norton and Mike Evelyn O'Higgins (1:42.73). Cyrus Gray of Duncan, B.C., and Toronto's Shaq Murray-Lawrence were 20th in 1:43.83.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2025.
The Canadian Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
41 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Mauricio Pochettino hits back at Christian Pulisic: 'I'm the head coach'
After Christian Pulisic spoke about why he chose not to play for the USMNT in the Gold Cup this summer, head coach Mauricio Pochettino was asked about those comments before the tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago. It's safe to say Pochettino wanted to remind everyone he's in charge of the USMNT. Not Pulisic. Asked about Pulisic's comments to CBS Sports — he revealed he said he could play in the friendly games against Turkiye and Switzerland but not for the Gold Cup, but Pochettino decided not to call him up for the friendlies — this was the response Pochettino gave to reporters on Saturday. Pochettino: 'Players need to stick with our plan' 'With Christian, he explained that he wanted to be involved in the two games and, knowing that, I respect and understand him,' Pochettino said. 'I understand him, but I don't need him to understand our decisions. My position is that I am 53, with a lot of experience in football, and I was a player before I was a coach. If you want to understand this, it's really obvious. It's easy to understand that I wanted a roster to prepare in those two games because, for me, the Gold Cup is a very important competition. It's not a problem because you need to listen and communicate.' 'Players don't need to understand or not understand that,' Pochettino continued. 'Players need to listen and stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan because, if so, then we'd invert positions, no? It is obvious, and the most important thing is that we explain. We explained why we decided not to include him in the two friendlies. And then if you have some problems, it's not a problem if you understand or don't understand. 'I think it's so clear that we say that we want to start training with the same group for two friendly games. And it's up to us to assess, to analyze if you need rest or not. We have a group of professionals in performance, doctors, coaches, all in the federation, that can assess it. We assessed Sergino [Dest], we spoke with Sergino, and we decided not to include him in the Gold Cup and not in the two games... When I signed my contract with the federation, I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.' What next for Pulisic, Pochettino? Pochettino also revealed he wanted the USMNT star to play in the Gold Cup this summer. Less than a year out from a home World Cup, this is far from ideal for the USMNT. Pochettino's best player is clearly not the flavor of the month and the USMNT head coach went on to challenge the winger to prove how good he is the next time he links up with the national team. 'The communication is good with him, just like with any other,' Pochettino said. 'I have the same communication with him as with others. I do not prioritize. You can see he's the best player and, yes, he's a good player, but he needs to perform. And I'm not going to treat him differently than, say, Diego [Luna]. If he performs well, then he's the best and he'll have a place with the national team. But it's not that players are here because they want to play, or want this or want that.' Pulisic has now put some serious pressure on himself and Pochettino is not a coach who focuses on individuals. He is all about the team. The way he has handled this situation with Pulisic proves that to every single one of his players.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Marseille boss leading candidate for Italy coaching vacancy
Former Olympique de Marseille manager Gennaro Gattuso is on the verge of becoming the new manager of Italy, with journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that an agreement could be reached in the coming days. The man who helped the Italians win the World Cup in 2006 over France recently left his role as manager of Croatian club Hadjuk Split earlier this month. In 2023-24 Gattuso served as manager of Marseille but was sacked after just five months on the job, winning nine of his 24 matches at the helm of the French side. Advertisement Former AS Monaco and FC Nantes coach Claudio Ranieri was approached to take over from Luciano Spalletti, who was dismissed earlier this month, but declined. Italy have three points from two group matches in 2026 World Cup qualifying, currently outside of the play-off positions. As a manager, Gattuso led Napoli to the Coppa Italia in 2019-20, winning that trophy once as a player along with two Serie A crowns and a pair of UEFA Champions League titles as well. Gattuso officially retired from the national team at the end of their 2010 World Cup campaign, with his side losing 3-2 to Slovakia and exiting in the group phase of that tournament for the first time since 1974. GFFN | Joel Lefevre
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Italy appoint Gennaro Gattuso as new manager
The Italy National Team have replaced Luciano Spalletti with Gennaro Gattuso as the new manager. An update from Fabrizio Romano confirmed the managerial agreement between Gennaro Gattuso and the Italian National Team representatives. The former World Cup champion with the Azzurri is set to be appointed at the helm of the side to lead them at the next biggest tournament in football. Advertisement Spalletti became certain of his departure during the World Cup qualifiers, and he was practically out of the team when Italy played against Moldova. A statement by Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon verified the reports as he said, 'Gattuso has become the new Italy coach, we made the best possible decision.' Gattuso was a key player of the 2006 Italy National Team, which won the World Cup in Germany under manager Marcello Lippi. He formed an impeccable partnership with Andrea Pirlo in the midfield, and it was crucial to earn the Azzurri their fourth star on their crest. Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
