WINTER OLYMPICS
Vonn return possible: expert
Lindsey Vonn’s bid to race downhill at the Milano-Cortina Olympics days after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) would be extraordinary, but not impossible, a US musculoskeletal scientist said on Tuesday, as elite conditioning and external knee support could allow her to compete. Douglas van Citters, a scientist and expert on artificial joints at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire said athletes were capable of functioning without an ACL if surrounding structures are strong enough to stabilize the knee. “There are some individuals who are capable of using their knee in the absence of the ACL,” Van Citters said, adding that Vonn’s ability to attempt a return so quickly was truly remarkable. The 41-year-old American on Tuesday revealed that she had completely ruptured her ACL in a crash at Crans Montana, Switzerland, on Friday last week, along with bone bruising and meniscal damage, but said she felt stable and strong after treatment and planned to ski with a brace.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Morocco appeals CAF ruling
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation on Tuesday said it would appeal the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) disciplinary rulings over last month’s chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal, which the hosts lost 1-0 in extra-time. The federation criticized the sanctions as disproportionate to the “seriousness and gravity” of the incidents during the Jan. 18 match, which was overshadowed by a 14-minute interruption after Senegalese players staged a walk-off, a pitch invasion by their fans, and confrontations involving players and staff. CAF handed Senegal’s coach Pape Thiaw a five-match ban and fined him US$100,000 after he instructed his team to leave the pitch following a video assistant referee decision to disallow a goal late in regular time. The Senegalese Football Federation was fined US$615,000, with Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr receiving two-match bans for unsporting actions directed at the referee. Morocco, whose appeal to have the match result overturned was rejected by CAF, were also hit with sanctions totaling US$315,000.
ICE HOCKEY
Fans criticize charity event
The NHL has received backlash after slashing a donation to cancer research by US$800,000 after a missed shot during a charity promotion. The incident came during Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins, when Rob Higgins, a cancer survivor, was brought on to the ice to attempt a shot through a small opening in an empty goal. If Higgins made the shot, the NHL said it would donate US$500,000 to cancer charities; if he missed, the donation would be US$100,000. After he missed the shot, he was then given another chance, with a guaranteed donation of US$200,000 if he missed, which would increase to US$1 million if he scored. He missed again. Many on social media attacked the league for leaving US$800,000 on the table that could have gone to charity. One account said the move was “classless,” adding that “the NHL should’ve built the widest net and asked dozens of survivors to score symbolically.” Another user called the event “dystopian.” Higgins was a little more upbeat. “And with that, my hockey career (which thankfully only lasted two shots) is now officially over,” he wrote on X.
Nottingham Forest FC are to go into the Europa League play-off round after a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros TC on Thursday, while Celtic FC secured their place in the knockout phase with a victory over FC Utrecht. Aston Villa FC finished second in the league phase after recovering from two goals down to beat FC Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 with their spot in the last 16 already assured. Forest stood an outside chance of climbing into the top eight going into the final round of matches, but needed to beat Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros and rely on other results going their way. Sean Dyche’s
HEATED RIVALRY: The pair had met 14 times previously, with Sabalenka winning eight of the encounters and entering the final as the favorite to take the title Elena Rybakina took revenge over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final yesterday and clinch her second Grand Slam title. The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2 hours, 18 minutes. It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis. The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022. It was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open
Denver superstar Nikola Jokic returned from a 16-game injury absence to post a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double on Friday and propel the Nuggets to a 122-109 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had not played since suffering a bone bruise in the left knee he hyperextended in a game against Miami on Dec. 29 last year. The Serbian big man did not miss a beat. He led all scorers, connecting on eight of 11 shots from the field, and also handed out five assists with three steals while playing just 24 minutes, 32 seconds as the
BATTERED AND BRUISED: Alcaraz suffered a cramp in the third set, but was allowed treatment despite Zverev’s protests, and continued on to win in five-and-a-half hours An ailing Carlos Alcaraz battled past Alexander Zverev yesterday in five epic sets to reach his first Australian Open final and move within a match of becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. The world No. 1 outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5 hours, 27 minutes in hot conditions to head to tomorrow’s title match. He only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp. He was allowed to have treatment
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