The United States women’s curling team still has three matches remaining in the round-robin session of the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, Team USA may not earn a more thrilling win than its comeback victory over China on Sunday.
The team of Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson and Taylor Anderson-Heide fell behind 4-1 after the fifth end. But the rally began with a 2-0 win in the fifth, cutting the match deficit to 4-3. The U.S. comeback appeared to be stanched with China expanding its lead to 5-3 heading into the seventh end. Yet that just set up an impressive comeback during the next three ends.
“We just had to stick with it,” said Tara Peterson, the Team USA skip (via NBC Sports). “We had a good team meeting at the fifth end break of what we needed to do to flip it around for us for the second half, and we got more energy and our draw speed got a little bit better, and we kind of kept the pressure on them to make some tough shots.”
With that added energy, Team USA stole the point in the ninth and 10th ends for an improbable win. And the Americans pulled off the victory with a stirring comeback, creating one of the most spectacular victories in U.S. curling memory
Still down 5-4 going into the ninth end, Rui Wang missed on her attempt to knock a U.S. stone out of the button. That allowed Team USA to steal the point and tie the match at 5-5 going into the 10th end. From there, the best was truly saved for last.
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China had the hammer going into the final end and built a virtual fortress of stones around the button. But Tabitha Peterson somehow managed to maneuver through the traffic with a deft touch to make it difficult for Wang to thread the proverbial needle with her next throw.
Unfortunately for China, Wang didn’t get enough of a push, leaving her stone at the back of the house. That opened an opportunity for Peterson to lay her stone closest to the center, stealing the point and a win for the U.S.
“I think it says a lot about our team. We’re not going to give up,” Peterson said after the match, via Olympics.com. “Just keep the game tight, and anything can happen, even if it’s a steal in the last end.”
After six sessions in round-robin play, the U.S. is second in the standings at 4-1. Only Sweden is ahead with a 5-0 record and Switzerland is right behind Team USA at 3-1. The Swiss face Great Britain on Monday at 3:05 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the U.S. will face home country Italy earlier in the day at 1:05 p.m. ET.
LeBron James was flippant when asked on Sunday if he plans to play another NBA season. And his answer to the question remains the same as it has been: He doesn’t know.
James was asked about his NBA plans beyond this season during a news conference ahead of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. Here’s his answer:
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“I want to live,” James responded. “When I know, you guys will know. I don’t know. I have no idea. I just want to live, that’s all.”
In scheduling his own news conference, James prompted speculation that he might have news to announce regarding his future plans. But he didn’t have any news on that front and appeared perturbed when asked about it.
Will he or won’t he?
The topic came up prior to James’ 22nd All-Star game, extending his own NBA record. At 41 years old, he remains a high-level player when he’s available to play.
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Through 36 games, James is averaging 22 points, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game for a 33-21 Lakers team that entered the All-Star break in fifth place in the Western Conference. He appears to have more gas in the tank if he wants to play a 24th NBA season.
He also has a historic amount of basketball mileage on his body as the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played. And his legacy has long been secured.
But his basketball future remains a mystery. There’s speculation that James wants to stage a retirement tour that could potentially include a reunion and a third stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. If that’s his desire, he surely wouldn’t say so in public while still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Either way, James is sticking to his story about his plans for next season: He doesn’t know.
The BYU guard tore his ACL in the team’s win over Colorado on Saturday, he announced on social media on Sunday afternoon. He will now miss the rest of the season, his final one with the Cougars.
“Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. They mean more than you know,” he wrote on Instagram, in part. “To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking. I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love. These past four years have shaped who I am — on and off the court.
“Cougar Nation, thank you. Through the ups and downs, you’ve stuck with me. I’ll never forget that.”
Saunders went down not even a minute into No. 22 BYU’s 90-86 overtime win against Colorado on Saturday night. He crashed down hard awkwardly under the rim after he drove to the basket before kicking a pass back out on the Cougars’ first possession of the game. He remained down for quite some time and was eventually helped off the court at the Marriott Center. He limped off to the locker room and did not return.
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Saunders is the best player on BYU’s roster other than star freshman AJ Dybantsa. The senior entered Saturday’s game averaging 18.8 points and six rebounds per game while shooting just shy of 49% from the field. He earned first team All-Big 12 honors last season, and was the league’s Most Improved Player.
“I think it sucked the life out of the gym, if I’m being honest,” BYU coach Kevin Young said after the game, via The Associated Press. “You never want to see an injury to any player, but definitely [not] to someone who’s the heart and soul of our team [and] bleeds BYU blue. Just didn’t like seeing it.”
