MILAN (AP) — Men’s downhill in Alpine skiing starts as the first medal event of the Milan Cortina Olympics and will take place Saturday, which is officially Day 1 of the Games.

Also in the spotlight will be U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin as well as Jessie Diggins, America’s most decorated cross-country skier.

Here is a guide of what to look out for:

Men’s downhill is wide open

Swiss teammates Marco Odermatt and world champion Franjo von Allmen are among the favorites, though there’s a long list of contenders for the podium at Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio.

The home crowd will be rooting for Dominik Paris, who in his fifth Games is still looking for his first Olympic medal. The 36-year-old Italian is a Bormio specialist, having won a record six World Cup downhills there. There’s also young Italian Giovanni Franzoni.

U.S. skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle was fastest in the opening downhill training session Wednesday. It is Cochran-Siegle’s third Winter Olympics. He won silver in the super-G at the Beijing Games four years ago.

The event is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (0930 GMT, 4:30 a.m. ET), weather permitting.

Ilia Malinin performs in figure skating team event

Two-time reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, the overwhelming favorite to win Olympic figure skating gold, performs his short program as part of the team event. The defending champion U.S. leads Japan and Italy going into Day 2 of the three-day competition. It’s scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. local time (1745 GMT, 12:45 p.m. ET) in Milan.

In the free dance, the U.S. team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates is expected back on the ice. The three-time defending world champions won the rhythm dance portion of the team competition Friday.

Jessie Diggins competes in her 4th Olympics

Diggins, a 34-year-old Minnesota native, is trying to add to her Olympic haul before she retires at the end of the season. She already has a gold, silver, and bronze medal from three earlier Olympics. She will compete Saturday in the 20 kilometer skiathlon. The event is scheduled to begin at noon local time (1100 GMT and 6 a.m. ET). Cross-country skiing is held in Val di Fiemme, a valley in the heart of the Dolomites. It’s possible medals could be awarded before the men’s downhill medals.

There are also medal events in ski jumping (women’s normal hill individual), snowboard (men’s snowboard big air) and speedskating (women’s 3000 meters).

US faces Finland in women’s hockey

Women’s hockey is among the handful of disciplines that have already begun preliminary rounds. The U.S. team opened its campaign with a 5-1 victory over Czechia on Thursday.

Next up for the Americans is Finland. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. local time (1440 GMT, 9:40 a.m. ET) in Milan. The other games Saturday: Switzerland-Canada; Sweden-Italy; and Germany-Japan.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By The Associated Press

This photo gallery, curated by AP photo editors, features highlights from the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

In a meeting of this year’s top Lakes Valley Conference girls hoops teams, undefeated South Lyon East won 50-45 at Milford on Tuesday night.

Nyla Lake and Brooke Moyer ended with 17 and 16 points, respectively, as the Cougars improved to 15-0 overall and 8-0 in the league.

Ashlyn Lutz scored a team-high 17 points and Taylor Vogel ended with 11 for the Lady Mavs (11-4, 6-2), who have been the only team other than Plymouth to keep it to within single digits with the Cougars this season. SL East won the first meeting with Milford 52-47 back on Jan. 13.

More girls basketball

PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP 55, BIRMINGHAM SEAHOLM 37 >> Addy Kitzman scored 10 points and Erin Sheckell added nine for the Maples (4-8), who fell short on Wednesday to the Irish (10-5), who picked up their third win in a row.

HAZEL PARK 49, EASTPOINTE 27 >> La’Onna Otis-Nunnally finished with 14 points on Wednesday and the Vikings, who started the year 1-6, improved to 3-1 in the MAC Bronze and are currently tied for the league lead with Warren Lincoln.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 62, CLARKSTON 52 >> For West Bloomfield (10-4, 4-2 OAA Red), Sheridan Beal poured in 28 points and Bailey Finnie added 15 at home on Tuesday. Elli Robak had a team-high 19 points, Brooklyn Covert finished with 15 and Bella Flavin contributed 10 for the Wolves (11-5, 4-1).

ROYAL OAK 51, BERKLEY 40 >> Alyssa Rozicki led the way with 13 points, Lydia Dickens scored 10, and Allie Hills and Ainsley Weeks each had nine Tuesday for the Ravens, who improved to 6-7 overall and 2-3 in the OAA White. Blessing Nweke had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), Amsatou Diop scored 11 points and freshman Niqco Shoulders had 10 boards with five blocks for the Bears (3-12, 2-3).

ROYAL OAK SHRINE 56, LUTHERAN NORTH 46 >> On the road Tuesday night, Julia Kraemer scored a team-high 13 points, Leah Proctor finished with 11, and the duo of Summer Smith and Nora Tillman each had nine for the Knights (4-10, 2-5 CHSL AA Division).

WIXOM ST. CATHERINE 70, ALLEN PARK CABRINI 57 >> Tuesday night’s road win by the Stars (10-5, 8-1) was their ninth in their last 10 games and also helped them clinch the CHSL AA Division title.

WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 44, LAKELAND 43 >> The Knights (7-9, 4-4 LVC) were able to overcome 17 points by Lakeland’s Aubrin Miller and pull out the win on Tuesday. The Eagles are now 7-7 overall and 3-5 in the league.

TROY 71, FERNDALE 8 >> Maci Zeiter led all scorers with 11 points and Olivia Spangler chipped in nine to help the Colts (10-4, 4-1 OAA Blue) win on the road Tuesday.

DURAND 48, ORTONVILLE BRANDON 43 >> Junior Ella Rizzo went for 29 points and hauled in nine rebounds in a wire-to-wire defeat Wednesday for the Blackhawks (4-1, 3-5 FML Stars). Maddie Heverly and Elin Austin each pulled in six rebounds and combined for seven blocks in the loss.

Boys basketball

WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 51, SOUTH LYON 42 >> Johnathan Matthews scored a dozen points, Anthony Camacho had 11 and Asa Clay came a rebound short of a double-double on Tuesday for the Vikings (10-7, 6-2 LVC).

MADISON HEIGHTS LAMPHERE 69, CLAWSON 35 >> Jack Robinson poured in 22 points with a handful of steals and Gavin Abbott chipped in nine points as the Rams jumped to 14-2 overall and 8-0 in the MAC Bronze with Tuesday’s triumph.

ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST 49, AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN 43 >> Preston Parmentier went off, hitting 3-pointers for 33 points in the Crusaders’ victory on Tuesday. PJ Thiessen finished with 11 rebounds and Mike Griffin Jr. had seven steals as well for Lutheran Northwest, now 8-7 overall.

SOUTH LYON EAST 46, MILFORD 35 >> Milford dropped to 8-9 on the year despite 10 points each out of Caden Johnston-Thompson and Dorian Wright on Tuesday. Mason Crosby had a game-high 12 points for the Cougars (10-6 overall), who stayed tied atop the LVC at 6-2 with the home win.

WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES 54, ALLEN PARK CABRINI 52 >> Alex Asai knocked down a pull-up jumper from the elbow to beat the buzzer in Tuesday’s victory that clinched the CHSL Intersectional 2 Division title for the Lakers (12-4, 7-1). Jack Miller scored 13 points, Riley Jones had 12 and Latane Ware also added 10 in the win.

