College Sports

Holocaust Survivor Tied to Paris Olympics Dies Aged 102

Published

4 months ago

January 12, 2025

Holocaust Survivor Tied to Paris Olympics Dies Aged 102

Sir Ben Helfgott was also a Holocaust survivor, but he is known for far more than that. Helfgott was already a British weightlifting champion before moving on to the Olympics. Although Ben could not secure Olympic medals, he did not care, “But I never expected to“, he said. “I was working and only had about five hours a week to practise“. The weightlifter won gold medals at the “Jewish Olympics” or the Maccabiah Games wherein he represented Britain in 1950, 1953, and 1957. Sir Helfgott passed away in 2016, leaving a plethora of admirers behind.The holocaust is undoubtedly the darkest chapter of modern human history. Lebranchu soon found himself in the clutches of the holocaust when he was arrested for attempting to escape North Africa to join the French Resistance in 1943. However, this phenomenal man persisted through such dark times and refused to bow down to adversity. Like a true sportsperson, his greatest weapons were optimism and perseverance.This French rower went ahead in life to have an extraordinary career. He emerged as the French Rowing Champion in 1946 and 1947. He also represented France at the Summer Olympics in London in 1948, finishing 4th in the rowing event. Lebranchu rowed gloriously till the age of 79. He shocked people for one last time by carrying the Olympic flame ahead of the Summer Games in Paris in 2024. “It is a huge honour”, and “I carry peace”, were some of his words concerning the honor bestowed upon him.

Roger Lebranchu lived an exceptional life. He set an example of courage, dedication, and passion. Our history has witnessed other such people who lived extraordinarily. Much like Roger Lebranchu, they refused adversities to bog them down. They have risen against all odds, leaving the world in awe of their capabilities and hard work.Roger Lebranchu lived an exceptional life. He set an example of courage, dedication, and passion. Our history has witnessed other such people who lived extraordinarily. Much like Roger Lebranchu, they refused adversities to bog them down. They have risen against all odds, leaving the world in awe of their capabilities and hard work.Roger Lebranchu lived an exceptional life. He set an example of courage, dedication, and passion. Our history has witnessed other such people who lived extraordinarily. Much like Roger Lebranchu, they refused adversities to bog them down. They have risen against all odds, leaving the world in awe of their capabilities and hard work.Roger Lebranchu was determined to be known as someone more than just a “holocaust survivor”. He wanted to row for France. Soon after the American troops evacuated the Buchenwald camp, Lebranchu set out to become a sportsperson. However, there was one last promise he had to honor before he could begin his journey to greatness. The French Olympian and his father had mouthed, “See you later” at each other before Lebranchu’s arrest. After regaining freedom, he met with his father at a metro station in Paris, hence keeping the promise.

Agnes Keleti left us behind in a world that is much less phenomenal without her. The Olympic gold medalist passed away on January 2nd, 2025. Her life in Hungary took a turn for the worse when the dark shadows of WWII engulfed the country in 1944. However, like Lebranchu, she was not a victim of her circumstances. She went on to become one of the oldest gymnasts in Olympic history, too. She rebuilt her life after the war, eventually winning gold, silver, and bronze medals. What an inspiration!ADVERTISEMENT

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College Sports

NHL Playoffs 2025: Stanley Cup schedule, bracket, scores, as Golden Knights beat Oilers with buzzer-beater

The second round of the 2025 NHL playoffs provided another night of entertaining hockey as the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights took another step toward the conference finals. The Hurricanes blanked the Washington Capitals in Game 3, and the Golden Knights needed last-second heroics from Reilly Smith. In Raleigh, Frederik Andersen slammed the […]

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3 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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In Raleigh, Frederik Andersen slammed the door shut on the Capitals’ offense for 60 minutes. Andersen stopped all 21 shots he faced for a 4-0 shutout win. He was excellent, and Carolina’s offense got contributions from up and down the lineup.