What’s next for a struggling BYU?
Though Saunders played a big role in BYU’s early-season success and the high expectations that came with it, the Cougars have struggled lately. Saunders’ absence is only going to make things that much more difficult for Dybantsa and the Cougars.
BYU, after starting the season 16-1 with just a narrow two-point loss to UConn early on that kept it from being perfect, is coming off a very rough stretch in the Big 12. The Cougars lost five of six games, four of which came against ranked opponents, almost unraveling completely.
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Saturday’s win over Colorado was the team’s second straight, following a five-point victory at Baylor.
It’s not going to get any easier for BYU, either. It’ll travel Wednesday to Arizona, which will lose its No. 1 ranking on Monday after dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season this week. The Cougars will then have to host No. 5 Iowa State, which is fresh off a huge win against Kansas on Saturday. Texas Tech awaits early next month, too.
A big win or two over the next several weeks, whether in the regular season or Big 12 tournament, would go a long way in getting the Cougars back on track. Now, though, they’ll have to find a way to do it without Saunders.
MILAN — About an hour after securing her second medal of these Olympics on Sunday night, the world’s most famous speedskater fielded a question from a reporter that made her chuckle.
Of course, Jutta Leerdam hadn’t yet sifted through all the messages on her phone after taking silver in the women’s 500 meters. The Dutch star still had unopened messages from six days earlier when she won the 1,000 meters and set a new Olympic record.
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“[My phone] always blows up kinda a lot,” Leerdam said. “I probably need a day.”
In a niche sport that seldom receives much attention outside of the speedskating-obsessed Netherlands and a few other hotspots, Leerdam, 27, has built an audience that extends far beyond the oval. She is the sport’s one true rock star, a cultural and social media sensation who was already an international icon even before she began dating YouTube influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in 2023.
More than 6 million people follow Leerdam on Instagram. Millions more follow her on other platforms. She’s so famous in the Netherlands that Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima climbed down from the stands to request a trackside selfie with her after her victory in the 1,000 meters.
Whereas Paul’s presence in boxing inspires intense debate over whether he is elevating the sport or diminishing it, Leerdam invokes no such discussion. The six-time world champion’s credentials as an elite speedskating sprinter were ironclad even before her display of explosive speed on the Olympic stage this week.
Dutch skaters Jutta Leerdam and Femke smile during the medal ceremony after competing in the speed skating women’s 500-meter at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/Getty Images)
(DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Last Monday, in the defining moment of her athletic career so far, Leerdam won her signature 1,000 meters by nearly three-tenths of a second over teammate Femke Kok. Six days later, the two Dutch stars inverted the order in the 500, with Kok clocking a time of 36.49 seconds to win gold and smash the Olympic record and Leerdam taking second place nearly seven-tenths of a second off the pace.
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To Leerdam, silver in the 500 was “the ideal result.” When she posted the fastest 500 time with three pairs left to skate, she was worried that someone besides Kok would bump her down to bronze or even off the medal podium. Leerdam said she never considered it realistic to defeat Kok, the world-record holder and three-time world champion in the 500 who hasn’t lost a race at that distance in two years.
“This is such a win for me,” Leerdam said, silver medal draped around her neck. “I already felt complete after the win in the 1,000 and now I have this one. So, yeah, very grateful.”
A video posted to Paul’s Instagram after Sunday night’s 500 showed him in the stands in Milan clapping for his fiancée as she crossed the finish line and shouting to no one in particular, “She’s in first! She’s in first!” The caption below the video read, “she’s so amazing wow another medal you inspire us all @juttaleerdam.”
Following controversies involving the double touching of stones in matches on Day 8 of the 2026 Winter Olympics, World Curling has made changes to its umpiring setup for the remainder of the men’s and women’s round-robin and playoff sessions.
Both Canada’s women’s curling team and Great Britain’s men’s club had stones pulled from the sheet during matches when umpires ruled that players had touched the rock after it passed the hog line, after which contact cannot be made again.
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On Saturday, Canada skipper Rachel Homan had her first stone pulled in a match against Switzerland. Officials were asked why the call couldn’t be reviewed by video, but World Curling rules don’t allow for that during a match.
Great Britain’s Bobby Lammie had a stone removed during Sunday’s match versus Germany for the same reason. He appeared to be shocked by the ruling.
