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Winter Paralympics 2026: Ralf Etienne becomes Haiti’s first Winter Paralympian

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Through skiing, he has achieved that.

He first experienced the sport on a trip with friends, but it was only two years ago that he realised this was his way to make his mark on the world.

“I touched the snow, and I never turned back,” he said. Etienne wanted to become the Caribbean nation’s first Winter Paralympian.

“At first skiing meant freedom to me, and then I realised it was inspiration. That is what the Paralympics are about.

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“It is a message of hope to disabled people and the rest of the world.”

With US restrictions on Haitian immigration rights making it difficult for him to travel to train, last year – supported by his employer Bank of America – Etienne relocated from New York to London to be closer to the mountains of Europe for weekend training.

“Sometimes I’m leaving the office at 2am because I have work I need to finish before I get on a 6am flight to get to Switzerland,” he told the Wall Street Journal, external.

On Friday, after just 80 days on snow in his life, he achieved his dream of racing at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics.

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Aided by a 12-month grant from the International Paralympic Committee’s Sport for Mobility programme, he has joined athletes from El Salvador, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal in making their nations’ debut at the Games.

His result, a disqualification on his second run of the standing giant slalom, is secondary to his story.

“Haiti has a skier. That’s the most beautiful sentence I have heard in a long time,” he said.

“On the first run I proved that Haiti can ski competitively. Before the race, I had won.

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“I get to say that there is hope, I get to tell the Haitian youth that if I can do this today with one leg, they can do anything.

“I’ve gone from the earthquake rubble to the top of the Dolomites with the very best skiers in the world.

“Anything is possible. I get to show young Haitians that all is not lost.”

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Would Arsenal be the ‘ugliest Premier League title winners ever’?

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Having said all that, is scoring from set-pieces inherently ugly? Wayne Rooney doesn’t think so.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, external this week, the five-time champion said: “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and how they’re playing. I think Arsenal have been brilliant.

“I actually enjoy watching them play. Set-pieces are part of football – why would you not use it?”

Even if people disagree, there are other ways of ‘winning ugly’ that Premier League champions have used in the past.

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As miraculous as their title win was, Leicester’s football in 2015-16 was not always pretty.

Ten of their 68 goals came from the penalty spot, they had the fewest shots and touches in the opposition box on record and 14 of their 23 wins were by a single goal (61%).

And while ‘1-0 to the Arsenal‘ is a well-known chant, only five of their 20 wins this season have been by that scoreline – far fewer than the 11 Chelsea eked out in 2004-05 or the 10 that Manchester United achieved in 2008-09.

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Dinoblue goes back-to-back in Mares’ Chase

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Dinoblue (11/8 favourite) repeated her victory of last year when taking the 2026 renewal of the Grade 2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase.

Competing in the race for the third year in succession – having won last year and finished runner-up to Limerick Lace in 2024 – the J.P. McManus-owned nine-year-old daughter of Doctor Dino gave her trainer Willie Mullins a fourth winner in the last six editions of the race.

The French-bred chestnut was never seriously challenged over the extended two and a half mile race as she ran out an easy length-and-three-quarters winner for jockey Mark Walsh over another Irish-trained runner, Only By Night (11/1) from the Gavin Cromwell yard.

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Panic Attack (11/4) came home third for Dan and Harry Skelton – nine-and-a-half lengths behind the Keith Donoghue-ridden runner-up.

The win of Dinoblue was a fifth successive success in the race for Limerick owner J.P. McManus, and the victory continues the excellent record of French-breds – they have now won 19 of the 34 races run at the Festival exclusively for mares.

Dinoblue completed a double for trainer Willie Mullins who won the earlier JCB Triumph Hurdle with Apolon De Charnie.

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LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

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Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers Preview: Starting Lineups Tonight, Betting Tips and Game Prediction (Mar. 13)

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The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers cross swords in a regular-season game at the Moda Center on Friday, with tipoff at 10 p.m. EST. The Blazers have already secured the season series against the Blazers by winning all three previous matchups.

The Jazz are in 14th place in the Western Conference standings with a 20-46 record. Meanwhile, the Blazers are 10th in the standings with a 31-35 record.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview, Starting Lineups Tonight, Betting Tips and Game Prediction

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Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Tips and Odds

Moneyline: Jazz (+525), Blazers (-750)

Spread: Jazz +10.5 (-116), Blazers -10.5 (-105)

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Total over/under o/u: Jazz o239.5 (-105), Blazers u239.5 (-116)

Editor’s note: Odds might change closer to tipoff.

Betting Tips

  • Deni Avdija is expected to score over 23.5 points.
  • Brice Sensabaugh is expected to score over 18.5 points.
  • Donovan Clingan is expected to score over 11.5 rebounds.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview

The Jazz choked an 18-point lead against the New York Knicks in their previous game and fell to a 134-117 loss at home. Brice Sensabaugh, who has emerged as the top-scoring option for the Jazz, delivered another strong performance, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds and five assists on 9 of 19 shooting.

Rookie Ace Bailey found his stroke from beyond the arc and knocked down five of his 10 3-point shots en route to 21 points. Overall, the Jazz shot really well from deep, recording a clip of exact 50.0%.

Meanwhile, the Blazers are coming off a narrow two-point loss against the Charlotte Hornets in their previous game on Tuesday. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who has been in scintillating form of late, endured a tough four-point outing that played a role in Portland’s loss.

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Against the Jazz, the Blazers need Holiday to be at his two-way best. Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan are both healthy, while Jerami Grant is coming off an uber-efficient 24-point display against the Hornets.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineups Tonight

Utah Jazz starting lineup

PG: Isaiah Collier, SG: Ace Bailey, SF: Cody Williams, PF: Brice Sensabaugh, C: Kyle Filipowski.

Portland Trail Blazers starting lineup

PG: Deni Avdija, SG: Jrue Holiday, SF: Toumani Camara, PF: Jerami Grant, C: Donovan Clingan.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction

Expect the Blazers to record an easy win and sweep the shorthanded Jazz 4-0 this season. Portland is at home and has all its big guns healthy. We also expect a high-scoring game, as both teams don’t shy away from putting points on the board.

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Final score prediction: Blazers win 134-120.