The NHL on Monday revealed its finalists for the 2023 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award, an annual distinction for individuals who have positively impacted their community, culture or society through the sport of hockey.

This season's six candidates include three from the United States and three from Canada: Jason McCrimmon (Detroit), Karen Ota-O'Brien (Coconut Creek, Florida) and Marty Richardson (Littleton, Colorado) represent the U.S. finalists, and Derek Klein (Shellbrook, Saskatchewan), Dean Smith (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and Saroya Tinker (Toronto) were chosen from Canada.

One winner from each country will be determined with weighted votes from Willie O'Ree, the NHL and -- on the Canadian side -- representatives from Hyundai Canada. A public fan vote also begins Monday on NHL.com. That runs through April 16 at 1 p.m. ET.

Each winner will receive $25,000 -- and every finalist gets $5,000 -- to put toward a charity of their respective choice.

Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award announces 2023 Finalists: https://t.co/1qWTVgJvAU #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/2KqBSlBO0h

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 3, 2023

McCrimmon is the president and founder of Detroit Ice Dreams Youth Hockey Association. It's a nonprofit youth hockey organization aiming to break down barriers preventing underrepresented communities from participating in hockey. McCrimmon supports that initiative through on-ice programming, community giveaways and filling backpacks for children in need of proper supplies. He's also the associate head coach, GM and owner of the USPHL's Motor City Gamblers Jr., a team that boasts several players who have moved on to a collegiate level, where they continue pursuing a life -- and career -- in sport.

Ota-O'Brien is founder of several hockey projects, including the South Florida Women's Hockey Program and the Lucky Pucks Hockey Club. She's also co-founder and president of the Florida Women's Hockey League, made up of women's hockey organizations from across the state. Ota-O'Brien has spent almost three decades advocating for the women's game to be more inclusive and welcoming with new and increasingly creative endeavors such as the Girls Night Out League, where women of all ages and skill levels can participate.

Richardson founded the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation as a nonprofit that gives back to North American families affected by hardships. Through hockey tournaments (including the annual Dawg Bowl), golf games and crowdsourcing organized by Dawg Nation, Richardson has provided funding to help cancer patients, amputees, burn victims and other community members in need. In 2002, the program donated $900,000 to hockey families going through difficult times, and since 2011 it has allocated more than $4 million in aid.

Klein is the CEO of Big River First Nation. For more than 25 years, Klein has worked to promote and grow the game of hockey through the Cree Nation reservation by increasing funding and support for all Big River Youth. Klein played a key role in the creation of Jim Neilson Sports Complex, a $42 million project featuring an ice arena and outdoor practice fields -- among other outlets -- to serve Big River First Nation and other surrounding First Nation communities. Because of Klein, more than 800 youths have allies and access to sport.

Smith is a lawyer determined to create safe and welcoming spaces in hockey. He has taken on roles as chair of Hockey Nova Scotia's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and is on the board of directors as their chair of diversity and inclusion. Smith also serves as secretary to the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame Society, a nonprofit that celebrates Black achievement in sport. Smith is a driving force behind increasing diversity and opportunity for Black Nova Scotians to be involved with hockey and has seen graduates from his youth programs go on to play at elite levels in the province.

Tinker is the executive director of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada and a defenseman for the 2023 Isobel Cup-winning Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey League. Through her initiatives -- including the Saroya Strong mentorship program -- Tinker mentors and advocates for Black women in hockey and to make the game more inclusive for their friends, family and allies.

Minnesota Wild forward Mason Shaw is done for the remainder of the season after tearing an ACL, the fourth such injury for the 24-year-old.

The team announced Monday that Shaw suffered the right knee injury Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Shaw has already had three ACL surgeries, all since being selected by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL draft.

Shaw finishes the season with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 59 games on the Wild's fourth line. It was his first full season in the NHL. He played in just three games in 2021-22.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Last month, Fred Couples called Phil Mickelson a “nutbag” and Sergio Garcia a “clown.” Despite those comments, Couples said he doesn’t expect Tuesday’s Champions Dinner, which will include both Mickelson and Garcia, to be awkward.

“I'm not expecting anything different. I sit in a great spot, so I'm down by all the beautiful people that I've sat with, and it's not that the other ones aren't, but I'm saying [Jack] Nicklaus, Tiger, [Raymond] Floyd, myself, Sandy Lyle, and then right to the head of the table,” Couples said Monday following a practice round with Woods, Rory McIlroy and Tom Kim.