World Curling quickly changes umpiring protocols
Apparently, having two such infractions occur in a matter of hours prompted the change from World Curling. Initially, the sport’s governing body ruled that two umpires would move between the four sheets being played upon during a match and officials would be “observing the delivery” of throws approaching the hog line closely.
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Yet after play on Sunday, the organization changed its protocols and declared that umpires would only monitor deliveries upon a team request. Otherwise, the two umpires would be available during a match but not step in to rule on such a play because it wasn’t possible to have an official stationed at each of the four hog lines.
World Curling said the change was decided after meeting “with representatives of the competing National Olympic Committees.”
Canada’s men’s curling team was also involved in a double-touching rule controversy when Marc Kennedy was accused by Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson of making contact with his stone after it crossed the hog line. Kennedy made headlines by telling Eriksson to “f*** off,” leading to a tense exchange. But an umpire didn’t rule on the play and no stone was removed.
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Adding to the controversy, Canada coach Paul Webster alleged that Sweden had positioned staff and fans at the hog lines to film opponents’ releases. Sweden denied the accusation, and Canadian officials said they would not pursue formal sanctions, SportsNet reported.
Video review the solution?
Though it likely won’t happen during the 2026 Winter Olympics, a possible solution for future competitions may be to allow video reviews of possible contact at the hog line. But there are differing opinions on the matter.
“If they bring that in, I think it probably disrupts the speed of play,” Sweden’s Johanna Heldin said to the Associated Press. “We’ve always been a game that tries to play by the rules and have that high sportsmanship level, so hopefully we can figure that back out.”
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However, Team USA’s Tara and Tabitha Peterson said they would support video reviews, pointing to how so many other sports use them.
The NBA All-Star Game will be played this Sunday, Feb. 15. The midseason exhibition has a new format this year, with three teams competing in a round-robin tournament. Team USA Stars, led by J.B. Bickerstaff, includes Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards. Team USA Stripes, led by Mitch Johnson, includes Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Team World will include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama, with Darko Rajaković coaching.
The All-Star tournament tips off 5 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC and streams live on Peacock. Here’s the full NBA All-Star Weekend schedule and everything you need to know to watch the game.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Championship Game will be held Sunday, Feb. 15. Leading up to the All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Weekend has a packed slate of events, including the three-point contest and slam dunk contest.
NBA All-Star Weekend schedule
Friday, Feb. 13
Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Rising Stars Game 1 – Team Melo vs. Team Austin: 9 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Rising Stars Game 2 – Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac: 9:55 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Castrol Rising Stars Championship: 10:35 p.m. ET (Peacock)
NBA HBCU Classic (Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T): 11 p.m. ET (Peacock)
Saturday, Feb. 14
NBA All-Star Media Day presented by AT&T: 1:30 p.m. ET (NBA App, NBA TV)
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver news conference: 4 p.m. ET (NBA App, NBA TV)
NBA All-Star Saturday Night: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
State Farm 3-Point Contest: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
Kia Shooting Stars: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
AT&T Slam Dunk Contest: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
Sunday, Feb. 15
NBA G League Next Up Game: 2:30 p.m. ET (NBA App)
All-Star Game 1 – Stars vs. World: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
All-Star Game 2 – Stripes vs. Game 1 Winner: 5:55 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
All-Star Game 3 – Stripes vs. Game 1 Loser: 6:25 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
All-Star Championship: 7:10 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)
What channel is the NBA All-Star Game on?
The NBA All-Star Game will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription that includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
MILAN — For a team that comfortably won all three of its group-stage games to secure a bye to the Olympic men’s hockey quarterfinals, the U.S. will head to the knockout round with plenty of questions to answer.
The Americans started slowly in each game and weren’t as convincing as expected against a feeble group with no other credible medal threats.
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A 5-1 victory over Germany on Sunday night served as a small step in the right direction. Auston Matthews scored two goals, Connor Hellebuyck further entrenched himself as the starting goalie and the U.S. finally seized control of the game in the latter two periods after being held scoreless for nearly the entire opening session.
Zach Werenski got the Americans on the board with 8.7 seconds left in the first period when he found space near the right face-off circle and fired the puck past German goalie Maximilian Franzreb. The goal salvaged a lackluster period for the Americans during which the Germans threatened to score first.
The U.S. found its footing in the second period thanks to goals from Matthews and Brock Faber. Matthews forced home the rebound of a Quinn Hughes shot from the point. Then Faber lofted a soft shot that appeared to be heading straight for Franzreb’s glove, but the German goalie whiffed on the catch and allowed the puck to find the net.
