Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - The queen is still on top, but her reign has some worthy challengers. South Koreas Kim Yuna began her quest for a second straight Olympic gold medal by posting the top score on Wednesday in the womens short program at the Sochi Olympics. But Kims advantage is slim. She scored a 74.92 as the 17th performer and her lead held solid until Italys Carolina Kostner put together a routine that netted her a score of 74.12. Russias Adelina Sotnikova then sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a routine that scored at 74.64, putting her a mere .28 behind Kim, known in her home country as Queen Yuna. Canadas Kaetlyn Osmond damaged her short program with a heavy stumble en route to a score of 56.18. She is currently 13th. Kims score on Wednesday was good enough to put her first going into Thursdays free skate, with medals awarded following that event. Kim, a two- time world champion, is aiming to become the first repeat gold medalist in the ladies singles since Katarina Witt in 1984 and 88. The 23-year-old used a score of 78.50 in the short program en route to gold four years ago in Vancouver and was solid in Sochi despite a foot injury suffered in September that held her out of action until December. Japans Mao Asada, who won a silver four years ago, fell during her routine and was 16th with a score of 55.51. The U.S. saw its three skaters finish in the top seven, led by Gracie Golds score of 68.63 that landed her in fourth. Ashley Wagner was sixth following a score of 65.21, putting her behind 15- year-old Russian fan-favorite Yulia Lipnitskaya. She earned a score of 65.23 despite a fall during her routine on a triple flip. Another 15-year-old had a solid showing in American Polina Edmunds, who set a new season-best with a score of 61.04 to put her in seventh place. The American woman have something to prove after failing to win an Olympic medal for the first time since 1964 four years ago in Vancouver. In fact, theres only been one U.S. medalist in the ladies singles in the past two Olympics and that was a silver by Sasha Cohen in 2006. Discount Shoes Black Friday . -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 .com) - The Miami Heat stopped a four-game losing streak last time out and thats the same length slide their opponents Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets, will try to halt when the two teams meet at the Pepsi Center. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. China Shoes Black Friday . Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998. Cheap Shoes Black Friday .Fiji striker Roy Krishna scored in the 14th minute to give Wellington its fourth win, along with a draw, from its past five matches, putting the Phoenix fourth but only a point behind third-placed Adelaide.SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari resigned after the team failed to win the World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation said Monday. Scolari promised to win the tournament at home, but Brazil was eliminated in the semifinals by a disastrous 7-1 loss to eventual champion Germany that matched the national teams worst defeat in its 100-year history. Brazil also lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place match. Scolaris contract ended after the World Cup and he handed over the command of the team after Saturdays match, saying it would be up to the confederation to decide whether he would remain at the helm of the five-time world champions. In a statement, the confederation said President Jose Maria Marin accepted what it called "Scolaris resignation." "Scolari and his staff deserve our respect and our gratitude," the statement said. "They were responsible for making the Brazilian people regain their love for the Selecao even though we did not reach our greater goal (of winning the title)." Scolaris replacement was not immediately announced. Assistant Carlos Alberto Parreira, the coach who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, was also leaving. The confederation said Marin would give further explanations in a news conference on Thursday. Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, had said after Brazils loss to the Netherlands that he would turn in a report of his work with the national team and Marin would then analyze what he would like to do. Scolari publicly apologized to fans after the loss to Germany, saying he knows it will never be forgotten, and defended his work with Brazil since returning iin late 2012.ddddddddddddIn 29 matches, he led the nation to 19 wins, six draws and four losses. Brazil won last years Confederations Cup, the World Cup warm-up tournament. "I dont think you can analyze the entire work based on only one disastrous result," Scolari said after Brazils loss to the Dutch. "I think the job was well done." The once-popular coach was loudly booed by fans after Brazil ended the home tournament on Saturday. Despite high expectations, Brazil struggled throughout the competition, finishing with three wins, two draws and two losses. Scolari had been betting on young striker Neymar to carry the team to the title, but he was shelved by a back injury in the quarterfinals. Scolari was picked to lead the 2014 team mostly because of his popularity and experience from the 2002 title, but many critics said he was outdated as a coach. Before rejoining the national team, Scolari was coming off relegation in the Brazilian league with traditional club Palmeiras. Among those touted to replace Scolari are Tite and Muricy Ramalho, who have been successful with local clubs in recent years. Ramalho is a four-time Brazilian champion, while Tite led popular Corinthians to the Club World Cup title in 2012. There is also talk in local media about international coaches, including Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and Chiles Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli. Brazils next official tournament is the 2015 Copa America. The team is expected to play four friendlies this year, the first one against Colombia on Sept. 5 in Miami. It will also play Ecuador on Sept. 8 in New York, Argentina on Oct. 11 in Beijing and Turkey on Nov. 12 in Istanbul. ' ' '