Sports

By PAT GRAHAM and HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writers Star ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for her first Olympics since her father suddenly passed away two years ago. The two-time Winter Games gold medalist doesn’t know exactly how she’s going to feel when she steps into the starting gate or crosses the finish line

By The Associated Press Chicago Bears tight end Jimmy Graham, Denver Broncos tight end/fullback Andrew Beck, and former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson are finalists for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award. The award recognizes people who demonstrated exceptional effort to honor and support members of the military community. It will be recognized on Feb.

By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writer For decades, ice dance was the stepchild of U.S. figure skating. While men and women were reaching the top levels of the individual events and even pairs skaters were looked at highly, there wasn’t much success for the ice dancers. From Colleen O’Connor and James Millns winning bronze at

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Viktor Hovland is seeking a third win in his last four events and started the Abu Dhabi Championship by shooting 8-under 64 to lie one stroke off the first-round lead held by Scott Jamieson. Hovland was in the marquee group with Collin Morikawa and outplayed his playing partner

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Florida guard Lavender Briggs is transferring to Maryland. The Terrapins announced the move Wednesday night. The 6-foot-1 Briggs averaged 12.5 points this season at Florida in 14 games. She is currently out for the rest of the season because of a stress fracture in her left shin. Briggs will enroll

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer Rey Mysterio was revealed Thursday as the cover star of the WWE 2K22 video game. The video game is set for a March 11 release. Mysterio was selected in part to honor his 20-year career with WWE. Mysterio is a playable character with his son, Dominik. The younger Mysterio

METZINGEN, Germany (AP) — German police are investigating after two hidden cameras were found in the locker room of a leading women’s handball team. TuS Metzingen says the cameras were found earlier this week. Metzingen said that an unnamed person who worked with the team is being treated by police as a suspect and their

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Viktor Hovland is seeking a third win in his last four events and started the Abu Dhabi Championship by shooting 8-under 64 to lie one stroke off the first-round lead held by Scott Jamieson. Hovland was in the marquee group with Collin Morikawa and outplayed his playing partner

By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Team USA’s opening ceremony uniforms for the Beijing Olympics include some sneaky new warming technology. There’s also a handy front pouch and a cinch waist on anoraks in navy and white. The jackets were unveiled Thursday by official outfitter Ralph Lauren. They include a smart, honeycomb-like

By BRUCE MATTHEWS Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The safety protocols for COVID-19 have been a touchy subject at the Australian Open. The sensitivity was compounded after nine-time champion Novak Djokovic was deported for failing to meet the country’s strict vaccination requirements. So Olympic champion Alexander Zverev attracted wide attention after his second-round match

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer The all-star racing series started by Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham heads into its second season with official leadership designed to steer the growth of the Superstar Racing Experience. The upstart has named racing industry veteran Don Hawk its first chief executive officer. Hawk will be tasked with

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Daniil Medvedev overcame Nick Kyrgios and all his tricks and the constant noise of a boisterous crowd to advance to the third round of the Australian Open. The second-seeded Medvedev had to work hard for his 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over 115th-ranked Kyrgios.

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA is finally ready to enforce limits on the number of players clubs can send and take on loan internationally. The rules were close to approval two years ago then were delayed by the pandemic. The plans FIFA now outlines aim to stop wealthy clubs stockpiling

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Three Australian Federal Court judges have revealed their reasons for backing a government order to deport tennis star Novak Djokovic, explaining they did not consider the “merits or wisdom of the decision.” The judges on Sunday unanimously endorsed Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona says it wants to move France winger Ousmane Dembélé before the close of the winter transfer window. Club official Mateu Alemany says the club has told Dembélé to find a new club after having refused to agree to a new deal. His contract expires in

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Tyrrell Hatton has started the defense of his Abu Dhabi Championship title by shooting 6-under 66 and is three strokes off the lead in second place midway through the first round. Rory McIlroy has gotten off to a disappointing start to his first event of 2022 by bogeying

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals are facing the possibility of trying to slow down Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry with a banged-up defensive line. Henry is returning from a broken foot. The Bengals defensive front is hobbled after several players went down in the first-round playoff game.

By MIKE CRANSTON Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 49 points, 14 rebounds and fed Aaron Gordon for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime for his 10th assist to give the Denver Nuggets a 130-128 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic drew a double-team, then whipped a pass across