National Sports

CALGARY — Ivanie Blondin relishes a heavy workload. The 32-year-old speedskater from Ottawa will compete in six races in three days by the time the World Cup concludes Sunday in Calgary.

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi and his teammates hung around on the field for 20 minutes, taking turns dancing and jumping up and down in front of their celebrating, scarf-waving fans.

TURIN, Italy — Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are the leaders after the rhythm dance at figure skating's ISU Grand Prix Final. The 30-year-old Gilles, and Poirier, 31, scored 85.93 points Friday for the program to Lady Bri's "Do What I Do.

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Neymar is again going home without a World Cup title. Luka Modric's quest continues unabated.

The eighth-ranked Canadian women will open play next year at the SheBelieves Cup in February when they face the top-ranked U.S., No. 7 Brazil and No. 10 Japan in the annual four-nations tournament.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States Friday and was reunited with her wife nearly 10 months after her detention in Russia made the basketball star the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firest

Canadian Levonte Johnson, a senior forward at Syracuse University, has been named a first-team all-American by the United Soccer Coaches. A native of Brampton, Ont.

WINNIPEG — Wade Miller knew he was talking to a winner when he first interviewed Mike O’Shea in 2013.

Midfielder Alessandro Biello and forward Antoni Klukowski, whose fathers both played for Canada, have been named to Canada's under-17 team for the upcoming Copa Mexico de Naciones Under-17 tournament.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Redblacks signed kicker Lewis Ward to a two-year contract and fullback Marco Dubois to a one-year deal on Friday.