Latest news with #OlympicAthletes
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn joins advisory board of women-led Athena Capital
One of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history is bringing her focus on female representation to venture capital. Skier Lindsey Vonn has joined the advisory board of New York-based Athena Capital, a venture capital firm focused on growth-stage, technology-focused companies nearing public or private exits. The firm, which is set to announce the appointment on Friday, manages about US$6-billion and is composed entirely of women across its general partnership and advisory council. Ms. Vonn is one of the most successful alpine skiers in history, winning three Olympic medals – including gold in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games – along with 82 World Cup race victories and four overall World Cup titles. She retired in 2019 with the most World Cup wins by any woman at the time. The racing legend adds profile to a sector where women remain underrepresented in both capital allocation and leadership roles. Globally, startups founded solely by women received 2.1 per cent of venture capital funding in 2023, according to a study published last month by the Founders Forum Group. In the U.S., companies with at least one female founder secured 25 per cent of venture funding, but those led exclusively by women captured just 3 per cent. A 2024 report by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub estimates that women-led startups in Canada received about 4 per cent of venture capital funding in 2023. Athena's general partnership and advisory council comprise more than 45 women with backgrounds in growth-stage investing, company building, and executive leadership. Ms. Vonn, who has held corporate board roles and completed a venture capital internship, will advise Athena on investor outreach and fundraising. Her perspective is aimed at strengthening the firm's push to back ambitious companies and outperform in a space that's still not always inclusive, the company said.
CNA
03-06-2025
- General
- CNA
Alpine skiing-Italy's Brignone still not sure she will be fit for Olympics
MILAN :Reigning World Cup overall champion Federica Brignone cast doubts over her participation in next year's Winter Olympics on home snow in Italy two months after she suffered serious injuries. The 34-year-old, one of Italy's leading medal hopes at the Games, fractured her left leg and tore knee ligaments when she crashed into a gate during a race in the Italian championships. "I would like to say that I will be present at the next Olympics, but as of today I don't know. I am working for that too, but my health comes first of all," Brignone told reporters in the medical centre in Turin on Tuesday. "It is difficult to make any predictions, because there are many steps and we don't have any precise schedule," she said, adding that she remained confident and positive. Brignone, who is walking with clutches, underwent surgery after the crash in April. "As of today we can rule out a further operation, Federica had a major injury but the ACL is fine," said Andrea Panzeri, president of the medical staff of Italy's winter sports federation.
Al Jazeera
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Chopra: Nadeem javelin friendship ‘not the same' after India-Pakistan clash
Doha, Qatar – India's Olympic gold medal-winning athlete Neeraj Chopra believes the recent escalations between his country and neighbouring Pakistan will affect the hugely popular friendship he shared with his cross-border counterpart Arshad Nadeem. Both men's javelin athletes have earned widespread praise for overlooking the decades-old South Asian rivalry with their friendly interactions at international tournaments, but Chopra said on Thursday that his relationship with Nadeem is unlikely to remain the same. India and Pakistan were involved in a brief but intense military confrontation last week that threatened to erupt into the fifth full-scale war between the two countries. 'It will not be like it was before [the recent escalations],' Chopra told Al Jazeera when asked about the repercussions of the tensions on his friendship with Nadeem. 'I never had a very deep friendship with him, but we were always respectful towards each other,' he added while speaking before the Doha Diamond League, a World Athletics meet scheduled for Friday in Qatar. The frequent words of encouragement and appreciation exchanged between Chopra, who won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2021, and Nadeem, who bagged gold at Paris 2024, rendered both the darlings of social media and the face of a rare cross-border following the April 22 attack that left 26 civilians dead in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, Chopra faced intense social media backlash for inviting Nadeem to the May 24 Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin event in India. The invitation was extended before the attack and was declined by Nadeem, citing his preparations for the May 27-31 Asian Athletics Championship in South Korea. Chopra's eponymous event was eventually postponed in the wake of the cross-border conflict, but not before the 27-year-old Indian athlete released a statement on April 25, saying Nadeem's participation at the meet was 'completely out of the question' following the Pahalgam May 7, India launched multiple missile attacks on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the Pakistani military claimed to have shot down multiple Indian air force planes. Three days later, Pakistan retaliated with a missile attack on Indian airbases. Both countries were on the precipice of war before a United States-brokered ceasefire was agreed. Amid the war-like scenario, both Chopra and Nadeem took to social media to pledge their support for their respective armed forces. It was in stark contrast to the warmth shared by the world's top javelin throwers, who often posed together for photographs at athletics events and shared greetings on social media. Chopra and Nadeem were gold and silver medallists at the World Athletics Championships in 2023 and celebrated together as the Indian asked his Pakistani opponent to join him for a photo and stood close with their arms around each other. When Nadeem became the first Pakistani track and field athlete to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Chopra's mother won hearts across the border when she said Nadeem was also like a 'son' to her. It is unclear when the athletes will compete against each other, as Nadeem is not participating at the Doha Diamond League and Chopra is set to skip the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea. Despite the fallout of the recent political and military standoff, Chopra said he will continue to maintain a respectful demeanour towards Nadeem. 'I have a lot of friends in the athletics circuit since javelin throwers are a very small community,' Chopra said. 'I will always reciprocate the respect I receive from my fellow athletes.'
CTV News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Young athletes sprint to Waterloo to test their Olympic potential
Over 200 young athletes came to Waterloo from across Ontario for the opportunity to test their potential as future Olympic athletes.
