HOT POINT

Balance and control are important in any sport, but they're especially crucial at the highest levels, such as at the2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

In the Winter Games, athletes often must be able to display the same skills while going forward and backward. In figure skating, ice hockey and snowboarding, for example.

But there have been times during these Olympics when athletes have gone out of control and turned completely around when theyweren'tsupposed to. And the moments have been magical.

In men's dual moguls on Sunday, Feb. 15, Japanese freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima nearly lost it on the final jump, but somehow remained upright to cross the finish line ... backwards.

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Horishima went on to claim the silver medal in dual moguls.

And in short track speed skating, Italy's Pietro Sighel − who had a big enough lead in an earlier heat that he turned around and crossed the finish line backward − had to do it again out of necessity in his 500 meter heat Monday when he was bumped as two skaters collided.

Sighel nearly won the race, but made it across the finish line to advance.

Unexpected surprises like these definitely have us looking forward to more as the Winter Games conclude.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ikuma Horishima, Pietro Sighel cross Olympic finish line backwards

Geno Auriemma tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women's basketballTop 25 pollwhen UConn remained No. 1 on Monday.

Creighton UConn Basketball

Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024. UConn has been ranked for the past 619 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. Monday was the 900th pollin the 50-year historyof the rankings.

UCLA and South Carolina remained second and third behind the Huskies. Texas and Vanderbilt were next as the top five remained unchanged. The Commodoresbeat the Longhornslast week before losing to Georgia on Sunday.

Michigan, LSU and Louisville were next. Duke moved back into the top 10 at No. 9 as the Blue Devils are riding a 16-game winning streakafter beating rivalNorth Carolina on Sunday.

Ohio State dropped two places to 10thafter losing toMaryland on Sunday. The Terrapins jumped up six spots to 14th.

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In and out

Minnesota entered the Top 25 for the first time this season as the Golden Gophers came in at No. 23. They have an eight-game winning streak but a difficult week ahead with games against Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan State. Minnesota was ranked for two weeks last season. Georgia also came back into the rankings this week, appearing at No. 24 after its win over Vanderbilt. Princeton and Washington fell out of the poll.

Conference supremacy

The SEC remained the top conference with 10 teams in the poll. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three and the Big East one.

Games of the week

No. 6 Michigan at No. 13 Iowa, Sunday. A battle for second place in the Big Ten as the Wolverines and Hawkeyes are a game apart in the loss column in the conference standings, trailing UCLA.

No. 7 LSU at No. 17 Mississippi, Thursday. A key SEC matchup with the Tigers looking to rebound from a loss to South Carolina. The Rebels have a busy week with games against Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina this week.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphere. AP women's college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

Anthony Kim soared from 847th to 203rd in the Official World Golf Ranking released on Monday following his first tournament win since 2010.

The LIV Golf Adelaide champion still has a lot of work left to do but is back in the conversation for the Masters and other majors following a 12-year absence from the sport for injury and addiction recovery.

Kim, 40, has not competed in a grand slam event since he missed the cut at the 2011 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga.

The OWGR began awarding world ranking points to the top-10 finishers in LIV Golf events this season. Kim tied for 22nd at the season-opening event in Riyadh earlier this month before breaking through in Australia, where his final score of 23-under was three shots clear of Spain's Jon Rahm.

At No. 203, Kim would still need to climb another 153 spots to make the top 50 in the OWGR in time to secure an automatic invitation to the Masters (April 9-12). There are only three LIV Golf events between now and then: Hong Kong (March 5-8), Singapore (March 12-15) and South Africa (March 19-22).

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As for the May 14-17 PGA Championship at Aronimink, players ranked within the top 100 of the OWGR typically get invitations.

The world ranking is not the only pathway for Kim to qualify for the U.S. Open or The Open Championship.

Last year, the USGA announced a special exemption for the U.S. Open for LIV players. For the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills from June 18-21, "the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 18, 2026" will get in.

The R&A also has an LIV-tailored exemption for the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale from July 16-19. One spot will be awarded to "the first player and anyone tying for that place, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Louisiana (June 25-28)."

Kim currently sits second in the LIV individual standings behind Rahm.

