Injured Russian Olympic Skier Airlifted to Germany

Olympic skicross racer Maria Komissarova has been airlifted to Germany for further treatment after surgery on her fractured spine, the Russian freestyle ski federation said Sunday.

The 23-year-old Komissarova crashed during a training run Saturday, fracturing the 12th dorsal vertebrae in her lower-middle back, and underwent emergency surgery lasting 6 ½ hours.

"Masha Komissarova was rendered all necessary medical care at this stage by Russian doctors," the federation said in a statement. "By the decision of her relatives, she is being sent for further treatment to a clinic in Munich, Germany, specializing in the treatment of this kind of injury."

A team of specialists inserted a metal implant in Komissarova's spine in a successful operation, the federation said, though they declined to discuss the skier's prognosis.

R-Sport quoted Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko as saying Komissarova would have another operation and rehabilitation in Munich, adding "We are trying to make everything OK."

Komissarova was listed as being in a "grave but stable" condition earlier Sunday, on a day when two women's snowboardcross riders were carried off on stretchers after bad falls in qualifying and British women's halfpipe skier Rowan Cheshire sustained a concussion after hitting her head in practice. British team officials opted to keep Cheshire at a local hospital overnight as a precaution.

The IOC said it had no concerns over the skicross and snowboard cross course conditions and maintained that there have been no more crashes and injuries than in previous Winter Games.

"Health and safety of the athletes is our No. 1 priority," International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said. "At this stage, we don't see anything abnormal compared with Vancouver in terms of accidents and injuries."

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Komissarova in the hospital on Saturday night. Photographs and television footage showed Putin at her bedside, wearing a white hospital coat and holding her right arm. Komissarova was heard speaking to him.

Medical staff briefed Putin on the surgery and further treatment, and the president "wished her a speedy recovery," the statement said.

Putin also spoke by telephone with the skier's worried father and told him "doctors will do everything possible for her recovery."

Jenny Wiedeke, spokeswoman for the International Ski Federation, said the accident occurred on a series of jumps near the top of the course and Komissarova fell while exiting the third jump.

Adams was asked whether the course or conditions played a role in the crash.

"It's primarily a question for the federation, but I understand she was training by herself when the accident happened," he said. "Clearly we need to follow it very carefully but at the moment there's no huge cause for concern. That's not to underestimate yesterday's accident. We take that very seriously and we hope she recovers."

In women's qualifying Sunday, Jackie Hernandez of the United States was knocked unconscious after slamming her head into the snow. She briefly sat up after several minutes and was communicating with medics before being transported down the mountain.

The crash came minutes after Helene Olafsen of Norway also was taken off the course with what appeared to be a knee injury. abcnews

T.J. Oshie leads U.S. to hockey shootout win over Russia

SOCHI, Russia – The pace was blazing. The hits had extra focus to them. The atmosphere at the Bolshoy Ice Dome was spirited, the noise constant. Whether this was leftover animosity from the days of the Cold War and the Miracle on Ice, or just the inherent urgency of a huge game in a short tournament – or most likely both – the U.S. and Russian hockey teams went at each other for a full 65 minutes at the Sochi Winter Olympics in a game that felt like an instant classic even as it was going on.

That such a compelling contest, tied at the end of regulation and a five-minute overtime, could be ended on penalty shots seemed somehow anticlimactic – until the respective skaters went back and forth, eight times apiece, before T.J. Oshie won it for the Americans, 3-2.

A raucous, sellout crowd that included Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the teams skate to a 2-2 at the end of regulation, a score that held up only because an apparent Russian goal with 4:40 left in the third period was disallowed after video review. The long blast from Fyodor Tyutin from just inside the blue line hit the back of the net, past U.S. goalie Jonathan Quick, but was waved off after a video review showed the net was off its moorings.

The goal would have stood under NHL rules, but was not goal under international rules.

The overtime period, too, failed to break the tie, with the U.S. having the best scoring chance, when Patrick Kane broke free alone. His try was stopped, however, by Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovski.

Just before the midway point of the third period, with the U.S. on a power play and the score tied, Kane sent a beautiful pass across the ice and through the Russian penalty-kill unit, reaching the stick of Joe Pavelski on the left. Pavelski beat Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovski, giving the U.S. a 2-1 lead.

A small but vocal contingent of U.S. fans, just a fraction of the sold-out crowd, cheered and rang cowbells at the goal.

Russian captain Pavel Datsyuk scored twice, the second goal tying the game late in the third period. Considered questionable to play in the tournament at all in the days leading up – because of a lower-body injury that had kept him out of a month’s worth of Detroit Red Wings games. washingtonpost.com

USA v Slovenia men's ice hockey

FINAL: SLOVENIA 1 USA 5 A pretty regulation win for the USA, although Slovenia gave their all and deserved their late consolation goal. Who knows, that might yet come back to annoy the USA if it hurts their goal difference. Still, 5-1, and the result was never in doubt once they scored twice in the first five minutes. Slovenia fought hard, and enjoyed the best of the start of the second period, but the USA applied the killer blow with two in two minutes. A hat-trick for Phil Kessel but, to this newbie observer at least, it was the USA goal-tending that was the gulf in class. The Slovenians had plenty shots, but there was no way through.

Thanks a lot for following this with us, and for all your fun and informative emails. Hope you enjoyed the blog, we'll just grab a couple more of your mails, and then I'll wish you a pleasant sporting Sunday.