LAKE ORION 59, TROY 52 >> Dragons senior Jackson Shoskey scored 23 points, Max Neering had 16 and Nathan Giacolone contributed nine in Monday’s win. The Dragons also picked up a victory at Walled Lake Western on Tuesday to make it six straight and improve to 11-7.

Hockey

BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE 4, CLARKSTON 3 (OT) >> Drake Spring’s seventh goal of the season was also the game-winner in overtime for the Warriors, who also got goals out of Colin Mott, Winston Wigginton and Landon Zsenyuk. Ryan Wilford notched his eighth goal of the season in the Wolves’ defeat.

FARMINGTON UNITED 7, BISHOP FOLEY UNITED 1 >> The Griffins’ top-three leading scorers (Brady Brink, Owen Sims, Connor Brink) all added to their double-digit tallies on the year in Wednesday’s home victory. Derek Townsend hit the back of the net for the 26th time this winter in the Foley loss.

ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S 9, RIVERVIEW GABRIEL RICHARD 1 >> Charlie Roberts netted his 26th and 27th goals of the seasons, Thaddeus Raynish scored twice, and Dominic Pizzo scored and assisted three times as the Eaglets routed the visitors Tuesday night.

NORTHVILLE 3, BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK-KINGSWOOD 2 >> Goals from Cam Rocchini and Henry Demuth for the Cranes (13-7) weren’t enough to counter three second-period goals by the Mustangs on Tuesday.

Michigan State added a gem to its class on Wednesday by getting the signature of Detroit Catholic Central speedster Samson Gash.

Gash, who had previously given a verbal to the Spartans last summer, stuck with MSU and new head coach Pat Fitzgerald despite reopening his recruiting process after the firing of Jonathan Smith.

The four-star prospect, a consensus top-50 wide receiver in the Class of 2026, confirmed the news Wednesday that was first reported by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals/on3.

Fitzgerald’s push to secure Gash was anything but a secret in the days leading up. He received a loud ovation from the Spartan faithful at the Breslin Center when Fitzgerald and Gash walked out together at last Friday’s home men’s hoops game against Michigan. Fitzgerald was seen introducing Gash to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

The six-foot, 185-pounder flashed his track speed all season for the unbeaten D1 state champs. An impact player in all three phases, the Mr. Football candidate concluded his senior season with 1,700 yards and 18 total touchdowns.

Both Georgia and Penn State were among the top programs that offered Gash following Fitzgerald’s hire on Dec. 1, but Gash had indicated after the Shamrocks won the title that he intended to take some time on his decision before ultimate opting to join his older brother Caleb in East Lansing.

Fitzgerald will hope it’s not the last commitment from a Gash to come.

Samson’s younger brother, Gideon, has continued to see his star rise following a strong junior season in which he was a lockdown player in the secondary for Catholic Central, and like his brother, was a danger man in the return game.

Like Samson, Michigan State also initially offered Gideon this past summer, but he’s seen his list of offers increase by double digits since the turn of the calendar. Among the schools that have joined the chase for the three or four-star cornerback are Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa and Alabama.

With Samson added to the group, 247 ranked Michigan State’s 2026 class 50th overall, while On3 had the Spartans at No. 54.

Other Catholic Central senior footballers headed to play at the next level include Benny Eziuka (Virginia Tech), Jack Janda (Iowa), Josha Atiemo (Central Michigan), Brandon Bartolucci (Wayne State), Luca Genrich (Michigan State), Hunter Stokes (North Central College), Michael Dersa (Western Michigan), and Cedric Williams Jr. (Michigan State).

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had 22 points and seven rebounds to help Minnesota fend off a late surge by 10th-ranked Michigan State and secure a 76-73 upset on Wednesday night.

Cade Tyson scored 17 points and Langston Reynolds added 14 points and eight assists for the Gophers (11-12, 4-8 Big Ten), who broke a seven-game losing streak despite being outscored 22-9 over the final four minutes in a game in which they were 7 1/2 point underdogs according to MGM Sportsbook.

Coen Carr had 10 of his 16 points for the Spartans (19-4, 9-3) in the last three minutes, including a layup with 34 seconds left that cut the lead to 72-68, their closest margin since 7-3.

Trey Fort’s catch-and-shoot corner 3-pointer made it 73-71 with 20 seconds remaining, but Isaac Asuma sank both free throws to steady the Gophers, whose fans stormed the court after the final buzzer.

Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who totaled 60 points over two games last week, had just 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting with 11 assists.

The Spartans were in a four-way tie for first place five days ago with Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska. All four teams are ranked in the top 10 in The Associated Press poll. After losing to the rival Wolverines on Friday, the Spartans have fallen into fourth.

The Gophers were overdue for a breakthrough, with three losses by three points or less during the skid. They were tied or leading in the final minute of regulation in five of them. Minnesota’s last win over an AP top-10 team was on Jan. 16, 2021, over No. 7 Michigan.

Moved to the bench with Jordan Scott starting for the first time, Spartans shooting guard Divine Ugochukwu hobbled off with an injury in the first half and didn’t return.

Up next

Michigan State: Hosts No. 5 Illinois on Saturday.

Minnesota: Hosts Maryland on Sunday.

— By DAVE CAMPBELL, Associated Press

By Evan Woodbery, Tribune News Service

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers have pulled off a bold, last-minute addition to their rotation by landing the top pitcher remaining on the market.

The Tigers have agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with veteran right-hander Framber Valdez, ESPN first reported on Wednesday night.

The deal, which is pending a physical, allows Valdez to opt out of the contract after Year 2 and defers some of his salary.

Valdez, 32, has spent all eight years of his career with the Houston Astros, where he was 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA in 1,080 innings.

Over the last four seasons, he’s been one of baseball’s most reliable workhorse pitchers, averaging more than 30 starts a season.

Valdez joins a rotation with two-time defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson. The Tigers also have Drew Anderson, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal earlier this winter and was expected to be in the rotation, and Troy Melton, who was a key arm late last season.

Valdez is a native of the Dominican Republic who signed with the Astros as a teenager in 2015. This will be just the second organization of his career.

After some shaky seasons as a youngster under then-Astros manager A.J. Hinch in 2018 and 2019, he came into his own in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, striking out 76 in 70 innings. He’s been a full-time member of Houston’s rotation ever since, with his only significant injury coming on a fluke play in 2021 when he was struck by a ball on his finger.

Valdez’s durability is one of his strongest selling points. He’s thrown nine career complete games and three shutouts. He’s averaged 6 1/3 innings per start over the last five seasons. He set an MLB record in 2022 with 25 consecutive quality starts.

But Valdez’s free agency aspirations were hurt by his age. At 32, he was hitting the market for the first time a couple of years later than most front-line starters.

While The Athletic projected a seven-year, $196 million deal and the MLB Trade Rumors foresaw a five-year, $150 million contract, Valdez had to opt for a shorter-term arrangement that will probably net him in the neighborhood of $100 million when the deferred money is adjusted to present-day value.

The Tigers’ 40-man roster is full, although they will be able to open a spot by placing Jackson Jobe on the 60-day injured list when spring training opens next week.