Couples also clarified his thoughts on the players who joined LIV Golf, including Mickelson and Garcia.

“I call myself the same stuff I'm calling them, I just don't think they should bash the PGA Tour, just go play golf,” Couples said. “Tomorrow night will be a great dinner, will be a lot of fun, and people have asked me, I would love to be paired with Phil. I mean, he's one of the best players that ever played.”

Couples said the 18 LIV players who were qualified for this year’s Masters should have been given invitations to play and that he would be glad to talk with any of the players who joined the breakaway circuit.

“They don't bother me. They really don't. They're golfers. I'm a golfer. I respect them all,” he said. “Sergio is one of the top 10 players I've ever seen hit a ball, but if he's going to make comments about the tour that I play, I'm going to make a comment back, and if it's offensive, I apologize, but they're on another tour. Go play and have a good time. Brooks Koepka, I love; Dustin Johnson, absolutely love. … But I have no problem with anyone on the LIV tour.”

What a weekend in European football! Chelsea imploded against Aston Villa and sacked their manager, Bayern Munich took the Bundesliga top spot back from Borussia Dortmund with a comprehensive win, while both Real Madrid and Barcelona cruised to big wins in LaLiga.

Arsenal and Newcastle are on the up, with Manchester United going the other way in the Premier League, while PSG fell to another disappointing defeat in Ligue 1 as their fans are starting to get restless and Serie A-leaders Napoli were hammered by AC Milan.

It's Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Chelsea hit the reset button (again) after Aston Villa loss

Chelsea have a knack for this. It makes little sense to sack a coach just after the transfer window has closed, especially when you've spent hundreds of millions of euros at his behest over the summer, but that's what Todd Boehly & Co. did with Thomas Tuchel in September. And now, they've fired Graham Potter after a single loss (a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa) immediately after an international break, meaning his eventual successor will have little training time with the team.

That, too, makes little sense. Some will rationalise it by taking Bayern Munich's justification in sacking Julian Nagelsmann and bringing in Tuchel: that they had to act now because Tuchel might be snapped up by another club. (Funny how it's always the same names.) They'll argue that Chelsea needed to move quickly to ax Potter because Nagelsmann is suddenly unemployed and may end up elsewhere.

You may be tempted by that logic, based on the fact that Chelsea's front office is filled with alumni of the Red Bull organisation such as technical director Christopher Vivell and co-sporting director Laurence Stewart, and Nagelsmann previously coached Leipzig. Except that theory falls flat when you consider the following: if Chelsea's owners thought Potter needed to go, why wait until after the Villa game to do it? Did they think he might change their minds with a victory? Did they need the validation of another defeat to pursue Nagelsmann? You'd assume no, because that would be silly. But then, with this crew, you never know.

Don't get me wrong, I think Nagelsmann is exceptional, and he'd be a great choice for Chelsea. But he'd be just as good a choice in the summer as now. And, in fact, probably a better choice. The squad right now is a badly assembled mess and it will only get worse when the loan army returns and the club need to find homes for all of them, as well as the excess players they signed over the past few seasons.

Potter's sacking feels like a knee-jerk decision, possibly prompted by Boehly realising his team were being booed off the pitch at home. Results under Potter have been very poor (he won 12 of his 31 games in charge, and Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League table) and so too have performances. There are plenty mitigating circumstances -- from the demented way this team was put together to the fact that Potter was unaccustomed to the congested fixture list and European football, to the lack of a preseason -- but when you win less than one out of three games and have the sort of wage bill that Chelsea have, you can't expect to hang on to your job.

The owners say there's a plan, that the more-than €500 million spent (mostly on young players, at least in January) is part of this grand project, that they have faith in their recruitment guys (Vivell, Stewart and the other co-sporting director Paul Winstanley.) Fine, they need time to work (just like Potter needed time and I'll let you decide if he had enough of it.) But now, you're at a crossroads. You've invested heavily, the summer, at best, will see a couple of starter quality guys arrive (presumably a defensive midfielder and a striker) and then it will be up to the new manager to make it work.

In those circumstances, are you likely to get a fancy, big-name manager? Or will you have to go with an up-and-comer, someone who will be more pliable, somebody who'll say "Yeah, I love what you've done with the squad, Todd, I can't wait to get to work"?

