Lindsey Vonn is sat out a World Cup super-G race Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier but remains on track for the Milan Cortina Olympics, her coach told The Associated Press.

“No, she is not racing (Saturday) but preparing for Cortina as usual,” Chris Knight, Vonn’s personal head coach, said in a text message to The AP.

Vonn then posted on Instagram, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today,” adding, “Thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me.”

“Doing my best right now,” Vonn concluded with praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis.

Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing down to the bottom of the course, she was airlifted away for medical attention.

It still wasn’t clear what her injury was.

“I crashed today in the downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams,” Vonn wrote on Instagram on Friday.

Vonn, a 41-year-old American whose skiing career began at Burnsville’s Buck Hill, is expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which open next Friday. Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill.

Saturday’s super-G was slated to be her final race before the Games.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Elena Rybakina finally won her second Grand Slam title with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open on Saturday, and it was something of a testament to quiet achievers.

After some tumult at the start of 2025, including the suspension of her coach, Rybakina finished off last year with a title at the WTA Finals in November. And now she has started the new year with a major championship.

Her low-key celebration was symbolic of her understated run through the tournament: a small fist pump, a quick embrace with Sabalenka, a handshake with the chair umpire, a smile, and a few hand claps on the strings of her racket and a wave to acknowledge the crowd.

It happened quickly after Rybakina closed with an ace to cap a third-set comeback and a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over a regular rival who beat her in the final here in 2023.

“The heart rate was definitely beating too fast. Even maybe (my) face didn’t show, but inside it was a lot of emotions,” the 26-year-old Rybakina, who was born in Moscow but represents Kazakhstan, said of her calm and clinical finish.

She knew she had to capitalize quickly this time, after she admitted getting tight and needing almost a half-hour from her first match point to her match-winning point in a semifinal win over Jessica Pegula.

Three years ago, Rybakina won the first set of the Australian final but lost it in three.

This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games to regain control.

“It gives me a kind of relief,” she said, “also, a lot of confidence for sure for the rest of the season.”

It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final three years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.

A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals has changed her career trajectory. She has the most match wins on tour since Wimbledon, and is now on a roll of 20 wins from 21 matches.

“Last year I didn’t start so well,” she said. “I qualified for the (WTA) Finals late. I just hope I can carry this momentum. Do a good job with the team and continue this way.”

Rybakina is 10-0 in her last 10 matches against Top 10 players, and she’ll return to No. 3 in the rankings.

Kazakhstan’s flag was unfurled on the court at Rod Laver Arena after Rybakina had paraded the trophy around and posed for photos with her team.

She paid tribute to her coach, Stefano Vukov, who spent time under suspension last year by the women’s tour. Vukov received a silver plate from the tournament organizers for being the champion’s coach.

“Of course I would like to thank my team,” she said. “Without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Really. We had a lot of things going on (last year). Thank you to all of you, and hopefully we can keep on going strong this year.

“It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me,” she said. “I just hope that I can carry this moment throughout the whole season and keep on improving.”

For Sabalenka, it’s back-to-back losses in the final in Australia after going down in an upset last year to Madison Keys.

“Of course, I have regrets. When you lead 3-Love and then it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break — it was very fast,” she said. “Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.

“But as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser. Hoping right now and praying.”

 

There’s an effortlessness with which superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes controls a game whenever the puck is on his stick.

You have to see it in person to truly appreciate it.

That’s something the Wild have experienced firsthand since acquiring the 26-year-old last month. That’s something the Calgary Flames experienced firsthand as they struggled to keep up with him this week.

Though the game between the Wild and the Flames on Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena was borderline unwatchable for much of the 60 minutes, Hughes continued to prove that he’s always going to be worth the price of admission.

Just ask Flames winger Adam Klapka.

On a few different occasions, Hughes used his shiftiness to shake Klapka out of his skates, breaking ankles as if he were playing pickup on the blacktop. You almost started to feel bad for Klapka as he continuously peeled himself off the ice while struggling to keep up.

There’s a majesty to the way Hughes plays the game. It extends far beyond when he’s actually scoring points for the Wild. He has an aura about him that very few players in the NHL can replicate.

That’s precisely why general manager Bill Guerin moved heaven and earth to get him. He didn’t care about the price the Wild had to pay. Not when he found out that the Vancouver Canucks had actually put Hughes on the table.

Whether it’s his patented spin move that makes life miserable for his opponents, or his unmatched vision that makes life easier for his teammates, Hughes transforms the way the Wild play every time he hops over the boards.

That’s a a reason the Wild boasted a 13-5-5 recorded with Hughes in the lineup heading into the matchup with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at Rogers Place. There’s no doubt that the Wild have taken their game to another level since acquiring him, looking very much like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The impact Hughes already has made can’t be overstated. He had recorded 27 points (2 goals, 25 assists) in 23 games with the Wild before playing the Oilers. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

His numbers in January alone are staggering; 19 assists before the Wild played the Oilers. That was already a franchise record for assists by a defenseman in a single month, and Hughes has another 60 minutes to add to that total.

It’s not hyperbole to say the Wild have never had a player on the blue line as good as Hughes in his current form.

As good as star defenseman Brent Burns was at the peak of his powers, he didn’t reach elite status until after the Wild traded him.

As good as star defenseman Ryan Suter was in his prime, he was never the prolific scorer the Wild needed him to be.

As good as star defenseman Jared Spurgeon has been for the past decade, he hasn’t always moved the needle for the Wild in the biggest moments.

That’s no longer the case with Hughes in the mix. He’s everything the Wild have been missing. It’s why the prospects of them finally getting over the hump and winning the Stanley Cup have never felt more realistic.

Fittingly, with the Wild struggling to put the Flames away this week, it was Hughes that ignited a tic-tac-toe sequence out of thin air that proved to be the difference. On a power play late in the game, Hughes snapped a pass to winger Kirill Kaprizov, who slid the puck to winger Matt Boldy, who scored a goal that provided some much needed insurance in the 4-1 win.

Maybe the scariest part for the rest of the NHL? It seems Hughes is getting more dominant as he continues to get more comfortable with the talent around him.

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Iowa’s domination of Minnesota wrestling is over.

The Gophers upset fourth-ranked Iowa 21-16 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday to snap an 11-match losing streak against the Hawkeyes. It was Minnesota’s first win over its rival since 2014.

The key wins for seventh-ranked Minnesota were a pair of upsets from Drew Roberts at 149 pounds and Charlie Millard at 157 pounds.

Minnesota led 15-13 heading into the 184 pound match, where Max McEnelly scored a sudden victory over Gabe Arnold for the second straight year. McEnelly has now won nine straight matches and is 14-1 on the season.

Gavin Nelson won at 197 pounds to officially put the dual on ice.

The Gophers have a pair of road duals next weekend, wrestling at Rutgers on Friday and at Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 8.

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