Tage Thompson and Matthews added goals early in the third period to extend the U.S. lead to 5-0. Only then did Germany finally get on the board as Tim Stützle found space near the left face-off circle and beat Hellebuyck gloveside.
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The U.S.’s reward for winning its group is potentially a tougher-than-expected quarterfinal. The second-seeded Americans will likely face Sweden on Wednesday assuming the seventh-seeded Swedes survive a knockout-round matchup with Latvia.
Sweden arrived in Milan as a medal favorite with a roster loaded with NHL talent. The Swedes won two of their three group-stage games, but finished in a three-way tie atop their group with Finland and Slovakia and lost that tiebreaker due to goal differential.
The last time the U.S. men’s hockey team captured Olympic gold, a group of college standouts and minor-league nobodies engineered the Miracle on Ice. Forty-six years later, the Americans are hoping that it is at last their time again.
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That goal is still attainable, but the U.S. will have to raise its level of play.
Gold-medal favorite Canada outscored its three group-stage opponents by a score of 20-3. The U.S. hasn’t quite met that standard.
1. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet 3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford 4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet 5. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford 6. Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford 7. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford 8. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota 9. Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford 10. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota 11. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford 12. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet 13. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet 14. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet 15. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet 16. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet 17. Cody Ware, No. 51 Chevrolet 18. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet 19. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet 20. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet 21. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota 22. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet 23. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota 24. Cole Custer, No. 41 Chevrolet 25. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford 26. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota 27. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford 28. Corey Heim, No. 67 Toyota 29. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Toyota 30. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 97 Chevrolet 31. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota 32. Casey Mears, No. 66 Ford 33. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Chevrolet 34. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford 35. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota 36. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota 37. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet 38. Justin Allgaier, No. 40 Chevrolet 39. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford 40. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet 41. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Chevrolet
Daytona 500 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
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Sunday, Feb. 15 1:30 p.m.: Daytona 500 (Fox)
Daytona 500 starting lineup
1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford 4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford 6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 7. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford 10. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 11. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 12. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 14. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15. Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet* 16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet 17. Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford 18. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford 20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 23. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet 24. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 25. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford 26. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota 27. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota 28. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota 29. Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota 30. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 31. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 32. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 33. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 34. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 35. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 36. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford 37. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet* 38. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 39. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet* 40. Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet 41. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford*
*-Moved to the rear of the field for switching to a back-up car.
For William Byron to win and unprecedented third straight Daytona 500, he’ll have to come from the back of the field after being collected in a crash during one of Thursday’s qualifying duels. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The long 15-week wait is almost over as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season returns with its biggest annual event, the Daytona 500. This year will mark the 66th running of “The Great American Race” on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.
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In all, 41 drivers compete on Sunday, led to the green flag by Kyle Busch, who won the pole and is looking for his first Daytona 500 win in 21 starts. The field includes former seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, who is being granted an Open Exemption Provisional, meaning the two-time event winner is locked into the field, but cannot earn championship points or prize money.
William Byron is looking to become the only driver ever to win three straight Daytona 500s after joining select company with his second straight win in the 2025 edition. That list includes Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84), Sterling Marlin (1994-95) and Denny Hamlin (2019-20). If he does it, Byron will have won from the lowest position on the grid — 39th — in the history of the event.
This year’s Daytona 500 will feature eight previous winners, with Hamlin entering with the most Harley J. Earl trophies at three.
Daytona 500 race details
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval) in Daytona Beach, Florida Banking: Turns – 31 degrees | Tri-oval – 18 degrees | Backstretch – 3 degrees Race length: 200 laps for 500 miles Stage lengths: Stage 1 – 65 laps | Stage 2 – 65 laps | Stage 3 – 70 laps
Top drivers and best bets for the Daytona 500
Owing to the unpredictable nature of the Daytona 500, two-time defending champion William Byron has the second-best odds at +1400. Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano hold the best odds at 12-to-1. All odds courtesy of BetMGM.
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Best odds to win the Daytona 500
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg recommends spreading smaller bets around a handful of drivers rather than big wagers on one or two top names. He suggests good mid-tier value can be found in 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace (+2200) as Wallace has the highest average Daytona finish of anyone in the field at 14.4, including two second-place runs. If you’re looking for a longshot, Bromberg points out that Josh Berry’s (+3500) Wood Brothers team has an alliance with the aforementioned favored Penskes while Erik Jones (+4000) has five straight top-20 finishes at Daytona and won this event back in 2018.