Read more telegraph.co.uk

USA defeat Russia 3-2 in ice hockey shootout thriller

TJ Oshie scored four times in the shootout and got the winner in the eighth round, leading the United States past Russia 3-2 Saturday in thethrilling revival of an Olympic hockey rivalry.

Cam Fowler and Joe Pavelski scored in regulation for the Americans in the marquee game of the preliminary round. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves and stopped five attempts in the shootout.

International rules allow the same player to take multiple shots after the first three rounds of a shootout, and US coach Dan Bylsma leaned on Oshie, one of the NHL’s shootout specialists.

The St Louis forward went 4 for 6 against Sergei Bobrovsky, ending the game with one last slow-developing move past the Columbus goalie. The Americans improved to 2-0 in preliminary-round play, all but wrapping up an automatic berth in the quarterfinals next week.

Captain Pavel Datsyuk scored two goals in regulation and another in the shootout for the Russians, who rallied from a third-period deficit. In a fast-paced game played in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an energized home crowd, the Russians also had an apparent goal waved off with 4:40 left because Quick’s net came off its moorings.

The gimmicky shootout finish was entertaining, but the entire game at the Bolshoy Ice Dome was international hockey at its most compelling and the third period was a thriller.

Pavelski scored the tiebreaking goal for the Americans on a power play with 10:33 to play, but Datsyuk tied it with 7:16 left during a Russian power play, spurring Putin out of his seat to cheer.

After review, the officials waved off Fedor Tyutin’s apparent go-ahead goal because the net was loose, incensing the Russian crowd.

Both teams had quality scoring chances in overtime, but Bobrovsky denied Patrick Kane on a breakaway in the most hair-raising moment.

Oshie started off the shootout with a low shot between Bobrovsky’s legs, and the next four shooters missed before Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the third round. Datsyuk and Kovalchuk scored in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, but Oshie tied it twice in dramatic fashion.

Datsyuk and Oshie both missed in the seventh, and Quick denied Kovalchuk again before Oshie ended it. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/15/sochi-2014-olympic-hockey-usa-defeat-russia-shootout

Oshie was among the final selections for the US roster, and the 27-year-old from Warroad, Minnesota, was chosen for exactly this type of situation. Although Oshie has never had a 20-goal NHL season, the hard-nosed forward has one of the highest rates of shootout success among the American-born players.

Although the game had little impact on the medal race in Sochi, the finish woke up the echoes of a US-Russia rivalry best known for the “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid in 1980, when a team of American college students stunned the Soviet Olympic team.

The sociopolitical impact of that game is long gone, and the nations have already met three previous times in the Olympics since NHL players joined the games in 1998. Several players on both teams are teammates in the NHL, and this result only helped determine positioning for next week’s elimination games.

But the Sochi Games are extraordinarily important to the Russian players, and the arena was packed to overflowing with fans of both nations jovially posing for photos and comparing their colorful sweaters. The Russians waved hundreds of flags, blew horns and banged drums from the first moments of warm-ups.theguardian

Trainings of Olympians Begin in your Sanki Sliding Middle

Last month sixth the 1st recognized coaching of the Olympians going in the Sanki Slipping Centre. 39 players (one particular-person toboggan) might take a look at the new toboggan as well as bobsled observe, along 2 slides.  Overall 110 sportsmen coming from 24 international locations (ixl adult men, thirty one ladies, 20 dual teams) is going to take portion in the Olympic tournaments.

Sanki is often a distinctive building that has been granted the particular “Glowing Sign” within “Interpersonal along with social things” nomination at the Global “Zodchestvo” festivity throughout Moscow.  The path harmoniously corresponds with all the existing relief as far as possible, as well as highest point is situated in all-around 836 yards above ocean amount, as you move the least expensive is a close to 704 meters. The whole entire monitor can be 2013 m, which includes most begin and stopping areas (253 meters) and also a zoom with no chilling (39 m). The particular track provides several counter-inclines where the rate is reduced due to damaging degree of lift. An overall associated with in search of sets of medals will probably be contested, including several in luge, 3 throughout bobsleigh three and two throughout skeleton.

Olympic Wintertime Online games at Sanki Slipping Centre

Bob, skeleton along with luge contests will probably be held from Sanki Dropping Center. Your Sanki Moving Centre spectator pump place can easily pleasantly allow for five,000 fans. The actual timekeeping technique gets the biggest amount of denary places on earth, and 8,900 energy-saving bulbs placed on the observe could make the particular night time activities since spectacular as possible!

The particular toboggan team race (pass on) has brought Olympic status with the Games inside Sochi the very first time. The actual groups coming from every land will likely be consists of: a lady (personals toboggan), a guy (personals toboggan) and two males for that enhances toboggan. The particular operates string per staff can be: ladies - gents - doubles. At the complete each sportsman must contact the particular unique effect-pad, which usually routinely unwraps your throughout-operate entrance for the following staff member. Once the third participator of the team actually reaches the contact sleeping pad, enough time puts a stop to and the general occasion for your relay crew is determined (from the start from the first team on the end of the final crew).

Your preparedness pertaining to Sanki in order to host the actual Game titles had been confirmed during the 2012-2013 time Check Activities: in February the year 2013, the location located the actual FIBT Chad & Skeletal system Entire world Pot Phase last (more than 190 athletes through 25 international locations) and the last in the Toboggan Globe Pot (a lot more than one hundred thirty participants via 30 international locations). In addition Sanki Dropping Middle located the actual International Instruction Several weeks throughout Toboggan (Late 2012, November the year 2013) along with Bob and Skeletal system (Feb the year 2013, Nov the year 2013).