This story will be updated.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

EAST LANSING (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 23 points, and the No. 22 Maryland women pulled away in the second half for an 86-70 win over No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday.

Maryland (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten) led 43-33 at halftime and broke the game open in the third quarter.

Okananwa went 8 of 13 from the field and added four rebounds, five assists and a steal as the Terps shot 49% as a team.

Yarden Garzon added 16 points and five assists, Kyndal Walker scored 14, and Saylor Poffenbarger finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Maryland forced 20 turnovers, which led to 23 points, while holding Michigan State to 4 of 15 from 3.

The Terps pushed the margin to 72-55 early in the fourth on Poffenbarger’s 3-pointer. Okananwa scored seven straight points soon after, including a layup and a deep 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 84-68 with under two minutes left. Maryland never allowed the Spartans to get within single digits in the final quarter.

Grace VanSlooten led Michigan State (19-4, 8-4) with 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Kennedy Blair had 15 points and seven assists, while Jalyn Brown scored 13.

Up Next

Michigan State: The Spartans play Saturday at Penn State.

Maryland: The Terrapins visit Nebraska on Saturday.

ANN ARBOR (AP) — Syla Swords scored 28 points and Olivia Olson had 21 to help No. 8 Michigan pull away and beat Nebraska 88-76 on Wednesday night.

The Wolverines (20-3, 11-1 Big Ten) went on a 15-6 run to take a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter and turned what was a closely contested game into a double-digit victory.

Michigan has won a school-record nine straight Big Ten games.

That streak will be put to a test Sunday at home against UCLA, the second-ranked team in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll.

Michigan has been a top-10 team for a program-record 11 consecutive weeks. The Wolverines have reached the 20-win mark for the 20th time, including 12 seasons with coach Kim Barnes Arico.

The Cornhuskers (16-7, 5-7) fell to 0-6 against AP Top 25 teams this season.

Nebraska’s Britt Prince and Amiah Hargrove scored 16 each and Petra Bozan added 12 points.

The Huskers were competitive for two-plus quarters.

They led 25-24 after an opening quarter with eight lead changes and four ties. The Wolverines turned it over six times in the first quarter and gave it up on the first possession of the second quarter before taking better care of the ball and going on a 7-0 run to take a six-point lead.

Nebraska closed the first half with eight points in 1:01 to take a 44-42 lead and went ahead by six points early in the third quarter.

Michigan surged ahead by making 6 of 8 shots to end the third, taking a 69-64 lead on Swords’ third 3-pointer.

Ashley Sofilkanich finished with nine points and 13 rebounds for the Wolverines.

Up next

Nebraska: Host Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan: Hosts No. 2 UCLA on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Post sports section died Wednesday. Whether you blame natural causes or more avoidable factors, the loss for the D.C. area is immense.

The ramifications were felt almost immediately. Shortly after the newspaper eliminated its sports section while laying off a third of its staff, the hometown NBA team made a massive trade. The Washington Wizards agreed to acquire star Anthony Davis from Dallas. Over two hours after the news broke, there was still no mention of it on the Post’s online sports site.

Washington struggles for respect as a sports town, at times an afterthought compared to passionate Eastern cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston. D.C.’s population, so the stereotype goes, is too transient, too consumed with politics to care about the local teams.

For decades, however, the Post treated sports as a vital part of life in the district. Whatever the rest of the country thought about Washington’s teams and fans, there was no better place to read about sports than the nation’s capital.

If you grew up in D.C. as a sports fan in the 1980s, the Post wasn’t necessarily the paper of Woodward and Bernstein. It was the paper of Boswell, Brennan, Feinstein, Wilbon and Kornheiser. More recently, it was the paper of Jenkins, Buckner and Kilgore.

“Growing up reading the Post, I didn’t realize it wasn’t like this in other cities,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said on social media. “I didn’t know how lucky we were to enjoy giants of their craft.”

The Post made Washington sports fans feel like they mattered. If those days are over, they should not be forgotten.

Best of the best

Before they became TV stars on “Pardon The Interruption” at ESPN, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser were D.C. institutions at the Post. When Joe Gibbs’ 1991 team won its first 11 games on the way to Washington’s third Super Bowl title, Kornheiser’s “Bandwagon” columns — which combined his usual wit and irreverence with a cockiness befitting one of the best seasons in NFL history — became as memorable as the games themselves.

Before her own television career took off, Rachel Nichols chronicled the Capitals’ run to the Stanley Cup Final for the Post in 1998. John Feinstein was a reporter at the paper before and after his book on Bob Knight turned him into a famous author.

Christine Brennan covered football for the Post in the mid-80s. Now with USA Today, Brennan received the Red Smith Award for contributions to sports journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2020. The following year, Sally Jenkins — who was still at the Post — won it. The Post’s Shirley Povich received that honor back in 1983.

Thomas Boswell, the Post’s go-to columnist for all things baseball, was given the 2025 Career Excellence Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He was honored during Hall of Fame weekend last year.

A new era

The Post would never be confused with a tabloid sports section, but the headlines and layout moved into the 21st Century with panache.

Designer Brianna Schroer said she was part of this week’s cuts. Reporter Scott Allen, whose position was eliminated as well, posted a thread on social media of some of the sports section’s best front pages. They are a timeline of D.C. sports from the past 25 years — which included Major League Baseball’s return to Washington and long-awaited championships by the Capitals, Nationals, Mystics and Spirit.

The Post’s reporting on the organizational culture was part of Dan Snyder’s downfall as owner of the football team he renamed the Commanders. And as recently as last year, Candace Buckner (top sports columnist), Adam Kilgore (national beat writing) and Kent Babb (top long feature) were APSE award winners.

The Post balanced stories of national relevance with coverage of local interest. Andrew Beyer — the man behind the famous Beyer Speed Figures — was the paper’s horse racing columnist for nearly four decades.

If you wanted to read about the World Cup, Steven Goff, one of the country’s top soccer writers, was in the pages of the Post. If you wanted to know who had the best high school volleyball team in the area, the Post ranked them — part of extensive preps coverage that included the paper’s much-anticipated All-Met teams.

The future

Wilbon and Kornheiser did not address the Post’s action on Wednesday’s episode of “PTI,” but for those who recently lost jobs, feelings were understandably raw.

“The community loses. That’s real. The Sports page should be a place for conversation and debate without the vitriol from other areas. In Washington, that’s gone,” said columnist Barry Svrluga, who was laid off Wednesday. “Someone will fill the void. I hope it happens quickly.”

— By NOAH TRISTER, Associated Press

The post Famed Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich passes at 86 appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

By Coty M. Davis, Tribune News Service

SAN FRANCISCO — For six years, Detroit Pistons fans have grown accustomed to watching Isaiah Stewart serve as an enforcer and defensive anchor. In the first 46 games of this season, Stewart has elevated his production on defense even more.

He is leading the league’s second-best defense and is currently in the running for several defensive awards. While registering a career-best average of 1.9 blocks per game, Stewart ranks sixth in total rejections with 78. He leads the NBA in defended field-goal percentage at the rim, holding his opponents to 43.0% shooting.

Stewart will be honored with a bobblehead giveaway before the Pistons’ home game against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. But the bobblehead won’t feature Stewart defending the rim. Instead, it’s Stewart riding a tractor and dressed in farmer’s overalls.

