Sports Desk

Athletes in T-shirts, fans applying suncream – have these been the Summer or Winter Paralympics?

If you were to listen to American Patrick Halgren, who called the conditions at the Milan-Cortina Games “tropical” and “like surfing”, you would think the former.

Until you were told he is a skier.

Since the 1992 Games, the Winter Paralympics have always been held in March, usually starting just shy of a fortnight after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics.

That means conditions during the Games have often been more spring-like than winter, with temperatures peaking at 26C four years ago in Beijing.

While such temperatures have not been felt in Cortina, it has been warm, and until a huge dump of snow fell the night before Sunday’s final day of competition, snow had only been seen on the groomed competition pistes.

A blazing sun on several days of competition, mixed with some rain, had caused snow on the courses to turn soft and slushy, which in turns sticks to athletes’ skis and snowboards.

Last weekend a third official training session for the Para-alpine skiing downhill events was cancelled in a bid to maintain the piste conditions.

While many athletes have praised the efforts of organisers to keep the tracks in as good a condition as possible, conditions on Friday during the men’s giant slalom events were far from ideal, with British visually impaired skier Fred Warburton describing it as a “bathtub of Slush Puppie”.

His guide, James Hannan, said: “The snow surface was changing every single gate, so we never knew how the ski was going to react.

“It was almost like survival of the fittest.”

It certainly proved that way during the sitting event, which followed the visually impaired and standing races: 18 athletes from a field of 37 failed to make it to the bottom of the course.

“The organisers need to look at scheduling with obvious changes of the climate that we’re experiencing,” said Warburton.

“Both the Olympics and Paralympics want to be top spectacles of skiing and allow athletes to put their best work down.

“We need to look at the schedule and move it forward in future. That’s way beyond my pay grade, but it seems pretty logical to me.”

Warburton’s words echoed those of retired American Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy, who this week said in a video on TikTok: “I don’t believe that the Paralympics should be happening right now.”

Her comments came after the snowboard cross course had to be adjusted following numerous crashes in training, partly because of its design but also the warm conditions.

Sinner has won 21 of his 24 titles on hard courts and looked on top form as he raced to victory in one hour and 23 minutes.

The 24-year-old is aiming to become just the third man – after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – to capture all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles.

“It was a great performance – very solid from the back of the court. I tried to go for shots and that felt like one of the keys,” he said.

“He has a huge serve so I tried to mix it up. From my side I was very precise and it was a solid performance.

“I thought the match would be more physical but when both serve well it’s difficult to get into a rhythm with short points.”

Sinner has endured a frustrating start to 2026, failing to reach a single final prior to this event, but was inspired as he attempts to correct that record.

It was in the first set where the mental damage was done as the Italian, who has won seven of their 11 meetings, dropped just four points on serve and broke twice.

Zverev struggled to find his rhythm on serve in the opening set and Sinner made him pay – winning six of the eight second-serve return points.

The German, 28, stood firm to save three break points in the opening service game of the second, but was ultimately broken to trail 4-3 with the remainder of the match staying on serve.

Dejan Joveljic had a goal and an assist against his former team, Lasse Johnsen had a goal and an assist in his league debut and Sporting Kansas City beat the Galaxy 2-1 on Saturday night.

Neither team scored until Joveljic used assists from Manu García and Johnsen to score two minutes into stoppage time for a 1-0 lead at halftime. García earned his first assist after tallying nine as a rookie last season.

Joveljić, along with Stephen Afrifa, set up an insurance goal by Johnsen in the 74th minute for a 2-0 advantage. Afrifa’s helper was first this season and his second in 39 appearances.

That proved necessary for the victory after Marco Reus used his head for an unassisted score in the 82nd minute to cut the Galaxy’s deficit to a goal. Reus scored for the first time this season and the seventh time in 31 career matches.

John Pulskamp finished with four saves to help Sporting KC (1-2-1) earn its first victory of the season while putting an end to a seven-match losing streak on the road dating to last season.

Novak Micovic saved two shots for the Galaxy (1-2-1).

Joveljic totaled 34 goals and 11 assists in 106 starts with the Galaxy from 2021-24. He had 15 goals and six assists during the Galaxy’s championship run in 2024 when he scored the second goal in a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bullls. His third goal this season gives him 21 along with three assists in 36 matches with Sporting KC.

The Galaxy played without Gabriel Pec, who was suspended for the match after receiving a red card in a 4-1 road loss to the Colorado Rapids last week. Joseph Paintsil was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The Galaxy have a slim lead in the all-time series 29-28-18, including a 19-9-9 record at home.

Both teams posted home victories in two matchups last season.

Up next for the Galaxy: at Portland Timbers on Sunday.

