Team USA celebrated a golden night at the Milan Cortina Olympics, claiming championship titles in both women’s hockey and figure skating on Thursday.
In a dramatic overtime battle, the American women’s hockey squad captured their third Olympic gold medal by defeating Canada 2-1. Megan Keller delivered the winning strike with a backhand shot 4 minutes and 7 seconds into the extra period, capping off another intense showdown between these longtime rivals.
Team captain Hilary Knight sent the game into overtime by deflecting Laila Edwards’ shot from the blue line with just 2:04 left on the clock. That goal marked Knight’s 15th Olympic career goal and 33rd career point, establishing new U.S. records in both statistical categories. The Americans previously claimed Olympic gold in women’s hockey during the inaugural 1998 Nagano Games and again in 2018 at Pyeongchang.
Meanwhile, Alysa Liu brought home Olympic gold in women’s figure skating, breaking a 24-year championship dry spell for American women in the sport. Liu executed an almost perfect free skate performance, earning a personal-best score of 226.79 points to edge out Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai for the title.
Liu had returned to competitive skating after taking time away following the Beijing Olympics. Both Japanese competitors made costly errors during their routines, with Sakamoto earning silver and Nakai taking bronze despite their mistakes. American teammate Amber Glenn joined Liu in celebration and finished fifth overall after recovering from a disappointing short program earlier in the week.
In other Olympic news, the sport of curling continued its marathon run through the Games, with athletes expressing exhaustion from the demanding schedule. A total of 147 curling matches are being packed into 18 days of competition, beginning two days before the Opening Ceremonies and running through the final day of events.
Back in the United States, the Chicago Bears’ potential relocation to Indiana gained momentum as a key legislative committee approved plans for a stadium authority. The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed legislation creating the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, which would finance and construct a new venue. The Bears are eyeing property near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana, calling the legislative action “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date.”
In college sports developments, South Carolina lawmakers approved legislation to keep athlete compensation deals confidential under Name, Image and Likeness rules. The state joins Arkansas, Utah, Colorado and Kentucky in shielding these financial arrangements from public view, despite criticism from transparency advocates.
NCAA officials announced that any discussions about expanding the March Madness basketball tournaments will wait until after this year’s competitions conclude. Senior vice president Dan Gavitt confirmed the organization won’t consider proposals to grow the field to 72 or 76 teams until the current tournaments wrap up.
In NASCAR news, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a federal lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he stole confidential information worth more than $8 million to benefit rival Spire Motorsports. The team claims laptop searches revealed Gabehart accessed sensitive setup data and misled them about his plans to join the competing organization.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is expected to play against the Houston Rockets despite being involved in a two-vehicle collision Wednesday in Charlotte. Ball was reportedly driving his custom camouflage Hummer through an intersection when the crash occurred, but he was not listed on the team’s injury report.
Finally, the University of Georgia football program faces renewed scrutiny over player driving violations after linebackers Chris Cole and Darren Ikinnagbon were arrested on reckless driving and speeding charges. Coach Kirby Smart had previously expressed frustration about ongoing driving offenses, with three players leaving the program last season following similar arrests.
