ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021 SPORTS 15

Blues, win New Zealand’s domination continues , New Zealand, May 22, (AP): Winger scored three tries for the Auckland-based who were competition with a 40-19 win over the ACT . at their best and worst as they beat the Waratahs 48-21 Saturday in the combined -New Zealand scored two first-half tries off the back of a dominant scrum to set the Chiefs on the road to their second- Super Rugby tournament. straight win in the competition. The Blues took a bonus point from a win by seven tries to three. In doing so they showed the two faces their fans are Slick second-half tries to backs Damian McKenzie, Alex Nankivell and Anton Lienert-Brown drove home the Chiefs’ familiar with, scoring some excellent breakout tries, mainly through Heem, while botching several more and conceding soft advantage over the Brumbies, who started with Len Ikitau’s try but then lacked the possession and field position to threaten tries from defensive lapses. the home side. A last-minute try by Rob Valetini cost the Chiefs their biggest-ever win over the Brumbies by margin. Later, the Hamilton-based Chiefs extended to nine games the unbeaten start by New Zealand teams in the trans-Tasman The Blues also started strongly in their win over the Waratahs. After opening an early 15-0 lead with Heem’s first try and another to Sun top Mercury captain Tom Robinson, created by Heem, the Blues seemed to be canter- ing to victory. But their concentration Charles, Atkins help and defensive intensity flagged and the Waratahs hit back with tries to prop Mystics rout Liberty and scrumhalf Jake WASHINGTON, May 22, (AP): Tina Gordon to reduce the lead to 15-14. Charles scored 34 points against her Hooker scored from a former team, Ariel Atkins added 25 lineout drive to expand the Blues’ lead points and the Washington Mystics to 22-14 at halftime and they finished beat the New York Liberty 101-72. strongly in the second half against a Charles, who played for New York waning Waratahs team which slumped from 2014-19, made four 3-pointers to a club-record 10th straight loss. and finished two points shy of match- ing her career high. Charles also had nine rebounds. RUGBY Atkins made five 3-pointers and the Mystics (1-2) were 16 of 31 from long range. “We came out and had a good start Betnijah Laney led New York (3-1) but then fell into the trap you can have with 20 points. when you make a good start,” Sun 84, Mercury 67 Robinson said. “They came back and In Phoenix, Jonquel Jones had 16 we were into a bit of a dogfight. We points and 11 rebounds, DeWanna looked for a better attitude and the Bonner added 14 points, seven rebounds boys brought it in the second half.” and five assists against her former team The Blues had dangerous players out and Connecticut beat Phoenix. wide in Heem, a former New Zealand sevens player who recently has played in Britain and France, and All Blacks wing- BASKETBALL er . But poorly-constructed attacks too often broke down before the ball could reach those players. Bonner returned to Phoenix as a Heem scored his first try after only visitor for the first time after playing eight minutes when he received the the first nine years of her WNBA ball out wide and stepped through sev- career with the Mercury. Bonner, who eral tackles close to the line. He added arrived in Connecticut as a free agent another in the 67th minute and com- last season, had 27 points in the Sun’s Montpellier players celebrate winning with their trophy during the European Rugby Challenge Cup Final match against Leicester Tigers at pleted his hat trick with an intercept home victory over Phoenix on Sunday. Twickenham Stadium, in London, on May 21. Montpellier defeated Leicester Tigers 18-17. (AP) just before fulltime. Jasmine Thomas added 15 points for Connecticut (4-0). Skylar Diggins- Smith led Phoenix (2-2) with 20 points, and Diana Taurasi added 13. Aces 97, Sparks 69 In Las Vegas, Chelsea Gray had 18 points and six assists, A’ja Wilson had Duchene scores in 2 OT as 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and Las Vegas beat Los Angeles. Jackie Young and Dearica Hamby each scored 17 points and Liz Cambage had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Las Vegas (2-1). Kelsey Plum did not play. Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points for Los Angeles (0-2). Predators beat Dream 83, Fever 79 In Indianapolis, Chennedy Carter scored 23 points, Courtney Williams Avs top Blues 6-1 to take 3-0 series lead added 16 and Atlanta beat Indiana for its first victory of the season. Carter made 1 of 2 free throws with NASHVILLE, Tenn, May 4.5 seconds left for a four-point lead. Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles 22, (AP): Matt Duchene Indiana, without a timeout, turned it (34) (center), is double-teamed by over near midcourt as time expired. Seattle Storm forward Breanna scored at 14:54 of the sec- Tiffany Hayes had 14 points for Stewart (left), and guard Jordin ond overtime and the Atlanta (1-2). Kelsey Mitchell scored Canada (21) during the third quarter 19 points for Indiana (0-4). Jessica of a WNBA basketball game, on May beat Breland had 15 points and 16 rebounds. 