■RUGBY
Brumbies’ Mackay dies
ACT Brumbies forward Shawn Mackay died in a Durban hospital early yesterday just over a week after he was hit by a car, team officials said, plunging the Australian rugby club into mourning. Mackay, 26, died after a cardiac arrest, a spokesman for the Brumbies said. He had been hospitalized, critically ill with multiple injuries, since March 29 when he was struck by an armed response car in a street in Durban while on the Canberra-based Brumbies’ Super 14 tour of South Africa. Team officials said Mackay had shown positive signs after being brought out of a medically induced coma late last week, and underwent surgery. “After his surgery Shawn contracted an infection in his bloodstream,” said Andrew Fagan, the Brumbies’ chief executive. “He deteriorated rapidly and suffered a cardiac arrest from which he didn’t recover.” The accident occurred at around 4:15am when Mackay and several Brumbies’ teammates were leaving a nightclub after their Super 14 loss to the Coastal Sharks the previous evening. Mackay was admitted to hospital in Durban with a cervical spinal fracture and dislocation, a fractured skull, a broken leg and multiple facial fractures after being struck by the vehicle.
■ICE HOCKEY
Sweden rout China 6-1
Elin Holmlov and Erika Holst scored two goals apiece as Sweden routed China 6-1 on Sunday in the preliminary round of the women’s world hockey championships in Hameenlinna, Finland. Sweden, the 2006 Olympic silver medalists but only fifth in last year’s worlds, were to play Canada yesterday for a place in the second round from group B. Canada crushed China 13-1 on Saturday. The Canadians, nine-time champions, are attempting to reclaim a world title they lost to the US last year in Harbin, China. In other games on Sunday, Russia beat Japan 3-1 in group A and Kazakhstan edged Switzerland 2-1 in group C.
■CYCLING
Devolder wins Flanders
Belgium’s Stijn Devolder won the 261.5km Tour of Flanders spring classic cycle race for the second year in a row in Meerbeke, Belgium, on Sunday. Germany’s Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) finished second, with Belgian Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) third ahead of a big crash in the race’s closing stages that saw a number of riders tumble to the tarmac. On a sun-kissed spring day in northern Belgium, the Quick Step man powered away from teammate Sylvain Chavanel, Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) and underdog Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) with 15km to go and cruised to victory. Devolder pointed to the sky as he crossed the finish line in front of a delighted home crowd. “I dedicate this victory to Frederiek Nolf [who died in his sleep during the Tour of Qatar earlier this year] who was a friend of mine,” Devolder said. Belgium’s premier cycling race is regarded as one of professional cycling’s most grueling assignments.
■SWIMMING
Munoz sets 50m record
Spanish swimmer Rafael Munoz has set a world record in the men’s 50m butterfly in Malaga, Spain. Munoz finished in 22.43 seconds at the Spanish championships on Sunday to break South African Roland Schoeman’s previous mark of 22.96, set at the 2005 world championships at Montreal. Munoz also set a European record of 50.58 in the men’s 100m fly at the meet. Aschwin Wildeboer set a new European mark in the 100m backstroke on Sunday with a time of 52.93. Arkady Vyatchanin set the previous mark of 53.06 at the Beijing Olympics last summer.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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