The Donald would be trump card for L.A. 2024 bid rivals

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The Donald would be trump card for L.A. 2024 bid rivals

Ten random thoughts about things Olympic:

1. No one may be more nervous after Donald Trump’s decisive win in the New Hampshire primary than the Los Angeles 2024 bid committee (and, by extension the U.S. Olympic Committee.)

Can you imagine what having a U.S. president who defamed Mexicans and wants to keep Muslims from entering the country would do to L.A.’s chances in the September 2017 vote for host of the 2024 Summer Games?

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Reports of Chinese runner's letter haunt sport with closet already full of doping skeletons

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Reports of Chinese runner's letter haunt sport with closet already full of doping skeletons

Reports out of China saying that its former distance running sensation, Olympic champion Wang Junxia, had written a letter 21 years ago saying her coach forced her to dope brought me back to the future – and present.

Which is to say, nothing seems to have changed in track and field, as the busts in the past two years of Kenyan marathon champion Rita Jeptoo and Russian marathon champion Liliya Shobukhova and the international federation’s Russia-centered doping corruption scandal make clear.

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Now (or never?) for U.S. women to end skate worlds medal drought

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Now (or never?) for U.S. women to end skate worlds medal drought

Gracie Gold should have an excellent chance at a world medal simply by skating her best in both programs.  Ashley Wagner will likely need help (i.e. mistakes) by other skaters to get there, but she also is in contention.

Of course, I said the same thing in reverse last year (Wagner could do it on her own, Gold could do it with help), when the U.S. women’s medal drought at worlds reached nine years.

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Worlds three-peat for U.S. men skaters? It doesn't figure

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Worlds three-peat for U.S. men skaters? It doesn't figure

After two busy weeks on the figure skating scene, including the U.S., Canadian and European Championships and the news of a season-ending injury for U.S. phenom Nathan Chen, let’s catch our breath for a look of what it all means to U.S. singles skaters as they look toward the 2016 World Championships.

Today, a look at the men’s situation.  Tomorrow, the women.

*The loss of Chen to a hip avulsion fracture that required surgery will have minimal impact on the United States’ slim-to-no chance of keeping its three men’s spots for the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships.

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