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. Drew Brees Womens Jersey .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006. Willie Roaf Saints Jersey . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year. http://www.authenticsaintssportsonline.com/saints-michael-thomas-gold-jersey/ . Henrik Samuelsson and Luke Bertolucci also scored for the Oil Kings, who are now 9-0 on home ice in the playoffs to cut Portlands series lead to 2-1. Chase De Leo and Mathew Dumba responded for the Winterhawks, who suffered just their fourth loss in their last 46 games, a string of success running all the way back to Jan. Bobby Hebert Youth Jersey . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Cameron Jordan Jersey . The roster changes have been constant and continuous since late last year, but even with their 46-man roster set for the start of the season, the banged-up Bombers will be kicking off Week 1 with a handful of fresh faces and back-ups in the starting lineup.GREEN BAY, Wis. -- In the middle of the chaotic and victorious Green Bay Packers locker room, Randall Cobb yelled out a new nickname for Jordy Nelson. "Mr. 200!" Cobb exclaimed. More like a career-high 209 yards receiving for Green Bays top receiver, including one long touchdown catch in crunch time. Aaron Rodgers threw for three scores, including an 80-yard strike to Nelson in the third quarter, and the Packers roared back from an 18-point deficit to win their home opener 31-24 on Sunday over the New York Jets. "Well, pretty impressive. Take it for granted sometimes. Hes not a big me guy ... so he kind of gets overlooked sometimes," Rodgers said about Nelson. "We know the kind of player he is." So do the Jets after blowing a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter. Still, coach Rex Ryans team had a chance to tie late. It looked as though that had happened with 5 minutes left on a 37-yard touchdown catch by Jeremy Kerley on fourth down -- but it was negated because the Jets (1-1) called a timeout from the sideline just before the snap. Ryan said he didnt call time. He suspected it could have been offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg or quarterback Geno Smith. Defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson said he was to blame because he leaned over to tell the referee when he saw Mornhinweg calling for time. "I just know for a fact I did not call the timeout," Ryan said. "We cant take those things back," Smith said. "That happened. As a player, as a quarterback, you still want to go down there and score a touchdown and we failed to get that done." Smiths last-ditch pass on fourth-and-8 with 3:31 left to a double-covered Kerley was tipped away. The 78,000-plus fans at Lambeau Field breathed a collective sigh of relief, and the Packers held the ball from there. "It is my responsibility," Ryan said when asked about the Jets meltdown. "I have to do a better job." Green Bay (1-1) avoided its first 0-2 start since 2006. It took a little while to get going, though. Rodgers fumbled away the snap on the first play of the opening series. The Jets scored on their first three drives. Slowly, but surely, the offence started chipping away. Then, the defence came up with some big stops late. Eric Decker departed with a hamstring injury early in the fourth, depriving Smith of his top receiving target. The Jets tried backup Michael Vick at quarterback on one play, but he was taken down from behind in the open by Clay Matthews for a sack. That drive ennded with the pass breakup on Kerley in the end zone.dddddddddddd "Its a game of adversity. Its a game of momentum swings. Its a game of big plays," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We were in a spot, but our players stayed the course." Rodgers finished 25 of 42 with 346 yards, Nelson had nine catches and Cobb finished with five catches for 39 yards. Cobb caught two short scoring strikes and a 2-point conversation that gave the Packers a 24-21 lead in the third quarter. Green Bay went up 31-24 late in the third quarter when Nelson worked a double move on Dee Milliner for the 80-yard score. Nelson ran and out-and-up route. With the safety coming over late to help, Nelson beat out Jets defenders in a footrace to the end zone. "We just messed up at the end," Milliner said. Just a couple of hours earlier, it looked as if the home crowd was going to witness a surprising loss. Chris Ivory barrelled up the middle for a 4-yard score at 10:38 of the second quarter that left the fans in stunned silence with the Packers down 21-3. "The momentum came when we stopped them and started making plays and got off the field and got off on the third down," Packers linebacker Jamari Lattimore said. Smith finished 16 of 32 for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Decker had four catches for 63 yards, while Ivory led the Jets on the ground with 13 carries and 43 yards. The Packers comeback started with a 13-point flurry in the final 5:43 of the first half, including field goals from 20 and 55 yards by Mason Crosby. The latter kick set a Packers record at home. Then, the Packers got the defensive break they desperately needed when Tramon Williams stepped in front of tight end Zach Sudfeld for an interception at the Packers 3. "You never want to come out that flat, you never expect to come out that flat, but we did and we found a way to get through it," Williams said. Rodgers followed with 10-play, 97-yard drive in 1:44 that ended with a 6-yard score to Cobb to get the Packers within five at the half. Notes: The Jets finished with 312 yards in total offence, but only 100 after halftime. ... New York had four sacks, including two from LB Demario Davis. ... Nelson had the fourth touchdown catch of 80 or more yards in his career, tying the franchise record held by Greg Jennings. ... Nelsons 209 yards were the most by a Packer since Don Beebe had 220 against San Francisco in 1996. ... Crosby has hit 18 straight regular-season field goals dating to last year. ' ' '