Andrei Svechnikov got the scoring started with a beautiful individual effort in the second period, and Jack Roslovic recorded two points in the win. On the Washington side, Logan Thompson struggled in net, allowing four goals on just 28 shots against. He’ll need a bounce back in Game 4 to even the series at two games apiece.

NHL Playoffs 2025: Reilly Smith’s buzzer-beater vs. Oilers headlines 3 Stars of the Night

Austin Nivison

On the other side of the continent, in Edmonton, the Golden Knights and Oilers looked like they were destined for overtime when Connor McDavid tied the score at 3 with just over three minutes left. Smith had other ideas.

With the clock was winding down in regulation, Smith picked up a loose puck in the high slot and made a brilliant play. He pump-faked a pair of Oilers, patiently walked around Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner and banked home the winning goal off Leon Draisaitl’s stick with 0.4 seconds left.

Sunday’s slate of games has a tough act to follow, but the matchups are primed for more fireworks. First, the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars will play a pivotal Game 3, and then the Toronto Maple Leafs will try to push the Florida Panthers to the brink of elimination.

For the complete schedule and results for every matchup, follow along right here at CBS Sports.

Round 2

(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Florida Panthers

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes

(1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (2) Dallas Stars

(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (3) Edmonton Oilers

Round 1

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens

(2) Dallas Stars vs. (3) Colorado Avalanche

(2) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3) Edmonton Oilers

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College Sports

Baseball bows out of MIAC Playoffs to Bethel in second elimination game of day

Story Links Box Score 2025 MIAC Baseball Playoffs COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – In its second elimination game of the day, the fourth-seeded St. Olaf College baseball team bowed out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference […]

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4 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – In its second elimination game of the day, the fourth-seeded St. Olaf College baseball team bowed out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Baseball Playoffs with a 5-2 loss to second-seeded Bethel University on Friday evening at Becker Park.

After eliminating third-seeded Saint John’s University earlier in the day, St. Olaf (23-16) led 2-0 in the sixth thanks to home runs from junior Mason Buck and sophomore Kanen Kreafle, but Bethel (30-12) rallied with two in the sixth and three in the eighth to claim the come-from-behind win. With the win, the Royals will need to defeat nationally-ranked and top-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College twice on Saturday to secure the title.

The loss brought an end to the careers of St. Olaf’s senior class, which helped the Oles to back-to-back MIAC Playoff appearances in the last two seasons and a 2024 MIAC regular-season title.

Buck and Kreafle accounted for all four of St. Olaf’s hits in the loss. Buck was 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run, while Kreafle was 2-for-3 with his first collegiate home run.

In the longest start of his collegiate career, sophomore Nick Levasseur held Bethel to two runs on six hits with five walks and four strikeouts over 5.2 innings in a no-decision. Levasseur induced three double plays to help keep the Royals scoreless until the sixth.

In a scoreless game, Kreafle led off the top of the third with an opposite-field solo home run before Buck started the top of the fourth with a solo shot for his third homer of the season. Levasseur got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the fourth with a swinging strikeout.

Bethel tied the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly followed by a two-out single to chase Levasseur, but sophomore Joey Haas got the Oles out of the inning with a strikeout to keep the game tied. The game remained tied until Isaac Call hit a two-run home run two batters into what turned into a three-run bottom of the eighth for the Royals.

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Colorado College hockey notebook: Tigers celebrate seniors, award winners, Mayotte adds to coaching staff | Sports

Tigers celebrate season at team banquet Time has long since turned the page on the 2024-2025 season, but Colorado College hockey revisited the past year for a final time on Friday night. CC held its annual team banquet at the Carter Payne Center to celebrate the senior class and hand out individual awards. Junior top-line […]

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4 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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Tigers celebrate season at team banquet

Time has long since turned the page on the 2024-2025 season, but Colorado College hockey revisited the past year for a final time on Friday night.

CC held its annual team banquet at the Carter Payne Center to celebrate the senior class and hand out individual awards.