Daytona 500 entry list
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Daniel Suárez, No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota Chandler Smith, No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford* Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet* Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet* Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet* Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford* Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota* Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet* Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Corey LaJoie, No. 99 RFK Racing Ford*
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*-Open entry, not guaranteed to make the 41-car field.
Daytona 500 race week weather
According to Yahoo Weather, the forecast is ideal all week with daytime highs ranging from 67-76 degrees. There is only a single-digit percentage chance of rain all week … except for race day. That chance climbs to a 25% chance of rain right around the scheduled green flag (2:30 p.m. ET) on Sunday.
MILAN — There will be other pairs in Milan who score higher than the Netherlands’ Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba, other pairs who pull off more complex routines, other pairs who will take home medals. But it’s pretty safe to say there is no other pair having quite as much fun in Milan as the Dutch-by-way-of-Russia duo.
That’s what happens when you make it to the Olympics even after your own country says you can’t go.
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Danilova and Tsiba were among the first pairs to skate in the short-form program on Sunday night. By the end of the evening, the German duo of Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin posted the short program’s highest score. Two American duos finished the night in the top 10: Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea in 7th, and Emily Chan and Spencer Howe in 9th. But no one had a better time on the ice than the Dutch duo, the only figure skaters from the Netherlands at the Olympics, and the first pair from their home country ever to reach the Games.
Danilova, who is Russian, began skating with Tsiba, who is Dutch, in 2018. They found immediate success, medaling in four straight Dutch championships from 2020 to 2023 — two gold, two silver. They enjoyed a series of strong worldwide finishes leading up to the 2025 World Championships in Boston, where they finished 15th, good enough to qualify, in the eyes of the International Skating Union, for the Milan Olympics.
Netherlands’ Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba react after competing in the pair skating short program at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)
(JULIEN DE ROSA via Getty Images)
And then everything went sideways for the pair.
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In the eyes of the Dutch Olympic committee, just “good enough” to make the Olympics isn’t good enough. If you’re going to go to the Olympics wearing Dutch orange, you’d better be good enough to win, not just show up. That’s the directive of the Nederlands Olympisch Comité*Nederlandse Sport Federatie, abbreviated NOC*NSF, and it’s codified in their performance requirements for athletes seeking to attend the Olympics as members of the Netherlands.
“The ambition of NOC*NSF and the sports federations is to be among the top ten elite sports nations in the world,” the federation says. This is achieved by winning as many medals as possible in as many different sports as possible at the Olympic Games.”
In order to hit those lofty marks, NOC*NSF says, “an elite athlete must have demonstrated the potential to finish in the top eight at the Olympic Games.” In practice, that means even if an athlete qualifies for the Olympics based on an international governing body’s standards, NOC*NSF can block the athlete from attending if the athlete hasn’t met Dutch standards.
They’re serious. In 2024, NOC*NSF forbade three Dutch golfers — Joost Luiten, Darius Van Driel and Dewi Weber — from participating in the Paris Olympics, the second straight Olympics that the Netherlands had blocked certain golfers from playing. The International Golf Federation attempted to intervene on the players’ behalf, to no avail.
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In Danilova and Tsiba’s case, NOC*NSF determined that a 14th-place finish in the worlds would satisfy their expectations — one place higher than they’d finished. The federation gave the pair two more opportunities over the course of 2025 to reach the designated Dutch points benchmark, but they couldn’t do so.
The Royal Dutch Skating Federation (KNSB) appealed to NOC*NSF, arguing that the pair’s 14th-place world ranking, combined with their long string of demonstrated excellence, was enough to warrant an Olympic berth. A Change.org petition organized by fans sought the same reconsideration.
Netherlands’ Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba compete in the pair skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. (JULIEN DE ROSA/Getty Images)
(JULIEN DE ROSA via Getty Images)
Tsiba and Danilova, meanwhile, rode the “emotional rollercoaster,” in Tsiba’s words, between exultation and heartbreak.
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“I remember when I was just driving, and I’m happy trying to train, and I think all of a sudden, ‘Olympic Games,’ and I just start crying out of the blue,” Tsiba said. “I’m cooking, I’m with my music on, listening to, I don’t know, Eminem or something. And then I think about the Olympic Games, and I’m starting to cry because it’s like a knife in your heart, you know?”
