Mikael Kingsbury leads Canadian podium domination at moguls World Cup

Canadian moguls star Mikael Kingsbury won a gold medal at a World Cup freestyle skiing event on the Olympic course in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Saturday.

The skier from Deux-Montagnes, Que., finished first with 86.71 points, just ahead of Dmitriy Reiherd of Kazakhstan, who scored 86.70.

Quebec City's Philippe Marquis was third with 85.94.

Philippe Marquis lands on moguls podium in Korea1:13

Laurent Dumais of Quebec City was ninth, Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que., was 14th, Simon Pouliot-Cavanagh of Quebec City was 18th and Luke Ulsifer of Calgary finished 34th.

On the women's side, Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal was second with 78.35 while Andi Naude of Penticton, B.C., was third at 78.16. Australian Britteny Cox captured gold with 81.66 points.

Justine Dufour-Lapointe earns moguls silver in Korea1:33

Andi Naude rounds out moguls podium in Korea1:30

Chloe Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal was eighth, Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was ninth, Alex-Anne Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que., was 15th and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal was 24th.

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Mikael Kingsbury leads Canadian podium domination at moguls World Cup

World single distances speed skating championships

Click on the video player above on Saturday at 3:30 a.m. ET to watch live action from the world single distances speed skating championships in Gangneung, South Korea.

Competition features the men's and women's 1000-metre, women's 5000m and men's 10,000m events.

Canada will be well represented at the test event for the 2018 Olympic Games – Ivanie Blondon, Ted-Jan Bloeman and Denny Morrison will all be in competition this weekend.

The event continues on Sunday at 4 a.m. ET with the 1500m and mass start events.

You can catch more coverage of the event on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Road to the Olympic Games, our weekly show highlighting the best high-performance athletes from Canada and around the world.

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World single distances speed skating championships

Blue Jays wanted Encarnacion, but settled on Bautista

Only one of the two sluggers who helped turn the Toronto Blue Jays into a contender will still be playing ball north of the border this season.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, it's not the one they wanted the most.

Edwin Encarnacion, whose 11th-inning home run beat Baltimore in last year's AL wild-card game, called Toronto his "first choice" in free agency following a Championship Series loss to Cleveland. Later, he turned down a four-year, $80 million offer from the Blue Jays, expecting to hit it big on the open market. In the end, he signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Indians that includes a team option for a fourth season.

Fellow free agent Jose Bautista, whose memorable three-run homer and resulting bat flip propelled Toronto past Texas and into the 2015 ALCS, languished on the market for months before signing a one-year, $18.5 million deal to return to the Blue Jays. His deal includes a mutual option for 2018, and vesting options for 2019.

Few expected a Toronto return for Bautista, whose offensive production dipped badly during an injury-plagued 2016 season. Still, if Bautista's bat bounces back and he succeeds on a short-term deal, the surprise reunion could pay big dividends for player and team alike.

New look

Wary of missing out on their preferred alternatives after Encarnacion turned them down, the Blue Jays acted swiftly to sign DH Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33 million contract, then gave 1B/OF Steve Pearce a two-year, $12.5 million deal. Toronto targeted the switch-hitting Morales to help balance a lineup that was right-handed heavy in 2016, while also hoping his power will play up at Rogers Centre and other hitter-friendly AL East ballparks.

Rookie to watch

Toronto's most intriguing off-season move was the signing of Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a seven-year, $22 million contract. The younger brother of Astros infielder Yulieski Gurriel and the son of a Cuban baseball great, the 23-year-old will likely start the season at Double-A. Gurriel Jr. played both infield and outfield in Cuba, but is expected to get regular time at shortstop as he adjusts to a higher calibre of pitching.

They're set

While the offence is still stacked, starting pitching is Toronto's top asset. Boston's off-season addition of ace left-hander Chris Sale may have made the Red Sox early favourites to repeat as AL East champions, but it's the Blue Jays who boast arguably the league's best rotation. The staff is led by reigning AL ERA champion Aaron Sanchez and 20-game winner J.A. Happ, with Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano rounding out a strong starting five.

They're not

Middle relief and left-handed options could be sore spots for fifth-year Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. Toronto lost two veteran relievers over the winter, with left-hander Brett Cecil leaving for a four-year, $30.5 million deal with St. Louis and right-hander Joaquin Benoit getting a one-year, $7.5 million deal from Philadelphia. Shortly before spring training, the Blue Jays beefed up their bullpen by signing left-hander J.P. Howell and right-hander Joe Smith to handle the innings ahead of veteran setup man Jason Grilli and dependable closer Roberto Osuna.

