second at Lenzerheide, Switzerland

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second at Lenzerheide, Switzerland 6 years, 4 months ago #940

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TORONTO - For months, the thought of walking out on his team and fleeing to the U.S. lingered on Maikel Changs mind.The young midfielder talked about it with close friends on Cubas national soccer team and almost tried his luck on a few occasions, only to let fear deter him. But when he saw his chance — the night before a World Cup qualifying match in Toronto in the fall of 2012 — there was no hesitation, he said.He and two teammates, Odisnel Cooper and Heviel Cordoves, grabbed their passports and belongings while the rest of their group settled into their hotel rooms. They then slipped out through the fire escape and bolted down the street to avoid being spotted by their coaches. U.S. officials later confirmed the three had crossed the border in Niagara Falls, Ont.We had to do it if we wanted to play professional soccer. We also had to do it when we were still young, Chang, 23, told The Canadian Press in a phone interview from Charleston, S.C., where he, Cooper and Cordoves play for the Charleston Battery in a lower-tier professional league.We had already played at all levels in the national team and we realized that there was nowhere else to go, he said in Spanish.Dozens of top athletes — including many from Cuba — have defected during international competitions in an effort to escape persecution or to move up to a larger market.Its too early to tell whether the thawing relations between Cuba and the U.S., which will ease travel restrictions and may affect immigration policies, will reduce the incentive for Cuban athletes to defect while playing abroad, experts said as Ontario prepares to welcome thousands of athletes for the Pan Am and Parapan Games this summer.When Canada last hosted the Games in 1999, eight members of the Cuban delegation defected, stirring tensions between the two countries as Cuban officials accused Canadian media of inciting athletes to jump ship. When Winnipeg first staged the Games in 1967, a Cuban boxer defected shortly after winning a gold medal.Two players from the Cuban womens soccer team defected in 2011 after facing off with the Canadian team in Vancouver in an Olympic qualifying match. They crossed into the U.S., where they were reunited with relatives.It is fairly common given that these events bring people from different places in the world...They may be persecuted due to their sexual orientation, due to their political opinion and other grounds, said Jamie Liew, an Ottawa lawyer specializing in immigration and refugee law.In our culture, we view athletes as being quite well off, being compensated for the work that they do, who live charmed lives, (but) its very different for people who may come from different countries, she said.Athletes in certain sports, such as soccer and baseball, can often find better opportunities in North America, said Bruce Kidd, an expert on the history and political economy of Canadian sports at the University of Toronto.But should travel between Cuba and the U.S. become easier in the next few years, they might not need to defect to get their big break, he said.Many Russian athletes defected during the Cold War, when movement in and out of the Eastern Bloc was heavily controlled, Kidd said.Since then, he said, the freeing up of travel has significantly reduced the driver for a lot of this and Russian athletes dont have to defect to have opportunities to train and compete in the United States, Canada and Western Europe.Both Liew and Chang, however, said its unlikely the softening relationship between Havana and Washington will affect athletes decisions at this time.There is still a lot of uncertainty, Liew said. In the last few weeks there has been an increase of Cubans trying to get to the U.S. due to U.S. policy with regards to Cuban refugees. There is a healthy skepticism that anything in the near future will change in Cuba.Chang said he cant predict whether Cuban athletes will try to defect during this summers Pan Am Games, but he doesnt believe the new diplomatic developments will be a factor.Fear, and concerns about leaving relatives behind, are more likely to influence athletes considering defection, he said.I can tell you that all my fellow Cuban players would like to be here to play professional soccer but this is a very difficult decision to make, said Chang, who was barred from returning to Cuba for eight years but talks to his mother daily through email.This is a decision you cannot undo.Athletes seeking to stay in Canada rather than head south of the border will have to go through the same process as any other asylum-seekers, Canadian officials said.Canadas refugee policies are applied consistently regardless of any special event, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said in an email.In the past, there were allegations that Ottawa — or NGOs acting with federal approval — actively encouraged defection, Kidd said, more to embarrass its political rivals than to bolster Canadian teams.More recently, he said, Canada has not gone out of its way to recruit defectors, it has simply considered and supported those who have asked for refugee status._ With files from Marie-Espérance Cerda Domantas Sabonis Jersey . 