China’s men’s hockey team is looking at double-digit losses at the Olympics

“Watching a group being crushed, 15-0, will not be good for anybody, not for China or for ice hockey,” mentioned Luc Tardif, the Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation’s new president. Nations equivalent to South Korea, Italy, and France, which aren’t usually within the sport’s prime tier, typically inventory their Olympic rosters with North American twin residents to make themselves extra aggressive. Since China forbids twin nationality, its hockey group is restricted to homegrown expertise that’s not on the identical planet as rivals stocked with NHL stars.

The Chinese language ladies, ranked twentieth, ought to fare higher since their match is designed in order that three of the 5 groups within the weaker group be a part of the 5 from the stronger one within the quarterfinals. However they’ll probably nonetheless be up towards 4 of the world’s prime 9 squads in Japan and likely the Czech Republic, Germany, and Sweden, who’re favored to win the upcoming last-chance qualifiers in Europe.

World-class rivalry

Whereas Canada’s ladies’s hockey group beat the Individuals within the first two encounters of their seven-game My Why Tour, there’s nonetheless not way more than a bounce-of-the-puck distinction between the archrivals.

Canada, the reigning world titlist, received the Allentown, Pa., assembly, 3-1 (with a shorthanded empty-netter), and 3-2 in Hartford. Their final two Olympic finals have been determined in time beyond regulation, as have been the final 4 world championships. They’ll meet once more throughout Thanksgiving week in Kingston, Ontario, and Ottawa.

Podium sweep for Russia?

Russia’s feminine determine skaters, who go greater than half a dozen deep on the world degree, are organising for an unprecedented sweep of the Olympic podium in Beijing.

They went 1-2 at Skate America with Alexandra Trusova and Daria Usacheva, then grabbed all three medals ultimately weekend’s Skate Canada with Kamila Valieva, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, and Alena Kostornaia. And Anna Shcherbakova, the present world champion, is closely favored on this weekend’s Gran Premio d’Italia in Turin, the relocated Cup of China.

Rocky begin, but not surprising, for the Individuals, who haven’t come near the award stand. Alysa Liu, the previous junior star who’s nonetheless adjusting to the quick lane, was fifth at Skate Canada. Karen Chen, fourth ultimately season’s world championships, was tenth. Bradie Tennell, the reigning US champion, is coming off torn foot muscular tissues and hasn’t but competed.

Shiffrin’s schedule

Mikaela Shiffrin, who received medals in 4 occasions (all however the downhill) ultimately season’s Alpine world championships, needs to compete in all 5 on the Video games. So she’ll probably do extra pace racing on the World Cup circuit, beginning with the 2 downhills and Tremendous G subsequent month in Lake Louise, Alberta, after she does the slaloms at Killington, Vt., on Thanksgiving weekend.

“My focus will all the time be tech, however I like pace,” mentioned Shiffrin, whose victory within the big slalom ultimately month’s Cup opener on the Soelden glacier in Austria was the seventieth of her profession, trailing solely Ingemar Stenmark (86) and Lindsey Vonn (82).

Ready on citizenship

Kaillie Humphries, the world’s greatest ladies’s bobsled pilot, nonetheless is awaiting the American citizenship required for her to compete within the Video games. Humphries, who married former US sledder Travis Armbruster in 2019, is shy of the three-year requirement for spousal citizenship.

“I’ve to think about the method and the system, within the individuals which are there which are actively serving to me by means of the state of affairs,” mentioned Humphries, who received two golds and a bronze for Canada on the final three Video games and is the world champion in each monobob and two-man (with American teammate Lolo Jones). “And it’s scary. Undoubtedly because the Video games get nearer the stress goes up.”

Santos is peaking

Halfway by means of the World Cup short-track season, US speedskater Kristen Santos seems to be like a possible Olympic medalist. The Fairfield, Conn., native picked up a few bronzes ultimately month’s Beijing opener then received her first profession gold within the 1,000 meters in Nagoya. Santos simply missed the 2018 group after her hand and wrist have been sliced open by a Chinese language rival in a Cup race and the following surgical procedure price her two weeks of coaching earlier than the trials … Half of the US luge group from the 2018 Video games makes up the World Cup squad that can type the core of the Beijing group. Chris Mazdzer, the shock silver medalist in PyeongChang, is joined by Tucker West, Summer time Britcher, Emily Sweeney, and Jayson Terdiman. Mazdzer, who broke his foot and ankle in September when he hit a wall throughout coaching in Sochi, received’t be obtainable till not less than subsequent month. Two Massachusetts doubles sliders are among the many new faces — Chesterfield’s Dana Kellogg and Medway’s Zack DiGregorio. The Cup season begins in Beijing two weekends from now … Now that Vicky Persinger and Chris Plys have received the Olympic blended doubles trials in curling comes the tougher problem — qualifying for the Video games. America, which completed seventh in 2018 with siblings Becca and Matt Hamilton, positioned eighth at this 12 months’s world match, simply lacking incomes a Beijing berth. Persinger and Plys might want to end within the prime two at subsequent month’s last-chance qualifier within the Netherlands to gather their ticket.

John Powers might be reached at john.powers@globe.com. Materials from Olympic committees, sports activities federations, interviews, and wire providers was used on this report.