will be a mandatory title defence against Stiverne, poossibly

CALGARY -- Jeremy Wotherspoon remains committed to an Olympic comeback in speedskating despite a setback. The four-time Olympian from Red Deer, Alta., missed qualifying for Canadas World Cup team in the 500 metres Thursday In his first races since the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Wotherspoon needed a top-five result at trials to represent Canada in World Cup races this fall, but he finished 11th. The 36-year-old will race the 1,000 metres at the Olympic Oval on Friday, but the 500 metres is his specialty. Wotherspoon still holds the world record of 34.03 seconds set in Salt Lake City in 2007. The Olympic trials for Canadas long-track speedskating team are Dec. 28 to Jan. 3. Wotherspoon believes thats enough time to get his race legs back and compete for a medal at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. "As much as Id like to do 500-metre World Cups, its not my main goal," he said. "My goal is to build and build towards the Olympics. "I know theres still a couple of months before the Olympics trials. After that, theres a month and a half before the Olympics so, itll come quick, but its still a lot of days for me to focus and lot of days for me to build up to that competition." Wotherspoon announced in June he was coming out of retirement for another shot at Olympic glory. Hes earned more World Cup medals than any other man with a career 67. Wotherspoon won three 500-metre world titles and another in the 1,000, plus four world sprint championships during a career that spanned a decade and a half. He was inducted into Canadas Sports Hall of Fame last year. Wotherspoons Olympic silver medal in the 500 metres in 1998 is overshadowed by an absence of medals at three subsequent Winter Games. He was the favourite to win the 500 in 2002, but stumbled and fell. Wotherspoon was ninth in the 500 in both 2006 and 2010. When Wotherspoon announced in March, 2010, that he was done racing, he said then it would take a while to get used to the idea. The lure of competition and the desire to race for a medal in the Olympics continued to call to him while coaching in Inzell, Germany, the last three years. "I missed that feeling of excitement and adrenaline and then the relaxation you get after a competition," Wotherspoon explained. "Its a nice type of feeling to have. At the same time, Im committed to being the best I can at Sochi. I dont want to go there as a tourist getting experience because I have that experience. "I want to go there and be able to compete. If I feel theres no way I can go and compete, I dont want to take that spot away from someone else who could gain valuable experience." The mens 500-metre rankings were determined by the combined time of two races, but Wotherspoon stepped to the start line three times Thursday He was given a re-race of his opening 500 metres because the other skater in his pairing, Patrick Marsh, blocked him on the backstretch during the lane change. So after posting a time of 35.43 seconds in his second race, Wotherspoon skated alone in his re-race for a time of 35.69. "It was a tougher day than I expected," he said. "Its not a normal competition feeling when youre by yourself at the end. It feels a bit like the competition is over. "Its a good test, a good mental test. Even though Im old and experienced, it was a new experience. It was a good test to try and perform well under difficult circumstances." Edmontons Jamie Gregg, Calgarys Gilmore Junio, William Dutton of Humboldt, Sask., Laurent Dubreuil of Levis, Que., and Alexandre St-Jean of Quebec City finished first to fifth in the mens 500 metres. The Canadian trials continue Friday until Sunday. The top five racers in all distances qualify to race the first four World Cups of the season with the exception of the mens 5,000 and 10,000 metres, in which only three skaters will be named to the Canadian team. The World Cup season opens Nov. 8-10 in Calgary followed by stops in Salt Lake City, Astana, Kazakhstan, and Berlin, Germany. Olympic 1,000-metre champion Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., has already qualified to race the 1,000 and 1,500 metres. She won the 500 metres Thursday. Reginas Marsha Hudey, Wotherspoons sister Danielle from Red Deer, Calgarys Kaylin Irvine and Winnipegs Shannon Rempel were second to fifth respectively. Ottawas Ivanie Blondin won the womens 3,000 metres ahead of Winnipegs Brittany Schussler, Ottawas Lauren McGuire, Brianne Tutt of Airdrie, Alta., and Edmontons Nicole Garrido. Saskatoons Lucas Makowsky was the fastest in the mens 5,000 metres. Torontos Jordan Belchos finished second and Mathieu Giroux of Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que., was third. The top 500-metre men in the world currently includes 24-year-old Tae-Bum Mo of South Korea, 27-year-old Michel Mulder of the Netherlands and 28-year-old Joji Kato of Japan. Wotherspoon turns 37 later this month. Canadas Clara Hughes won an Olympic bronze medal in the 5,000 metres at age 37 in 2010, but distance racing favours older athletes because of the years it takes to build up a big aerobic engine. Sprinting requires fast-twitch muscles and explosive training on and off the ice. "Time will tell, but I dont think Ive lost my ability to move fast," Wotherspoon said. "I feel like I just need to get it back." Penguins Jerseys 2019 . PETERSBURG, Fla. Pittsburgh Penguins Pro Shop . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . Ronaldo netted his 14th goal of the season in Europes top competition to give Madrid a clear advantage ahead of next weeks quarterfinal return leg in Germany. But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th minute. Fake Penguins Jerseys . Next years tournament is also within sight for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has never played in a World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo looks destined for the playoffs with Portugal after a night when the qualifying picture in the nine groups became much clearer. Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . -- Green Bay wide receiver Greg Jennings will be on the sideline as the Packers make their push for a perfect regular season.MONTREAL -- Canadian light welterweight Dierry Jean will likely get his first shot at a world title in late January in New York, promoter Camille Estaphan said Tuesday. Jean (25-0), of Montreal, is to face International Boxing Federation champion Lamont Peterson (31-2-1), whose promoter Golden Boy won a purse bid to stage the bout. Estaphan said Golden Boy, which still has seven days to set a date, is looking at having the fight at the Barclays Center in New York, although Las Vegas remains an option. "New York would be better because more of my fans can come," said Jean. "I see Peterson as a beatable opponent. "Hes a good boxer, but I wouldnt call him a complete athlete. He has shown some weaknesses in his career." Estaphan, head of Eye of the Tiger Management, said Montreal heavyweight Bermane Stiverne may also get a title shot in 2014. He said he was assured by handlers of WBC champion Vitali Klitschko that the Ukrainians next bout will be a mandatory title defence against Stiverne, poossibly in April.dddddddddddd. If so, it could be a busy time for the 42-year-old Klitschko, who is a member of parliament in Ukraine and recently announced he will run for president. "When a representative of Klitschkos company approaches you with a proposition, its a sign that things are moving forward," said Estaphan, who returned this week from a WBC congress in Bangkok. He also said that Montreal light welterweight Ghislain Maduma, currently ranked fourth, will have an elimination bout to try to become mandatory challenger for the WBC belt. "Not only could we have three world title fights in 2014, but we could have three world champions from Quebec," Estaphan said. The only Canadian currently holding a world title is Adonis Stevenson of Montreal, who will defend his WBC light heavywight belt Nov. 30 in Quebec City. Eye of the Tiger also announced it has added welterweight contender Antonin Decarie to its stable. Decarie was previously with Stevensons promoter Yvon Michel. ' ' '