The tournament opened with Italy shocking Scotland in Rome to put Gregor Townsend under pressure.

His side then delivered an emphatic win over England at Murrayfield to end their rivals’ 12-game unbeaten run.

The pressure then mounted on Borthwick as his side were outclassed by Ireland at Allianz Stadium.

While all that was happening, France cruised past Ireland, Wales and Italy to start a narrative that anything other than a Grand Slam would be a failure.

Scotland then blew away Galthie’s side, before conceding a late flurry of tries, to head into the final round with a genuine shot of a first Six Nations title.

To add more drama into the mix, Italy overcame England in Rome to mount further pressure on Borthwick.

Wales may have lost their opening four games, but they improved as the championship went on, producing an impressive bonus-point win over Italy to end the tournament.

They finished with a third consecutive Wooden Spoon – but a first win in the championship since 2023 offered huge relief.

Despite an improved display in Paris, England finished the tournament with four defeats – their worst-ever campaign.

“It was one of the most captivating Six Nations in history, fitting it came down to one final moment of drama,” BBC rugby correspondent Chris Jones said.

The 2015 Six Nations has been regarded as the greatest tournament for entertainment because of the three-team Super Saturday title race.

It similarly went right down to the wire.

However, this year’s competition delivered from round one right to the final kick, with each nation having their own story – and surely leaps to the top of the list.

“England were blistering – their pace, their skill, their intensity, their physicality and they had a genuine chance of winning,” said former England scrum-half Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I feel for the players because they are going to be down, but I want them to be super, super positive because if they carry on playing like that for the next 18 months they are going to challenge in big tournaments and big games, and they are going to win big games.”

And yet. When the adrenaline levels drop, questions will also be raised.

Should England have made victory stick?

With the restart regathered by Chessum, the ball safely at the base, Sam Underhill, Henry Pollock and Chandler Cunningham-South on their feet as a potential pod, and only two minutes left on the clock, could England have kept ball in hand and run down the clock?

Instead, Jack van Poortvliet, who had brought some zip off the bench, opted to kick the ball away and infield. Matthieu Jalibert, a broken-field fiend, accepted the invite to run back and England were back under the pump.

Closing out victories was a repeated failing in a series of close defeats in autumn 2024. It is a habit that England don’t want to reacquire.

One they definitely haven’t kicked yet is indiscipline. Only one of the 162 team campaigns in Six Nations history – Italy 2002 – has picked up more cards than England have this year.

Eight yellows, two of which combined to make Henry Arundell’s 20-minute red against Scotland, have hobbled England throughout.

Ellis Genge was dispatched to the sin-bin seat of shame in Paris, adjudged to have cynically dragged down a France driving maul that was destined for the line.

It may have been a marginal call, but, backed up to their own line, England knew the stakes were high and the punishment for any infringement would be heavy.

France raced back into the lead in the prop’s absence.

SACRAMENTO — With more than 100 fans supporting from the bleachers, Garfield High’s boys’ soccer put on a strong performance at the inaugural CIF state Division V championship game Saturday morning before losing to Ross Branson 2-0 at Natomas High.

Two communication errors on defense proved costly for the Bulldogs, who took a bus from East Los Angeles on Friday, stayed overnight and were set to return after the match.

Coach Pablo Serrano praised his team. “I felt we played outstanding,” he said.

Goalkeeper Javier Zarate turned in another impressive performance. “He can only do so much,” Serrano said.

Zarate, without prodding, went up to CIF executive director Ron Nocetti and thanked him for what will become an annual state soccer championship event.

On Friday, Irvine University won the Division IV boys’ title with a 3-2 win over Del Mar.

Cole Barkett, Jake Raboid and Brendan Leung scored goals.

SACRAMENTO — Heartbreaking loss.

That’s the only way to describe what San Juan Hills players, coaches and fans were feeling on Saturday at Golden 1 Center when Alex Osterloh made two of three free throws with 0.3 seconds left to give Atherton Sacred Heart Prep a 47-45 victory in the Division IV state boys’ basketball championship game.

Osterloh was fouled at the top of the key by Kellen Owens with the scored tied.

“I’m pretty sure I was fouled,” Osterloh said.

San Juan Hills had earlier lost the ball on a turnover, its 19th of the game, surrendering its chance to take the lead.

“It was a tough ending,” San Juan Hills coach Jason Efstathiou said. “We turned over the ball too much. Nineteen is insane. Ultimately we didn’t do a good enough job handling pressure.”

San Juan Hills (22-14) came back from a 12-point deficit in the second quarter to take a four-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Garrett Brehmer finished with 17 points while Rocco Jensen had 10 points and eight rebounds for San Juan Hills. Osterloh scored 15 points and Pat Bala had 13.

