Pierre Vaultier WINS GOLD Snowboard Men's Cross 2014 Sochi Winter

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — Pierre Vaultier of France held off hard-charging Nikolay Olyunin of Russia to win gold in men's Olympic snowboardcross on Tuesday. Vaultier fended off several advances by Olyunin in the final, drawing clear over the final jumps to victory. The 26-year-old Vaultier won all four of his races in the midst of a steady drizzle that created plenty of the chaos — the signature of snowboarding's answer to auto racing. Alex Deibold of the U.S. grabbed bronze after narrowly edging teammate Trevor Jacob in the semifinals. The event was pushed back a day due to heavy fog, with officials modifying the format to cancel the seedings run and go straight to the elimination rounds.Nate Holland didn't crash, but the American medal hopeful didn't make it out of the first round of races. Holland, who won his seventh Winter X Games gold medal in the event last month, was running second in his 1/8 final to Jacob when he lost momentum on a bad landing. Only the top three riders in each heat moved on to the quarterfinals. A fourth American, Nick Baumgartner, was also eliminated before the quarters. Kevin Hill was the only one of four Canadian competitors to make it as far as the semifinals but he crashed after Spain's Lucas Eguibar clipped the back of his board. Jake Holden, Christopher Robanske and Robert Fagan were also in the field. France's Paul-Henri De Le Rue, Norway's Stian Sivertzen and Italy's Luca Matteotti finished behind Deibold in that order in the big final. Eguibar won the small final to finish in seventh place.Kevin Hill was the only one of four Canadian competitors to make it as far as the semifinals but he crashed after Spain's Lucas Eguibar clipped the back of his board. Jake Holden, Christopher Robanske and Robert Fagan were also in the field. France's Paul-Henri De Le Rue, Norway's Stian Sivertzen and Italy's Luca Matteotti finished behind Deibold in that order in the big final. Eguibar won the small final to finish in seventh place. American Seth Wescott had won the first two Olympic men's snowboard cross gold medals, but didn't compete this time.

Bode Miller defends NBC for airing interview

Bode Miller's bronze medal Sunday brought the spotlight on him in a much more feel-good way than his early struggles in Sochi had. But it also brought out his emotions and shined light on his personal hardships. Specifically Miller's younger brother Chelone, who died last year after suffering a seizure. Like Miller, Chelone wanted to be an Olympian. When that was brought up in an interview with NBC's Christin Cooper, Miller got emotional. Then he cried. And the NBC cameras kept rolling.Bode Miller, 36, the oldest person to win an alpine media at the Olympic Games and the most medalled skier in history, was brought to tears post-race, after former Olympic racer Cooper fired countless invasive questions at him regarding the death of his brother until he crouched to the ground, unable to finish the interview. Although Miller started the discussion about his brother, Chilly, a professional snowboarder who died of an apparent seizure reportedly related to a brain injury from an old motorcycle accident, Cooper continued with the questions and the camera zoomed in tight as tears were rolling down Bode Miller’s cheeks.“With my brother passing away, I really wanted to come back here and race the way he sends it. So this was a little different,” Bode said. When asked if the race was for him, he responded with “I mean, I don’t know it’s really for him. But I wanted to come here and uh — I don’t know, I guess make my self proud.”The reporter has been receiving a ton of criticism on social media for badgering Bode into answering questions about his brother when he clearly was having an emotional moment.

Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi Full Fight UFC Fight Night 36

This Saturday night (February 15, 2014) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi will battle for pivotal title implications in the main event of UFC Fight Night 36, airing live on FOX Sports 1 from Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. We've come to realize that nothing is guaranteed in mixed martial arts (MMA), but former UFC light heavyweight champion Machida can potentially lock up a 185-pound title shot by defeating Mousasi in "Dreamcatcher's" UFC middleweight debut.The main event of tonight's (Sat., Feb. 15, 2014) UFC Fight Night 36: "Machida vs. Mousasi" Fox Sports 1 broadcast will feature a middleweight showcase pitting Lyoto Machida opposite Gegard Mousasi in what could very well be a number one contender bout with a shot at the 185-pound title on the line.The main card will be on Fox Sports 1, starting at 10:30 PM ET. One of my personal favorites, Bronx Charlie Aloe-Vera will be taking on Andy “No, No, I’m Not Crying, I Just Have Something In My Eye” Ogle, plus Erick Silva looks to rebound from his tragic Donging as he faces off against newcomer Takenori Sato. In the co-main event, Ronnie Gators himself, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza goes up against Francis Carmont, and the main event features two men vying for a middleweight title shot, as Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi square off. It should be a fun night of fights, replete with crazy, angry Brazilian fans screaming mean things at foreign fighters.

