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skater

Alysa Liu Is Taking A Break From Figure Skating, But Will Be Back For 2027 Season 

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Olympic champion and hero Alysa Liu announced she will be sitting out of the 2026-27 figure skating season, but will continue to train to return the following year. After having such a notable and successful run at the recent Winter Games, Liu wants to take time away from competitive settings to really reconnect with the sport she loves so dearly. 

Liu announced the news on her social media this week, stating that she wants to “recalibrate” and further develop her skills away from the “demands of competition.” 

“While people are announcing programs, imma take this time to announce that I will not be competing this season,” Liu wrote. 

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“I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry and skating can evolve. It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot.”

“So fear not, I’ll be back, and in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near and far. See y’all soon!” Liu reassured her supporters. 

Liu also spoke with NBC Sports this week to explain that she still is intending on continuing her work with her longtime coaches Phillip DiGueglielmo and Massimo Scali, specifically on her “overall artistry, spins, jumps, everything.”

“I really want to improve my skating and I wanted to take the time to do that for myself and just to evolve, and then I’ll be back after that is done.” 

Liu is only 21-years-old and has already had an illustrious career full of advocacy and inspiration for athletes everywhere. At just 13, she became the youngest US women’s champion, putting an immense pressure on her future successes. Just three years later, she would retire right after finishing sixth in her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games. 

She cited the relentless training, attention, and fast rise to success in the sport as something that drained her, and made her no longer excited to skate, despite it being one of her favorite things. 

Before the Milano Cortina Olympics, she reflected on how she really “hated skating” when she quit at 16-years-old. 

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“I didn’t care about competitions. I didn’t care about places. I didn’t care about skaters. I didn’t care about my programs. I just wanted to get away.”

During her time away from sport, Liu enrolled at UCLA where she studied psychology. She recalled memories of how she loved hiking in the Himalayas with her friends, giving her space to truly find an identity away from the rink. 

When she made the decision to return to figure skating, she did it on her terms. Liu took control over her entire career, including her training schedule, diet, costumes, and music. “The results would no longer define the experience,” she stated, adding that her initial goal was to make the Olympic team and use figure skating mainly as a form of self-expression. 

In 2025, she won the world championship, becoming the first American woman to win the title since 2006, when Kimmie Meissner earned the honor. This year, she won the Olympic women’s singles title in Milan, and won gold in the Olympic team competition. 

Speaking to NBC Sports, she reflected on her journey and where she is now: 

“Really the only word that comes to mind when I think about my entire journey is grateful. I think the reason why it’s been so fun is because I have my own agency. I really like to skate and so that’s why I skate.”

She made the decision to take a break from figure skating after reflecting on her emotional and physical state this summer, coming off the high of the Winter Games. Both her coaches supported her decision. 

“Logically and emotionally and physically, this just makes the most sense. I will miss seeing the international computers at all international competitions, but there will be more, so it’s fine,” she told the publication.

Katelyn Ohashi Is Once Again Chasing Her Olympic Dreams On Her Own Terms 

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Katelyn Ohashi was hailed as a gymnastic star with a huge amount of potential. Although she left the sport in 2013 after a devastating injury and citing that it no longer brought her joy, she’s now chasing a spot at the LA 2028 Olympic Games on her own terms.

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ESPN Analyst Matt Miller On Indefinite Leave During Car Crash Recovery Amid Financial Investigation

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ESPN analyst Matt Miller is currently on indefinite leave over a financial impropriety investigation. This also comes at a time when he’s recovering from a severe car crash that forced him to endure a life-saving arm amputation.

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2030 olympics

2030 Winter Olympics In French Alps Adds Synchro Skating And Freeride Skiing Events

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The International Olympic Committee announced some updates this week regarding the 2030 Winter Olympics, which are taking place in the French Alps. 

The program for the 2030 Games now includes two new disciplines, synchronized figure skating and freeride skiing. They also gave a reprieve to snowboard parallel giant slalom by keeping it on the program, and are completely dropping Nordic combined. These changes also mean that there are more female than male athletes competing at the next Winter Games. 

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Reports show that the IOC set a record quota of 3,046 athletes with 1,525 female and 1,521 male for the next Winter Games. In the most recent edition at the Milan Cortina Olympics this past February, there was a majority of male athletes among the nearly 2,900 athletes competing. 

In the next edition in the French Alps, there will be more medal events for women than men with 56 compared to 55, and 15 mixed events in the 126 total. 

The Nordic combined is the only sport that was an original Winter Games sport back in 1924, and had always been all-male. The IOC did have the option of adding women’s and team events, however they ended up completely cutting it, citing that it struggled to find a “modern audience” for its mix of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. 

Nordic combined was also the only Winter Olympics sport that excluded a gender, so more men had an opportunity for gold. 

