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Japanese teen Ami Nakai overshadows US in women’s figure skating at Winter Olympics

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Ami Nakai, 17, and Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto upstaged Alysa Liu and the rest of the ‘Blade Angels’ from the US on Tuesday night, taking the lead after the short program in the women’s figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Nakai, the youngest of the 29 skaters in the field, rode her opening triple axel to a career-best 78.71 points, while Sakamoto was right behind with 77.23 as she chases just about the only gold medal she has yet to win. Liu was third with 76.59, keeping her within range of the top step of the podium.

Japan's Ami Nakai leads the standings heading into Thursday's free skate

Japan’s Ami Nakai leads the standings heading into Thursday’s free skate (AP)

Things didn’t go quite so well for the rest of the American team.

Isabeau Levito lost a level on her step sequence and wound up eighth with 70.84 points, while three-time reigning U.S. champ Amber Glenn likely had her medal hopes dashed when she doubled up a triple loop, making the jump invalid and worth no points.

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Glenn, trying to hold back tears as she stepped off the ice, was in 13th place with 67.39 points.

“I had it,” she told her coach, Damon Allen, who replied: “It’s not over.”

Mone Chiba gave Japan three women capable of stacking the podium when the women’s free skate on Thursday night wraps up the figure skating program at the Winter Games. She scored 74.00 points, putting her just ahead of Adeliia Petrosian of Russia.

The women’s event has long been considered a showdown between the brilliant Japanese and the powerful Americans.

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Petrosian wedged herself right in among them.

The world had barely seen the 18-year-old from Moscow because Russia remains barred from international competition following its invasion of Ukraine. But Pedrosian, who is coached by the controversial Eteri Tutberidze, was vetted and cleared by the International Olympic Committee of any ties to the military or the war, allowing her to take part and win a qualifying event in Japan.

Without any real world ranking to her name, Petrosian was the second to take the ice, slotted in among skaters with little chance to qualify for the free skate let alone touch the podium. But it was clear she was different the moment her music began.

With a medley of Michael Jackson hits playing, Petrosian — competing as a neutral athlete — whipped through her double axel, landed a triple lutz and capped the performance with a triple flip-triple toe loop that seemed downright effortless.

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“I’m quite pleased with my score. It’s good,” Petrosian said in Russian, “and I’m happy with it.”

She’ll be even happier to be among the other favorites in the free skate Thursday night.

“I hope to be in the same warm-up group with them,” Petrosian said. “I haven’t really seen them yet because we are all in different practice groups. But it would be nice to be in the same warm-up group and compete against them.”

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Ryan O’Hearn homers and drives in 4 to lift Pirates over Orioles 8-2 for 5th straight win

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Sunday to sweep a three-game series and extend their winning streak to five.

O’Hearn hit a two-run shot to right-center in the first inning. In the second, his two-run double highlighted a four-run outburst as the Pirates pushed their lead to 6-0.

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Oneil Cruz made it 8-1 with a two-run homer to center field in the sixth. He also singled home a run in the second.

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Cruz’s homer came off left-hander Cade Povich. The center fielder is 7 for 10 with three homers against lefties after going 11 for 108 with one homer last season.

That was plenty of support for Braxton Ashcraft (1-1), who allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks.

Pirates starters have given up two earned runs or fewer in each of their eight games since 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes was tagged for five runs while only getting two outs against the New York Mets on opening day.

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Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (0-2) was roughed up for six runs in two innings. Signed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent just before spring training, the right-hander has given up 10 runs over 6 1/3 innings in two starts.

Pete Alonso had an RBI double and Taylor Ward got three hits for the Orioles, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Up next

Orioles: Were undecided on a starter for Monday night when they open a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox and Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.40 ERA).

Pirates: Begin a three-game home series with San Diego on Monday night as rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (0-0, 0.00) faces RHP Germán Márquez (0-1, 12.00).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

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Astros ace Hunter Brown (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL

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MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Houston AstrosMar 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros placed ace right-hander Hunter Brown on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain.

The move was retroactive to Thursday.

Brown finished third in American League Cy Young Award balloting last season. He is 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA in two starts this season, striking out 17 in just 10 1/3 innings.

Brown, 27, last pitched Tuesday when he defeated the Boston Red Sox. He gave up one run and one hit and struck out eight against two walks in six innings.

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There was no immediate word on how long Brown might be sidelined. Houston announced the move before manager Joe Espada met with reporters prior to the club’s Sunday afternoon road game against the Athletics.

Brown made the AL All-Star team for the first time last season when he went 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts. He struck out a career-high 206 and posted a stellar 1.03 WHIP.

He is 37-31 with a 3.44 ERA in 102 appearances (94 starts) since reaching the majors in 2022.

The Astros promoted right-hander Christian Roa from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. He had a 6.75 ERA in two relief appearances for Houston earlier this season.

