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Scott Bessent call out Olympic skier Eileen Gu over China decision

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on the controversy over the American-born Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s decision to compete for China over the U.S. 

During an interview on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” on Friday, Bessent suggested Gu “sold out” with her decision to compete for America’s greatest adversary, comparing her to billionaire Democrat donor George Soros

“It was just like this young Olympic athlete that the Vice President was talking about earlier on the previous show. America was great to her, she sold out to China. America was great to Mr. Soros,” Bessent said. 

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Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China falls in the Women's Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 on day thirteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on Feb. 19, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. 

Eileen Gu of Team People’s Republic of China falls in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 on day thirteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on Feb. 19, 2026 in Livigno, Italy.  (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Bessent referenced comments made by Vice President JD Vance in response to a question about Gu during a Tuesday interview on Fox News’ “The Story With Martha MacCallum.”

“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said on “The Story With Martha MacCallum.” 

“So, I’m going to root for American athletes. I think part of that is people who identify themselves as Americans. That’s who I’m rooting for in this Olympics.”  

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Gu responded to Vance’s comments on Thursday.

“I’m flattered. Thanks, JD! That’s sweet,” Gu said of Vance’s comments, per USA Today.

Gu was also asked if she currently feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics” after her competition on Thursday. 

EILEEN GU GARNERS BACKLASH FOR COMMENTING ON TRUMP’S STATEMENT WHILE REPRESENTING CHINA

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“I do,” she said, per USA Today. “So many athletes compete for a different country. … People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really about what they think it’s about.

“And also, because I win. Like if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”

Gu has previously said she was “physically assaulted” for her decision to represent China.  

“The police were called. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed,” Gu told The Athletic. “I’ve gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”

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Gu has been the subject of global criticism since her decision to represent China dating back to the original decision in 2019, and her first Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022. This year, that criticism has ramped up, as she has won two silver medals and even responded to a question about President Donald Trump criticizing U.S. Olympian Hunter Hess for being critical of the current state of America.

“I’m sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games. It really runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be,” Gu told reporters Monday. “The whole point of sport is to bring people together… One of the very few common languages, that of the human body, that of the human spirit, the competitive spirit, the capacity to break not only records, but especially in our sport, literally the human limit. How wonderful is that?”

Gu also claimed she had been “caught in the crossfire” herself.

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Eileen Gu

Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the awarding ceremony of the freestyle skiing women’s freeski big air event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026.  (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

“As someone who has got caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” Gu said. “I hope that they can ski to their very best.”

Gu will compete in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final on Saturday after winning silvers in her first two events.  

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Italian freeskiers grab another gold and silver for the Olympic hosts in men’s skicross

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LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Italian freeskiers Simone Deromedis and Federico Tomasoni won gold and silver for the Winter Olympic hosts after dominating the men’s skicross final held under snowy conditions on Saturday.

Deromedis, the 2023 world champion, took an early lead and stayed well in front of his other three racers over the banks, rollers and jumps of the course in Livigno. These were the 25-year-old’s second Games.

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Tomasoni made it an Italian one-two by stretching to the finish line to beat out Switzerland’s Alex Fiva in a photo finish.

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The 40-year-old Fiva added the bronze medal to his silver from Beijing 2022.

Satoshi Furuno of Japan missed the podium finishing fourth.

Defending gold medalist Ryan Regez was eliminated in the semifinals after he was yellow carded for impeding another skier.

On Friday, Daniela Maier of Germany won gold in women’s skicross ahead of Swiss freeskier Fanny Smith.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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Manchester United wonderkid scores special goal as Michael Carrick watches

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Man Utd U18s are flying this season and exciting youngster JJ Gabriel has been prolific in front of goal.

Manchester United youngster JJ Gabriel continued his hot streak by scoring an excellent goal for the Under-18s against Wolves on Saturday. Gabriel opened the scoring in the 24th minute from an improbable angle in the box, hitting the underside of the bar with a powerful strike.

“That’s absolutely incredible, what a finish, Gabriel laces it from the underside of the bar from the narrowest of angles,” said Liam Bradford on commentary duty for MUTV. “He just puts his boot right through it and surprises everybody,” added former United defender Arthur Albiston.

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Gabriel scored his 15th goal of the season when he opened the scoring against Wolves. The youngster also struck the bar at the end of the first half, coming inches away from a brace.

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Noah Ajayi extended the U18s’ advantage shortly after Gabriel’s goal, calmly finding the bottom right corner after being played through into the box by a well-weighted pass from Jayirah Shah.

Gabriel and Ajayi were also on the scoresheet as the U18s beat Oxford 4-1 in the FA Youth Cup fourth round on Wednesday night. Darren Fletcher hopes his side can extend United’s rich history in the competition, but the U18 boss’ focus this weekend is on the league campaign.

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Michael Carrick made the 300-mile round trip to Oxford to watch that Youth Cup clash, and the interim head coach was spotted, alongside his assistant Steve Holland, watching the U18s against Wolves.

Carrick has been a visible presence at academy games since his appointment last month. Ruben Amorim once strolled over to watch some of an U21 match but never properly attended a fixture.

Gabriel has trained with the first-team on several occasions, despite only turning 15 in October. The talented teenager has been tipped for a bright future and has been in prolific form for the U18s this season.

“Yeah, it was good. I enjoyed it,” Carrick told MUTV about his trip to Oxford. “We went down, there was a number of the staff that went down and yeah it was always something we were trying to do and as much as we can, we’ll do that in between our fixtures.

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“In the Youth Cup, I’ve got great memories personally of the Youth Cup when I was younger. [It is] such an important competition and so for us to go and watch, it’s good to get our eyes on some of the younger players and how they’re doing.

“For them to feel that connection. I was really pleased with Colin [Little] and Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and the boys and I thought they played really well in tough conditions, actually. So to get a good result and move on was a good night.”

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How to watch St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game today? TV channel, streaming options and more

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The No. 17 St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game is set to be played on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s will be looking to continue its Big East dominance as it welcomes the Bluejays to Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm are on a 12-game winning streak, which they will hope to extend, while Creighton tries to avoid losing its second straight game. Below are some details ahead of the important matchup between St. John’s and Creighton.

How to watch St. John’s vs. Creighton

When is the game?

Tipoff for the game is at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.

Where to watch the game

The St. John’s vs. Creighton basketball game will air live on FOX. There are also multiple streaming options to catch the game live. It can be livestreamed on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App, and FOX One.

What is at stake in the St. John’s vs. Creighton game?

Saturday will mark the second time St. John’s and Creighton are facing off this season. Their last meeting on Jan. 10 ended up in a victory for the Red Storm with a 90-73 scoreline.

While St. John’s is on a 12-game win streak, averaging 81.4 in its last 10 games, Creighton is 4-6 in its last 10 games. The Bluejays have conceded an average of 82.0 points over the last 10 games.

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St. John’s will have at least one important absence, as Ian Jackson is set to miss the game after picking up an ankle injury. The sophomore guard sprained his ankle during St. John’s win over Marquette on Wednesday, as he attempted a rebound late in the first half.

Jackson left the game before returning to play about three more minutes in the first half and 11 minutes in the second half. He sat out the final five minutes of the game, however. Rick Pitino didn’t give a timetable for Jackson’s return and said he could be out for multiple games.

“His trajectory is going the right way as a basketball player, learning to do the right things,” Pitino said. “He’s improving the other areas that he was basically missing, so we’re going to miss that because he has improved.”

It’s not yet clear who will replace Jackson in the Red Storm’s lineup, although sophomore guard Joson Sanon is a top option.