Few position battles

With few position battles in play, the Blue Jays will spend spring training sorting out bullpen roles and settling on a backup to catcher Russell Martin, with minor league signing Jarrod Saltalamacchia the most likely candidate. Gibbons and his staff will also have to decide who to bat in the leadoff spot. After walking 87 times in 517 plate appearances during the regular season last year, Bautista moved up from third to hit leadoff in Toronto's final three playoff games. If Bautista doesn't get the job, it could go to second baseman Devon Travis.

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Blue Jays wanted Encarnacion, but settled on Bautista

Wild's bet on Eric Staal paying off

Even though Eric Staal is one of only 10 Canadians in the exclusive 27-member Triple Gold Club for winning a Stanley Cup, a world championship and Olympic gold, the 32-year-old centre had plenty to prove with the Minnesota Wild this season.

At the trade deadline a year ago, Staal left his brother Jordan and the Carolina Hurricanes to join his brother Marc when he was moved to the New York Rangers, a team that was considered a contender in the East.

But the oldest Staal was a bust on Broadway. He failed to register a point in five games when the Rangers flopped in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Staal only recorded seven shots on goal and had a disconcerting plus-minus rating of minus-seven. You couldn't blame the Rangers for taking a pass on signing the Thunder Bay, Ont., native when he became an unrestricted free agent last July.

In fact, despite Staal's championship pedigree (2005-06 Stanley Cup with Carolina, 2007 world championship and 2010 Olympic gold) and veteran leadership capabilities, there weren't many teams lining up to sign him. There only were a few teams that had an interest in him, including the Wild.

Boudreau sees good in Staal

Minnesota signed Staal to a bargain $3.5-million US per season three-year contract on July 1. The Wild had hired a new head coach in Bruce Boudreau a few weeks earlier. As coach of the Washington Capitals, Boudreau had an up-close-and-personal view of how Staal performed in his halcyon days with the Hurricanes.

There was no doubt Staal had lost his standing among the elite players in the league. There was no spot for him on the 2014 Canadian Olympic team in Sochi. Ditto for the Canadian contingent at the World Cup of Hockey last September.

But Boudreau didn't care about Staal's unproductive stint with the Rangers. The new Wild coach didn't care that Staal was coming off a 13-goal season, his lowest total since his 11-goal rookie year.

Boudreau also didn't care that, with the exception of the brief five-game post-season appearance with the Rangers, the last time Staal had been in the Stanley Cup playoffs was the 2009 East final with the Hurricanes. 

Boudreau felt that the durable 6-foot-4, 205-pound Staal would give the Wild size and a sound one-two punch down the middle with captain Mikko Koivu.

If the Wild were going to go deep into the playoffs in the West, Boudreau's team needed depth at centre to compete with the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.

20-goal man

Although Staal has slumped in the second half with a goal and three assists in his last 12 outings, he got off to a terrific start at his new address. He checked in with 15 goals and 39 points in 41 games.

More importantly, the Wild remain tops in the West despite a 4-3 loss in overtime to the Blackhawks at home on Wednesday. Minnesota has gone a remarkable 26-5-4 in its past 35 games.

Staal has been a major factor in the Wild's success this season. He has played primarily with veteran Zach Parise, although the two were split up against the Blackhawks.

Staal, 18 games shy of hitting the 1,000-game milestone, is on track to register his 10th 20-goal season in his 13th year, and is definitely one of the league's comeback players of the year along with the Rangers' Michael Grabner.

But Staal, a Stanley Cup champion in his third pro season, knows that an elite player makes his mark in the playoffs.

Boudreau knows this, too. He has been a wildly successful regular-season coach who has advanced past the second round of the playoffs only once in nine years.

So Boudreau hopes that Staal also can continue his resurgence in the post-season, too. It's been a long time, after all.

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Wild's bet on Eric Staal paying off

Canada still medal-less at speed skating worlds

Olympic silver medalist Jan Smeekens of the Netherlands won the 500-metre title at the world single distance speed skating championships on the 2018 Olympic track on Friday

Smeekens clocked a time of 34.58 seconds in Pyeongchang, South Korea to finish 0.08 seconds ahead of Nico Ihle of Germany. Ruslan Murashov of Russia was third in 34.76.