20, in Minneapolis. (AP) the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 to cut their series defi- Public disagrees Olympics are ‘safe’ cit to 2-1. Now the Predators, 0-5 after trailing 2-0 in a best-of-seven series, will try to tie it up Sunday ‘Tokyo Games to go ahead in Game 4. Duchene scored his first of the series in the longest game yet of this even if state of emergency’ postseason. Roman Josi flipped the TOKYO, May 22, (AP): The IOC vice suggests the real number is much high- puck to Duchene, who skated up the president in charge of the postponed er. slot and flipped the puck over Alex Tokyo Olympics said the games would Tokyo, Osaka and several other pre- Nedeljkovic for the victory. open in just over two months even if fectures are currently under a state of Nashville is 4-3 in games going two the city and other parts of Japan were emergency and health-care systems or more overtimes. under a state of emergency because of are being stretched. Emergency mea- Nashville’s Eeli Tolvanen hit the rising COVID-19 cases. sures are scheduled to end on May 31, post 38 seconds into the only power John Coates, speaking from but they are likely to be extended. play of overtime. Australia in a virtual news conference “If the current situation continues, I with Tokyo organizers at the end of hope the government will have the three days of meetings, said this would wisdom not to end the emergency at be the case even if local medical the end of May,” Haruo Ozaki, head of experts advised against holding the the Tokyo Medical Association, told Olympics. the weekly magazine Aera. Ryan Ellis had a goal and two St Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) defends against Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) dur- “The advice we have from the WHO Ozaki has consistently said govern- assists, and , Filip ing the third period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, on May 21, in St Louis. (AP) (World Health ment measures to control the spread of Forsberg and Mikael Granlund also Organization) COVID-19 have been insufficient. scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros had and all other About 12,000 deaths in Japan have his first career assist and tied the fran- scientific and been attributed to the virus, and the chise record with 52 saves for only his 23 Russians approved to compete as neutrals medical advice situation is exacerbated since so few in second postseason victory. MONACO, May 22, (AP): World world championships - were among Olympics, under rules approved that we have is Japan have been fully vaccinated. Sebastian Aho had a goal and two Athletics has declared 23 Russian the names on the list released by the World Athletics council that - all the assists for Carolina, and Jordan Staal, track and field athletes eligible to Saturday by track’s governing when it recently revived the autho- measures we Vincent Trocheck and Brett Pesce compete under a neutral flag ahead body. rized neutral athlete or “ANA” have outlined, OLYMPICS also scored. of the Tokyo Olympics. A total of 27 Russian athletes scheme. all of those Johansen put Nashville up 4-3 With their national federation have so far been declared eligible Two applications for ANA status measures that at5:01 of the third, redirecting a shot under a doping suspension, to compete internationally in 2021 have so far been rejected by the we are under- Ozaki warned that if the emergency by Ellis. But Pesce tied it with 3:21 Russians must apply for individual as neutrals. World Athletics doping review taking are sat- Coates conditions are not extended, the virus left in regulation with a snap shot near exemptions to gain “authorized The other four include three-time board. Saturday’s announcement isfactory and will ensure a safe and and contagious variants will spread the high slot. neutral athlete” status after their world champion high jumper Mariya did not identify them. drug-testing records have been Lasitskene and world champion The Russian track federation, secure games in terms of health,” quickly. Bruins 4, Capitals 1 vetted. pole vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova. known as RusAF, has been sus- Coates said. “And that’s the case “If that happens, there will be a In Boston, David Pastrnak and High jumper Mikhail Akimenko No more than 10 Russian ath- pended since 2015 after investiga- whether there is a state of emergency major outbreak, and it is possible that Charlie Coyle scored 34 seconds apart and race walker Vasiliy Mizinov - letes, however, will be granted eli- tions revealed doping was rife or not.” holding the games will become hope- early in the third period to break it both silver medalists from the 2019 gibility to compete at the Tokyo among elite Russian athletes. Public opinion is Japan has been run- less,” he added. open, Tuukka Rask stopped 19 shots Ozaki is