Sports

Lindsey Vonn says surgery saved her from having her left leg amputated following Olympic crash

VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn says she nearly lost her left leg following a crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Vonn detailed the extent her injuries in an Instagram post. The 41-year-old Vonn says the crash on Feb. 8 caused compartment syndrome in her left leg after the crash. The condition traps swelling and blood in the muscle. It cuts off blood flow and can cause permanent damage. Vonn says surgeon Tom Hackett performed an emergency fasciotomy, saving her leg. Vonn added she also broke her right ankle in the crash and is currently in a wheelchair.

Duke rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops poll for record 148th time; Florida, Alabama make leaps

Duke’s win against Michigan has pushed the Blue Devils to No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. Monday’s poll marked a record 148th time at No. 1 for Duke. Duke claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant the Wolverines. Arizona moved up two spots to No. 2. Michigan, Iowa State and Houston rounded out the top five. No. 7 Florida and No. 17 Alabama had the week’s biggest leaps. No. 14 Kansas and No. 25 Vanderbilt each fell six spots for the biggest falls. Tennessee returned to the poll at No. 22 while Wisconsin fell out.

Geno Auriemma’s 655th AP Top 25 appearance moves him past Tara VanDerveer

Geno Auriemma broke a tie with Tara VanDerveer for most appearances by a coach in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday when UConn was again a unanimous No. 1. Auriemma has the Huskies ranked for the 655th time. UConn was atop all 31 ballots from the national media panel. The Huskies are the last unbeaten team in Division I basketball and have won 45 consecutive games dating to last season. The top five teams remained unchanged in the rankings this week with UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Vanderbilt following the Huskies.

Toyota Racing Development signs 13-year-old Keelan Harvick to a long-term driver deal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Keelan Harvick has signed with Toyota Racing Development to a long-term deal aimed at getting the 13-year-old into NASCAR. He is the son of Kevin Harvick, who spent 23 years in NASCAR and won the Cup Series championship and the Daytona 500. Keelan says he wants to reach the Cup Series like his father. He is shifting away from racing in Europe after a chaotic karting event in Italy. Toyota has a busy schedule with partner teams for dozens of late model races this year. Kevin Harvick says Toyota’s development approach fits the family. Keelan already has major wins in young driver events and late models.

She woke up to ‘We’re at war’ in Ukraine. Now Mariia Vainshtein is a New York City tennis champion

NEW YORK (AP) — Mariia Vainshtein’s family fled Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its invasion four years ago. They moved to New York, where they had family. The adjustment was difficult for Vainshtein, who hoped she would one day to come to the U.S. for an education but had little command of English when she was rushed there at age 13. Helped by the skills she learned in her tennis training program, Vainshtein is now a New York City high school champion who is considering playing the sport in college.

UEFA provisionally suspends Gianluca Prestianni after accusation he racially abused Vinícius Júnior

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA provisionally suspends Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni for one match after Vinícius Júnior accuses him of racist abuse. The ban keeps Prestianni out of Wednesday’s Champions League playoff second leg against Real Madrid. Real won 1-0 in Lisbon last Tuesday. Vinícius scored the winner and celebrated near the Benfica corner flag. The match stopped for almost 10 minutes after the celebration sparked anger. Vinícius said Prestianni called him “monkey.” Prestianni has denied it.

10 memorable moments from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

MILAN (AP) — With 116 medal events over 19 days in five different clusters, what a spectacle the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics were. So much happened so it can be hard to keep up. Here are ten of the biggest Olympic moments storylines, from U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn’s crash to curling cheating allegations to a Norwegian biathlete admitting infidelity.

NHL’s return to the Olympics lives up to the hype and sets the stage for 2028 World Cup of Hockey

MILAN (AP) — The return of NHL players to the Olympics after a 12-year absence lived up to the hype. The U.S. beat Canada in the final, one of four knockout-round games to go to overtime. American Connor Hellebuyck turned in one of the best goaltending performances in hockey history, and Jack Hughes will be remembered for his golden goal. The league, union and International Ice Hockey Federation have an agreement to participate in 2030, but the next chance for best-on-best country versus country competition isn’t far off. The World Cup of Hockey set for February 2028 is less than two years away

2-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton dies at 43 after being in a car crash

Two-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton has died after being in a car crash in Atlanta. She was 43. The athletic department at Georgia, where Braxton played in college, texted The Associated Press confirmation of Braxton’s death and posted on social media. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that he we will miss his “queen.” Braxton died on Saturday. She last played in the WNBA in 2014 while finishing up a four-year stint with New York. She won two titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.

Tyler Reddick wins at Atlanta to give Michael Jordan second straight NASCAR Cup victory

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Tyler Reddick rebounded from a crash to become the first driver in 17 years to sweep the first two races of a NASCAR Cup Series season, winning in double overtime Sunday at Echo Park Speedway. A week after winning the Daytona 500, Reddick gave 23XI Racing and co-owner Michael Jordan another victory by outdueling Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar. Bubba Wallace, who also drives for 23XI, led entering the final restart but was shuffled to eighth. Reddick raced to his 10th victory in NASCAR’s premier series despite front-end damage to his No. 45 Toyota sustained in a nine-car crash on the 224th lap. He’s the sixth driver to open a Cup season with consecutive victories and the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009.