the way. Winnipeg doesnt yet have Jacob Trouba signed, and the restricted free agent defenseman has asked for a trade.DEAL OR NO DEAL?Johnny Gaudreau and the C

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nijat Rahimov of Kazakhstan was a surprise gold medalist in weightlifting on Wednesday, but immediately faced questions over doping.Rahimov, who only returned from a doping ban last year, and the rest of Kazakhstans team had almost been excluded from the Rio Olympics entirely after repeated failures in retests of doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The country stands to lose five gold medals from those games.Kazakhstan was allowed to compete because those doping cases were not fully processed in time for the games, the International Weightlifting Federation has said.In a sport in crisis over doping, Rahimovs world record-breaking performance in the 77-kilogram class Wednesday is unlikely to silence the critics, not least bronze medalist Mohamed Mahmoud of Egypt, who said he found Rahimovs dramatic improvement since his ban suspicious.Rahimov was banned for two years in 2013 after failing a test while competing for Azerbaijan, another country with longstanding doping problems. Rahimov was one of 18 Azerbaijanis busted that year. Rahimov was born in Azerbaijan and recently moved to Kazakhstan to compete on its weightlifting team.Chinas Lyu Xiaojun had been the favorite to retain the gold he won in 2012 and began to celebrate prematurely after his final lift, stripping to the waist in front of the crowd. But Rahimov had other plans, audaciously moving up 12 kilograms for his next attempt at the clean and jerk to 214kg, breaking a 15-year-old world record.That gave him a total of 379kg from the two phases of the competition, level with Lyu but enough for Rahimov to take gold because he had weighed in lower.He celebrated by crouching into a pose of prayer before being tackled in a bearhug by his coach, while Lyu gave a wry smile for the cameras.Rahimov repeatedly dodged questions about his doping past after the win, crediting religion and a tough training schedule for his success.When normal people were asleep, we were training. When the snow was deep -- you know how it is in Kazakhstan -- we went out for training at 11 or 12 (at night), he said. He added he had treated Kazakhstans possible ban from Rio Olympic weightlifting as a rumor and was not distracted from training.Bronze went to Egyptian Mohamed Mahmoud on 361. Mahmoud said the talk of drugs could not be avoided in light of Rahimovs win.Maybe after some doping controls, some things will change, Mahmoud said. While improvements like Rahimovs can be the result of good training and nutrition, Mahmoud said, in a very short time it cannot happen like that.Wednesdays doping controversy came as weightlifting already faced a storm of doping scandals.On Tuesday, Taiwanese gold medal contender Lin Tzu-Chi was withdrawn from competition hours before her event for what her team called abnormalities in a drug test, and the Polish weightlifting federations head has resigned after what he said were two more failed tests, one of a lifter who was due to compete in Rio.Earlier Wednesday, Chinas Xiang Yanmei took gold in the womens 69-kilogram class despite having taken a blow to the head when she dropped the bar halfway through the competition.Xiang briefly appeared dazed and admitted to some pain but was fully alert as she closed out Chinas fourth weightlifting gold of the Rio Olympics with 116kg in the snatch and 145 in the clean and jerk for a total of 261.I got hurt a little bit and I feel hurt when I nod my head, she said. I didnt think about it when lifting weights. Xiang said she had not seen a doctor.She added Olympic gold to the world titles she won in 2013 and 2015, and continued a resurgence for Chinas lifters in Rio following a slow start.The silver medal went to Kazakhstans Zhazira Zhapparkul with a 259 total, while Egypts Sara Ahmed won bronze with 255 kilos, becoming the first woman from an Arab country to win an Olympic weightlifting medal.Cheap Air Max 97 UK Free Shipping . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Air Max 97 UK Outlet . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. http://www.clearanceairmax97uk.com/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Sale Air Max 97 UK . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Cheap Air Max 97 UK Online . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011.Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and forward Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau were put on waivers Monday as NHL teams pare down to their opening night rosters.The Winnipeg Jets announced they put Pavelec on waivers with the intent of sending him to the American Hockey League. The New York Islanders made their move with Parenteau three months after signing him to a $1.25 million, one-year contract.Pavelec has one year remaining on his contract that pays him $4.75 million. The 29-year-old with 371 games of NHL experience was passed on Winnipegs depth chart by younger goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson.The Islanders brought back Parenteau in the hopes he could rekindle some magic with John Tavares. Parenteau has 101 goals in 424 games.Also on waivers are Arizona Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek, Detroit Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Gregory Campbell and Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Cory Conacher and Erik Condra.A total of just under $22 million in salary for this season is on waivers. Teams must set their season-opening rosters by 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday.INJURY WOESSidney Crosbys concussion diagnosis shouldnt affect much on the roster, though the Pittsburgh Penguins dont know when the Conn Smythe-winning center will be back. The Chicago Blackhawks expect forward Andrew Desjardins to be out 4-6 weeks with a lower--body injury.dddddddddddd. The Blackhawks put Desjardins on injured reserve Monday.YOUTH SERVEDAround the league, teams are taking a chance on younger players even more so than in years past.The Philadelphia Flyers will have defenseman Ivan Provorov and left wing Travis Konecny, 2015 first-round picks, on their roster, with general manager Ron Hextall saying he expects them to stick for the full season. The Montreal Canadiens will start the season with 2016 No. 9 pick Mikhail Sergachev and 21-year-old Finnish forward Artturi Lehkonen.Beyond their goalies, the Jets will have plenty of youth with forwards Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and 2016 No. 2 pick Patrik Laine leading the way. Winnipeg doesnt yet have Jacob Trouba signed, and the restricted free agent defenseman has asked for a trade.DEAL OR NO DEAL?Johnny Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames agreed on a six-year deal Monday, but several other prominent restricted free agents still dont have contracts. Trouba, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remain unsigned ahead of the start of the regular season Wednesday.---AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report. ' ' '