The IOC executive board acknowledged that even outside of the Olympic Games, the sport did not have a strong international representation outside of Europe. The board also studied the popularity of it in 14 different ways before coming to their decision, including monitoring broadcast coverage, digital media interactions, and ticket sales. 

The IOC said that Nordic combined ranked last in 11 out of the 14 indicators during the most recent Milan Cortina Winter Games. 

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Nordic combined race director at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, Lasse Ottesen, stated that this decision from the IOC was “extremely disappointing.”

“I am at a loss for words and struggle to understand the reasoning behind it. Nordic combined has been at the heart of Nordic skiing and part of the Olympic Games since 1924,” he said. 

IOC president Kristy Coventry said this week, however, that there is still hope that the discipline can return at the 2034 Utah Winter Games while acknowledging the disappointment those surrounding the event are feeling: “We know and can fully understand that this may come as a disappointment.”

“It is a shock that will take time to process,” said Norway’s Ida Marie Hagen, a two-time overall women’s World Cup champion. 

“It feels really hard that we never even got the chance to show our sport in the Olympics before we were cut out. I love this sport and we will fight all we can so that the next generation will get the change in this sport as well. Hopefully in 2034.”

On the other end, synchronized skating is added to the list. The discipline is typically seen as only for women, however it will be left open to let men also compete in the French Alps. 

Freeride skiing also will be added, allowing viewers to see professional skiers and snowboarders perform away from traditional slopes and on more natural terrain.

tennis

Former Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondrousova Suspended For 4 Years For Refusing Doping Test 

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Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was suspended for four years after refusing to take an anti-doping test in December 2025, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced this week.

This decision has made headlines and has caused quite the controversy due to Vondrousova’s accomplishments in the sport, the substantial length of the ban, and her own account of the situation. 

The ITIA said that 26-year-old Vondrousova refused to submit a sample to a doping control officer who came to her home for an out-of-competition test attempt on December 3rd last year, according to ESPN. When prompted to take the test, she left her apartment to walk her dog and signed a refusal form. 

In a post to her Instagram account in April, Vondrousova discussed her mental health and reaction to her suspension, stating that the agent came to her house outside of the scheduled time period that was provided to the ITIA: “[she] rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves or following protocol,” which scared Vondrousova.

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“In that moment, it was about feeling safe, not about avoiding anything,” she explained. 

Vondrousova also described how she suffered an acute stress reaction from the incident that “clouded her judgement” leaving her unable to “process the situation rationally.” She then referenced Petra Kvitova, who was stabbed during a home invasion in 2016, further fueling her own fears. 

At a hearing in front of the tribunal, Vondrousova shared the same sentiment, however, they determined that there was “no compelling justification” for her to refuse the test. 

The ITIA requires selected tennis players to provide their whereabouts for one hour every day of the year in order to undergo mandatory testing. Agents are allowed to come to that provided location unannounced and test the player whenever they choose during that predetermined window. 

While the athlete is required to be at the given location during that specific hour, the ITIA can still arrive at any time. There is no punishment if the athlete is not there outside of the window. 

ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse explained the need for surprise testing in a briefing on Monday: 

“Unpredictable testing is an essential tool to protect clean sport. The independent tribunal ultimately supported that principle. This case is an important reminder that players can be tested at any time, in any place, and that refusal comes with significant risk.”

Vondrousova’s four-year suspension bans her from participating in, coaching, and/or attending any event that is sanctioned by the ITF, WTA, ATP, the Grand Slams, or national federations. The ban is in effect until June 21st, 2030; Vondrousova will be 30-years-old. 

Vondrousova is able to appeal the suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. Vondrousova’s lawyer, Jan Exner, told the AFP on Monday that they are waiting to receive the final written verdict before they proceed further. 

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“Marketa has asked me, and I want to respect her wish, to refrain from commenting on the matter at this stage,” Exner stated. 

“Basically when we get the verdict, we will read the explanation and decide on further action, whether we will appeal it or not, but first I want to consult Marketa and I don’t want to speculate on further steps. I want to respect Marketa’s wish and I don’t want to go into detail.”

In Vondrousova’s Instagram statement, she explained how the past seven months have been for her, emphasizing that she’s never used performance-enhancing drugs in her career and has never failed a drug test. 

“Waking up every day with uncertainty, fear, and the feeling that you were losing control over your own life is something that is difficult to put into words.”

“It has been an incredibly exhausting and painful period that affected me far more deeply than I could have ever imagined. Tennis has been my entire life from the moment I first picked up a racket as a little girl through thousands of training sessions, injuries, comebacks, and moments that I could only dream of back then. It gave me everything and I gave everything back to it,” she wrote. 