“There’s a little distaste,” Efstathiou said, “but at the same time we got to be here.”

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenoir says his team’s huddle in the centre circle of the pitch is a “show of respect” to each other rather than to annoy the opposition, after referee Paul Tierney disrupts the pre-match ritual in Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Chelsea 0-1 Newcastle

Available to UK users only.

OTTAWA — Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Ottawa Senators blanked the Ducks 2-0 on Saturday.

Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa. Shane Pinto had two assists. It was the 14th shutout of Ullmark’s career. The Senators have won four of five.

Ville Husso stopped 27 shots for the Ducks.

Nick Cousins won a battle along the boards, which sprung Pinto down the ice. Pinto fed Amadio on a 2-on-1 and he made no mistake, beating Husso short-side 3:54 into the second period.

At the 9:21 mark of the second period, the Senators capitalized on a turnover. Pinto intercepted a pass and found Chabot in the high slot for his seventh goal of the season and second career short-handed score.

Anaheim challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.

Warren Foegele had a couple of chances from close range in the opening period, but just couldn’t settle a bouncing puck.

Husso then stopped Amadio on a short-handed 2-on-1 breakaway.

Amadio later drew a penalty, but Husso made a big glove save on Tim Stutzle on the Senators’ power play.

Up next: Ducks: at Montreal on Sunday; Senators: host San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

SACRAMENTO — Senior Ayla Teegardin of Palisades held her head high on Saturday morning. A 51-37 loss to Yuba City Faith Christian in the state Division IV girls basketball final at Golden 1 Center couldn’t lessen the inspiring backstory of how she and her Dolphin teammates had already won by making it to the final despite all the trial and tribulations of the Palisades Fire that destroyed a community in January 2025.

Teegardin lost her home, spent three months in a hotel and battled to regain her teenage life.

“I struggled with a lot of anxiety coming into games,” she recalled.

Basketball and teammates kept her focused. This season has been another challenging time with practices at night and at middle schools until the high school gym was finally re-opened at the end of January.

“That traumatic situation has brought everyone closer,” first-year coach Lebre Merritt said.

On Saturday, Palisades (16-14) fought Faith Christian (34-1) to almost a draw at halftime, trailing 29-26. But the Dolphins scored only 11 points in the second half and had no answer for Long Beach State-bound Lauren Harris, who came in as the nation’s career three-point scoring leader while averaging 31.2 points this season. She finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. She made a half-court shot at the end of the first quarter.

Elly Tierney of Palisades did her best on offense with 15 points and six rebounds. Teegardin finished with three points and six rebounds. Only three players scored the entire game for Faith Christian.

The Dolphins outrebounded Faith Christian 43-33 but made only 15 of 63 shots.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler believes his side “controlled the game” in a “deserved” win as they beat Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to move up to 10th in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Sunderland 0-1 Brighton

Available to UK users only.

A fatal shooting near TPC Sawgrass meant spectators were delayed entering the course before day three of the Players Championship.

St Johns County Sheriff’s Office said two people were shot and killed at 22:30 local time on Friday, less than a mile from the course in Florida.

The suspect, who has been named as Christian Barrios, fled on to the course before being arrested in Nassau County at about 08:00 on Saturday after a car chase, according to police.

Sheriff Robert Hardwick said Barrios “made contact” with employees at TPC Sawgrass during his attempted escape.

“He picked up – we believe it was a radio that belonged to the PGA Tour, not one of our radios and we know he dropped it after that. Our canines used it as a scent when they came in there,” Hardwick said.

Gates at Sawgrass were due to open for fans at 07:30 but entry was delayed until 09:00, with the PGA citing “operational considerations” as the reason for their decision.

Third-round play at the PGA Tour’s flagship event began on time.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg led the tournament after two rounds having shot a nine-under-par 63 on Friday.

It is the second time in three years organisers have been forced to abandon plans for a summit finish in the so-called ‘queen stage’ of the race, which concludes in Nice on Sunday.

Vingegaard goes into the final stage with a commanding lead of three minutes 22 seconds over Colombia’s Dani Martinez in the general classification.

“I think it is very important that we race. This is one of the biggest races in the world, but it was pretty slippery towards the end,” Vingegaard said.

“We were, and still are, very much in favour of racing. You have to understand that Paris-Nice is one of the biggest races in the world, there are many sponsors involved, and they want to stage their finish – so we were keen to race.

“But when the finish line is here, maybe it is no longer possible. It would have been better to place the finish line 10 kilometres earlier. For us as riders, rain is part of the job, but when there is snow it is different.

“There were a few crashes at the end, probably because it was very slippery. In that situation it would have been better to say, ‘Let’s move the finish line a little earlier’. That was what we actually wanted.”

British Para-skier Menna Fitzpatrick says she is already looking to the future after missing out on a medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics.