not alone with this warn- ning at 60-80% against opening the and Boston beat Washington Capitals 25% capacity crowd had barely settled few extra shots on Boston’s Nick Saad and J.T. Compher also scored for Olympics on July 23, depending on how ing. to take a 3-1 series lead. down before Jake DeBrusk’s shot Ritchie, and the rest of the Bruins cut the Avalanche, who can complete a the question is phrased. Coates suggest- The 6,000-member Tokyo Medical After three straight overtime games bounced high off the glass behind Ilya short their celebration to go help out series sweep Sunday in Game 4 in St ed public opinion might improve as Practitioners’ Association called for in which neither team managed as the Olympics to be canceled in a letter Samsonov and landed in the crease for – one of many scuffles in the game. Louis. more Japanese get fully vaccinated. That much as a two-goal lead, the Bruins Coyle to poke it into the net. figure is now about 2%. sent last week to Prime Minister Alex Ovechkin made it 3-1 with 15 Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues, Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo Governor made it 2-0 on Pastrnak’s power-play Behind the play, oft-suspended minutes left when his shot was and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves. “If it doesn’t then our position is goal 29 seconds into the third. The Capitals forward Tom Wilson put a that we have to make sure that we get Yuriko Koike, Olympic Minister deflected into the net by Bruins defen- During the game, Colorado’s on with our job,” Coates said. “And Tamayo Marukawa, and Seiko seman Brandon Carlo. It was Nazem Kadri was suspended for eight our job is to ensure these games are Hashimoto, the head of the organizing Ovechkin’s first goal of the 2021 games by the NHL for a check to the safe for all the participants and all the committee. playoffs and the 71st of his postseason head of Justin Faulk in the third period people of Japan.” “We believe the correct choice is to career, moving him past Steve of Game 2. IOC officials say they expect more cancel an event that has the possibility Yzerman and into a tie with Bryan Jets 1, Oilers 0, OT than 80% of the residents of the of increasing the numbers of infected Trottier for 16th in NHL history. But Matt Grzelcyk restored the In Edmonton, Alberta, Paul Stastny Olympic Village, located on Tokyo people and deaths,” the letter said. scored at 4:06 of overtime to lift Hashimoto addressed the worry of three-goal lead on a power-play goal Bay, to be vaccinated and be largely Winnipeg past Edmonton for a 2-0 cut off from contact with the public. ordinary Japanese. – Boston’s third of the game – with About 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 “At present there are not a few peo- five minutes left. Brad Marchand also series lead. Paralympic athletes are expected to ple who feel uneasy about the fact the scored for Boston, which will have a Stastny’s screened wrist shot beat attend. games are going to be held where a lot chance to eliminate the Capitals in goaltender Mike Smith high to the Coates said about 80% of spots in of people are coming from abroad,” Game 5 in Washington on Sunday. right corner. the Olympics would be awarded from she said. “There are other people who The victory was the 54th in the Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves qualifying events, with 20% coming are concerned about the possible bur- playoffs for Rask, breaking the fran- for Winnipeg, and Smith stopped 35 from rankings. den on the medical system of Japan.” chise record set by Hall of Famer shots. Coates left no doubt that the She said the number of “stakehold- Gerry Cheevers in 1980. Winnipeg won the opener 4-1 on Wednesday night. The series shifts to Switzerland-based International ers” coming to Japan from abroad had Avalanche 6, Blues 1 Olympic Committee believes the been reduced from 180,000 to about Winnipeg for games Sunday and Tokyo Games will happen. The IOC 80,000. She said Olympic “stakehold- In St. Louis, Ryan Graves had a Monday nights. gets almost 75% of its income from ers” would amount to 59,000, of which goal and two assists, Philipp Grubauer Oilers captain Connor McDavid selling broadcast rights, a key driver in 23,000 were Olympic family and Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) and Carolina made 31 saves and Colorado beat St and team-mate Leon Draisaitl – the pushing on. And Tokyo has officially international federations. She said an Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast (71) battle for the puck during the first Louis to take a 3-0 series lead. NHL’s top two scorers – have been spent $15.4 billion to organize the added 17,000 would involve television period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Alex Newhook scored his first held off the scoresheet in the first two Olympics, though a government audit rights holders, with 6,000 more media. on May 21, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP) NHL goal, and Tyson Jost, Brandon game.