“I have never doped. I have never had a positive test. Throughout my entire career, I have undergone countless anti-doping controls and have always stepped onto the court with a clear conscience. 

Just three days after the incident that ultimately changed my life, I was tested again. The result was negative just like every test before it.” 

For now, Vondrousova is unclear as to what her future truly holds. “Today, I honestly do not know what comes next. For the first time in my life, I do not have a plan. For the first time in my life, I do not know where the road ahead leads.”

The Knicks

NYC Streets Echoing With Cheers For The Knicks Historic NBA Championship Win 

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The New York Knicks made history this week after taking home their first NBA championship in 53 years. Cheers could be heard throughout all five boroughs as New York City felt an intense sense of pride and unity when the team won game 5 on Saturday. 

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby stopped by “TODAY” on Monday to discuss their victory and what this means to one of the world’s most famous cities. 

“It hasn’t settled in yet. [After we won] I was just trying to find the right words and I really couldn’t,” said Brunson. 

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“It was a magical moment. It was honestly something truly special that no matter how I try to explain it, it won’t grasp how truly special it was.”

The Knicks faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in what was their first appearance in the Finals since 1999. 

During Game 5 on Saturday night, the Knicks secured the championship title against the Spurs with a 4-1 win that was finalized with a 4-point lead. 

“[The win] wasn’t just one person, it was everybody. We have each other’s back,” Brunson said to NBC. 

Anunoby described how he hasn’t been able to sleep since his tip-in at the basket with seconds left on the timer. “We had to get ready for Game 5, and I couldn’t get too excited about it. I love my teammates, love these guys, love the fans.”

Towns then reflected on the energy and excitement that has been exuded throughout New York City since their win on Saturday. 

He explained how incredible it was to see the “fans so excited, to see the city so alive. As long as we’re unified and doing our best to play our game, we believe no one in the world can beat us. We want to play for each other.”

Towns then also reflected on the viral moments that have been occurring regarding his fiancée, Jordyn Woods, and her orange bag from her brand that she wore to almost all playoff games in the post season, which became hailed as a good luck charm by fans. This superstition especially stood out considering the team hadn’t lost a game since she started bringing it, besides Game 3 in the Finals due to a no-bag policy put in place by Madison Square Garden because the president was in attendance. 

“We’ve been very fortunate that this bag has come with us on this championship run,” Towns said. 

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The Knicks’ championship run is being praised as one of the most tense, and greatest, of all time in NBA history. 

The team lost Games 2 and 3 in the first round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, but went on to win the next 13 playoff games beating out both the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the postseason and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Knicks then won Games 1 and 2 against the Spurs before losing Game 3 when they returned to the Garden. 

During Game 4, the Knicks accomplished their major comeback after erasing a 29-point deficit to gain a 3-1 lead against the Spurs. Then, Saturday night gave them the historic and iconic win, causing the city to erupt with pure joy. 

Knicks owner James Dolan joked after the win: “Sorry it took so long!”

The entire team has been in awe and are still processing this historic moment for not just the NBA, but for New York City. 

“I’m so blessed and grateful to be here,” Bridges said on “TODAY.”

Head coach at the time, Jay Wright, left a message for the Nova Knicks, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, for their appearance on NBC as well: 

“We’re so proud of you, we’re so happy for you. We’re mostly proud of how you represent New York … and how you represent our Villanova community.” 

On the “TODAY” show’s third hour, host Jenna Bush Hager asked the group how they were all celebrating, to which Hart said had “included some drinks.”

Bridges added that “there’s so much…I sprinted [after the win] and ran right to OG [Anunoby]. It’s just a blessing, honestly. All of us worked so hard to get here. It just means so much to us.”

“It’s awesome knowing that no matter what the situation is going on, we all have each other’s back, we all have love for each other,” Brunson said. “It’s special knowing that when we were younger, we had a goal … trying to make it to the NBA.”

tennis

Serena Williams Is Officially Coming Back To Tennis 

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Serena Williams is officially coming back to tennis.

Next week, Williams will be playing doubles at the WTA 500 Queen’s Club event in London, the tournament announced on social media. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is set to make her return to the court at 44-years-old after four years of not playing professionally. 

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The Athletic reported that Williams received one of the two available wildcards to play in the tournament and will be partnered with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. 

“Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all-time, with a legacy that extends far beyond the court,” said Chair of the WTA, Valerie Camillo.

“[Serena Williams] return is an expression of her passion for competition, and I cannot wait to see her face a new generation of top players.”

Williams’ return to the game was actually hinted at towards the end of last year after she quietly re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s registered testing pool. In order for any player to make a comeback to tennis, they need to “make themselves available for testing for six months before they can compete again,” in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency regulations. 