“This bobblehead represents my love and passion for farming. I have a tractor that I operate and use on my land,” Stewart told The Detroit News. “I’m interested in all different kinds of crops. If my mind isn’t on basketball, my mind is on farming. I am always researching something about farming every single day. I feel like it’s my calling.”

In southern California, Stewart owns two agricultural properties called Paraiso De La Luz, which is Spanish for “Paradise of Light.” His main hub focuses on producing tropical and subtropical fruits such as figs, finger limes, grapes, kumquats, mangos, passion fruit and pomegranates. Two hours down the road, he owns a desert hub that solely produces dates, in partnership with Sam Cobb Farms.

During the offseason, Stewart works diligently on his crops. When the Pistons are in season, however, he relies on his employees and the property manager for daily updates.

“It speaks to his character, his intelligence. He’s a guy who wants to make the world better. He understands what the world needs, in terms of farming and the environment. I think it is amazing,” Jalen Duren said to The Detroit News. “He’s always coming in here, talking about the new cows he’s got, or whatever new trees he planted. I think what he’s doing is great. I’m inspired.”

Stewart’s passion for farming began at his childhood home in Rochester, N.Y. He has fond memories of watching his father, Dela Stewart, tending to the family’s backyard garden. His father grew a variety of vegetables, including cucumbers, greens and tomatoes. Stewart’s favorite part of watching his father was seeing him transform his work into delightful meals.

The hard work that the elder Stewart put into the family garden instilled a strong work ethic in his son, which ultimately helped him reach the NBA. However, he could never have predicted that his efforts would later inspire his son to pursue farming as a second career more than 20 years later.

“He had a garden in our backyard. Every year, as soon as the weather got good enough, he would go back there and clean it up. Uproot everything. Make a fence with sections of different plants,” Stewart said. “I know he is proud of what I am doing. With him being from Jamaica, and his father did it – that is who he got it from – and now, I’m doing it.”

Stewart’s upbringing and passion have laid the groundwork for his farming career as he strives to be a pioneer in the industry.

Black farmers once dominated the agricultural business, but over several decades, the demographic has significantly diminished. As he continues to inspire a generation of NBA hopefuls in Detroit, Stewart hopes his agricultural work will increase the number of Black farmers nationwide.

Stewart intends to sell his harvest in grocery stores one day to provide consumers with high-quality produce. It’s his way of bringing better fruits and vegetables to consumers, who might be missing out because of infrastructure problems some farmers face when trying to deliver their crops to supermarkets.

“My family loves it. They see how invested I am in it and how much I care about it,” Stewart said. “They know what I’m striving to be. I am not doing this for fun. I’m doing it because I want to be one of the best farmers in the world when it is all said and done.”

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — More often than not, it’s Da’ron Mason that leads the scoring charge for Bloomfield Hills, in triumph or defeat.

But the Black Hawks’ 53-41 victory over Pontiac in front of a packed house Friday night showed why the OAA Blue frontrunners go beyond their star senior.

“This was one of those games, I didn’t have any feel for the stat line, who scored what, who did a good job on the glass,” Black Hawks head coach Brian Canfield said. “It was a full team effort. Then, you look at the book, Carter Hartfield had 17, but everyone else … when Da’ron’s the fourth-leading scorer and you can still pull that game out and win by double-digits, that’s pretty significant for us.”

Mason finished with seven points and was among a handful of Black Hawks who scored between a handful and eight in the win.

“We just came out knowing we had trust in each other,” Mason said of the effort in the second half. “I have trust in all those guys. I’m just glad they trust me to get them that pass. We knew we were the better team and had to show them (Pontiac) that.”

Bloomfield Hills came in on an eight-game winning streak, and the only game during that span decided by fewer than nine points was its 43-42 win in Pontiac on Jan. 9 when the two teams last met.

With the Black Hawks at 5-0 in the league and Pontiac the next-best contender at 3-1 going into the rematch, Friday’s result was going to have major ramifications, and the Phoenix had to feel good about their chances midway through. Caden Covington had two 3-pointers in the first quarter and JJ Claudio knocked down three in the second and had 17 points already by halftime when Pontiac led 29-20.

“I just think we came out with energy, and we executed very well in the first half,” Phoenix head coach Dion Harris said. “I don’t know how many turnovers we had, but we got shots at the basket, hit shots, and didn’t turn it over much in the first half. These kids play well when everything’s going right.”

Canfield and Mason sent a message at the interval, though.

“We knew that we were playing under our skill level, and we felt like we could do more and we had to bring the energy up,” Mason said. “We all came together as a collective and said we needed to play harder, especially on the defensive side. We had to come out and show them that’s what we do, we play 90 full feet.”

Those words of self-affirmation paid dividends, apparently.

A corner triple by Brennan Bies chopped the lead down to just four less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, and Ryan Hunt knocked down 3-pointers just a little over a minute apart, the second of which knotted the contest at 33-33 with 3:34 left in the quarter.

“I think they dame out in the second half, hit the first two threes, and we had to call a timeout,” Harris said. “That took away some of our mojo, our energy, and we didn’t come down and score those first three or four possessions. It’s hard for these guys to come back out of that when they other team goes on a run and we miss consecutive shots. We still don’t know how to play through that.”

The teams were tied at 36 at the end of the third, but the fourth was all Bloomfield Hills (14-2, 6-0). Hartfield and Carter Canfield each connected from distance in the first 48 seconds to force a Pontiac timeout, then Hartfield scored and Hunt got a turnaround jumper to bounce a few times on the iron and fall. A sharp pass into the post by Meyer Saperstein to Canfield capped off a 12-0 run by the Black Hawks with about 3:30 remaining.

Photos of Bloomfield Hills vs. Pontiac in an OAA Blue boys hoops contest

All the while, Pontiac (8-6, 3-2) couldn't buy a make from 3-point range, and its second-half woes from the charity stripe (3 of 10) only made matters worse. The Phoenix only had two points throughout the entire quarter until Claudio (22 points) connected from NBA range with 38 seconds left in regulation.

On the game turning, Coach Canfield said, "I thought the first quarter was back and forth, then they knocked down two threes, and I told guys at the (end of it), 'You won that first quarter, you had played better for a longer period of time, but they just got two threes.' And they continued to make threes. Both teams executed well, but they made perimeter shots, we didn't.

"Da'ron struggled in the first half, and obviously when you have a player of that caliber (struggle), he's such an important part of the team, the team's gonna struggle. The second half, the turnaround was a couple adjustments with spacing against the defensive pressure that gave us some open looks on the perimeter, and we're a really good shooting team, so I didn't think we were going to continue to miss shots like that ... Another big part of that is, early fourth quarter, Da'ron picked up his fourth foul, and after I've just said when a player of that caliber doesn't play well, we need him, but he was on the bench when we went on that run.

"It's been the same story (for our team). They've been in close games for a half our so, sometimes three quarters, but at some point in fourth quarters, we've been able to tighten up the defense, secure rebounds and pull out the win."