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The 27-year-old pitched one scoreless inning of relief in his lone outing for Sugar Land this season.

–Field Level Media

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Harvey’s passed-in horses claim successive wins at 2026 The Championships

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Gerry Harvey, the owner-breeder and entrepreneur, offered a timely advisory to yearling buyers when two passed-in horses from his stock notched feature victories one after another at Randwick.

In a span of just 35 minutes, after his homebred mare Chidiac secured the Country Championships Final (1400m), colt Campione D’Italia dominated the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

Part of the ownership for Campione D’Italia involves Harvey with an elite partnership including Newgate Bloodstock owned by Henry Field, and the colt had also been passed in at sales.

“I passed it in, and Henry Field and I had a talk. I said, ‘I want six hundred (thousand dollars) mate’, and he said, ‘I’ll give you five hundred’ and I said, ‘get lost’. Then I thought I better do it,” Harvey said.

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“It’s a very exciting day because we just had the country winner as well. We passed it in for $25,000. No-one wanted it.

So if you want to buy a horse from my horse studs, always buy the passed-in ones. Never buy in the ring. You’ll do much better buying a passed-in one.”

Campione D’Italia, by Snitzel, elevated his stallion value via the Group 1 conquest, extending from a powerful fourth in the Golden Slipper (1200m) closing from the rear.

The horse’s trainer, Chris Waller, highlighted the enhanced starting position and steady improvement as decisive.

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“Today was his fourth career start and each run has got a little bit better, a little bit better,” Waller said.

“His run in the Golden Slipper was amazing. He just got too far back. It was no-one’s fault, and the horse is just learning all the time.

He got a lovely draw today, and that was the difference between having him in the firing line or going back like he was last start.

It was good to see him knuckle down and get the job done.”

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A next step could be the Champagne Stakes (1600m) for Campione D’Italia, emulating stablemate Militarize who achieved it three years back after Sires’.

“Militarize, he won the Sires’ and then he won the Champagne, so I’ll have a talk to the team and see what they suggest,” Waller said.

“We’ve got to nurse him a little bit, so we’ll see how he comes through it.”

At $4.20, Campione D’Italia held off Miss Chanel ($15) by three-quarters of a length, followed identically by stablemate Fireball ($18) in third.

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The Champagne Stakes is on the table for Fireball subject to how he pulls up.

Follow Sires’ Produce Stakes developments with sports betting options at premier betting sites.

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How to unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block

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Be a Lucky Block is a tycoon-based simulation game where you play as a block running on a treadmill. NPCs will chase and break you open, revealing a Brainrot. Your objective is to escape their plans and return to your base to store the Brainrot, allowing you to earn revenue. The new Be a Lucky Block update added a new plot skin called Stranger base to the game. You can acquire it once you have collected all Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

This article covers everything about the Strange Base in Be a Lucky Block.


Everything about the Stranger Base skin

The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)
The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)

To get this alluring skin in the title, you will have to collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events. The Luminous base skin featured a similar requirement to this. Since this Roblox experience now has four events that take place every four hours, it is going to be challenging to acquire specific Brainrots, as the run time of these events is very short. Hence, the only way to complete this feat is by joining the game at regular intervals and keeping note of the next event’s timer.

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To avoid confusion, it is worth mentioning that all base skins in Be a Lucky Block do not provide any perks or buffs to the game and are just mere cosmetics, meant to elevate the look of your plot. Here are the Brainrots you will need to get the Stranger Base in this title:

Alien Event units:

  • Spaceshipini Tortini: 50%
  • Astro Bandito: 40%
  • Chachelien: 9%
  • Aliensini Octosini: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Galactica: 0.05%

Ink Event units:

  • Glorbo Inkdrillo: 50%
  • Inknina Bombardino: 40%
  • Ink Din Din Dun: 9%
  • Cavallo Inkuoso: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Singolarita: 0.5%

How to get the Ink and Alien Brainrots?

To get the Ink and Alien Brainrots, you will need to venture into the treadmill, where there’s a 40% chance of getting caught by an NPC. After getting caught, you get caught, wait for the bosses to break the Block to reveal the Brainrot. Only then should you escape the plot through the portal to get back to the safe zone. Note that your chances of getting them increase during an Admin Abuse event.


FAQs on Be a Lucky Block

How do you unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block?

To unlock the Stranger Base skin in Be a Lucky Block, players must collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

Do base skins provide any gameplay advantages in Be a Lucky Block?

No, base skins in Be a Lucky Block are purely cosmetic, and they do not provide any boosts, perks, or gameplay advantages.

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How to get Ink and Alien Brainrots?

The best way to obtain Ink and Alien Brainrots is to participate in the treadmill while an event is active and let these NPCs capture your Lucky Block and break it to reveal a Brainrot. After the Brainrot appears, you must escape through the portal to safely return to your base to get it.