■RUGBY UNION
Mackay stable after crash
ACT Brumbies lock Shawn Mackay is in a critical but stable condition in a Durban, South Africa, hospital after being hit by a vehicle in the South African city over the weekend, the team said yesterday. The Australian Super 14 team, on tour in South Africa, said the accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday when Mackay was struck by a security vehicle while crossing a road. Mackay sustained a cervical spinal fracture and dislocation, a compound fracture to his left leg and multiple facial fractures and lacerations, the Brumbies said on their Web site. The forward underwent surgery and will remain in traction in a medically induced coma for the next 48 hours as he undergoes further medical treatment, they said. Mackay was returning to the hotel when he was struck. The Brumbies said the accident was being investigated by Durban police.
■CYCLING
Guo wins gold in Poland
China’s Guo Shuang took the gold medal in the world track championships in Pruszkow, Poland, on Sunday and Australia finished top of the medals table. Guo held off France’s Clara Sanchez and Willy Kanis of the Netherlands to claim China’s only medal of the event. In the men’s Omnium, Howard Leigh outclassed Canada’s Zachary Bell in the five-event series to win Australia’s fourth gold medal. Australia’s four golds, four silvers and two bronzes put them top of the final medal standings. France came second with three golds, two silvers and one bronze and favorites Britain took two golds, four silvers and three bronzes. In a tense men’s sprint final, France’s Gregor Bauge saw off Malaysian challenger Azizulhasni Awang in the deciding round of three. Bauge’s team mate Kevin Sireau took bronze. In the women’s points, consistent placing gave Giorgia Bronzini of Italy victory. Cuba’s Yumari Gonzalez Valdivieso was second and Britain’s Elizabeth Armitstead third.
■NASCAR RACING
Johnson wins at ‘paperclip’
Jimmie Johnson nudged Denny Hamlin aside in the third and fourth turns with 15 laps to go in Martinsville, Virginia, to give team owner Rick Hendrick a perfect place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series: Victory Lane. Johnson, dubbed “Mr Martinsville” by Jeff Gordon, lived up to his moniker, winning for the fifth time in the last six races on the smallest, trickiest track in the series. It was his sixth victory at the 0.85km oval, second only to Gordon’s seven among active drivers. Hamlin, the defending champ, never challenged Johnson after he slid high into the banking after the bump and pass and his winless streak extended to 32 races. Hamlin finished second, followed by Tony Stewart, Gordon and Clint Bowyer. The victory was the 18th for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville, where a victory by Geoff Bodine 25 years ago gave the fledgling company a needed boost.
■BASKETBALL
James Posey suspended
New Orleans Hornets forward James Posey was suspended for one game by the National Basketball Association on Sunday for tossing a ball at the feet of a referee following a foul call against him. Posey was ejected on Friday during a 103-93 Hornets’ loss to New York Knicks after he hurled the ball at the feet of referee Gary Zielinski. While trying to grab a defensive rebound, Posey was whistled for a loose ball foul, prompting the outburst. Posey, averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a game, was forced out of Sunday’s Hornets game against San Antonio.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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