Asked whether he believed the circumstances contributed to how his team performed down the stretch, Harris replied, "Absolutely. I think that added pressure, it effected us. I don't want to say we can't play under pressure but we've had three opportunities (against Avondale, Pershing and now Bloomfield Hills) to make statements in games, and we need better leadership out on the floor so we can overcome those moments where things aren't going right ... We have about a month left before state starts and we have to focus all our energy on getting better at what we need to do to make a playoff run now."

Even with the win, Coach Canfield wasn't about to declare the OAA Blue as belonging to the Black Hawks, who continue their second go-around against league opponents on Feb. 6 against Troy. "Look, we have a two-game lead with four games left for us, but I've done this long enough to know I'm not counting on anything until it's final," he said. "And for us, it is just one game at a time. Anybody in our league can beat anybody, but our goal is to be the best team we can be regardless of the record, and in order for us to do that, we have to win the next game."

By Ted Kulfan, Tribune News Service

DETROIT – After the magic of the evening had faded, after all the history of the moment had soaked in, Patrick Kane was ready to put it in the background.

Kane achieved history in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Washington, assisting on Ben Chiarot’s second-period goal. Kane passed Westland’s Mike Modano with 1,375 points, making the Hall of Fame-bound Buffalo native the NHL all-time leader in points among U.S.-born players.

The Wings knew Kane was going to break the record eventually. It was just a matter of time. But in Kane’s estimation, it was nice to finally get the record, and now concentrate on what the Wings can accomplish the rest of the season. The Wings are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference and poised to break their nine-year playoff drought.

“It’s nice to have it over with in some ways,” Kane said. “Just kind of worry about the rest of the season, and what we can accomplish as a team and hopefully go do something special as a group. At the start of the season there’s a lot of attention and talk about 500 goals and possibly getting this record.

“So, it’s nice to get there, be done with it and move on.”

Kane scored goal No. 500, another impressive milestone, Jan. 8 against Vancouver, also at Little Caesars Arena.

That was an exciting moment for Red Wings fans. But Thursday night might have been even more special.

“One of those hockey moments that you’ll remember where you were when he got it, if you’re a big fan of Patrick Kane or you’re part of our team,” coach Todd McLellan said. “Now he can just move on and stack numbers on top of that number. But you have to work hard to get it and we’re all happy for him.”

On the record-smashing play Thursday, a nice passing play, Kane found Alex DeBrincat, who set up Chiarot for a one-timer.

“Great play all-around,” Kane said. “(Andrew Copp) Copper pulling up, hitting me with some speed, hitting Cat, pulling up and hitting the late guy. Copper gets to the net and a great shot by Benny.”

Kane’s teammates streamed onto the ice and mobbed him. The LCA crowd, which gravitated toward Kane as soon as he signed with the Wings in 2023, erupted in cheers.

“Incredible for him and his family and really special to just be able to witness that live,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “I know a lot of those points were in Chicago (that Kane scored), but to see how our fans have embraced him and how he’s embraced our city is really special and says a lot about how much he loves the game. No matter where he’s playing, if people appreciate him, he’s going to give love back to them.”

The depth of the moment, the history of it all, wasn’t lost on Kane’s teammates.

“It’s hard to really grasp how special it is,” said DeBrincat, a long time teammate of Kane’s in Chicago and now in Detroit. “A lot of people have known he’s going to hit it (get the record) and is one of the best American players to ever play, and we knew that before tonight.

“But it is special to pass Modano. He’s been working hard for it, so he deserves it. It’s part of what makes him special.”

Kane looked to set the record in the first period, setting up DeBrincat for a goal. But video confirmed both players looked to be offside, erasing the goal.

“Pretty crazy the way you think you have it and then it comes back for offside,” Kane said. “I don’t think many of us knew it was offside on the ice, but there was a feeling something was going on when the guys didn’t come from the bench.”

Kane has long been an American player that U.S. youngsters have gravitated to because of his offensive wizardry and team success with the Blackhawks (three Stanley Cups). Thursday’s record was another watershed moment in an impactful career.

“Throughout my career, there’s been some American guys that have come up to me and said some really nice things, some younger guys that appreciated the way I played when I was younger and they were younger and I was a guy they looked up to,” Kane said. “(It’s) pretty cool to hear that when it’s something you’re not really expecting.”

Kane also appreciated a video message Modano supplied that was broadcast during the next timeout after Kane set the points record.

“He’s one of the best American players of all time,” Kane said of Modano. “He’s a guy I looked up to a lot when I was younger. I remember the moment he passed Phil Housley in San Jose on a breakaway goal, and to see him up there (on the scoreboard), as a former Red Wing too, sending a message like that was pretty classy.”

Kane, 37, didn’t immediately delve into his future, other than focusing on the Wings’ potential the rest of this season. He’s playing this season on a one-year, $3 million contract. But it’s extremely likely Kane will play at least one more season, given his success this season.

“He’s still got it,” DeBrincat said. “He’s still one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with, and obviously the skill is there. As long as he wants to go, he’s going to be able to go and be a difference-maker in the league for a while.”

Top of the charts

Most NHL points by U.S.-born players:

Patrick Kane: 1,375

Mike Modano: 1,374

Phil Housley: 1,232

Jeremy Roenick: 1,216

Joe Pavelski: 1,068

Note: Brett Hull (1,391 points) was born in Canada but represented the U.S. in international events.

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By PAT GRAHAM

Before Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn and other World Cup ski racers chase gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics, they will star in a new docuseries that gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s like on the circuit.

Some of the biggest names in the sport are featured in ESPN’s five-episode series called “On the Edge: World Cup Ski Racing,” which starts Friday with three segments. Besides Shiffrin and Vonn, the docuseries features Swiss standout Marco Odermatt and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the Norwegian-born racer who represents Brazil and definitely likes to entertain.

The last episode in the series, titled “The World’s Stage,” will air on April 10 and focus on Swiss racer Camille Rast as she reflects on the fatal fire in a bar in the ski resort Crans-Montana during a New Year’s celebration. That particular episode will also look back at the Olympics and how the 41-year-old Vonn, who returned to the circuit after a partial knee replacement, and others performed.

The Milan Cortina Games are Feb. 6-22.

The series kicks off with the spotlight on Shiffrin and her fiancé, Norwegian standout Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, as they support each other following their returns from severe injuries.

“This kind of storytelling is so important to the future of our sport,” Sophie Goldschmidt, the president & CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, said in a text to The Associated Press. “‘On the Edge’ gives ski racing an even bigger platform and broader reach — and that’s how you inspire participation.

“We hope this series encourages more kids to fall in love with ski racing and dream of becoming the next Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn or Ryan Cochran-Siegle. We have so many amazing stories to share about both our U.S. and international athletes.”

The project is directed by filmmaker Pat Dimon, who explores the journey of racers toward Olympic gold and the grind behind the World Cup season. It also features racers such as New Zealand’s Alice Robinson; Italy’s Sofia Goggia, Federica Brignone and Dominik Paris; and Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen.

“Growing up a lifelong skier in Vermont, I learned that what matters most often happens away from the gates and finish line,” Dimon said of the series that premieres on the ESPN app and ESPN on Disney+. “’On the Edge’ is about seeing past the polished surface and dropping into the real line of World Cup racing — the grind of travel, the toll of injuries, the pressure, and the mindset it takes to be and stay at that level.”

