Alpine skiing: Gold for Hirscher, Shiffrin
Austria's Marcel Hirscher competes in the first run of the men's slalom race at the 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz on February 19, 2017. /CFP Photo
Austrian ski ace and five-time overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher reigned supreme at the alpine ski world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland this week, capturing gold in both the giant slalom and slalom as well as a combined silver, to put Austria on top of the medals table with nine. US Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, meanwhile nabbed her third world slalom gold at just age 21, smashing the competition with a 1.64-second lead, after already securing a giant slalom silver earlier in the week. The two-week championships were marred by bad weather and narrowly escaped disaster on Saturday after a Swiss air force plane performing at the event clipped a cable, sending an overhead TV camera crashing to the ground. Nobody was injured.
Football: Wenger’s Arsenal job at risk?
Arsenal's head coach Arsene Wenger arrives in the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal in Munich, Germany, on February 15, 2017. /CFP Photo
After 20 years at the helm of one of England’s top football clubs, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s time might be up. Following recent poor performances by the club, including a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in a Champions League last-16 game, there have been increasing calls for the Frenchman, whose contract expires at the end of the season, to leave. Wenger said Friday he will wait until March or April to make his decision and isn’t ready to retire yet. Pundits are already discussing where he might land next.
Figure skating: Chen quadruple-jumps to Four Continents win
China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong compete at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2017 on February 16, 2017. /CFP Photo
Nathan Chen, the 17-year-old US national, became the first figure skater in history to land five quadruple jumps on Sunday, winning the Four Continents championship in next year’s Olympic host city of Pyeongchang, South Korea. China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong defended their title in the pairs competition, while Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took their third Four Continents gold in ice dance. Japan’s Mai Mihara, 17, rounded off the list of winners with the ladies’ single gold.
Snooker: Stuart Bingham wins his first Welsh Open title
Stuart Bingham lines up his shot at the Welsh Open finals on February 19, 2017. /CFP Photo
Stuart Bingham has emerged has the winner of the Welsh Open after a tense final frame against Judd Trump, securing his first title after a 9-8 win. The 40-year-old took the last two frames, sealing victory with a break of 55 to claim his first ranking title since the 2015 World Championship. Bingham had led 4-0 in the early stages and came through a scrappy final session that saw a highest break of 63. "Unbelievable," said Bingham after the win. "To get my hands on another trophy means everything." China's Ding Junhui, the 2012 winner, crashed out of the tournament in the first round, but 17-year-old Yan Bingtao caused a sensation when he beat world number one, Mark Selby on Thursday. The youngster, ranked 66 in the world, eventually went down against Kurt Maflin.
Tennis: Pliskova wins Qatar Open
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in action during the final of the WTA Qatar Total Open on February 18, 2017, in Doha, Qatar. /CFP Photo
Karolina Pliskova has gotten off to a great start this year. After the Brisbane International in January, the 24-year-old Czech player won the Qatar Open on Saturday after defeating Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4. This was the first time Pliskova, currently third in the WTA rankings, beat former world number one Wozniacki. A rain-soaked tournament also meant the Czech played her quarter-final, semi-final and final all within 24 hours.