Logic would dictate the latter. But egos and perception matter and, right now, the perception is that Potter failed in part because he didn't have experience at this level. Yet an experienced "proven" guy (say Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, whoever) will need some level of assurance about the players he wants. And that will mean more spending and more players to offload. So, once again, Chelsea have painted themselves into a corner.

And, yeah, because hindsight is always 20/20, I can't help but ask myself: where would they be if they had not sacked Tuchel back in September? At least €25m richer, based solely on his payoff and Potter's wages. And probably no worse off in the table. And possibly much better.

New manager bounce for Bayern; a bad day for Dortmund

Let's get this out of the way: Bayern's 4-2 drubbing of Borussia Dortmund, which saw them regain top spot in the Bundesliga, is not the game on which to judge whether replacing Nagelsmann with Tuchel was the right decision.

Not when Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel gifts Bayern two goals and they're 3-0 up inside of 23 minutes. Not when every bad Dortmund habit from yesteryear resurfaced on Saturday afternoon. Most importantly, not when Tuchel had all of two training sessions with his new side.

Tuchel did what managers do in these situations. Nothing fancy, get the players to do what they know and, if you're cynical, empower the players who got rid of the guy before you. He reverted to the 4-2-3-1, the formation most of these players used under Hansi Flick (and which, though some have quickly forgotten, Nagelsmann used for much of his tenure), unleashed Leroy Sane down the wing and put Thomas Muller in the hole behind the striker, enabling him to be at his devastating best.

- Stream replay: Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund, ESPN+

Tuchel's initial impact was always going to be more mental than tactical. And, like the Hippocratic Oath, it was a case of "above all, do no harm." To be fair, there wasn't that much mental work to do. Bayern have now beaten Dortmund the last nine times they welcomed them to Munich. Players could look at the table and understand that defeat might cost them the title for the first time in a decade. Motivation was never going to be a problem.

Dortmund's flailing did the rest. Not just Kobel (he had a nightmare, but on so many occasions this season he was a difference maker so just chalk it up to a bad day), but most of the guys in yellow shirts and, heck, coach Edin Terzic too. I'm all for the high press and being aggressive, but doing it against the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Kimmich, or Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman and Sane who can beat you one-on-one, is asking for trouble. Especially on the road.

Tuchel is too smart to rest on his laurels, and he's not going to think he's a genius based on this game. There are still things to figure out, starting with the formation. There's a reason Nagelsmann was endlessly tweaking it, and the issues he tried to fix won't have magically disappeared. And then there's Jamal Musiala. Simply put, he's Bayern's most important player behind Kimmich and there's no role for him in this formation ... not unless you want to drop Muller, which right now would be folly. So Tuchel will need to come up with something in the two games against Freiburg and, of course, the clash with Manchester City in the Champions League. That's where he -- and the people who sacked Nagelsmann -- are going to be judged.

As for Dortmund, the task for Terzic is to purge the demons in double quick time. No, there is no mystical force that elevates Bayern in big games. And no, there is no curse that condemns Dortmund to crumble when it matters most. This was a horrible game, prompted by mistakes from an otherwise very reliable keeper who had a shocking day. Accept it and move on.

Napoli hammered by Milan as Leao and Diaz shine

I don't think anybody saw this coming. You could maybe see Napoli losing their fourth game of the season (out of 37) at home to AC Milan because star striker Victor Osimhen was injured, because when you have a 19-point lead at the top of the Serie A table you take your foot off the gas, or because strange things happen when clubs return from an international break. But a 4-0 demolition at the Stadio Maradona? Nope, not like this.

Milan ditched the back three that had served them well for a while before fizzling out for a back four and that was critical. It gave them an extra midfielder, allowing them to match up with Napoli in the middle of the park. And while the individual quality of Milan forwards Rafael Leao and Brahim Diaz might make the highlight reels, it was the ability to neutralize Napoli's midfield that made all the difference. Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer and Rade Krunic offered intensity, work rate and perceptive passing, giving Leao and Diaz the platform they needed.

As for Napoli, nobody had a good game. Not the defence; usually so reliable. Not the attack, where winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was anonymous, and Giovanni Simeone failed to seize his chance as a starter.

Napoli need to remind themselves that they're 16 points clear with 10 games to go for a reason. (And, because some always see the glass as half empty, if Juventus' points penalty is overturned, it's still 12 points with 10 games to go, which would also make Napoli just about invulnerable.) It's a blip, keep your heads, see out the season and remember it's a fresh slate when you face Milan in the Champions League quarterfinals in just over a week.

