Last week, U.S. Figure Skating closed out the season on a high note, we celebrated the brothers and sisters of Team USA on National Siblings Day and Katie Ledecky set a new record - because, apparently, she hasn't broken all of them yet. Also, Claressa Shields topped an amazing milestone. Let's review what our athletes had going on, both on and off the field, pitch, pool, ice, etc.
1. “Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. She’s not only brilliant and charming but gorgeous inside and out.”
Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek is getting married! He proposed to his girlfriend in the beginning of April and graced us with some adorable quotes.
2. Kacey Bellamy has competed in nine world championships for the U.S. women’s ice hockey team and, so far, has won eight gold medals. Despite the continued success, Bellamy is still as hungry as ever to keep fighting for more hardware.
Sister, Sister
3. Sisters Maggie Steffans and Jessica Steffans are Team USA legends with a passion for the sport of water polo. Maggie penned a letter to her sister in honor of National Siblings Day, celebrating the role model her older sister has been for her, in and out of the pool.
4. Nothing can quite compare to that sibling bond.
Growing up playing water polo alongside my siblings is something I will carry with me forever, and thanks for writing about the sisterly love that you two share @maggiesteffens! Waiting patiently for @Chellyjay2 to send me her letter 🥰 https://t.co/ccSL4FbkLr
— Ashleigh Johnson (@theAshJohnson) April 11, 2019
5. Glenn Eller already has some Olympic hardware, but last week marked a new milestone. He won his first trap world cup medal in mixed team, alongside three-time national champion Ashley Carroll.
6. There are three disciplines of climbing that are going to to be in the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: bouldering, speed and lead. We break down the differences between the events and how Team USA athletes will go about mastering them between now and the Games.
7. Bradie Tennell helped lead the U.S. figure skating team to its fourth World Team Trophy. Tennell landed her highest score of the season in the women’s free skate to help the U.S. soar to the win by 13 points.
8. Can we get one of these crowns, please?
9. Crushing it. Katie Ledecky was the headliner for the USA Swimming squad at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Richmond, Virginia. Ledecky made history with her win in the 200-meter on Thursday, as it marked her 52nd career victory in the Pro Swim Series. That passes Missy Franklin for the all-time record.
10. The U.S. women’s ice hockey team powered through a very dramatic IIHF World Championship final to come out with its fifth straight world title. Finland appeared to have won the game with 8:27 left in the 20-minute overtime, before the goal was waved off following a review. Then, the drama intensified as Team USA waited to solidify the victory until the final round of the shootout.
11. Five. Straight.
12. Claressa Shields cemented herself in history. This weekend, she became the first undisputed middleweight women’s world champion. Before that, we already knew she was a boss, as she is the only American boxer, male or female, to win back-to-back golds medals at the Olympics.
13. It’s official: he’s back. Tiger Woods mounted a remarkable comeback this weekend to win his first Masters title in 14 years. This marked the longest gap between victories in the history of the tournament.
14. Without a doubt, it was worth the wait.
14 years later and worth the wait.
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) April 14, 2019
Tiger's back. #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/4THaSHn8g2
15. So, what does this victory mean for Woods and the Olympics? As the Games get closer, each major tournament will become more and more valuable from a scoring standpoint. Woods will be in projected to be in the top four when the rankings are updated, which has him on track to make his Olympic debut if the ranking was to end today.