--Field Level Media

ROME, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A famous rock structure on Italy's Adriatic coast known as the "Lovers' Arch" collapsed ‌on Valentine's Day after days of bad weather, prompting ‌local officials to warn that other stretches of the fragile coastline could ​be at risk.

Drone view of Italy's 'Love Arch'

The natural arch, part of the Sant'Andrea sea stacks near the town of Melendugno in the southern region of Puglia, had long been a popular backdrop for wedding proposals ‌and tourist photos.

"This ⁠is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift," Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told the local Corriere Salentino newspaper, ⁠calling the collapse "a very hard blow" for the area's image and for tourism.

Cisternino said days of heavy rain, strong winds and ​rough ​seas had battered the coastline ​and ultimately destroyed the arch. "Nature ‌has taken back what it created," he said.

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Officials have warned that other parts of the rocky coastline could also collapse, with cracks visible along the cliff, underscoring the growing threat of coastal erosion.

Storms and heavy rain in recent days ‌have also eaten away at long ​stretches of coastline on the Ionian ​Sea, from Ugento to ​the beaches of Gallipoli, damaging beach structures, ‌causing small cliff falls and harming ​ports.

Weeks of ​terrible weather this year have also caused damage estimated at well over a billion euros in southern Italy, including ​a landslide that ‌has forced more than 1,500 people to evacuate ​their homes in the Sicilian town of Niscemi.

(Reporting by ​Crispian BalmerEditing by Ros Russell)

A small "security force" will remain in Minnesota temporarily as the Trump administrationwinds down its immigration enforcement operationin the state, White House border czarTom Homansaid on Feb. 15.

In an interview onCBS News' "Face the Nation,"Homan said a limited number of agents would stay in Minnesota to respond if federal personnel find themselves "surrounded by agitators and things get out of control."

He did not say how many agents would comprise the rapid response force but said he's "hoping" they can be removed "fairly quickly."

Homan's comments come days after he announced theend of Operation Metro Surge, the immigration mission in the Midwestern state that drew nationwide and bipartisanbacklash against the Trump administrationafter the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal officers.

Federal agents continue surge of immigration enforcement in Minnesota

In his announcement of the withdrawal, Homan cast the operation as a success, touting the arrests of 4,000 undocumented immigrants, some of whom had been charged with violent offenses. Homan credited the withdrawal to "unprecedented" cooperation between national authorities and Minnesota state and local officials.

"As a result of our efforts here Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals," Homan said at a Feb. 12 news conference.

The move was welcomed by state and local officials in Minnesota, but several disputed Homan's claims and said no deals were struck to broaden cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

"We do not enforce federal immigration law, period. We do not cooperate with (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or any agency around enforcement of federal immigration law," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at a news conference after Homan made his announcement. "The notion there was a deal is false."

In a separate interview withFox News' "Fox and Friends," Homan on Feb. 15 said Minnesota officials "ought to be saying thank you."

Homan was sent to Minnesota in the aftermath of the killings ofAlex Pretti, an ICU nurse, andRenee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three, which triggered nationwide protests andintense scrutiny on the tactics of agentscarrying out the administration's deportation agenda.

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The outrage led to a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, as Democrats vowed not to support a funding bill for the agency without reforms to immigration enforcement. Republicans described the demands as unrealistic.

Among the major points of contention are themasks worn by federal agents. Democrats are calling for them to be removed while Republicans say they're necessary to protect personnel from being doxxed and otherwise harassed.

Homan told CBS News that he was not part of the ongoing Homeland Security negotiations but said he doesn't "like the masks either." Still, the border czar called the coverings necessary amid an uptick in threats and assaults on immigration agents.

"These men and women have to protect themselves," he said.

Homan has conceded that the operation in Minnesota needed reform. In recent statements, Homan highlighted a series of internal changes he made when he arrived in Minnesota, from refocusing enforcement on undocumented immigrants with criminal histories to dispatching more internal affairs agents "to make sure officers in the field was doing the right thing."

But despite the controversy over the Minnesota operation, Homan has not ruled out future surges.