The 27-year-old, who is Britain’s most successful Winter Paralympian, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury late last year and postponed surgery to compete at her third Games.

But after finishing fifth in her final event in Italy, the women’s visually impaired slalom, she told BBC Sport she wants to make it to another Games.

“Every end of a cycle marks a new challenge and my plan is to hopefully make it to France in 2030,” she said.

“I first learned how to ski in France so it’s almost like going home. That will be a really cool one for me to aim for.”

Fitzpatrick and guide Katie Guest saved their best finish for last after two sixth places in the super-G and giant slalom and ninth in the Alpine combined.

Austrian Veronika Aigner maintained her dominance with her fourth gold of the Games, finishing four seconds clear of compatriot Elina Stary.

Despite not coming away with another medal for her collection, Fitzpatrick was keen to focus on the positives.

“I think it’s been a really successful Games for us, considering where I was before, so I’m really happy, especially with the performance today,” she added.

“We really went out there and pushed it, and are really happy with the result.

“As an athlete you always hope for your absolute best skiing in a race. It often doesn’t happen like that and as athletes we’re really hard on ourselves when things are tough.

“It’s been a challenging two weeks, but just knowing that I’ve got these performances within me, even if the preparation didn’t go quite to plan, gives me confidence.”

SACRAMENTO — If anyone knows how to help shooters feel comfortable when things aren’t going well, it’s Damien coach Mike LeDuc, who produced two of the Southern Section’s best scorers in Tracy Murray and Casey Jacobsen during his Glendora days.

So when Zaire Rasshan was only two of nine from three-point range at halftime on Friday night in the state Division I championship game, the message and mentality was keep shooting.

“I told him to start making them,” LeDuc said.

“I knew they were going to fall,” Rasshan.

He made a three to start the third quarter, launching a 10-0 surge that Folsom never recovered from. Damien came away with a 58-55 victory at Golden 1 Center, becoming the fifth straight team from the Southern Section Open Division to drop down to Division I and come away as state champion.

Rasshan finished with 18 points, including five threes. His three with 1:05 left moved Damien to an eight-point lead. Elijah Smith had 18 points and four assists. Eli Garner scored 15 points and had 13 rebounds. The only other player to score for Damien was Cameron Murray with seven points. He’s the nephew of Tracy Murray.

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Spartans (32-7) kept finding open players with near-perfect execution on offense.

“Their level of execution was on another level from anyone we’ve played,” Folsom coach Mike Wall said.

Joven Dulay and Parks Weaver each scored 16 points for Folsom, which fell behind 57-47 with 39 seconds left after two Smith free throws. Damien outrebounded Folsom 32-21 and had an 11-2 edge in offensive rebounds and took 30 threes to Folsom’s 18.

LeDuc, who has been coaching since 1979-80, said of the Spartans, “I really do believe this team, more than any other team I’ve coached, has been overachieving.”

The Spartans lacked height this season but got all five players on the court to rebound as a group, helping overcome any disadvantages. And Smith, as the point guard, rose up in the postseason.

“This run we’ve had, this guy has been ridiculously incredible,” LeDuc said of Smith.

As for the execution in the fourth quarter, LeDuc said, “We run a lot of plays. Basketball is a real simple game. It’s a game of repetition and if you do it over and over, you expect it to be done perfectly.”

PHOENIX — A three-time World Series champion, Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández has had his fair share of clutch hits, home runs and game-saving, series-defining moments that will forever be etched in baseball lore.

Earlier this month, however, he witnessed something new.

On March 7, hours after Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hit the first walk-off home run in World Baseball Classic history to power Team Netherlands past Nicaragua in Miami, Athletics prospect Darell Hernaiz delivered a game-winning blast of his own to lift Team Puerto Rico over Panama in extra innings in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Hernández stormed out of the dugout at Hiram Bithorn Stadium alongside his teammates to greet Hernaiz at home plate and celebrate the monumental moon shot.

“There had never been a walk-off homer in the history of the WBC, and we [got] to see two in the same day, which was pretty cool,” Hernández said at his clubhouse stall at Camelback Ranch. “For me personally, I was running to home plate, conscious that I wasn’t necessarily part of the team so I couldn’t run laps around home plate, like I did on Freddie [Freeman’s] walk-off homers [in the World Series], but it’s still up there as one of those really cool moments that I’ll always remember.”

Unable to participate in this year’s WBC as he recovers from offseason left elbow surgery, Hernández left Dodgers camp to spend the first leg of the tournament with Team Puerto Rico.

“I got to experience it in a different way this year,” said Hernández, who has played twice in the WBC. “I was just kind of there as a fan, almost in like a coaching role. I get a lot more nervous when I’m not playing, because I really don’t have any power over it. I don’t have any control over what’s going on, so it was pretty nerve-wracking.”