“Serena Williams is back on the Registered Testing Pool list,” an ITIA spokesperson told The Guardian last year. 

Despite this sneaky registration, Williams still tried to downplay her potential return online.

“Omg y’all I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” she posted back in December. 

The last time Williams stepped on the court was in the 2022 US Open after she publicly stated that she was “evolving away” from tennis to focus more on her entrepreneurial projects. In August 2023, she also gave birth to her second daughter with her husband Alexis Ohanian. 

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Despite how busy she’s been, however, within the past four years the rumors of her potential return never quieted down. As an athlete she always had a focus on taking care of her body, but there’s been a magnifying glass focused on just how much dedication she was putting into her fitness in tandem with the return rumors. 

In August 2025, she told People Magazine that she lost 31-pounds while using a GLP-1, and a year prior she told the publication that in lieu of tennis she had taken up running, but “missed tennis like crazy.”

The talks of her return also intensified earlier this year after she made an appearance on the Today show and had a joking back-and-fourth with co-host Savannah Guthrie regarding her coming out of retirement.  

“Recently — tell me if I have this right — you reentered the drug testing pool, which some see as the precursor to a return to tennis. So you know I have to ask, are you returning to professional tennis?” Guthrie said.

Williams, letting out a laugh, replied “I mean, really? Are you asking this on the Today show? Oh my gosh.”

Guthrie, continuing to press, asked, “Is that a no?” 

“Is that a no?” Williams asked, also acknowledging a man off camera who was laughing. “All the people on your set are laughing. This is distracting. You’re distracting us over there.”

“Okay, but you didn’t say yes or no,” Guthrie continued. 

Williams finally responded with “I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now, I’m just gonna see what happens.”

lakers

LeBron James Needs To ‘Recalibrate’ When Thinking About His NBA Future 

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All eyes have been on the basketball legend this season as questions of retirement continuously linger, while James has made his perspective pretty clear: “With my future, I don’t know, honestly.”

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ncaa

NCAA Tournament Expansion to 76 Teams Nears Approval for 2027

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A long-discussed expansion of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments is now nearing reality, with the fields expected to grow to 76 teams as early as 2027, ESPN reported.

The proposal, which has circulated within college basketball circles for months, is widely anticipated to move forward. Two Division I athletic directors and three men’s basketball coaches told USA TODAY Sports there is a clear “expectation” the change will happen, with one coach saying, “We’ll be stunned if it doesn’t happen.”

A formal decision could come soon. Individuals familiar with the process say the plan is on track to be finalized in May. However, it must still clear multiple layers of approval, including oversight groups, the Division I Cabinet and the Division I Board of Governors. The NCAA released a statement on Tuesday addressing the expansion.

“Expanding the basketball tournaments would require approval from multiple NCAA committees, including the men’s and women’s basketball committees, and no final recommendations or decisions have been made at this time.”

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The push to expand comes amid growing debate about the current format, which includes 68 teams. The structure has been in place for the men’s tournament since 2011 and adopted by the women’s field in 2022. NCAA president Charlie Baker has previously signaled that changes were likely, adding to expectations that expansion is imminent.

If approved, the most visible adjustments would occur in the tournament’s opening phase. The traditional first round, 32 games played over two days, is expected to remain largely unchanged. Instead, the expansion would significantly reshape the play-in portion of the bracket.

According to ESPN, the men’s “First Four” would expand from eight teams playing four games to 24 teams competing across 12 games for entry into the main draw. Those winners would then advance to face teams already placed in the first round.

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Several key questions remain unanswered. It is unclear how many of the additional berths would go to at-large teams versus automatic qualifiers, which currently include four mid-major champions and four at-large selections. There is also uncertainty about where the expanded play-in games would be held. Since 2011, those contests have been held in Dayton, Ohio, except for the 2021 tournament, which was held in Indianapolis.

While a larger field would add more games to one of the most popular events in college sports, critics worry it could dilute the quality of competition. Expanding access may allow teams with middling records to compete for a national title, raising concerns about the overall strength of the bracket.

Others argue that the change could further tilt the field toward power-conference programs. UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner voiced skepticism about whether expansion would benefit smaller programs.

“It’s become stacked against mid-majors now. Whether that’s been the purpose of those who oversee the system or not is unclear to me, but with the way that they’re deciding the tournament bids now, it’s virtually impossible. I don’t see that changing if they let more teams in. I think they let more teams in, they’re just going to end up letting more power conference teams in.”

boston marathon

John Korir Defends Championship And Breaks Boston Marathon Record

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John Korir defended his championship run at the 2026 Boston Marathon and broke not only his own record, but the all-time record in the race’s 130-year history. Sharon Lokedi also became a back-to-back champion and won the women’s race just one year after breaking the course record.

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