“It’s rare that a request to use discretionary powers is approved,” André Cats, director of elite sports at NOC*NSF, said in December. “There have to be truly exceptional reasons. After thoroughly examining the situation, we’re convinced this is the case, and that’s why we’ve made this exceptional decision.”
With their Olympic future assured, and their pairs skate short program date set for more than a week after the Opening Ceremony, Danilova and Tsiba enjoyed every bit of their Olympic experience. They attended the Opening Ceremony and stayed so long that they were the last Dutch athletes still in the stadium. They visited the pin-trading hub in Milan. They reveled in the glory of the Olympic village.
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“One of the best skaters in the Netherlands, she guided us a little bit and she was like, ‘OK, we’re making a plan for you guys,’” Tsiba said. “Because you skate quite late at an event, you come here, first two days you’re a tourist … She said that when she went to the Games [for the first time], she was so much in her bubble that afterwards she was like, ‘I didn’t enjoy anything.’”
And once they finally reached the ice, how did Danilova and Tsiba perform, given the chance? Well … they had fun, at least. They cycled through a graceful routine set to Raury’s “Take Back the Power,” and when it was done, they embraced and kissed at center ice. They finished 17th out of 19 pairs, missing out on qualifying for the free skate by 0.58 points. But they smiled throughout, and they spent a good long time after their skate laughing with several assembled media members.
“All the things that happened within the season are behind us,” Tsiba said, “and we got to have a fresh new start. So that’s amazing, yeah.”
They may have lost at the Olympics, but they made sure they didn’t lose the party.
Morikawa survived a packed leaderboard, and a late push from Scottie Scheffler, to claim the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday afternoon. It marked his first win since the 2023 season.
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Morikawa posted a 5-under 67 in the final round to get to 22-under on the week. That gave him a one-shot win over the field in the first signature event of the PGA Tour season. As a result, Morikawa is taking home a $3.6 million check.
Morikawa had to birdie the final hole to pick up his win, thanks to late charges from Min Woo Lee and Scottie Scheffler, who rallied from eight shots back to get into contention. Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, made three eagles on the day to get to T4.
Morikawa has now won seven times in his career, though it was his first since the Zozo Championship nearly 850 days ago. He was incredibly emotional after the win, too, and revealed on CBS that he and his wife, Katherine, are now expecting their first child.
Here’s how much Morikawa and the rest of the field this week at Pebble Beach.
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2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Payouts
1. Collin Morikawa — $3.6 million T2. Min Woo Lee, Sepp Straka — $1.76 million T4. Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood — $877,500 T6. Sam Burns, Akshay Bhatia — $715,000 T8. Ryo Hisatsune, Shane Lowry, Nico Echavarria, Jake Knapp, Jacob Bridgeman, Hideki Matsuyama — $515,000 T14. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Hoge — $342,750 18. Tony Finau —$292,000 T19. Rickie Fowler, Brian Harman, Xander Schauffele, Alex Smalley, Russell Henley — $235,000 T24. Jason Day, Nick Taylor, Ryan Fox, Harris English — $162,000 T29. Keegan Bradley, Max McGreevy, Alex Noren, Jordan Spieth, Maverick McNealy — $125,200 T34. Sami Valimaki, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith — $104,000 T37. Justin Rose, Bud Cauley, J.T. Poston, Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Åberg, Max Greyserman, Robert MacIntyre, Ben Griffin — $78,375 T45. Ryan Gerard, J.J. Spaun, Si Woo Kim — $57,000 T48. Pierceson Coody, Kurt Kitayama, Billy Horschel, Andrew Novak $49,250 T52. Patrick Rodgers, Chris Kirk, Keith Mitchell — $45,000 T55. Cameron Young, Sam Stevens, Denny McCarthy — $42,000 T58. Viktor Hovland, Wyndham Clark — $39,750 T60. Sahith Theegala, Aldrich Potgieter, Garrick Higgo, Steven Fisk — $38,250 T64. Emiliano Grillo, Marco Penge, Lucas Glover — $36,500 T67. Rico Hoey, Stephan Jaeger, Matt McCarty — $35,083 T70. Kevin Yu, Corey Conners — $34,375 72. Michael Kim — $34,000 T73. Aaron Rai, Matti Schmid — $33,625 T75. Joe Highsmith, Daniel Berger — $33,125 77. Adam Schenk — $32,750 T78. Brian Campbell, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jhonattan Vegas — $32,250