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing and AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – Birmingham Groves dictated tempo from the start and raced to an 80-39 victory over Bloomfield Hills in a battle for first place in the Oakland Activities Association White Division.

Both teams came into the game unbeaten in league play. But it didn’t take long for Groves to assert control of the game. After the teams battled to an 8-8 start, the Falcons closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run and never looked back.

The Falcons full cast came to play. Groves came in waves, pressed all night, and generally filled the stat sheet every which way. The Falcons dressed 10 players and all of them scored, each had at least one rebound, and eight players had at least one steal as everyone got into the act.

“We wanted everyone to score, so that was the cool thing,” Falcons head coach Jessica Duleba said. “I think you got to see our style of play is pretty fun.”

Still, when the Falcons needed a bucket to get on track or stem a brief run by the Black Hawks, it was either Harlem Simpson or Jacey Roy that they turned to. Simpson, who recently hit 1,000 for her career, finished with a game-high 26 points, including 20 points in the first half. Roy added 17 points, and Mallory Killian added 13 points for the Falcons.

“I’m happy with our performance. The shooting was good tonight,” said Duleba, whose team has now equaled or exceeded 80 points in eight games during its current win streak that followed an 0-2 start to the year.

The Black Hawks played well in spurts. When they could break the press or get a defensive stop or two, Bloomfield Hills was very competitive. But as soon as they started to turn the ball over, Groves would score in transition, put on a quick spurt, and extend its lead.

“I felt that we threw the ball away three times in the first half, and they scored three threes,” Black Hawks head coach Renardo Brown said. “That’s what we’ve got to learn. We’ve got to learn to break it (the press), and then run something,” he added.

Photos of Birmingham Groves vs. Bloomfield Hills in OAA White girls hoops action

Raina James came off the bench to lead the Black Hawks with 12 points. Julianna Socha had a game-high nine rebounds for Bloomfield Hills, and though they also spread the scoring around, outside of James, no one else came close to double figures for the Black Hawks.

With the win, Groves (10-2 overall) improves to 5-0 in the OAA White and assumes full control of the league race. The Falcons begin their second trip through the league on Tuesday with a road game against Auburn Hills Avondale.

“We really wanted this one. We lost to them in districts last year, so we had this one on our list,” Duleba said. “We’re just happy to get this one. We split it last year (in the regular season) and lost in districts, so we keep that as our motivation. We have a lot of teams on our list this year, and we’re trying to prove that we belong and that we should be in the top teams around here, that we deserve some recognition, too.”

The Black Hawks (7-3, 3-1 OAA White) have a quick turnaround, hosting Walled Lake Central in a non-league contest on Friday.

The teams could meet two more times this year – once more in league play and possibly again in districts.

“I played four freshmen tonight,” Brown said. “We’re going through some growing stages right now. But I think give us three or four more games down the road, we work on what we need to work on, and we probably can put a better show out there. But we’ve got to meet them again, probably in the playoffs here, and that’s what it’s all about.”

ROCHESTER HILLS — Stoney Creek relied on the free-throw shooting of junior forward Calista Ivezaj to pull out a 41-38 win over visiting West Bloomfield on Thursday.

She made 11 of 14 free-throw attempts overall and only missed one of her eight tries in the fourth quarter, leading all scorers with 21 points in the Cougars’ success.

“Going into it, we were just prepping a lot, taking practice very seriously,” said Calista, who was coming off a career-high 26 points in Stoney Creek’s last outing, a 59-16 win against Fenton. “We know these league games are gonna be tough. It’s a rivalry, everything there, but we were just focusing on what we do best and locking in on what we know we can execute.”

Stoney Creek, West Bloomfield and Clarkston have been the top-three teams in the OAA Red in some order going back to 2023-24, but the league title has eluded the Cougars. In the first of their four games against those two opponents, a victory over the Lakers is a first step toward claiming one this winter.

“One of our biggest goals has always been winning the OAA Red,” Calista said. “Coming out (of it), (Stoney Creek head coach Columbus Williams) just said, ‘This is the start. We’re sending the message we’re here to play, not play around.’ We’re be focused for the rest of the OAA (schedule).”

After a commanding 15-4 start by the hosts, West Bloomfield (9-4, 3-2) scored five unanswered early in the second quarter to make it a four-point contest, and from there little separated the two league contenders. The Lakers finished off the opening half on a 6-0 spurt that included a 3-pointer by star senior guard Sheridan Beal, and it was Stoney that led by one, 29-28, after three quarters of action.

“We were trying to control the tempo at that point with the lead that we had,” Williams said of the early action. “Their guards put a lot of pressure on us and our girls didn’t read the flow of the game the right way, then we threw a few turnovers in that second quarter that allowed them to get back into the game.”

Following a floater by freshman guard Bailey Finnie’s floater that had the Lakers within one early in the fourth, both teams went scoreless over the course of several trips until the Cougars rebounded a missed 3-pointer and senior Jadelynn Freeman sank a baseline jumper with 3:20 to go.

After two Calista Ivezaj free throws and a split pair by Malia Taylor, Izzy Ivezaj hit Calista underneath for a bucket that made 37-31, but Beal sliced the lead in half with 1:40 to go when she was fouled on a made 3-pointer, though she didn’t sink the free throw.

Photo gallery from Stoney Creek vs. West Bloomfield in an OAA Red girls hoops contest

Beal missed her next two shots, but teammate Tiara Hopkins-Butler deposited the second miss to keep the Lakers within two at 38-36 with 1:09 remaining, and after the Cougars committed a backcourt violation, Beal drove the lane and knocked down a pull-up jumper that tied the game as 50 seconds remained.

Despite that, West Bloomfield fouled afterward and sent Isabelle Sutton to the line, where she made one of two with 43 ticks left, and the last four shots by the Lakers, including a potential game tying 3-pointer after Calista Ivezaj's final two free throws, didn't fall, preserving Stoney's triumph.

The Ivezajs -- Calista, Izzy and Abby -- used their height and length to combine for at least a handful of blocks.

That helped take advantage of one of West Bloomfield's shortcomings. The Lakers are down a pair of key players from the beginning of the year, including forward Londyn Hall (ACL), the only other returning starter other than Beal from last year's team that reached the Division 1 semifinals.

"We're down two starters, and I don't have a floor general, someone who's going to get them where they're supposed to be," Lakers head coach Darrin McAllister said. "It's tough from where we started, what we expected to do. We had to pivot."

Beal, who saw a ton of attention from Freeman and the rest of the Cougars' line of forwards, finished with a team-high 19 points. She's yet to be held to single-digit scoring this season.

"Sheridan's doing a lot more things now," McAllister said. "Going back to losing your starting point guard, at the end of the game, we're putting the ball in her hands as opposed to her being the off-guard. London, she was a tremendous post player, and it's putting pressure on other post players. But hopefully, and I'm confident, we'll get it together and by the postseason we'll be better than we are now.

"If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now. But I'm not crying over spilt milk. I can't do that. We've been to the Breslin four times in four years and some people haven't gone in a 30 or 40-year career. So I'm putting it on me."