"I think it depends on the situation," he told CBS News. "I have said from day one that, you know, we need to – we need to flood the zone in sanctuary cities with additional agents. The number of agents depend on the situation on the ground, how many known criminal targets are out there, because we know we have a problem with sanctuary cities, because we know they're releasing public safety threats in the public."

He added: "I'm hoping other sanctuary cities look at what happened in Minnesota and how we got to the place we're at, which I think is a good place."

Christopher Cann is a national breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him via email at ccann@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Security force to remain in Minnesota amid ICE withdrawal, Homan says

One brand of farm-raised Atlantic salmon sold at BJ's Wholesale Club has been recalled due to a potential listeria contamination, according to a release from the Food and Drug Administration.

Wellsley Farms Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon is sold in 2-lb bags at BJ's and is packaged with the Wellsley Farms logo and text that reads "Farm-Raised Atlantic Salmon" on the front. Lot 3896 of the product has been recalled by the company, Slade Gorton & Co., the FDA said.

The specific salmon product was sold at BJ's stores in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, the FDA release said.

According to the FDA, the agency found Listeria monocytogenes in the salmon through a sample the agency randomly collected. The company is investigating how its food was contaminated and is taking steps to prevent it from happening again in the future, the release said.

BJ's is working to notify members who may have purchased the recalled salmon. The UPC code (888670025963) and recalled lot number (3896) are on the back side of the packaging, below the cooking instructions, the FDA release said.

Short-term symptoms of a listeria infection for healthy individuals includes high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, the FDA said. It can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth for pregnant women.

If you have symptoms of a listeria infection, the FDA says you should contact a health care provider. No illnesses related to this recall have been reported, according to the release.

If you think you bought the recalled product, call 1-888-628-0730 for instructions on how to obtain a full refund and what to do with the remaining product, according to the release.

MILAN (AP) — The trio of U.S. women targeting Olympic figure skating gold Tuesday night are not the dainty ice princesses of yesteryear.

There's Amber Glenn, a 26-year-old powerhouse andLGBTQ+ rights activistwhose career took off just when most figure skaters are contemplating retirement. The three-time and reigning U.S. champion's unvarnished opinion on everything from politics to the trading card game "Magic: The Gathering" have made hera polarizing figureat the Milan Cortina Games.

Then there's Alysa Liu, the one-time phenom who retired at 16 onlyto launch a comebackthat resulted in thefirst world title for an Americanwoman in nearly two decades. Liu's blond-and-brunette striped hair, prominent frenulum piercing and nonconformist aura have made the 20-year-old a hero of the alt, punk and emo crowd.

And there's Isabeau Levito, perhaps the closest thingto the innocent imageof teen predecessors like Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes, right up until you get the 18-year-old away from the cameras, and her searing wit and biting sarcasm shine through.

They've dubbed themselves the "Blade Angels," an homage to "Charlie's Angels," after rejecting such suggestions as "Powerpuff Girls" and "Babes of Glory," which they worried might lead to some trademark issues. (As ifthey needed more of thosein Milan.)

They are a new kind of role model for a new generation of American girls.

They also are the last chance to salvagea disappointing Olympicsfor American figure skaters.

"I really like that we're all different," Levito said, "and we all have our own strengths and personalities, and our own ways we want to look and appear. I think it's really great, because while we all have the same passion for the sport, and we have very aligned goals."

'I thought I would be done at 18'