Russian Sotnikova Wins Gold Medal in Figure Skating

Bursting from the shadow of her adored teammate, Adelina Sotnikova gave Russia its first gold medal in women's Olympic figure skating.While much-heralded Julia Lipnitskaia was stumbling, the 17-year-old Sotnikova soared. When she won the free skate Thursday at the Sochi Games, she denied South Korea's Yuna Kim from defending her title and confirmed Russian command of the sport.The Russians have won three figure skating gold medals at these Olympics: team, pairs and women's.Only this latest one was a surprise. A huge surprise.Going into the Games, Sotnikova was overshadowed by the rematch narrative between Kim and Japan's Mao Asada, the 2010 silver medalist. The 2014 Games were to be Asada's second chance at gold, and because she can execute the triple axel, she posed a threat.But on Wednesday, she failed to land the triple axel in her short program, putting her in 16th place and well out of medal contention. It was ground she couldn't make up Thursday night, even though she landed a clean and thrilling triple axel in her free skate.Sotnikova wasn't even the leading contender from her own country. That distinction went to Julia Lipnitskaya, the 15 year-old wonder who ultimately came in fifth after stumbling both in her short and long programs.Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov added a gold in pairs, becoming the first skaters to win two Olympic titles in one games and reviving Russia's grand tradition in the discipline. Russia had won a pairs gold at every games from 1964 to 2006, but left Vancouver without a pairs medal of any color.The men's final was, quite frankly, a mess. But Yuzuru Hanyu rallied after two early falls and that, plus his mesmerizing short program, was enough to win the gold and give Japan its first Olympic title in men's skating. There was another first in ice dancing, as Meryl Davis and Charlie White became the first American team to win the Olympic title. Not bad for a country that didn't even have afterthought status a decade ago.

Evgeni Plushenko withdraws due to injury from Sochi Olympic

There was some stunning news on Thursday morning, as men were warming up for their short programs at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. During warm ups for the routing, Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko came down awkwardly during a jump and tweaked his back.With his removal from the competition, Russia will not have a man competition in the individual competition, which was heart-breaking for those in attendance.They are desperate to make at least a decent splash in their home-country Games, and Plushenko, well, he throws up a churning wake, always has. From the tip of his aquiline nose to the bottom of his jump-launching feet — quad-triple-double is his signature trick — he’s a platinum blond superstar.”When his name was called, Plushenko came onto the ice slowly, his hands on the small of his balky back. He waved to the home crowd and then skated slowly to the referee.After his withdrawal was announced, he waved again to the crowd and put his hands on his heart.That decision paid off when he finished second in the team short program and first in the free skate, helping Russia to its first gold of the Sochi Games.In his final full practice Wednesday, he fell three times, but was laughing and joking with Mishin after two of the flops. Mishin even said Plushenko was "ready" for the men's event. That changed Thursday, and when Plushenko limped out of the arena, the cheers turned to mild applause from the stunned audience.

Joss Christensen, U.S. men sweep Wins Gold Medal in Sochi slopestyle skiing

The U.S. has swept the podium in men's slopestyle skiing.Joss Christensen soared to gold in the sport's Olympic debut, posting a score of 95.80 on Thursday to beat teammates Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper. The gold was the fourth for the U.S. at the Sochi Winter Games, all won on the slopes of the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.I am shocked," Christensen said. "I am stoked to be up here with my friends. America, we did it.Christensen's greatest competition appeared like it would come from the 19-year-old Goepper, the favorite after dominating the freeskiing scene for the past year and coming from an unlikely place for skiing proficiency. Day after day, lap after lap, Goepper would ascend the 300-foot-tall ski slope near Lawrenceburg, Ind., and ride nonstop for hours, always in search of the perfect run. Coming into the event, certainly the USA had strong medal contenders but Christensen didn't figure to be at the top of the list. He entered the competition ranked 34th in the world but was simply superb on Thursday. A fourth American, third-ranked Bobby Brown, finished in ninth place.

Russia Wins 1st Gold Medal in Sochi in Team Figure Skating

In an arena filled with waving flags, the coronating presence of President Vladimir V. Putin, bouquets of tossed flowers and a whiff of scandal, Russia won its first gold medal Sunday as host of the Sochi Olympics, taking first place in a new team figure skating competition and reasserting its prominence in the marquee sport of the Winter Games.In no discipline did they finish worse than third in compiling 67 points heading into the free dance,to 56 for Canada and 50 for the Americans. It was a rout built on the experience of Plushenko,the consummate showman who now owns medals from four Olympics his two gold and two silver are a record for modern-era figure skaters.It was capped by the freshness of the 15-year- Lipnitskaia,who donned a Russia baseball cap when she was done with her sublime tour of the ice,sat with her triumphant teammates and grinned like the school kid she is.Jason and I were definitely a little nervous,said Gold, who finished 2nd to Lipnitskaia in a five-woman field.Our parents told us that neither of us did team sports because we didn't like having other people rely on us but also having that extra pressure.Skating to the Best of Plushenko,the Russian took adoring fans on a trip down memory lane. There were his many, many tangos.And Plushenko delighted in it all, preening and mugging for the camera. This was his night, and he was going to savor it.He was grinning as he went into his final spin,and he took several long looks around the arena when his music finished, soaking it all in. He gave a thumbs up to the roaring crowd.