Popov gives Bulgaria's ski team its first win in 45 years with victory in night slalom

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Albert Popov gave Bulgaria’s ski team its first World Cup victory in 45 years by triumphing in a slalom on Wednesday as four of the favorites skied out of the night race in Madonna Di Campiglio.

The victory came on the anniversary of Peter Popangelov’s lone win for Bulgaria, in Lenggries, Germany, on Jan. 8, 1980.

“A long time ago,” Popov said. “It means a lot and I want to see more children on the skis in Bulgaria, and I think this is going to do a big thing for them and they’re going to start to believe that it’s possible, and I think it’s very important for our country.”

Eighth-fastest after the opening run, Popov put down a brilliant second run on the Canalone Miramonti course and the 27-year-old tipped his head back and let out a scream of joy after crossing the finish line.

He then faced an anxious wait to see if it would be good enough for what would be a second-ever podium place. And it turned into the most unlikely of victories.

Reigning slalom World Cup champion Manuel Feller looked set to challenge him but he lost his balance and hit a gate, failing to finish for the third time in five starts in slalom this season.

Atle Lie McGrath had dominated the first run, leading by more than half a second, and was hoping for a first victory in almost three years.

The Norwegian had an advantage of 1.21 over Popov after the first split but he threw away his colossal lead as he straddled a gate.

“It’s a dream come true and it’s a long time coming,” Popov said. “I’ve been waiting a lot and I’m happy that it’s in Madonna Di Campiglio. I love the race, I love the slope, I love the people.”

Popov finished 0.44 ahead of Loic Meillard of Switzerland and 0.46 ahead of Croatia’s Samuel Kolega, who recorded his first-ever World Cup podium.

“I’m really lost for words a little bit right now,” Kolega said. "There’s been a lot of work to get here. There’s a lot of people to thank for this. It’s not just me, it’s the whole team, a lot of people who stood behind me all the time.

“It’s not just the podium for me today. I never actually scored World Cup points on this hill before and today it was really such a breakthrough for me.”

Olympic champion Clement Noel, who won the opening two slalom races of the season, and Norwegian skier Timon Haugan, who dominated the last slalom in Alta Badia, both skied out on the first run.

Meillard moved top of the discipline standings, 10 points ahead of world champion Henrik Kristoffersen and 85 points above Noel.

“Definitely not the easiest race, it’s always a challenge here in Madonna,” Meillard said. “Some mistakes happened, but at the end, another podium.

“At the moment, it’s working well. When you have a few good results, you have also confidence and you can push a bit more.”

Three-time defending overall champion Marco Odermatt, who does not compete in slaloms, remained top of the overall standings but saw his lead trimmed to 116 points above Kristoffersen.

There is another slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland in just three days, with a giant slalom the following day, and three more slalom races among a packed January calendar.

“We wanted to be in the top form in January. So with the first race, first win — this is amazing,” Popov said. “Thanks to my team, to my family. Gaia, my daughter. Thank you. This was for you guys.”

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov celebrates winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, poses on podium with second placed Switzerland's Loic Meillard, left, and third placed Croatia's Samuel Kolega, in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov sprays sparkling wine as he celebrates on podium winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov celebrates winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov speeds down the course on his way to win an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, poses with second placed Switzerland's Loic Meillard, left, and third placed Croatia's Samuel Kolega, in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov celebrates winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bulgaria's Albert Popov gets to the finish area after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Timon Haugan speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati

France's Clement Noel speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — It is a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point as the 2025 Grand Slam season opens at the Australian Open on Sunday (Saturday EST): doping and the cases involving Jannik Sinner — which is still not resolved — and Iga Swiatek.

Both spent much of last year at No. 1, and Sinner still will hold that spot in the ATP rankings when he steps on court at Melbourne Park to begin the defense of his championship, one of two major trophies he won last year.

Swiatek, a five-time Slam champ and the woman leading the WTA rankings most of the past three seasons, is No. 2 behind Aryna Sabalenka, who will be chasing her third consecutive title in Australia.

“Obviously, there are going to be some negative comments," Swiatek said. "You're not going to avoid that.”

Most players prefer to remain silent when asked about the cases. But there are those who have been happy to weigh in, including 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, raising questions about whether Sinner and Swiatek were treated the same as other players facing similar circumstances and why their situations were kept under wraps for months.

“I sit and wonder, ‘Why such a big difference in treatment and judgment?’” was two-time major champion Simona Halep's reaction to Swiatek's punishment. “I can’t find, and I don’t think there can be, a logical answer."

Halep initially was banned for four years after testing positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open, then had that penalty reduced to nine months on appeal — although she already had been off the tour longer than that. She was supposed to compete at Melbourne Park for the first time in three years but withdrew from qualifying because of knee and shoulder pain.

No one has been louder about the subject lately than Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who missed nearly all of the past two seasons because of injuries. He has been commenting regularly, in real life and online, even taking a jab (that he said was in jest) at Cruz Hewitt after the 16-year-old son of Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton posted a photo with Sinner from a practice session.

“It’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two world No. 1s, both getting done for doping, is disgusting for our sport," Kyrgios said at the Brisbane International, the first event of his comeback. “It’s a horrible look.”

Sinner was the dominant player in men's tennis last year, and there's little reason to think that won't continue. In 2024, he went 73-6 with eight titles, including at the U.S. Open, and led Italy to the Davis Cup. He heads into the Australian Open on a 14-match winning streak.

Hanging over it all is this: Two positive tests for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March were made public in August; the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined he shouldn't be suspended because the exposure to Clostebol was considered accidental — the result of a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger.

The World Anti-Doping Agency was not entirely convinced about the exoneration and thinks a ban of one to two years would be appropriate. Its appeal, lodged in September, is still pending, and a final determination is expected after the Australian Open ends.

“It’s in (my) head a little bit," Sinner said, adding that he is confident everything will go his way.

Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in late November after testing positive for a banned heart medication known as TMZ. She failed an out-of-competition test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that it was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, that Swiatek was taking for jet lag and sleeping issues.

She missed three tournaments — although the real reason wasn't revealed at the time — and finished serving her punishment after the season was done.

“This whole process was pretty abstract sometimes and hard to understand,” Swiatek said, surely speaking for many observers.

Which is why, perhaps, Netherlands captain Paul Haarhuis said what he did after his team lost to Sinner's Italy in the Davis Cup finals.

“Jannik, in my personal opinion, is an unbelievably nice guy (and) great player,” Haarhuis said, “but we (might) never know what happened.”

While Sinner and Swiatek will compete in Melbourne, another player involved in a recent ITIA case won't: Max Purcell, who won men's doubles titles at the U.S. Open in September and Wimbledon in 2022 and was a two-time runner-up at the Australian Open.

Purcell didn't test positive, though. Instead, he accepted a provisional suspension for, as he described it, having “unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit."

“I have no good words for it,” said Jordan Thompson, Purcell's doubles partner in New York last year. "It is a joke."

FILE - Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Zheng Qinwen of China in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek holds the trophy after winning the women's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - Jannik Sinner, left, of Italy gestures as he holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Daniil Medvedev, right, of Russia in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

FILE - Jannik Sinner of Italy poses with ball kids and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)