He added: “Obviously, seeing that stadium packed out was pretty special. And of course, I’m still bummed that I don’t get to be a part of it, but I still support my people, and I’m still hoping they can win.”

During a Team Puerto Rico news conference last week, Hernández told reporters in Spanish that the WBC rates above the World Series. Hernández, who’s played in five World Series, elaborated on his statement.

“I said it feels bigger,” Hernández said. “I didn’t say it’s bigger. Atmosphere, crowd, you’re representing your country. You’re not representing a city. You don’t always choose who you play for. Sometimes that’s out of your control and you know, when you’re representing your country, you’re playing along with your homies. Sometimes you’re playing along with people that you grew up with. Your people back home are rooting for you, at times.

“You’re playing in the United States, you’re playing for different teams, and sometimes they’re rooting against you. And for us, coming from our little island, the things that we can do for our island while the tournament is going on, it becomes a lot bigger than baseball, to where, it does not always feel that way when you’re playing for an organization in Major League Baseball.”

Hernández will be in Houston for Puerto Rico’s quarterfinal game against Italy on Saturday, and he said he doesn’t know if he would go to Miami if Puerto Rico reached the semifinals.

“I haven’t had the conversation yet with Andrew,” Hernández said, referring to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “I only asked permission to go to Houston. We win in Houston, he might get another text message if I can go along for the ride, but haven’t decided yet.”

As for his rehab from surgery, Hernández said he’s progressing rapidly and hopes to return in late May, when his 60-day IL stint expires.

“I’m not surprised that it’s going well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “End of May, beginning of June is probably a safe bet. Something like that.”

Sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna, building upon his outstanding freshman season, threw a one-hit shutout on Friday in Birmingham’s 5-0 West Valley League win over Taft.

He lost his no-hit bid when the first hitter of the seventh inning singled. He finished with seven strikeouts. In 24 innings this season, Acuna is 3-0 with 29 strikeouts, eight walks and a 1.16 earned-run average.

Cypress 14, JSerra 2: Tyler Vladic had five hits and Noah Johnson contributed five RBIs to lead Cypress.

Foothill 7, Cajon 0: Evrett Rycroft struck out two and walked none in six scoreless innings.

Huntington Beach 4, Edison 1: Tanner Brown struck out seven with no walks in six innings and Jared Grindlinger had two hits for the Oilers.

El Camino Real 6, Cleveland 1: Hudson December threw a complete game for the Royals.

Granada Hills 8, Chatsworth 5: Nicholas Penaranda finished with three hits for Granada Hills.

Villa Park 6, La Habra 1: Jack McGuire struck out 10 and threw 6 2/3 innings for Villa Park.

Garfield 3, Venice 2: The Bulldogs scored a run in the ninth on an error to break a 2-2 deadlock. Michael Santillan had three hits for Garfield.

Bell 11, Palisades 3: Jayden Gonzalez had a home run and three RBIs for 10-1 Bell.

Palos Verdes 3, Mira Costa 1: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in 4⅓ innings to lead Palos Verdes.

Fountain Valley 6, Los Alamitos 2: Ethan Cortez had a two-run single for Fountain Valley.

Marina 5, Newport Harbor 4: Three hits from Elijah Herald helped Marina hand Newport Harbor its first loss.

Santa Margarita 19, Los Osos 9: Brody Schumacher drove in seven runs on four hits, including a home run and double.

Times columnist Mirjam Swanson is right. Bam Adebayo is an impostor. If ever there was justification for an asterisk next to a record, his illegitimate assault on a scoring record is it. It was contrived and shameful.

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

Agree with Times columnist Mirjam Swanson, Bam Adebayo’s a fraud! It was a total setup once he got close to Kobe’s record-setting 81 points. Both teams … the Heat and the Wizards … conspired with their flopping and intentional fouling to get him to 83. Is this what the NBA has sunk to? Shame, shame.

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, while impressive, appeared to be a sloppy affair comparable to an All-Star game full of dunks and threes. His field-goal percentage was under 50%. He shot 43 free throws. which was somewhat of an NBA disgrace. Kobe’s 81 took place in a game that was close most of the way, meant getting into a playoff spot, and demonstrated Kobe’s artistry in a majestic display of the entire offensive arsenal he worked so hard to perfect. He was a maestro and savant. I feel like he has been soiled.

Dell Franklin
Cayucos

There has already been much complaining about Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, complaining that his teammates fed him the ball hoping that he would surpass Kobe’s single-game total of 81. Those of us of a certain age know that the exact same thing happened when Wilt scored 100 in 1962. Perhaps the thing to do is not to look to diminish this effort, but to appreciate it for the accomplishment it is. Congratulations to Bam.