Junior top-line center Noah Laba was named the Tigers’ Thayer Tutt MVP while junior goaltender Kaidan Mbereko won the Steve Ebert award, which recognizes dedication, desire, ability and sportsmanship.

Laba was tied for second in scoring with 26 points on 10 goals (also tied for the team lead) and 16 assists despite battling injuries which sidelined him for eight games.

Laba, a New York Rangers draft pick, signed a pro deal with the NHL team earlier this offseason.

Mbereko played 31 of 37 games between the pipes for CC. He recorded a .905 saves percentage and a 2.65 goals against average. Mbereko has announced his intent to return to the Tigers for his senior season.

Freshman winger Owen Beckner won the Bob Johnson award as the Tigers’ top freshman. Beckner posted a team-high 27 points on 20 assists and seven goals. As CC’s scoring leader, the Ottawa Senators draft pick also took home the M.B. Hopper award. Beckner is the first freshman since current Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin to lead the Tigers in scoring.

Other award winners

Henry Wilder, senior, G, Scott Winkler award – humility optimism and support

Ty Gallagher, grad student, D, Tony Frasca award – best postseason

Brady Cleveland (outgoing transfer), sophomore, D, Dave Peterson award – most improved player

Zaccharya Wisdom (outgoing transfer), sophomore, F, Rodman award – sportsmanship

Tommy Middleton, senior, F, Paul Markovich award – top student-athlete

Pooley and Murray join Tigers

On Friday, CC coach Kris Mayotte announced the addition of two new coaches to his staff.

Paul Pooley, who spent the past 20 seasons at Notre Dame, will join CC this fall as the Tigers associate head coach and Jordy Murray, who has been an assistant at Michigan Tech since 2022, will serve in the same role in Colorado Springs.

Pooley and Murray replace former associate head coach Peter Mannino, who parted ways with the team earlier in the offseason, and assistant coach Andrew Oglevie who joined the Notre Dame on May 1.

“Our search for a candidate to strengthen our championship culture prioritized qualities beyond just technical expertise,” Mayotte said in a release. “He brings not only a championship pedigree and an unwavering commitment to player growth but also a profound dedication to fostering meaningful connections. While I am eager to work with Paul, the greatest beneficiaries will be our players.

“In hiring Jordy, we’re adding a rising star whose vision aligns with the future of this program. Jordy has showcased an innate ability to identify talent, nurture skill, and forge relationships—the cornerstones of elite recruiting and player development.”

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Missouri Baseball: Mizzou Beats Texas A&M 9-6 in College Station for first SEC Win

For the first time since the regular season finale in 2024 at Mississippi State, the Missouri Tigers were able to breakthrough to win an SEC baseball game. It happened last night in College Station with a 9-6 victory over Texas A&M as Mizzou (14-35, 1-24 SEC) finally got into the win column in conference play. […]

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5 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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For the first time since the regular season finale in 2024 at Mississippi State, the Missouri Tigers were able to breakthrough to win an SEC baseball game.

It happened last night in College Station with a 9-6 victory over Texas A&M as Mizzou (14-35, 1-24 SEC) finally got into the win column in conference play.

The win snapped a program record 12-game losing streak and the Tigers accomplished it in comeback fashion.

As usual, the pitching issues continued as Mizzou trailed 6-1 through three innings after two home runs by Jace LaViolette, the D1 Baseball SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

However, Missouri responded with eight unanswered runs. In the top of the 5th inning, Jackson Lovich’s 10th home run of the season cut the Aggies lead to 5-3.

In the top of the 9th, trailing 6-3, Mizzou scored six runs led by Jackson Lovich, Kaden Peer, and Chris Patterson.

Tigers making noise in the 9th!

A Lovich infield single has cut the lead to two, still with nobody out and the bases loaded.

TAMU 6, #MIZ 4 | # | pic.twitter.com/iuTT3n68Do

— Mizzou Baseball (@MizzouBaseball) May 10, 2025

The Aggies went quietly in the bottom of the 9th as Xavier Lovett worked a 1-2-3 inning which featured a diving catch by Cayden Nicoletto.

