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It’s been one surprise after another lately from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the last of it.

It might have been her post on Instagram that stated unequivocally that this will be the end.

“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn said.

Vonn’s remarkable and inspiring comeback from injuries and a seven-year hiatus from top-level competitive skiing has injected the U.S. team narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate in the mountains of northern Italy just two months from now will make it must-watch television and social media video.

The last two weeks have thrust Vonn back onto the international stage as well as the podium, which she climbed in four of her first five races this season. That includes a spectacular win in the downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 12.

That marked her first World Cup victory since 2018. And now it’s official that Vonn will compete in her fifth Olympics where she won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and bronze in the downhill in the 2018 Games in PyeongChang.

Much of the astonishment circles back to her age. Vonn’s win in St. Moritz made her the oldest woman to win a World Cup race — by seven years. Federica Brignone of Italy set a record a year ago when she won 10 races at age 34.

She also is the first World Cup winner with titanium implants in her right knee. And she’ll become the first quadragenerian to lead the U.S. Alpine skiiing squad seven years after she had all but retired.

In a moving column on Feb. 10, 2019, at the World Championships, The Times’ Helene Elliott wrote what essentially was a sendoff for Vonn: “She went all out to the very end, because that’s the only way Lindsey Vonn knew how to ski. She was bruised and battered as she went to the start gate on Sunday for the final race of her career, sore all over and her right eye blackened by the impact of a crash she suffered during a super-giant slalom race earlier in the week at the World Championships. Her ligaments tore and her bones sometimes broke but her competitiveness was never dimmed, never dented, never compromised.”

Well, 2026 is around the bend and Vonn is back and intact, her competitiveness never compromised still. She has not officially qualified for the Olympics in the super-G, but she’s the fastest American and No. 3 in the world, so count on that as her next headline.

“Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication, and the remarkable results she’s delivered on the World Cup this season,” Sophie Goldschmidt, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “She’s proven once again that elite performance isn’t just about past success, it’s about rising to the moment, race after race.

“We’re thrilled to cheer her on at the Olympics.”

One more Palestinian killed by Israeli army in Gaza while two Palestinians, including a child, are shot dead in occupied West Bank.

The controversy on the second day follows Alex Carey being given not out on Wednesday, when England reviewed a caught-behind decision with the Australia wicketkeeper on 72.

He was given not out because the spike which appeared on the technology was out of sync with the pictures, but that was later revealed to have been an error by the operator.

The first incident on day two occurred in the 44th over, with England 149-5.

Australia appealed for a catch after a ball to Smith looped to Usman Khawaja at slip and the on-field umpires sent the decision to the TV umpire to check if the ball had carried.

TV umpire Chris Gaffaney then deliberated over various replays, first checking whether the ball had hit Smith’s glove or helmet.

Again the technology appeared inconclusive but Gaffaney deemed the ball had hit Smith’s helmet.

The hosts’ fielders were visibly disgruntled and one Australian was heard saying “Snicko needs to be sacked” over the stump microphone.

In any case it appeared the ball did not carry to Khawaja.

More contentious was the second decision, which ultimately resulted in Smith’s dismissal.

He attempted a pull shot to Pat Cummins but Australia appealed confidently for a thin snick.

Smith appeared certain he had not hit the ball and was ready to review the decision had it been given out on the field.

Again on-field umpire Nitin Menon suggested he was not sure if the ball had carried so sent the decision for Gaffaney to review.

As the players came together to await the decision, Nathan Lyon was heard asking non-striking batter Ben Stokes if he heard anything.

Gaffaney said “there is nothing obvious there” after viewing an initial replay but Snicko showed a rough spike within a frame of the ball passing the toe of Smith’s bat – the leeway allowed in such scenarios.

Smith was given out. Both he and Stokes seemed frustrated with the decision.

Powerball lottery ticket cards are on a rack at a gas station in Houston, Texas, in 2022. The Powerball jackpot reached an estimated $1.1 billion for Monday’s pick after 42 consecutive drawings with no winner. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 14 (UPI) — The Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $1.1 billion after there was no winner in Saturday’s drawing, among the largest prizes in the game’s history. The next drawing is scheduled for Monday night.

The new prize is the sixth-largest jackpot ever, Powerball said on its website. The largest jackpot ever, $2.04 billion, was claimed on Nov. 7th, 2022.

While there was no Powerball grand prize winner Saturday, ticket holders in 7 states won at least $1 million. Those tickets were sold in California. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Monday’s Powerball winner, should there be one, would have the choice between annual payments totaling $1.1 billion, or a one-time $503.4 million lump sum payout.

Two tickets in Missouri and Texas split the $1.787 billion Powerball prize on Sept. 6, the last time anyone claimed the grand prize. Since then, there have been 42 consecutive drawings with no winners.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball. Tickets are $2 each. Monday’s drawing is scheduled to happen just before 11 p.m. EST in the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee.

Powerball is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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Cross-border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has shown no signs of easing, after US President Donald Trump announced the two sides would halt attacks. The violence has killed dozens and forced mass displacement.