Ronald O. Richards
Los Angeles

Antonelli’s new record – he is 19 years and 212 days old – beat the previous held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years and 72 days old when he took pole at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Antonelli said he was “very happy” but accepted that he might well not have taken pole had Russell had a problem-free qualifying.

He said: “George had an issue, so probably could have been a different story but happy to be on pole for the first time.”

Russell described his second place as “damage limitation” after a litany of problems through qualifying.

The championship leader said: “It was a crazy session. Front wing broke at the end of Q2. The team weren’t sure it had broken but I was sure it had. Then got stranded on track and just made it back out in time. It was more a case of just getting a lap done.

“P2 is better than I was expecting when I started the lap with no battery and tyre temperature. Really happy to be here because I could have been down in 10th.”

In the first session, Leclerc became the first driver to beat Russell in a competitive session this year with a time just under 0.1secs quicker than the Briton.

Then in the second session, Russell ended up third fastest behind Antonelli and Leclerc after he suffered a broken front wing flap.

Heading out for the final session with a new wing, Russell’s car stopped on track on his out lap as the gearbox refused to change gear.

Antonelli drove past his team-mate as he set the fastest time on his first flying lap, 0.3secs quicker than Leclerc.

After frantic work in the garage, Mercedes managed to fix Russell’s car by applying a series of default procedures such as switching the car off and on again and swapping out the steering wheel.

He got just out in time to set a lap but his rushed preparation meant the car was not in its optimum condition as he went for a time.

However, Antonelli had his own problems on his final run – he suffered the same front wing problem has Russell had done in Q2.

Hamilton, who tussled with Russell for the lead in the opening laps of the sprint race earlier on Saturday, was 0.351secs off pole and said he had hopes of challenging the Mercedes again in the grand prix.

“It was a really tough qualifying,” Hamilton said. “A bit harder with the wind. It is so gusty today. So challenging.

“Really happy and grateful to be up here with these guys. Engineers did some great work over the break and managed to get a little closer to these guys.

“It’s still going to be a challenge but I am sure we’re going to have some fun. Learned a lot in the sprint race and our goal is to break the gap to these guys somehow.”

The McLarens were just over 0.1secs behind the Ferraris and Norris said: “We’re happy we’re close to them, gives us a good shot at tomorrow.”

But Verstappen was downcast to be nearly a second off the pace in the Red Bull.

“We change a lot on the car, and it makes zero difference,” the four-time world champion said.

“The whole weekend we’ve been off. The car is completely undriveable. I cannot even put a bit of a reference in. Every lap is like survival.”

Friday’s Results

BASEBALL

CITY SECTION

Bell 11, Palisades 3 (8 innings)