Not only was this Mizzou’s first SEC win of the season, but it marked the Tigers’ second consecutive win in College Station dating back to 2023.

As for Texas A&M, it is a damaging loss for their NCAA Tournament hopes — who fell to 10-15 in conference play. That’s hard to believe as the Aggies came into this season as the preseason favorites to win the SEC.

Mizzou will look to play spoiler later on this afternoon as the Tigers search for their first SEC series win since sweeping Florida from April 5th-7th of last season.

Game 2 of this series is set for 2:00 p.m. CST as Sam Horn in scheduled to get the start on SEC Network Plus.

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UW-Whitewater Victorious In NCAA Men’s Tennis First Round, Falls In Second Round

Michael McLoone Men’s Tennis 5/10/2025 10:03:14 PM Story Links WHITEWATER, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater emerged with a 4-0 victory over Luther College (Iowa) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship on May 9, but fell […]

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5 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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Michael McLoone

Men’s Tennis
5/10/2025 10:03:14 PM

WHITEWATER, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater emerged with a 4-0 victory over Luther College (Iowa) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship on May 9, but fell to Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) 4-2 in the second round at Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex on May 10.

The Warhawks were making their 15th NCAA appearance – and fourth straight – and completed the 2024-25 campaign with a 17-6 record. UW-Whitewater won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship for the second consecutive year.

First Round

UW-Whitewater 4, Luther (IA) 0

Singles:

No. 1–Theo Billson (WW) def. Luke Westholder (LUTH) 6-2, 6-1

No. 2–Reuben Giorgio (WW) vs. Joao Benvenutti (LUTH) 3-6, 6-2, 0-0 (did not finish)

No. 3–Tyler Nelson (WW) vs. Abbay Chhabra (LUTH) 4-6, 5-4 (did not finish)

No. 4–Drew Van Fossen (WW) def. Juan Hernandez Herrera (LUTH) 7-6 (4), 6-1

No. 5–Giovanni Vitali (WW) def. Eli Young (LUTH) 6-3, 6-2

No. 6–Charles Morgan (WW) vs. Rhys Biro-Moore (LUTH) 7-5, 4-0 (did not finish)

Doubles:

No. 1–Billson/Giorgio (WW) def. Young/Westholder (LUTH) 6-2

No. 2–Chhabra/Benvenutti (LUTH) def. Nelson/Payton Adkisson (WW) 6-2

No. 3–Van Fossen/Will Ulrich (WW) def. Hernandez Herrera/Ricky Portilla (LUTH) 7-6 (4)

Second Round

Gustavus Adolphus (MN) 4, UW-Whitewater 2

Singles:

No. 1–Gage Gohl (GAC) def. Theo Billson (WW) 6-2, 6-2

No. 2–Reuben Giorgio (WW) vs. Marco Siviero (GAC) 7-5, 1-6, 1-1 (did not finish)

No. 3–Dominik Knutson (GAC) def. Tyler Nelson (WW) 6-1, 6-1

No. 4–Drew Van Fossen (WW) def. Josh Christensen (GAC) 6-3, 6-4

No. 5–Tyler Haddorff (GAC) def. Giovanni Vitali (WW) 6-4, 6-4

No. 6–Luke Firdinger (GAC) def. Charles Morgan (WW) 7-6 (2), 6-3

Doubles:

No. 1–Billson/Giorgio (WW) def. Gohl/Haddorff (GAC) 6-4

No. 2–Knutson/Siviero (GAC) def. Nelson/Payton Adkisson (WW) 6-3

No. 3–Van Fossen/Will Ulrich (WW) def. Christensen/Taona Mhwandagara (GAC) 6-4

# # # # #

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Men’s Lacrosse Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals – Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse earned a gritty 13-11 win over no. 15 Colgate in the NCAA First Round and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. A back-and-forth contest was rounded out by a 3-0 Nittany Lions run over the last few minutes of the game to seal their win. Penn State […]

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5 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse earned a gritty 13-11 win over no. 15 Colgate in the NCAA First Round and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. A back-and-forth contest was rounded out by a 3-0 Nittany Lions run over the last few minutes of the game to seal their win. Penn State improves to 11-4 overall while Colgate ends its season with a 10-8 record. The Nittany Lions advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in program history. The team will take on the winner of the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame which will be played on Sunday, May 11 at noon.