West Bloomfield and Stoney Creek will rematch in the final league game of the season for both teams on Feb. 24. Meanwhile, the Cougars play Lake Orion on Tuesday, then will face Clarkston, the Red Division's other 4-0 team, in back-to-back games, beginning with an away game against the Wolves on Feb. 6.

"With the snow day we had, looking at both our crazy calendars, that's how we put it," Williams said of the consecutive matchups upcoming with Clarkston. "Personally, I like it, because if we win (both), we've got the league settled within four days."

By STEVE DOUGLAS, AP Sports Writer

VASTERAS, Sweden (AP) — Maryan Hashi remembers the thoughts running through her mind when she began hitting the ski slopes in northern Sweden. As a Black woman from Somalia, she felt like an “alien.”

“Am I wearing the correct clothing for this? Does it fit? Do I look weird? Am I snowboarding correctly? Do they think it’s weird I’m on the slope?” she said. “But I carried on — I felt if I didn’t, I was never going to commit to anything in my life.”

A few years later, snowboarding is the 30-year-old student’s big passion and it is helping her integrate into her adopted country’s society better than she could ever have imagined.

What she’d love now is to see other migrants experiencing the same joy.

Immigration from Africa and the Middle East has transformed the demographics of Europe in recent decades. And while the growing diversity is reflected in many sports such as soccer — Sweden’s men’s national team has several Black players including Liverpool striker Alexander Isak — it hasn’t made a dent in winter sports.

At the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Sweden is sending a team made up almost exclusively of ethnically Swedish athletes, with NHL player Mika Zibanejad, whose father is from Iran, a rare exception. That hardly reflects the diversity of the Nordic country: About 2 million of its 10 million residents were born abroad, about half of them in Asia or Africa, according to national statistics agency SCB.

The lack of athletes of color at the Winter Olympics — and in winter sports in general — has been a recurring theme in the U.S., which is sending one of its most diverse teams to the Games. It hasn’t gotten the same attention in Europe.

The Olympic rosters of France, Germany, Switzerland and other European winter sports nations look a lot like Sweden’s: overwhelmingly white and lacking the immigrant representation seen in their soccer or basketball teams.

Researchers point to social, financial and geographical barriers, and believe a big cultural shift is needed for anything to change.

“It takes not years but decades,” said Josef Fahlen, professor of sport pedagogy at Umea University in Sweden.

Entering a ‘white’ sport

Hashi was 14 when she came to Sweden with her family in 2009. They settled in Skelleftea, a mining city around 770 kilometers (480 miles) north of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, where winters are long and temperatures can be extremely cold. She found it a culture shock and said it was “scary” to integrate with native Swedes because of language difficulties, so her friendship group consisted of fellow migrants from Somalia and other African countries.

Only in 2018 did she discover there was a ski slope five minutes from her home, after a co-worker suggested she try snowboarding as part of a pilot integration project run by the municipality.

“When you don’t have information or access or nobody around you does it — snowboarding is basically a white sport — and when you’re not correctly integrated into the community, you don’t know much about it,” Hashi said.

She initially felt out of place but grew to love her daily trips to the slope, even when numbers dwindled in the group. She even started to teach kids and her immigrant friends — those who’d been skeptical about Hashi doing an activity that’s “not our thing” — how to snowboard.

“I’ve made my mind up,” Hashi said, “that snowboarding is going to be a part of my family.”

The crucial role of parents

The single biggest influence on children getting into — and maintaining an interest in — a particular sport is their parents, according to Fahlen. That, he said, is the “simple” explanation for the lack of diversity in the ski slopes in Sweden and across Europe.

Pointing to Isak, whose parents are from Eritrea, or tennis players Mikael and Elias Ymer, whose parents migrated to Sweden from Ethiopia, he said the children of non-European immigrants are unlikely to be introduced to sports that their parents are not familiar with.

“Take the example of Isak finding his way into football — it makes total sense because football exists in Eritrea. Skiing doesn’t,” Fahlen said.

Fahlen regards the lack of diversity as not a “winter sports problem but a cultural issue” and said it’s important for kids to see winter sports athletes with a different skin tone.

“It’s a matter of horizon,” Fahlen said. “We need to show it’s possible to be a skier even if you might be from Tunisia or the West Bank.”

There are also financial and geographical factors at play. Immigrants in Sweden typically live in major urban areas, away from skiing hubs in the mountains, and are often in less-privileged economic positions. Participating in winter sports can be expensive because of the need to buy or rent equipment and clothing, and paying for travel and a ski pass.

Improving access for immigrants

Academics believe more needs to be done by winter sports to improve accessibility for immigrants and underserved communities.

“It’s a fact that the best integrative force in society is team sports and sports clubs, where kids can go to do useful things together with others,” said Stefan Jonsson, a professor in Ethnicity and Migration Studies at Linköping University. “There is so much research saying if we want social and ethnic integration, this would be the primary thing.”

Asked about its attempts to get more people from diverse backgrounds into skiing, Sweden’s ski federation said “we want to be better” and added that “inclusion is something we strive for.”

The federation is proud of its “Alla På Snö” (“Everyone On Snow”) program, which since 2008 has reached an estimated 30,000 children every year and offers students free equipment and access to slopes. Also boosting general accessibility is the growth of Sweden’s Leisure Bank project, where people can borrow sports equipment including skis and ski boots for free for 14 days. The founders equate the banks to public libraries.

Neither specifically targets immigrants, however. For Hashi, it’s a missed opportunity to widen the talent pool.

“Open the door for us,” Hashi said. “We’re going to take care of the next generation for you.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

The moment Amber Glenn stepped onto the ice at figure skating’s world championships, fans began to wave American flags, from the lowest rows inside TD Garden to the highest rafters, where the jerseys of Boston’s sporting greats hang in honor.

It seemed a fitting backdrop to her program: Glenn is the three-time reigning U.S. champion, one of the current faces of figure skating, and as the daughter of a police officer and a proud native Texan, patriotism flows through her as thick as oil.

Yet the stars-and-stripes weren’t the only flags flying high that night.

Scattered throughout the sellout crowd at the last worlds before the Milan Cortina Olympics were the equally conspicuous rainbow flags that for nearly 50 years have signified pride within the LGBTQ+ community. They started popping up at Glenn’s competitions a year earlier, when she carried one across her shoulders in celebration of her national championship.

“I saw them,” Glenn acknowledged later, long after her performance, “and I was proud to see both of those flags flying.”

Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, never sought to be an icon within the queer community.

In fact, she didn’t come to grips with her own sexuality until she had been through the wringer, including a stint in a mental health facility spent working through depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Glenn didn’t come out publicly until letting it slip during an interview a half-dozen years ago, and then thought with horror, “I haven’t even told my Catholic grandma yet!”

Yet as the 26-year-old Glenn reflected on her journey in an interview with The Associated Press, she expressed a profound sense of gratitude for having experienced it within the tight-knit figure skating world. For decades, the sport has provided a progressive sort of safe space for those within the LGTBQ+ community, some of whom still may be trying to realize their authentic selves.

“I’m so, so grateful that I grew up in skating, because I grew up in Texas, and luckily it was Dallas, which was still a bit more forward,” Glenn said. “Plus, I was homeschooled. So I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, coming from that background.

