SKIING
Kilde out for season
Norway’s World Cup ski star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is to miss the remainder of the season after his heavy crash in Wengen, the national team doctor said. “The season is over, the ski season is finished,” Marc Jacob Strauss told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Sunday. “We’re now setting ourselves the goal for him to be ready for next season.” He said the medical team was “very happy with the extent” of the damage. “We feared much more serious injuries based on the TV images.” Kilde underwent surgery in nearby Bern on Saturday night after falling hard near the finish of the downhill won by Marco Odermatt.
SNOOKER
O’Sullivan wins 8th Masters
Ronnie O’Sullivan came from behind to claim a record-extending eighth Masters title with a brilliant 10-7 victory over Ali Carter on Sunday at Alexandra Palace. The world No. 1, nicknamed “The Rocket,” trailed 6-3 in the evening session, but then won six of the next seven frames before sealing his win. O’Sullivan claimed the ￡250,000 (US$318,403) first prize, while Carter took home ￡100,000. The 48-year-old adds a 23rd Triple Crown title to his collection and becomes the oldest champion, being also the youngest, having won his first Masters title in 1995 at the age of 19. He collected his eighth UK Championship last month, but had never previously won consecutive Triple Crown events in the same season.
MOTORSPORTS
Dakar enters final week
Sebastien Loeb started the Dakar Rally’s final week with his third stage win on Sunday to slash Spaniard Carlos Sainz’s overall lead in the Saudi Arabian desert to 19 minutes. The nine times world rally champion finished the seventh stage from Riyadh to al-Duwadimi seven minutes and six seconds clear of Toyota’s Brazilian Lucas Moraes with Qatar’s defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah third despite two punctures. Audi driver Sainz was fourth, losing 10-and-a-half minutes to Loeb’s Prodrive Hunter in the rally that started on Jan. 5 and ends on Friday. In the motorcycle category, Chilean Jose Ignacio Cornejo won the stage, while American Ricky Brabec retained the overall lead for Honda by a single second from Botswana’s Ross Branch after 2,865km of timed action. The gap, after 32-and-a-half hours of racing, comes down to about 24m. “The one second difference is crazy, that’s a tight race for sure,” Brabec said.
HORSE RACING
Macao ends horse racing
The government in Macao yesterday said that after more than 40 years, there would be no more horse racing in the territory and announced plans to terminate its contract with its jockey club in April. The gaming hub on China’s south coast near Hong Kong is a home to various gambling businesses, which form a major pillar of its economy, but its jockey club, acquired by a consortium led by late casino tycoon Stanley Ho in 1991, has faced financial woes in the past few years. Macanese Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng Chon told reporters that the Macao Horse Race Company had last year asked that the contract with the government be terminated, citing operational difficulties and the “impossibility of aligning horse racing activities with the current developmental needs of society.”
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final. The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead. Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian Groser scored Bielefeld’s second goal just before the break. The home team looked more likely to add to that tally as the Leverkusen players looked jaded. “I’m just proud of this team,” Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat said as most of the fans the small stadium sang around him. “No one will sleep in the city tonight.” Patrik Schick went
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
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