Canada's Laurent  Dubreuil finished ninth, while Alex  Boisvert-Lacroix and William Dutton were 13th and 15th, respectively.

Kodaira takes women's 500

Nao Kodaira of Japan took the women's 500 title in 37.13, 0.35 seconds ahead of Lee Sang-hwa of South Korea. Yu Jing of China was third in 37.57.

Canada's Heather McLean and Marsha Hudey finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while Kaylin Irvine was 19th.

Dutch dominate team pursuits

Canada missed the podium by just 0.08 seconds in the men's team pursuit, finishing fourth.

The Netherlands won with a time of 3:40.66, beating New Zealand by 0.42 seconds, Norway by 0.94 and Canada by 1.02.

The Dutch also won the women's team pursuit, clocking in at 2:55.85, 0.65 seconds ahead of Japan. Russia was third in 3:00.51. The Canadian team failed to finish.

On the opening day of the single distance worlds on Thursday, Canada's Ivanie Blondin finished fourth in the women's 3,000 and Ted-Jan Bloemen was fifth in the men's 5,000.

Eight races still remain at the meet, which run through Sunday.

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Canada still medal-less at speed skating worlds

Lara Gut injures knee at alpine worlds

On a bitter-sweet day for the home team at the world championships, Wendy Holdener led a 1-2 finish for Switzerland in the combined event and Lara Gut was airlifted from the course following a crash.

Canadian Marie-Michele Gagnon finished sixth, one spot below American star Lindsey Vonn.

Canada's Valerie Grenier was 11th and Candace Crawford 21st, Mikaela Tommy failed to finish the closing slalom leg of the race, which also includes a downhill portion.

Holdener, a slalom specialist, was 0.05 ahead of teammate Michelle Gisin, who took silver. Michaela Kirschgasser of Austria trailed Holdener by 0.38, and repeated her combined bronze from the 2015 worlds.

The finish gave skiing-crazed Switzerland its first women's world title since 2001.

Gut-Vonn showdown nixed

Gut had been favoured to end that streak but one hour before the slalom leg, the Swiss star crashed in practice. Gut ruptured the ACL in her left knee but did not have emergency surgery at the hospital in St. Moritz, the Swiss team said in a statement.

Gut, who won bronze in the super-G on Tuesday, had been third after the morning downhill. She will now miss the anticipated showdown with Vonn in the marquee downhill on Sunday.

The slalom run, raced through falling snow, flipped the standings from the downhill, which began three hours earlier.

First-run leader Sofia Goggia of Italy and second-place Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia failed to complete the slalom. Stuhec quickly went out after just a few gates.

Slalom racers were favoured by a decision to shorten the downhill course because of poor weather forecast for higher sections of the slope.

"I think then the slalom race should be shortened as well because it's too big of a disadvantage," Vonn said. "The first four girls are all slalom skiers."

Holdener, who is third in the World Cup slalom standings behind Mikaela Shiffrin, was 0.94 off the lead in downhill.

The fact that Vonn was only 0.09 faster in the downhill was a surprise, and the American's morning run came back to cost her. Vonn gestured to the finish-area crowd after both runs by holding out her arms as if she could do little more.

Vonn has never won a major championship medal in combined in six starts at the worlds and three Olympics. However, she completed the event on Friday for the first time since the 2005 worlds.

Gisin was watched by her older sister Dominique, who took gold in the 2014 Olympic downhill in a tie with Tina Maze of Slovenia.

Shiffrin leads the overall World Cup standings, ahead of defending champion Gut. The 21-year-old American is now heavily favoured to collect her first giant crystal trophy next month at the final races in Aspen, Colorado.

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Lara Gut injures knee at alpine worlds

Russian Olympic champion Maria Savinova stripped of gold, banned

Russian runner Maria Savinova has been stripped of her 2012 Olympic gold medal for doping, putting Caster Semenya in line to take to the title.

Savinova, who won the 800-meter title at the London Games ahead of Semenya, was also banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

CAS says Savinova was "found to have been engaged in using doping" from July 2010 until August 2013.

In 2014, Savinova was caught in undercover footage filmed by Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova appearing to admit to injecting testosterone and taking the banned steroid oxandrolone.

The footage helped to spark a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Russia.

Following further evidence of widespread drug use, the Russian track team was suspended from all international competitions in November 2015.

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Russian Olympic champion Maria Savinova stripped of gold, banned