Mikaël Kingsbury wins gold in dual moguls for Crystal Globe season sweep
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Canadian freestyle skiing star Mikaël Kingsbury finished strong at the season-ending dual moguls event in Livigno, Italy.
The 32-year-old from Deux-Montagnes, Que., won Wednesday's big final to not only take gold, but also cement his third Crystal Globe win of the season.
Kingsbury – who had already clinched the season titles in moguls and overall – used Wednesday's win to finish with 544 total points in dual moguls to take that discipline's title.
Ikuma Horishima was the only skier that could have caught Kingsbury for the dual moguls Crystal Globe, but the Japanese skier's silver-medal result saw him finish 104 points behind the Canadian.
Filip Gravenfors of Sweden took bronze and also finished third in the dual moguls season standings.
The win marked Kingsbury's 99th career gold-medal victory on the World Cup circuit. He finishes the season with 13 medals (nine golds, four silvers) across 16 World Cup events.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
One year from World Cup opener, FIFA leaves questions unanswered on tickets and security
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U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 nations exempted athletes, coaches, staff and relatives while not mentioning fans. Vice President JD Vance made what could be interpreted as a warning on May 6. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up they'll have to go home. Otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' he added, speaking alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Back in U.S. for first time in 32 years The 1994 World Cup sparked the launch of Major League Soccer with 12 teams in 1996, and $50 million in World Cup profits seeded the U.S. Soccer Foundation, tasked with developing the sport's growth. MLS now has 30 teams, plays in 22 soccer specific stadiums and has club academies to grow the sport and improve talent. Next year's tournament will include 104 games, up from 64 from 1998 through 2022, and the 11 U.S. stadiums are all NFL homes with lucrative luxury suites and club seating. It also will be the first World Cup run by FIFA without a local organizing committee. 'The legacy initiative of 2026 is around how we ensure that soccer is everywhere in this county,' U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson said. 'How do we ensure that every American can walk, ride their bike or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer? How do we make it to where every school in America has soccer accessible to their students? And how do we make it to wherever every American can truly see themselves in the game?' Interest in soccer has vastly increased in the U.S., with England's Premier League averaging 510,000 viewers per match window on NBC's networks last season and the European Champions League final drawing more than 2 million viewers in each of the past five years on CBS. However, CBS broadcast just 26 of 189 Champions League matches on TV in 2024-25 and streamed the rest. MLS drew about 12.2 million fans last year, second to 14.7 million in 2023-24 for the Premier League's 20 teams, but MLS has largely disappeared from broadcast TV since starting a 10-year contract with Apple TV+ in 2023. Apple spokesman Sam Citron said the company does not release viewer figures. In a fractured television landscape, different deals were negotiated by FIFA, UEFA, MLS, the NWSL, the USSF and the five major European leagues. 'You basically have over 2,800 game windows per season aired in the United States and so that requires distribution largely on streaming platforms like Paramount+ or ESPN+, but it's difficult for new fan adoption and it makes reach kind of challenging,' said Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, which holds controlling interests in AC Milan and Toulouse and owns a non-controlling stake of Fenway Sports Group, parent of Liverpool. 'Kids today are getting weaned on Premier League football and Serie A football, and when you watch that as a product, it's hard for MLS to compete.' 1994 World Cup set attendance record The 1994 World Cup, a 24-nation tournament, drew a record 3.58 million fans for 52 matches. Ticket prices ranged from $25-$75 for most first round games and $180-$475 for the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. 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'If you have a clear understanding of the market and the audience, a clear understanding of the value that these properties bring to media companies, and you mix content with a commercial strategy, with the right media distribution strategy, this is something that will continue to grow over the next two decades,' he said. 'If more people are watching the NWSL, more people are going to be interested in soccer that could potentially end up watching a Bundesliga game or La Liga game.' ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Japan and South Africa wrap up World Cup qualifying with big home wins
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
With 'nothing to lose,' Steve Sir leads a hungry Canada into 3x3 basketball World Cup