Glenn grew up in Plano, Texas. Her father, Richard, is a police sergeant and her mom, Cathlene, a fitness instructor. She's represented the U.S. internationallyfor nearly 15 years, which happens to be how old Lipinski was when she won Olympic gold.It's hard to get more unabashedly American. Yet some critics nevertheless questioned her allegiances on the eve of the Milan Cortina Games, when Glenn answered a question about the political climate for the LGBTQ+ community under President Donald Trump."I hope I can use my platform and voice throughout these Games to help people stay strong during these hard times," she said. "A lot of people will say, 'You're just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics.' But politics affect us all."Glenn probably wouldn't have taken such a bold stance a decade ago, when she nearly quit the sport.But over the course of her career, she'stackled head-on an eating disorder,which is all-too common in the sport. She spent time in a mental health facility to get a handle on her depression. She learned to cope with ADHD. And she came to understand her sexuality; Glenn identifies as pansexual, meaning she is attracted to people regardless of sex or gender."I've been through a lot," Glenn told The Associated Press. "It's taken many, many years to get to this point."Now, she has an Olympic gold medal from her Winter Games debut after helpingthe U.S. defend its titlein the team event."I stepped away from the sport. I've come back. At one point, I hated it. Whenever people would ask me, 'Oh, should my kids get into it?' I would be like, 'No, never,'" Glenn said. "But I've seen the people around me grow, and how the environment of figure skating has changed, and how we're trying to change it. And in doing so, we've created an environment I like to be in every day."'I hated skating when I quit'Liu is the only member of the U.S. women's team with any previous Olympics experience. But much like Glenn, she had come to loathe the sport by the time she finished sixth at the Beijing Games, so much sothat she quit entirely. She was 16 at the time."I really hated skating when I quit. Like, I really didn't like it," Liu told the AP. "I didn't care about competitions. I didn't care about places. I didn't care about skaters. I didn't care about my programs. I just wanted to, like, get away. I want nothing to do with that. I hated fame. I hated social media. I didn't like interviews. Like, I hated all of it."It took walking away for Liu to finally find herself.The same kid who'd get dropped off at the rink by her father in the morning and picked up at night, and who thirsted for friends her age while living and training alone in Colorado, began to explore: Liu climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest, ticked off items on her ever-growing bucket list, and enrolled at UCLA to study, perhaps fittingly, psychology."I learned so much. Met so many new people," Liu said. "I had to exercise my free will and push myself in different ways."She begancontemplating a comebacktwo years ago, after she went skiing and experienced an adrenaline rush unlike anything she'd felt since hanging up the skates. Liu didn't know where it would lead — certainly not the first world title for an American since Kimmie Meissner in 2006, and definitely not another Winter Games — but she knew that she loved the feeling of skating again.Everything in Liu's life has meaning now, including the striking horizontal stripes in her hair. They're meant to represent the growth rings of a tree. There are three of them at present, and like a tree, Liu plans to add another ring each year."I used to feel like a puppet or a canvas that other people were using," she said. "Now I do things for myself."'They have no idea what you're actually like'Levito has always admired Russian skater Evgenia Medvedeva, perhaps themost dominant women's skaterof the mid-2000s, who was heavily favored to win gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games but wound up with the silver medal instead."She was just so pretty. I just wanted to have that angelic energy that I feel like she has," Levito told the AP. "Amber and Alysa have their distinct style, and she was more like me. My style is, I don't know, put together. I don't know how to word it."The ice princess image," Levito said, after a long pause, "which is silly to say."Mostly because it is just that — an image.Yes, there is a sense of purity surrounding Levito, whose mother, Chiara, immigrated to the U.S. from Milan three decades ago, and whose grandmother still lives inthe host city of the Winter Games. But pull her away from the TV cameras, photographers and the prying eyes of the world, and her sarcastic-bordering-on-vulgar sense of humor bubbles to the surface.At last month's U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Levito was asked her favorite quality in Liu, who was sitting beside her. "I want to say something but I won't," Levito said, before succumbing to a little prodding: "She keeps the hoes on their toes," she said."I think it's so funny," Levito said later, reflecting on that day. "The internet is like, 'Our Isabeau is not a baby anymore,' when they have no idea what you're actually like. I just don't want to say the wrong things in front of the media."So, Levito plays it safe. She wears a sort of mask for the public, projecting the image she thinks people want to see.Much like Glenn and Liu have people who can relate to them, there are a whole lot of people who can relate to that.___AP Winter Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Glenn grew up in Plano, Texas. Her father, Richard, is a police sergeant and her mom, Cathlene, a fitness instructor. She's represented the U.S. internationallyfor nearly 15 years, which happens to be how old Lipinski was when she won Olympic gold.

It's hard to get more unabashedly American. Yet some critics nevertheless questioned her allegiances on the eve of the Milan Cortina Games, when Glenn answered a question about the political climate for the LGBTQ+ community under President Donald Trump.

