The Seawanhaka Sports Run Down is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, and national, and international level.
By: OSCAR FOCK & SHEA ROBARDS / NEWS CO-EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER
Two School Records Broken in Gymnastics Bout
Despite the loss, the score was cause for some celebration on Sunday, Feb. 13, as the LIU women’s gymnastics team broke two school records against North Carolina State. 195.050, LIU’s total score, is the highest a women’s gymnastics team has earned in a meet. Star of the show was junior Amanda Loo, who broke the individual record for most points by an LIU women’s gymnast when she received a 9.925 for her floor exercise. Other LIU gymnasts also had successful outings, among those Alana Ricketts who with her 9.825 on the beam set a new personal record.
Novak Djokovic Does Not Want To Be Vaccinated, May Miss more Grand Slams
In an interview with the BBC that aired Tuesday, Feb. 15, men’s top tennis player Novak Djokovic announced that his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine stands, despite the risks it poses, both from a health perspective and to his future in tennis. Last month, Djokovic vaccination-status garnered much attention, when he was detained twice and then deported from Australia just before the Australian Open for not following COVID-19 travel rules. He missed that tournament, and now there is a very good chance he will miss more. Next up on 2022’s Grand Slam schedule is the French Open in May, and given France’s strict vaccination requirements for sports events Djokovic is going to miss that one too, unless he gets vaccinated. The only player on the men’s top 100 rankings to not be vaccinated, Djokovic has turned into one of the most well-known champions against the COVID-19 vaccine.
Eric Kay Guilty of Providing the Fentanyl That Killed Skaggs, Jury Finds
In 2019, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died of an overdose of the opiod fentanyl. Accused of providing Skaggs with the pills that killed him was former team employee Eric Kay. The ruling came down Thursday, Feb. 17, after two weeks of trial. Kay was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, and he now faces decades in prison. The case, beyond Skagg’s death, highlighted drug use across pro baseball, and other players, including a teammate during the 2019 season, testified at the trial about his own drug use. Kay’s attorney said that the ruling would be appealed. If it stands, the length of the sentence will be determined on June 28.
American Figure Skater Nathan Chen takes Gold
With a score of 113.97 in his short program, breaking the record for the highest score in figure skating history, Nathan Chen proved that these 2022 Olympics was simply a race for 2nd. At the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Nathan Chen became the first man in figure skating history to land 5 quadruple jumps in a single performance. Building his way from a new record he entered the 2018 Olympic games hopeful. But it was not until the 2022 games that he took home gold. His rise to the top after his 2018 fall was the talk of the stadium at the beginning of the games. This redemption climb combined with the skills he’s mastered the last 4 years may have been the reason he earned the name “Quad King”.
Johannes Thingnes Boe Marked 15th Gold Medal for Norway
Thus far, Norway is walking away with 15 gold medals this Winter Olympics, 4 of which were earned by Johannes Thingnes Boe. Winning his third Olympics with another gold, Boe's 15km mass start marked Norway’s 15th gold medal at the 2022 Games, the most gold medals a nation has ever won at a single Winter Olympics. Boe won four gold medals in six events in Beijing, grabbing bronze and a fifth-place finish in the other two. The 28-year-old now has five career golds and eight career Olympic medals after winning one and three, respectively, in 2018. Boe leaves these Olympic Winter Games with medals won from five of the six events in which he participated, adding to the three golds in the 10km sprint, men’s 4x7.5km relay, and mixed relay 4x6km, including the bronze in the men’s 20km individual.