A dejected Steve Sir stood on a basketball court with his Canadian teammates on June 12, 2018 following a quarterfinal loss in the team's FIBA 3x3 World Cup debut in Manila, Philippines. Sir has played basketball since he was six years old and was an NCAA standout at Northern Arizona, but he was green when it came to the fast-paced 3x3 format played on a smaller court with fewer players than the traditional five-on-five game. The Netherlands scored four points in 80 seconds on that June day for an 18-16 victory in a 10-minute contest that included five lead changes. Canada held a 16-15 edge with 73 seconds remaining on the clock. "The semifinals were right there for us. Knowing that you are an inch away from a chance to play for a medal for your country, those aren't opportunities you get every day," Sir recalled last week. "It was heartbreaking not to take the next step." Seven years later, Canada will have another chance at a World Cup medal when 20 teams gather in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the ninth edition starting June 23. Sir is the lone returning member of the squad, which opens pool play the next day against European powerhouse Austria and then China, which captured an Asia Cup silver medal in March. Canada falls to the Netherlands in quarter-final action at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Manila 7 years ago Duration 0:48 With family and friends watching back home in Edmonton, Sir expects the sweat, anticipation and nervousness to return when he's introduced for the Austria matchup with teammates Grant Audu, Jérôme Desrosiers and Alex Johnson. Representing Canada and wearing the family name on his back has been a lifelong dream for Sir. "One of my favourite Christmas gifts was getting the book Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA when I was a teenager," Sir remembered while speaking with CBC Sports recently. "A heavy part of that book was Steve [the two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Famer] talking about what it meant to play for Canada and how it was a lifelong dream. It left a major impression on me. "My big dream was playing Division 1 [college basketball] in the [United] States, but my apex was always getting the chance to play for Canada." Wearing a red zip-up top with "Canada" written in white lettering above his heart, Sir added the support from home during the 2018 World Cup has "kept me motivated, kept me playing and pursuing. It was a special feeling." From 2007 through 2016, Sir carved out a professional career in five-on-five basketball as an integral member of teams in Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Edmonton and Halifax. WATCH | Steve Sir, 42, on how long he'll play 3x3 basketball: Steve Sir discusses his love for basketball training and competing 17 hours ago Duration 1:29 At 42, Canadian national men's 3x3 basketball player Steve Sir says he doesn't want to place a limitation on how long he will play competitively Five years later, the six-foot-five forward tried to make Canadian Olympic 3x3 teams. Canada won its first two games at a 2021 qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria before losing two straight and didn't reach the knockout stage. Last May, Canada had a 1-2 record in pool play but didn't secure a quarterfinal berth in Debrecen, Hungary. Now, the 42-year-old Sir is returning to the World Cup. Since 2022, he has been living in Mongolia, where he plays and coaches senior and under-23 clubs. His wife Caitlin and daughters Isabelle and Lyla live in Edmonton but have spent the majority of the past three summers in Mongolia. Canada goes 3-0 to clinch World Cup berth "That's the hardest part," Sir said of being separated from his family. Canada secured one of three available World Cup spots on May 25 with a 21-12 handling of Rwanda to cap a 3-0 performance in Baku, Azerbaijan. Montenegro and Great Britain also clinched berths. Desrosiers led Canada with seven points against Rwanda. The Canadians took both matches a day earlier, with Sir posting eight points and Audu seven in a 21-14 win over Great Britain. Sir led the way with 10 points in a 22-7 rout of Azerbaijan. The six-foot-four Audu, from Toronto, is in his first season with the team. His first major competition was the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup last December in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Canadian program picked up its first-ever medal, defeating Mexico and Dominican Republic for bronze. The 27-year-old has brought an excitement and eagerness to the team, noted Sir, much the way Edmonton native Jermaine Bucknor did in 2018 as a newcomer. "What makes me proud of a player like Grant is he's not scared of the big stage, understands the responsibility and just competes," Sir said. In Mongolia, Canada will also face France, the 2024 Olympic silver medallists, Chile and Puerto Rico, which placed second at last year's AmeriCup. WATCH | Sir on a model Canada can follow to develop 3x3 game: Sir on Mongolia's blueprint to develop the 3x3 game and the model other countries should follow 17 hours ago Duration 1:26 To develop 3x3 basketball in Canada, Sir says smaller tournaments should be held to create enthusiasm and a knowledge base for players. The last 16 will be held June 27, followed by the quarterfinals the next day. The semifinals, third-place games and final will be contested on June 29. "It's a tough, tough group but what a great opportunity to compete. Let's see what we can do, nothing to lose," said Sir, who was fourth in scoring at the AmeriCup and named to the men's team of the tournament. "We shoot the ball well. We have good playmaking, experience. Jérôme [Desrosiers] has been playing on the World Tour the last few years and continues to get better. And Alex has represented Canada multiple times and his leadership is invaluable." In 2018, there was "so much" Sir didn't know about 3x3 basketball and plenty of room for improvement. "It's a new discipline and there's new nuances and intricacies you have to learn, not just to improve but to evolve with the sport and stay effective," he said. "Shooting has always been my strength, but I have found different ways to be effective — off the dribble, at different angles or with different footwork or fakes. "It still fires me up every day, the things you can do within this sport to get better. It's been a fun journey." More fun could be in store should a World Cup medal be placed around Sir's neck.
