Larisa Yurkiw believed she should compete with the best in the world in the Olympics, and shell get that chance Wednesday in the womens downhill at Rosa Khutor. When the best Canadian womens speed racers from the 2010 Winter Olympics soon retired and Yurkiw endured injury woes with after effects that extended into years, official Alpine Canada funding dried up. The dollars were targeted at the emerging women on the team, all technical specialists. Yurkiw poured tens of thousands of her own dollars into a bid to make the Sochi Olympics, and raised more than six figures from private individuals and businesses to back her quest. Racing as an independent under coach Kurt Mayr, Yurkiw earned Tier 1 qualification for Sochi with a pair of top 12 results this season, a seventh-place finish in the season-opening downhill in Lake Louise, Alta., and a sixth place at Altenmarkt, Austria last month. The Owen Sound, Ont., native was aiming to compete at the Vancouver Games but tore up her left knee in a crash in December 2009. Yurkiw didnt participate in a full season again until 2012-13, but didnt crack the top 20 in any races, which put her at a career crossroads at just 25 years of age. In what seemed like another cruel blow after all her hard work, Yurkiw went down in a training run in Sochi last week. But she recovered to post the ninth fastest time in the last training session. The contenders There wont be a repeat Olympic downhill champion as American ski star Lindsey Vonn of the United States underwent knee surgery, but 2010 silver medallist Julia Mancuso and bronze recipient Liz Goergl are competing in Russia. Both are capable of getting back to the podium. Mancuso hasnt enjoyed great World Cup results this season, but now owns four career Olympic medals after earning a bronze in Mondays super-combined. The Hawaiian resident did so on the strength of a downhill that was nearly a half-second faster than the next best skier, Lara Gut of Switzerland. Goergls two World Cup wins this season (one downhill, one super-G) have come in the last month, while Gut, Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Austria and Slovenias Tina Maze also own downhill wins this season. Maria Hoefl-Riesch, with three, is the only skier with multiple downhill wins this season. The German veteran would have to be considered co-favourite along with Mancuso for the downhill, after winning her third career Olympic gold medal in Mondays super-combined. She is also the overall World Cup points leader. Dominique Gisin of Switzerland hasnt been on the World Cup podium since late 2011, but served notice she could be a factor with a winning training session earlier this week. Anna Wenninger of Austria and Elena Fanchin of Italy are also contender, each having been on the World Cup podium twice in downhill this season, though not yet in the top spot. Tina Weirather under normal circumstances would be considered a strong medal contender after racking up nine World Cup podiums this season, including four in the downhill. But the skier from tiny Liechtenstein, who suffered a serious injury that put her on the sidelines just days before the 2010 Olympics, is uncertain to compete after hurting her leg in a weekend training session. Wholesale Nike Vapormax Nz .com) - His team lost in the round of 16 of the FCS playoffs, yet Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley says his team has made a strong case to be voted to the top 5 in the final rankings. Discount Nike Vapormax Nz . -- With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O. http://www.vapormaxnz.com/ . The outdoor event will be played on Dec. 31 between alumni of the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Nike Vapormax Nz Sale . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. Nike Vapormax Nz Online .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.Macau (SportsNetwork.com) - Anirban Lahiri fired a 5-under 66 in the final round Sunday and he rallied to win the Macau Open. Lahiri, who won for the second time this season and for the fifth time of his career on the Asian Tour, finished at 17-under-par 267 at Macau Golf and Country Club. After making birdie at the second and sixth, Lahiri tripped to a bogey at the par-4 seventh. He bounced back with consecutive birdies at eight and nine. Lahiri parred the first four holes around the tuurn before jumping to minus-17 with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15.dddddddddddd. He wrapped up the victory with three more pars. Third-round leader Scott Hend closed with a 69 and he shared second place with Prom Meesawat (66) at m