"I hope I can use my platform and voice throughout these Games to help people stay strong during these hard times," she said. "A lot of people will say, 'You're just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics.' But politics affect us all."

Glenn probably wouldn't have taken such a bold stance a decade ago, when she nearly quit the sport.

But over the course of her career, she'stackled head-on an eating disorder,which is all-too common in the sport. She spent time in a mental health facility to get a handle on her depression. She learned to cope with ADHD. And she came to understand her sexuality; Glenn identifies as pansexual, meaning she is attracted to people regardless of sex or gender.

"I've been through a lot," Glenn told The Associated Press. "It's taken many, many years to get to this point."

Now, she has an Olympic gold medal from her Winter Games debut after helpingthe U.S. defend its titlein the team event.

"I stepped away from the sport. I've come back. At one point, I hated it. Whenever people would ask me, 'Oh, should my kids get into it?' I would be like, 'No, never,'" Glenn said. "But I've seen the people around me grow, and how the environment of figure skating has changed, and how we're trying to change it. And in doing so, we've created an environment I like to be in every day."

'I hated skating when I quit'

Liu is the only member of the U.S. women's team with any previous Olympics experience. But much like Glenn, she had come to loathe the sport by the time she finished sixth at the Beijing Games, so much sothat she quit entirely. She was 16 at the time.

"I really hated skating when I quit. Like, I really didn't like it," Liu told the AP. "I didn't care about competitions. I didn't care about places. I didn't care about skaters. I didn't care about my programs. I just wanted to, like, get away. I want nothing to do with that. I hated fame. I hated social media. I didn't like interviews. Like, I hated all of it."

It took walking away for Liu to finally find herself.

The same kid who'd get dropped off at the rink by her father in the morning and picked up at night, and who thirsted for friends her age while living and training alone in Colorado, began to explore: Liu climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest, ticked off items on her ever-growing bucket list, and enrolled at UCLA to study, perhaps fittingly, psychology.

"I learned so much. Met so many new people," Liu said. "I had to exercise my free will and push myself in different ways."

She begancontemplating a comebacktwo years ago, after she went skiing and experienced an adrenaline rush unlike anything she'd felt since hanging up the skates. Liu didn't know where it would lead — certainly not the first world title for an American since Kimmie Meissner in 2006, and definitely not another Winter Games — but she knew that she loved the feeling of skating again.

Everything in Liu's life has meaning now, including the striking horizontal stripes in her hair. They're meant to represent the growth rings of a tree. There are three of them at present, and like a tree, Liu plans to add another ring each year.

"I used to feel like a puppet or a canvas that other people were using," she said. "Now I do things for myself."

'They have no idea what you're actually like'

Levito has always admired Russian skater Evgenia Medvedeva, perhaps themost dominant women's skaterof the mid-2000s, who was heavily favored to win gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games but wound up with the silver medal instead.

"She was just so pretty. I just wanted to have that angelic energy that I feel like she has," Levito told the AP. "Amber and Alysa have their distinct style, and she was more like me. My style is, I don't know, put together. I don't know how to word it.

"The ice princess image," Levito said, after a long pause, "which is silly to say."

Mostly because it is just that — an image.

Yes, there is a sense of purity surrounding Levito, whose mother, Chiara, immigrated to the U.S. from Milan three decades ago, and whose grandmother still lives inthe host city of the Winter Games. But pull her away from the TV cameras, photographers and the prying eyes of the world, and her sarcastic-bordering-on-vulgar sense of humor bubbles to the surface.

At last month's U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Levito was asked her favorite quality in Liu, who was sitting beside her. "I want to say something but I won't," Levito said, before succumbing to a little prodding: "She keeps the hoes on their toes," she said.

"I think it's so funny," Levito said later, reflecting on that day. "The internet is like, 'Our Isabeau is not a baby anymore,' when they have no idea what you're actually like. I just don't want to say the wrong things in front of the media."

So, Levito plays it safe. She wears a sort of mask for the public, projecting the image she thinks people want to see.

Much like Glenn and Liu have people who can relate to them, there are a whole lot of people who can relate to that.

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