Jessie Diggins, 30, burst on the scene in Pyeongchang when she and teammate Kikkan Randall became the first Americans to win cross-country gold thanks to an incredible .19 second finish.
The big picture: The Minnesota native is also only the second American to win a medal in cross country in any Olympics and in January of 2021 made history again as the first American to win the multistage Tour de Ski, per Sports Illustrated.
Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle, 35, appeared in his 965th consecutive regular-season game on Tuesday, passing forward Doug Jarvis (1975–87) to become the NHL's new "Iron Man."
The big picture: Yandle's streak began on March 26, 2009. The longevity is particularly impressive given defensemen tend to play far more — and more dangerous — minutes than any position besides goaltender.
Drone's-eye viewof a municipal basketball court in Balaguer, Spain — painted in tribute to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died two years ago Wednesday.
The NFL is being sued for allegedly violating the league's relocation policies over the Chargers' move to Los Angeles, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by two former San Diego city attorneys.
Driving the news: The suit, which also names all NFL team owners and the city of San Diego as defendants, accuses the NFL and the Chargers of hiding that they had intended to move the franchise since 2006 and failing to negotiate in good faith.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) on Tuesday elected three-time World Series champion David Ortiz to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but declined to recognize Barry Bonds and other players dogged by accusations of steroid use.
Driving the news: Bonds is considered one of the all-time greats in baseball, but failed to attain enough votes in his final year on the BBWAA ballot due to allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Curler John Shuster, 39, who helped Americans win their first ever Olympic medal in 2006, heads to Beijing after winning an unlikely gold in Pyeongchang in 2018, kicking off a bit of a curling craze back home.
The big picture: Shuster's rise to Olympic glory hasn't come easily. In 2010, his team placed dead last in Vancouver and second-to-last in Sochi in 2014.Shuster and three of his 2018 teammates will now defend their gold medal win.
10 days out from the Olympics, athletes around the world are battening down the hatches in hopes of making it to Beijing COVID-free.
Why it matters:The Beijing bubble — a closed-loop system meant to shut off the outside world entirely — is the strictest ever created for a global sporting event.
Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have sent a letter to NBC Universal executives voicing concerns about "the extent of influence the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) may have over NBCUniversal’s coverage of the games."
Why it matters: The human rights abuses committed by the CCP have been the subject of intense scrutiny ahead of this year's Winter Games in Beijing. Activists last year sent a letter to NBC executives urging the network to cancel plans to cover the Olympics.
Australian Open organizers on Tuesday reversed a ban on T-shirts supporting Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai following widespread criticism.
Why it matters: Tennis Australia's announcement came less than 24 hours after the governing body defended the decision to ask fans last Friday to remove "Where is Peng Shuai?" T-shirts, citing a ticket policy prohibiting political clothing, per the BBC.
At least six people were killed and 40 others injured in a stampede during an Africa Cup of Nations soccer match in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, Monday — and officials warned the death toll could rise, per AP.
The big picture: The Confederation of African Football (CAF), which organizes the Africa Cup of Nations, said in a statement it is investigating the tragedy, which happened as fans tried to access Olembe Stadium to watch Cameroon's 2-1 win over Comoros.