Eagle Rock 11, Stella 1

El Camino Real 5, Cleveland 1

Fairfax 13, Dorsey 3

Fremont 5, Lincoln 0

Gardena 13, Santee 4

Garfield 3, Venice 2

LA Wilson 7, Vaughn 6

Monroe 11, King/Drew 2

Northridge Academy 5, AMIT 0

Panorama 14, Reseda 11

Rancho Dominguez 13, Westchester 3

SOCES 17, Canoga Park 1

Sun Valley Magnet 12, Collins Family 0

Van Nuys 5, Chavez 1

SOUTHERN SECTION

AAE 11, CIMSA 0

Aliso Niguel 11, Fullerton 8

Anaheim Canyon 8, El Modena 7

Apple Valley 8, Serrano 5

Arcadia 11, Muir 1

Arlington 1, Liberty 0

Arroyo 20, Downey Calvary Chapel 1

Baldwin Park 22, Sierra Vista 5

Beaumont 7, Desert Hot Springs 0

Big Bear 14, Pacific 10

Bishop Montgomery 9, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 0

Bishop Union 10, Legacy Christian Academy 0

Bolsa Grande 6, Saddleback 5

Brea Olinda 3, El Toro 1

Burbank Burroughs 18, Glendale 1

Calvary Baptist 11, Rosemead 1

Canyon Springs 10, Hemet 7

Carpinteria 5, Nordhoff 2

Cathedral 11, Bosco Tech 6

Coachella Valley 6, Yucca Valley 0

Corona Santiago 8, Chino Hills 4

Costa Mesa 10, Ocean View 2

Crescenta Valley 8, Hoover 2

Cypress 14, JSerra 2

Diamond Bar 9, Santa Ana 1

Don Lugo 3, Upland 3

Dos Pueblos 11, Buena 3

Duarte 5, Azusa 3

Eastvale Roosevelt 7, Whittier Christian 0

Edgewood 11, Gabrielino 3

El Segundo 2, North Torrance 1

Elsinore 5, Rancho Verde 4

Fountain Valley 6, Los Alamitos 2

Hart 16, Canyon Country Canyon 6

Heritage Christian 7, Channel Islands 0

Hesperia 11, Ridgecrest Burroughs 8

Huntington Beach 4, Edison 1

Indian Springs 4, San Bernardino 3

Irvine 9, Northwood 1

Irvine University 7, St. Margaret’s 5

Jurupa Valley 4, La Sierra 2

Katella 6, Laguna Hills 4

Knight 10, Eastside 1

La Canada 13, Temple City 3

Lancaster 11, Antelope Valley 0

La Salle 6, St. Paul 5

La Serna 7, Whittier 2

Long Beach Poly 7, Long Beach Jordan 5

Long Beach Wilson 5, Long Beach Cabrillo 1

Los Amigos 4, Magnolia 3

Lucerne Valley 11, Silver Valley 5

Marina 5, Newport Harbor 4

Mark Keppel 12, San Gabriel 3

Mary Star of the Sea 13, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 5

Mayfair 6, Garden Grove 1

Millikan 8, Compton 0

Miller 20, Entrepreneur 0

Montebello 6, Alhambra 1

Moreno Valley 5, Heritage 3

Newbury Park 16, Camarillo 3

New Roads 7, Brentwood 5

Nogales 10, Garey 4

Norwalk 9, Dominguez 4

Nuview Bridge 6, Riverside North 0

Oak Hills 12, Sultana 8

Orange 10, Savanna 5

Orange Vista 9, Lakeside 3

Oxnard Pacifica 8, Oxnard 0

Palos Verdes 3, Mira Costa 1

Paramount 19, Firebaugh 6

Placentia Valencia 11, Godinez 1

Ramona 11, Norte Vista 1

Rancho Christian 18, Hillcrest 7

Rancho Cucamonga 6, Alta Loma 3

Rio Hondo Prep 10, Escondido Charter 10

Riverside Poly 6, Paloma Valley 1

Royal 7, Moorpark 0

Rubidoux 5, Patriot 4

Salesian 19, Verbum Dei 5

San Juan Hills 10, Citrus Valley 1

San Marcos 2, Rio Mesa 1

Santa Aba Calvary Chapel 3, Buena Park 0

Santa Ana Foothill 7, Cajon 0

Santa Fe 7, California 0

Santa Margarita 19, Los Osos 9

Santa Paula 9, Malibu 3

Saugus 12, Castaic 9

Schurr 7, Bell Gardens 3

Segerstrom 8, La Palma Kennedy 4

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 4, Paraclete 1

Sierra Canyon 9, Valencia 1

Simi Valley 17, Oak Park 0

SLOCA 6, Valley Christian Academy 4

Southlands Christian 12, Bassett 5

St. Anthony 9, St. Monica 6

St. Bernard 8, Gardena Serra 5

Sunny Hills 9, Esperanza 2

Tesoro 6, Yorba Linda 3

Twentynine Palms 20, Desert Christian Academy 2

University Prep 34, Mojave 0

Valley View 10, Citrus Hill 2

Ventura 11, Santa Barbara 6

Victor Valley Christian 8, ACE 7

Villa Park 6, La Habra 1

Vista del Lago 13, Perris 3

Vista Murrieta 13, Yucaipa 5

Western 5, Santa Ana Valley 1

West Ranch 3, Golden Valley 0

Woodbridge 5, Laguna Beach 4

INTERSECTIONAL

Boron 30, Immanuel Christian 1

Carson 3, Lakewood 0

El Rancho 2, LA Roosevelt 1

HMSA 11, Animo Venice 1 (5 innings)