“But as I ventured out to competitions, you know, outside of Texas,” Glenn continued, “I ended up seeing this community and these people around me, and they were some of the top coaches and really good skaters. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. This is OK.’ It made me realize, ‘OK, there are people who are fans of me that would probably feel even more connected if they saw someone like them.’”

The long and winding road

It hasn’t always been that way in figure skating, a sport where success and failure is quite literally a judgment call, and looks, attitude and mannerisms all matter in the scores. Throughout the 1900s, and even into the ‘80s and ’90s, women often were encouraged to be more effeminate, and male counterparts were told to embrace their masculinity.

It wasn’t until Rudy Galindo came out in a book released shortly before he was crowned U.S. champion in 1996 that walls began to crumble. Three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir, now a lead analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, said later that Galindo gave him the confidence to come out in 2011, and ultimately embrace who he was both on the ice and off.

Eventually, other prominent skaters came forward, some of whom had never publicly acknowledged their sexuality. Each had their reasons, whether personal, political or simply the desire to give back to the community.

As the U.S. team was preparing for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, former Olympic champion Brian Boitano was picked to be a part of the delegation. At the time, the Russian government was under fire for an anti-gay “propaganda” law passed in June 2013, and Boitano told the AP that he never considered coming out until he was chosen to represent his country again.

“They know how private a person I am,” Boitano said, “and that this was a big move for me.”

Success on big stages

While LGBTQ+ athletes compete in just about every sport, what might set figure skating apart — at least, presently — has been their success on the biggest stages, whether they be international competitions, the world championships or even the Olympics.

In 2018, former U.S. champion Adam Rippon not only became the first openly gay man to make the Olympic team but the first to capture a medal at the Winter Games, earning bronze as part of the team event. Four years later, Timothy LeDuc became the first non-binary Olympic athlete by teaming with Ashley Cain-Gribble in the pairs event at the Beijing Games.

“I grew up in a very conservative environment,” explained LeDuc, a two-time U.S. champion, who went into coaching after stepping away from competition. “Sometimes just seeing someone like you in that community is what you need to feel comfortable in yourself. That continued in my journey, where I saw a lot of queer people in my life.

“Even in high school, there was one or two queer people,” LeDuc said, “but it was always figure skating where I found my community.”

Where things stand

Glenn had just won her first elite-level Grand Prix event in Angers, France, in November 2024, when Donald Trump won the presidential election in the U.S. She remembers watching the results scroll across the TV screen.

Glenn’s heart sank, thinking about what it would mean for the LGBTQ+ community.

Two months later Trump signed an executive order defining “sex” in federal policy as a binary, biological concept unchangeable from birth. It was the first move made by an administration that has been accused of targeting the rights and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community, such as rolling back protections in education, healthcare and housing. The administration pitched the changes as a way to protect women from “gender extremism.”

“Both of my grandpas were in the military. I was raised in Texas, a proud American,” Glenn told AP. “It was so disheartening. It made me feel even closer to the community around me, because we had to come together to try and protect ourselves.”

Those feelings continue among many in the LGBTQ+ community.

One of the reasons that fan-favorite Jason Brown, a two-time Olympian, came out in an Instagram post five years ago was to provide support to those who may feel uncomfortable — skaters, of course, but also coaches, choreographers and even fans.

“I hope I can leave the sport a little better for the next athlete, or make someone more comfortable to step up and be who they are,” Brown said. “There are so many people out there that love and support that community, and they want them to feel safe and seen and accepted. I think that my biggest message is, ‘Know how supported you are.’”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By DANIELLA MATAR, AP Sports Writer

MILAN (AP) — When Lucas Pinheiro Braathen tells people in Brazil that he represents the country in Alpine skiing, he says they don’t believe him.

They just might if he wins Brazil’s first Winter Olympics medal next month.

“When I meet someone new (in Brazil) … it’s always this mindblowing moment and it always sparks a very interesting conversation,” Pinheiro Braathen said with a smile in a recent interview with The Associated Press in Milan. “And funny enough, I actually think it’s those interactions that maybe prove the most how fulfilling it is for me to represent Brazil in something like skiing because it just shows me how foreign it is. So that’s really fun.”

If Pinheiro Braathen does finish on the podium, it would also be a first Winter Olympics medal for any South American country, something he wasn’t aware of.

“I mean thanks you just added a whole other layer of pressure so I’ll happily bring that along,” he laughed. “The greater the challenge, the greater the difference that I can bring and I believe it is the more pressure you feel, the bigger the difference that you can create.”

Pinheiro Braathen’s mother is Brazilian and his father is Norwegian. He had raced for Norway until abruptly retiring on the eve of the new season in 2023, only to come back a year later representing Brazil.

The 2023 World Cup slalom champion has already racked up a series of firsts under his new flag, becoming the first Brazilian skier to finish on a World Cup podium last year before claiming the country’s first victory this season to add to his five for Norway.

“I simply try to capitalize off of that pressure and channel it into my performance because, yes, it makes the days leading into the competition extremely challenging because you know you have something greater to live up to rather than just the possibility of a great result,” Pinheiro Braathen said.

“But it is exactly that that enables you to become the version of yourself where you can beat every single other athlete at that start gate and so, as I said, pressure is privilege. It is my most important currency.”

Snow samba

Pinheiro Braathen likes to entertain. When he got his first podium result for Brazil, he celebrated with a samba dance. His reaction after claiming his first win was more visceral, as he fell to his knees and screamed “yeah!” with both arms in the air.

The 25-year-old admits he has no clue what he would do if he was to succeed in Bormio, where the men’s Alpine ski racing will take place at the Olympics.

“If you achieve immense success in something that you’ve dedicated your life to, at least for me, it is impossible to curate what those moments look like,” Pinheiro Braathen said. “It is truly whatever you feel that sees the light of day and that’s what I think is so beautiful about those moments and it is simply what I chase every single day waking up. Yet another day getting to experience that feeling.”

Pinheiro Braathen is one of skiing’s most vibrant personalities, known for painting his fingernails and having a taste for fashion. He brings to the slopes the energy of Brazil and the discipline of Norway, having spent much of his childhood in both countries.

“I’m a person of cultural duality,” he said. “Two perspectives always presented from birth and so for me I always find that I’ve never been living a life where I’m only presented to one reality, one culture or one way of living. It’s always been these polar opposites and so I think that has shaped me to become who I am today and how I want to live my life.

A father’s love

Pinheiro Braathen has a close relationship with his father, Björn Braathen. So much so that he named the reindeer he won as part of the traditional winner’s prize at the World Cup in Levi after him.

It was his father who introduced him to skiing, when he was 4 or 5, though Pinheiro Braathen didn’t take to it initially.

“I bought everything for him, like shoes, like boots and skis and everything, and we went out and he would complain the whole time,” Braathen said. “Like “I’m cold, I’m not cut out for this, I’m freezing,” and, “I’m Brazilian and this is not for me.”

A love for the sport eventually arrived. Braathen, who also serves as his son’s team manager, doesn’t mind that his son switched allegiances.

“As a Norwegian, people expect me to feel very bad about that, but I don’t,” he said. “It’s my son and I just want him to be happy.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics