ARE, Sweden - Olympic champion Marielle Thompsons pursuit of a second skicross World Cup title will go down to the wire. Thompson, of Whistler, B.C., was fourth in Sundays race while rival Fanny Smith of Switzerland finished first, cutting Thompsons lead in the overall standings to just five points with only next weekends World Cup finals in France left to go. Ophelie David of France was second while Vancouvers Georgia Simmerling was third. "The overall is pretty exciting — for both the women and the men," said Thompson, who has 655 points compared to Smiths 650. "In the final, I was leading into the first turn and then Ophelie passed me and I got pushed into the powder and lost all my speed. Thats how she goes sometimes." Simmerling won her first heat Sunday and was second in her quarter- and semifinals to advance to the big final. "It was good today. I had to fight hard and it all came together," Simmerling said. "I messed up my timing on one of the features at the end of the start and I was fourth. Then Marielle (fell back) and the three of us just ended up 1-2-3. "Ive had a pretty consistent year, I would say. Theres one more race to go and Im hoping for a strong result again." Danie Sundquist, of Calgary was third in her first heat and finished 20th overall. Olympic silver medallist Kelsey Serwa, of Kelowna, B.C., did not participate as she took the post-Olympic season off. On the mens side, Austrias Thomas Zangerl finished first while teammate Andreas Matt was second. Armin Niederer of Switzerland picked up the bronze. Mathieu Leduc of Comox, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing eighth. "It was definitely nice to see I can compete with the top guys," Leduc said. "Im just hoping to establish myself on the World Cup and put my name in there. "Im learning from my mistakes and trying to bank all my experiences and put them to good use." Calgarys Brady Leman and Montreals Chris Del Bosco did not advance past their first heats. Louis-Pierre Helie, of Berthierville, Que., did not finish his qualification run, while Tristan Tafel, of Canmore, Alta., did not qualify for the round of 32 heats. Canada sits second (1,898) behind Switzerland (2,124) in the ski cross Nations Cup standings with one race to go. Kyle Juszczyk Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Kendrick Bourne Super Bowl Jersey . -- Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and A. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-kwon-alexander-49ers-jersey/ .com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. Jeff Wilson Super Bowl Jersey . -- Coyotes coach Dave Tippett thinks of one thing when he watches Eastern Conference teams struggle against Western opponents before they get to Phoenix: His team must keep pace. Roger Craig Super Bowl Jersey . Winnipeg trailed by five points in the final minute when quarterback Drew Willy completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive with Feoli-Gudinos 18-yard touchdown catch on third down to lift the Bombers to a 34-33 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.TOKYO -- Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe on Wednesday defended his call to cut costs by relocating some venues for the 2020 Olympics, even if it threatens plans for having almost all the facilities close to the athletes village. Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 Olympics last year with a promise to deliver a compact games, with 28 of the proposed 33 competition venues within five miles (8 kilometres) of the village. But Japanese Olympic organizers said they are reviewing their venue plans because of concerns over rising costs. Japan has already informed the International Olympic Committee about its intention to review and revise its plans. According to reports in the Japanese media, organizers are considering moving some venues to locations as far away as Saitama, which is part of the Greater Tokyo Area but an hour away from central Tokyo. "Even if a venue is 100 kilometres (60 miles) away you can still achieve a maximum travel time of 30 minutes if the transportation system if appropriate," Masuzoe told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Masuzoe said the relocation of some venues outsidde that radius will not increase travel times between the facilities if good transportation systems are in place.dddddddddddd Insisting that he also has a responsibility to Tokyo taxpayers, Masuzoe said the games need to be compact in terms of cost and not just geography -- a principle the IOC agrees with. "Expenses can be 30, 40, 50 times more than the original plan," Masuzoe said. "How can I persuade the taxpayers to pay this kind of money? We are working with the IOC and the various sports federations to make the games sustainable. Legacy is very important. If you abolish everything after the games who can accept that?" The IOC, under new President Thomas Bach, is currently looking at ways of reducing the costs of hosting future Olympics. Several cities declined to bid or have dropped out of the race for the 2022 Winter Games because of financial concerns. Masuzoe did not refer specifically to plans to replace Tokyos National Stadium with a colossal, 80,000-seat facility, the centerpiece of the citys Olympic bid. The proposed new stadium has caused protests over its size, cost and design. ' ' '