The daily recaps during the Olympics were so successful that we (I) have decided to revive the Monday Myriad, featuring the best, worst, funniest and most interesting news from the world of Olympic sports and elsewhere.
Most interesting upset: Afghanistan’s cricketers beat Bangladesh.
Best U.S. cyclist, perhaps with the exception of Katie Compton: We don’t pay a lot of attention to track cycling in this country, and yet Sarah Hammer keeps winning World Championship medals. In fact, we pay so little attention to track cycling in this country that it’s difficult to find anything about Hammer winning the omnium title without the headline “Trott misses out on omnium gold.” Britain absolutely loves track cycling, so if you want a full roundup, check out the Monday link roundup at Frontier Sports. (Which you should do anyway.)
Best comeback from the Olympics: Kikkan Randall keeps on winning …
Best Iditarod dog name:
Best “No, I’m not saying I should’ve gone ahead of Lolo, I’m just saying …” response: Katie Eberling, who lost out in the difficult choice of U.S. women’s bobsled push athletes, has decided to cast her lot as a driver.
Best U.S. biathlon result:
Best moguls skier: Still Hannah Kearney.
https://twitter.com/ESPNOlympics/status/440053808584880128
Quotes that probably seemed more humble when they weren’t in print: You’ll want to know the name Elizabeth Price, the gymnast who was an alternate for the 2012 Olympics and 2013 World Championships but is coming into her own now. She won the American Cup in my old stomping grounds of Greensboro, N.C., and said the following: “To add this title to a list of many, it’s pretty cool.”
Then this: “Hopefully I can soon say that I’ve won even bigger meets than this one.”
Most pointless doping case: Latvia may have to vacate its eighth-place finish in the Olympics if a second player is found guilty of doping. The first offered up the “club doctor gave me supplements — maybe they were contaminated” excuse, which is often true but not an excuse in the eyes of the IOC and WADA. In any case, the doping doesn’t explain how Kristers Gudlevskis made 55 saves against Canada.
Most irritating winter storm: Come on — not during the U.S. Curling Championships!
Worst house / best impression of the episode of The Drew Carey Show in which half the house is missing: Shaun White’s digs in Sochi.
Worst sports: German bobsledder Manuel Machata didn’t make the Olympic team. He loaned some his own equipment to Russia’s Alexander Zubkov. Germany, after seeing its own team flop while Zubkov won both gold medals, suspended Machata for a year.
Other recaps of the weekend: Frontier Sports and TeamUSA
Duresport.com 