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Bernadette Schild was third overall, and Kathrin Zettel of Austria fourth. After Hansdotter could not match her time, it was down to Bernadette Schild -- nine years younger at 23 and seeking her first win -- to stop her sibling equalling the record. "She wouldnt have got any Christmas presents," Marlies Schild said after winning her third straight race at Courchevel, but her first since winning a slalom race at Soldeu-Grandvalira in Andorra in February 2012. "Its a very big (weight) falling off my body and my heart. Its nearly two years ago since my last victory. Everyone was asking and asking what the problem was. I wasnt feeling very good for a long time now." Canadas Marie-Michele Gagnon finished sixth to continue her hot start to the Olympic season. The 24-year-old from Lac-Etchemin, Que., cemented her reputation as a multi-discipline medal contender for the 2014 Sochi Olympics on a challenging course. "Im showing consistency. Im excited," said Gagnon, who also competes in giant slalom, super-G, super combined and sometimes downhill. "I really feel like Im in a magical moment right now. "It was not an easy one today, thats for sure. Especially with not training slalom for a long time, I just wanted to make it down so for sure Im happy." Gagnon was fifth in the slalom and 10th in the giant slalom in the opening World Cup, then added a sixth and a 10th-place finish in super-G races earlier this month. She looked poised for her first World Cup podium in giant slalom last weekend before she went out four gates from the finish. Brittany Phelan, of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 27th on Tuesday while Elli Terwiel of Sun Peaks, B.C., didnt qualify for the second run. Erin Mielzynski of Collingwood, Ont., and Mikaela Tommy, of Wakefield, Que., were among 25 racers who didnt finish their first runs. Matching Schneiders record from 1986-95 was an extra bonus for Schild. "Lindsey (Vonn) was always saying If you make records, its the only thing you remember. I dont think thats the main thing," Marlies said. "Its just that (it means) you are a good skier when you break records. Im glad that its over now." Last season, she stopped racing in March to recover from another knee injury, but the hunger to keep going fuelled her recovery. "I lost some years because of injuries and always had the feeling that I could do moore, and thats the reason Im still here," she said.dddddddddddd "I had back problems and knee surgery. I didnt know if I could do it again. I was thinking a lot, I was thinking too much. But now Ive got my self-confidence back." World champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who was seventh after the first run, finished 12th. She won the seasons opening slalom at Levi, Finland, last month, but it has been a miserable few days for the 18-year-old. After failing to finish Sundays giant slalom in St. Moritz, this was her lowest finish since placing 13th in GS at Maribor, Slovenia, in January, and her lowest slalom finish since 15th in Schladming, Austria, in March 2012. "I think I needed that today. I cant win everything. I dont think its good to win everything (because) then I just become complacent," she said. "So I need to know that Marlies is back. Thats the coolest thing for me because its nice to know Im not the Snow Queen." She expects fierce competition from Marlies over the next few months. "For her it wasnt even that impressive. Thats saying something. Shes an amazing skier and I kept saying that I thought she was the best slalom skier," Shiffrin said. "I dont think I own that title, I think she owns it." Tessa Worley, the Frenchwoman who won a giant slalom in St. Moritz last weekend, was taken to hospital after falling back on her skis and tearing a right knee ligament in the first run. The International Ski Federation said she will miss the rest of the season, ruling her out of the Sochi Olympics in February. Bernadette was .13 seconds faster than Hansdotter and .20 clear of her elder sister after the first run. Marlies, who took slalom bronze at the 2006 Olympics, flew down the Stade Emile Allais course on her second run -- .80 seconds faster than Zettel on the first split, .80 quicker on the second, and 1.43 quicker as she crossed the line. Bernadette was more than one second behind. Still, she earned a big hug from Marlies at the finish line for securing her second career podium result, after finishing second at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in March. Being in the unfamiliar position of leading the race gave her some added stress. "It wasnt too easy to me. I had to breathe deeply to get my heart rate down," Bernadette said. "Its different to stand up there when youre the last one down." Worley, the giant slalom world champion, toppled backward before twisting forward and landing in the safety netting. She slowly got back up, and was taken to a hospital in Lyon. No further information was immediately available. "I feel bad for her. She was in really good shape," Marlies said. "I know what its like to have so many injuries." Anthony Sechaud, coach of the French women, said the injury likely occurred when Worley got her leg tangled up in the protective netting. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '

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