Ten things to know from last week. March 8-14 2022: Paralympic Games, Brady is back, PSG's failure.
  1. China won the Paralympics. The People’s Republic of China won 18 gold medals en route to topping the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games medal table, ahead of Ukraine (11) and Canada (8). The locals won the Wheelchair Curling event, 11 in Nordic Skiing, 3 in Snowboard, and 3 in Alpine Skiing. Yang Hongqiong (CHN) had a huge breakthrough, with 3 Cross-Country sitting women’s golds, while Zheng Peng (CHN) had 2, and Liu Mengtao (CHN) had 2 in Men’s Sitting. In Snowboard, Wu Zhongwei (CHN) won the Banked slalom SB-LL1 by over two seconds, Sun Qi (CHN) beat Snowboardcross Champion Matti Suur-Hamari (FIN), while Maxime Montaggioni (FRA) beat three Chinese competitors for gold in the Banked slalom SB-UL, and Brenna Huckaby (USA) won the Women’s Banked slalom SB-LL2, also ahead of four Chinese.
  2. Ukraine was second. Vitaliy Lukyanenko (UKR) extended his record as the winningest Para Biathlon competitor in Winter Paralympic history, winning his eighth gold medal, taking the Men’s 10 kilometers Visually impaired, in a Ukrainian 1-2-3, and winning silver in the 12.5 kilometers, behind Oleksandr Kazik and Serhii Kucheriavyi in another 1-2 for them. He had already taken a gold medal last week. All of Ukraine’s eleven Paralympic gold medals came in Nordic Skiing: 8 in Biathlon and 3 in Cross-Country Skiing. Oksana Shyshkova and her Guide, Andriy Marchenko, scored 3 golds in these Games, one this week. Ukraine also won the Cross-country Open 4 × 2.5 kilometer relay, while the USA won the Mixed 4 × 2.5 kilometer relay – the team included Oksana Mastrs, who won three golds and seven medals overall in these games.
  3. The Alpine siblings. Austria won four gold medals in para Alpine Skiing, the only country that had more gold medals than China. All four were won by the Aigner siblings in the Visually Impaired divisions: two by Johannes Aigner and guide Matteo Fleishmann, and two by Veronika Aigner, and their guide and sister, Elisabeth Aigner. Jesper Pedersen (NOR) won four golds in Men’s Sitting and was only beaten in Downhill by Corey Peters (NZL), while Momoka Muraoka (JPN) won three and Anna-Lena Forster (DEU) two in the women’s division. Arthur Bauchet (FRA) won three golds in the Men’s standing, while Ebba Årsjö (SWE) and Zhang Mengqiu (CHN) two each in the women’s division. 
  4. USA in Sledge Hockey. Team USA won its fourth straight Para Ice Hockey gold medal in a row, in Beijing 2022. With this medal, Josh Pauls became the first player to win four Paralympic and two World Championship gold medals. In 2018, Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in Overtime but this time they won by a considerable 5-0. Team USA scored 30 goals and received just 1 within their four games played, and won.
  5. 16 golds for McKeever. Brian McKeever (CAN) extended his record s the winningest Para Cross-Country Skier in Winter Paralympic history, as he won his 15th and 16th Paralympic gold medals, again with Russell Kennedy. This week he won the first Paralympic 12.5 kilometers Men’s Visually Impaired competition and his fourth Sprint competition in a row. These are meant to be his last Paralympic competitions.
  6. Prather, PBA World Champion. Jason Sterner (USA) pulled the upset against three-time World Champion Jason Belmonte (AUS) and Hall of Fame Member, Tommy Jones (USA), to make it into the PBA World Championship Final, where he faced Kris Prather (USA). In the 10th he needed a strike to tie. He did. In the roll-off, Prather’s Strike against Sterner’s 6 put an end to this run and gave Prather the PBA World Championship.
  7. PSG’s Superstar failure. When, at the start of the season, Paris Saint-Germain completed its window transfer to buy Lionel Messi (ARG) and Sergio Ramos (ESP) among others, to join stars such as Neymar (BRA) and Kylian Mbappé (FRA), they expected to fight to win the UEFA Champions League. Such goal is no longer attainable, as Real Madrid eliminated them in the Round of 16 with a 2-3 aggregate. They still lead Ligue 1 by 15 points. Liverpool (ENG) beat Inter Milan (ITA) 2-1, Premier League leaders, Manchester City (ENG) beat Sporting CP (POR) 5-0, and Bayern Munich (DEU) beat Salzburg (AUT) 8-2.
  8. Smith wins the PLAYERS. Due to inclement weather, the 40th PLAYER’S tournament ran until Monday. Cameron Smith (AUS) scored -13 to win his fifth PGA tournament and is now second in the FedEx Cup standings, behind Scottie Scheffler (USA).
  9. Brady is back. We have previously talked about Tom Brady’s (USA) legacy as the winningest American Football player of all time. Just forty days after his retirement, however, he has decided he will actually play next season in the NFL.
  10. A great comeback. Michael Conlan (IRL) knocked WBA Featherweight World Champion, Leigh Woo (ENG), down in the first round and dominated a few rounds before the local fighter found his way and took command of the fight, knocking the challenger down in the 11th and out of the ring in the 12th. Conlan hit the ropes before hitting the head with the floor. He was later conscious and asking for a rematch. In women’s boxing, Yésica Bopp (ARG) lost the WBA Light Flyweight World title she had held since 2009 (and interim since 2008) as she was dethroned by Jéssica Nery Plata (MEX) in Panama, via Split Decision. Bopp cried ‘robbery’ after the fight.