Czech Ester Ledecka wins shock Olympic super-G, US’s Lindsey Vonn sixth

Czech Republic's Ester Ledecka competes in the women's super-G at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Jeongseon, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (AP)
Updated 17 February 2018
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Czech Ester Ledecka wins shock Olympic super-G, US’s Lindsey Vonn sixth

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea: Czech snowboarder Ester Ledecka sprang one of the biggest shocks in Winter Games history when she won the super-G on Saturday with US star Lindsey Vonn finishing sixth.
Ledecka, also favorite in the snowboard parallel slalom in a week’s time, clocked 1min 21.11sec down the polished 2km-long Jeongseon course to edge defending champion Anna Veith of Austria by one-hundredth of a second. Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather took bronze.
Not only did Ledecka deprive Veith of what looked like a rare double, she pushed Vonn back into sixth spot, the American star paying the price for a massive error that saw her lose valuable time at the bottom of the course.


Mid East Falcons secure United Series spot after victory over Arabia Wolves

Updated 12 sec ago
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Mid East Falcons secure United Series spot after victory over Arabia Wolves

  • Abu Dhabi franchise’s 8-2 win secures place in season-ending series against Mumbai Cobras

DUBAI: Jake Hjelle went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, and Kazuki Yabuta pitched 5.2 innings, allowing only two hits and two runs, to lead the Mid East Falcons to an 8-2 win over Arabia Wolves at Baseball United Ballpark on Saturday.

The win secured a top two finish in the Baseball United Season 1 standings for the Abu Dhabi franchise, and with that a place in the United Series against Mumbai Cobras.

Hiroyuki Nakajima went 1-for-2 with one run scored and two RBIs, while Gregori Cano batted 1-for-2 with one RBI and Alejandro de Aza went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI, to highlight Mid East’s offense in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

Kazuki Yabuta earned the victory after 5.2 innings, in which he allowed two hits, two earned runs, six walks and one strikeout. Kodai Hamaya (0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB) and Severino Gonzalez (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER) completed the pitching line for Falcons.

This result means the Falcons will face the Cobras in the fight for the Baseball United championship when they meet in the United Series starting on Dec. 12; it will be a best-of-three series to be played at Baseball United Ballpark.

Other highlights

  • Jacinto Cipriota, the standout man in the Wolves offense, was 1-for-3 with one RBI.
  • Akeem Bostick took the loss, after 2.1 IP in which he allowed one hit, three earned runs and one walk. 
  • Wolves conceded 17 runs in this double header, with only 7 runs scored.
  • Wolves now have a 4-4 record. They will hope to finish the regular season above .500 after Sunday’s game.