Another outstanding performance for the freshman faceoff athlete Reid Gills, going 21-28 at the faceoff x, was a key component in the victory. Sophomore Liam Matthews guided the Penn State offense with four goals including two in the PSU 3-0 run down the stretch. Senior Ethan Long led the team in points, tallying one goal and three assists. Senior Matt Traynor produced his fifth hat trick of the season with three goals to go with a career best eight ground balls. Senior Jack Aimone was the final multi-goal scorer for PSU with two. Kyle Lehman, Will Costin and Will Peden rounded out the goal scorers with one apiece.

Defensively, senior Kevin Parnham was the key disruptor, causing four turnovers and scooping six ground balls. As a team, Penn State caused a program NCAA Tournament record 18 turnovers on the Raiders. Sophomore Brendan Leary (3), junior Ryan O’Connor (2), senior Jack Fracyon (2) and junior Jon King (2) all had multiple caused turnovers.

FIRST QUARTER – 2-0 Colgate

Colgate held Penn State scoreless for the entirety of the quarter.
The Raiders added two goals of their own after both teams were plagued by turnovers.

SECOND QUARTER – 5-5

Penn State notched the first goal of stanza but then the teams traded goals for the next few possessions. Traynor and Aimone had the two first goals.
The Nittany Lions notched back-to-back goals with five minutes remaining to knot the score at 4-4, both goals were unassisted off the sticks of Long and Aimone.
Colgate added one more goal in the quarter to recapture the lead but Penn State had the final word of the half, a bounce pass from Leary to find Matthews who shot it behind his back.

THIRD QUARTER – 10-8 Penn State

The Nittany Lions took their first lead of the game just over 30 seconds into the quarter, Matthews scored his second goal off a feed from Long.
Costin took a long shot from well beyond midfield on the Colgate 10-man ride in the clear to score his first career goal and put PSU up by two.
The Raiders went on a 3-0 scoring surge to retake the lead back at 8-7.
Penn State responded with a three-goal run of its own to grab the edge heading into the final stanza. Traynor collected a ground ball off a turnover to outwork the Colgate defense and find the back of the net to begin the stretch. Peden notched his goal off a helper from Hunter Aquino and Lehman also beat his defender to add his first goal of the day.

FOURTH QUARTER – 13-11 Penn State

Colgate began the final 15 minutes with another 3-0 scoring stretch, taking the lead once again at 11-10.
Penn State’s defensive efforts and grit at the faceoff x kept Colgate from scoring and gaining possessions over the remaining five minutes, allowing the offense to go on their final 3-0 run of the contest.
Matthews led the surge down the stretch with two goals in four minutes. Traynor put away the final goal on an empty net to seal the victory.

POSTGAME NOTES

Penn State advances to its third quarterfinal in program history. All three trips coming under the leadership of head coach Jeff Tambroni.
Gills has compiled 39 faceoffs over the last two games with 18 in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals and 21 in the NCAA First Round game.
The Nittany Lions set a new program record for caused turnovers in an NCAA Tournament game previously set at 12 against Yale in 2019. PSU totaled 18 on the day.
Matthews set a career high four goals with his third three-plus-goal performance of the season.
Traynor added his fifth hat trick of the season while collecting a new personal best eight ground balls.
Penn State dominated the ground ball game, outworking Colgate 52-24. PSU’s 52 comes up two shy of another program NCAA Tournament record of 54 ground balls in a single-game.

UP NEXT

The Nittany Lions will face the winner of the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game that will be played on Sunday, May 11 at noon. The team will take on the winner in Annapolis, Md. on Sunday, May 18.

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