Lee Vining 11, Trona 11

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 4, Triumph Charter 2

South Gate 16, South El Monte 6

Temecula Valley 6, Henderson (NV) Basic 3

Thousand Oaks 8, Skyline (ID) 0

SOFTBALL

CITY SECTION

Carson 13, Venice 1

Granada Hills Kennedy 2, SOCES 1

LA Wilson 16, Rancho Dominguez 6

Narbonne 18, Contreras 2

Orthopaedic 20, Jefferson 1

Santee 26, Gardena 17

Sylmar 16, Fulton 0

Torres 16, Bernstein 6

SOUTHERN SECTION

Aliso Niguel 9, Garden Grove Pacifica 1

Alta Loma 11, Grand Terrace 4

Azusa 15, Nogales 1

Bishop Amat 8, Rancho Cucamonga 6

Bishop Conaty-Loretto 10, Hawthorne 0

Bloomington 17, Vista del Lago 3

Brentwood 15, Inglewood 3

Charter Oak 12, Don Lugo 4

Colton 8, Woodcrest Christian 0

Dana Hills 8, Woodbridge 0

Dos Pueblos 9, Buena 0

Duarte 12, Baldwin Park 2

Edgewood 14, Southland Christian 3

Etiwanda 9, Ganesha 8

Flintridge Sacred Heart 2, Burbank Providence 1

Jurupa Valley 20, La Sierra 1

La Canada 15, South Pasadena 0

Liberty 19, Heritage 5

Linfield Christian 15, Temecula Valley 4

Loara 27, Costa Mesa 3

Lucerne Valley 29, Silver Valley 12

Maranatha 5, Santa Monica 3

Mark Keppel 18, Mountain View 13

Monrovia 5, Temple City 1

Newbury Park 14, Channel Islands 0

Northview 6, Ontario Christian 2

Northview 6, Western Christian 2

Ocean View 15, Corona del Mar 2

Orange 11, Estancia 0

Orange Vista 11, Rancho Verde 1

Oxnard 9, Oxnard Pacifica 1

Paloma Valley 3, Valley View 1

Pasadena Marshall 20, Elizabeth 2

Patriot 13, Rubidoux 0

Placentia Valencia 7, Anaheim 6

Portola 15, Oxford Academy 5

Redlands East Valley 4, Canyon Springs 1

Rio Mesa 7, San Marcos 2

Riverside Prep 21, Hesperia 2

San Bernardino 20, Indian Springs 0

San Dimas 10, Diamond Bar 0

San Marino 18, Blair 0

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 10, Westminster La Quinta 0

Santa Ana Valley 16, Century 6

Serrano 17, PACS 1

Sierra Vista 13, Garey 2

South El Monte 22, Rowland 12

South Hills 15, Lakewood 1

St. Bonaventure 21, Santa Paula 5

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 31, Beverly Hills 1

Sunny Hills 10, Cerritos 7

Twentynine Palms 21l Banning 15

University Prep 13, Sultana 7

West Torrance 5, Redondo Union 3

Whittier Christian 8, Arrowhead Christian 0

Wiseburn-Da Vinci 10, Culver City 0

Yucca Valley 18, Coachella Valley 7

INTERSECTIONAL

Chadwick 13, Palisades 2

Leuzinger 6, South Gate 2

Pasadena Marshall 20, Elizabeth 2

Riverside King 1, Clovis North 0

Riverside King 12, Hollister 5

South Torrance 6, San Pedro 4

Taft 22, Hueneme 3

Torrance 5, Wilmington Banning 3

Van Nuys 13, Immaculate Heart 12

West Ranch 9, El Camino Real 1

When Zyw was diagnosed with MND, he was working as a sommelier and wine buyer in London. His first symptom was his left thumb going numb.

Initially misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, Zyw “had no reason to think about this impossible, improbable diagnosis at the time”.

A third of those diagnosed with the devastating disease die within a year, half die within two. Zyw is one of the “lucky ones”.

While his disease has progressed slowly, he has now lost most of the functionality in his hands, and the muscles in his upper body are wasting away.

A return to snowboarding was one of the positives in the dark aftermath of his diagnosis.

Having learned to snowboard as a child on a dry slope in Edinburgh, he competed as a freestyler into his early 20s before a knee injury put paid to that.

“I learned very quickly that the only aspect of this diagnosis in my control is my attitude towards it,” he added.

“I couldn’t affect how quickly the disease was going to manifest itself, how quickly I was going to fall off a cliff, how quickly I was going to lose motor functions.

“When I held on to that positive message, every day became easier and that’s what I’ve done every day since.”

The Davy Zyw Fan Club has been out in full force at the Games, flying British and Scottish flags and donning blue beanies emblazoned with his surname to watch him in action.

On a bus up to the snowboard park, an impromptu chant of “No Davy, No Party” sounded out, renditions of which carried on throughout the day.

Among those singing course-side were Zyw’s wife Yvie and four-year-old son Aleksander, who was “shouting his head off in celebration and admiration” as his daddy whizzed past during the opening run.

That race, however, did not end as he had hoped – in hospital with two broken ribs after a heavy crash, having already injured his knee in official training.

Such is the pain from his broken ribs, he cannot laugh nor sneeze but nothing was going to stop him being back in the start gate for Friday’s banked slalom.

In that, he finished 19th – but that is irrelevant. This Paralympic experience was never about the medals or results.

“Two years ago I wouldn’t have been classifiable as a Para-athlete and in two years’ time I’m not going to be a competitive snowboarder,” he said.

“So I’m in this sort of tragic period of my diagnosis where I’m ill enough to be classified as a Para-athlete, but well enough to still be able to rip down on my snowboard.

“I’m grateful for the fact that the Games have come at this moment, because in a few years’ time it wouldn’t have been possible.”