As for Milan, this is a massive confidence boost when they needed it most. They need to play on the front foot, like they did when they won the title and the back three didn't let them do that. Keep this feeling and make sure you stay in the top four. And maybe you can take some of Sunday's performance into the Champions League with you.

Grealish powers Haaland-less Man City past limp Liverpool

Jack Grealish has emerged as a pivotal figure in this Manchester City side this season. Some might say 'It's about time!' given that he arrived in 2021 for a then-Premier League record transfer fee of £100m. But it wasn't going to be a seamless transition from Aston Villa to City -- from a mid-table side where you are not just allowed, but encouraged, to take responsibility and let your individual talent shine, to City, where you are no more gifted than many of your teammates and it's all about the collective.

I wasn't sure it was ever going to work, but Grealish is proving me wrong, with the latest example on Saturday in the 4-1 drubbing of Liverpool.

To be fair, it was all of City, especially in the second half, that put on a show. They did it without 42-goal striker Erling Haaland (who celebrated wildly in his box) and while they're obviously a better team with the Norwegian, in a game like this, against an opponent like Liverpool, Julian Alvarez's movement and link-up play probably made them even more devastating. And, if not that, prettier to watch.

Of course. there's a yin to the yang of City playing well and that's Liverpool being poor. In the second half, they had 27% of the ball while chasing the game and, after Mohamed Salah's goal in the 17th minute, they managed just a single shot the rest of the way. That's what happens when your midfield gets overrun (again), your defenders are pulled all over the place, and your forwards fade as the game goes on.

You don't expect this Liverpool team to match City for quality, but you certainly expect more in terms of intensity and drive in a game like this. If there's one thing they shouldn't be lacking at this stage it's motivation. A top-four finish is a realistic goal, it's just a little less realistic with performances like this.

Real Madrid hitting stride at right time after Benzema hat trick?

Real Madrid had a bumpy start against a Real Valladolid side fighting to avoid relegation, before exploding for six goals, including a Karim Benzema hat trick in the space of seven minutes. Benzema unleashed his full repertoire -- a long-range strike, a perfectly timed overhead kick, a stooping header -- and that certainly bodes well for a Madrid team who may lose out on LaLiga to Barcelona, but still have a Copa del Rey semifinal and Champions League quarterfinal to play for.

Benzema's campaign has been slowed by injury this year and though his goal totals, come the end of the year, will be in line with what he has produced for most of his career (he has 22 in 30 games), there's little question he hasn't been close to the Ballon d'Or-winning form of last season. Madrid fans will be hope that Sunday's performance will be a turning point.

Newcastle back in third as subpar Man United stutter

For all the good work Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has achieved this season (Europa League quarterfinals, FA Cup semifinals, winning the Carabao Cup, top four in the Premier League) it's easy to forget how the club's form has been anything but steady of late. United have won three of their last six games in all competitions, but one of those victories was a 1-0 win over Real Betis in the return leg (after they went 4-1 up from the first leg) and the another was Fulham's self-destruction in the FA Cup. Other than the Betis games, they really didn't play particularly well.

This weekend, as defender Luke Shaw put it: "Newcastle wanted it more." The Magpies were also coming off a bumpy stretch, but maybe they understood the importance of the clash more than United and that's how they ended up with a 2-0 scoreline which flattered Ten Hag's men.

Mitigating factors? Sure. Casemiro's suspension weighs heavily. If Marcus Rashford doesn't wear his Superman cape and Bruno Fernandes has an off day, this team will create little, because Wout Weghorst is what he is and Antony, again, feels like a dud with stepovers. But beyond that, Newcastle just looked like a better unit. Some of that, at least on Saturday, has to be on Ten Hag and his insistence in persevering with certain players at the expense of others.

Juventus keep marching up the table amid appeal

Those who only look at results, rather than performances, will note an obvious moment in time when Juventus turned things around. You can probably pinpoint it after the 4-3 defeat against Benfica in a "do-or-die" Champions League game back in October. Since then, Juve have won 13 of 17 Serie A games, while advancing to the Coppa Italia semifinals and Europa League quarterfinals. They are still awaiting the appeal verdict over their 15-point penalty on April 19 but, right now, even without it getting overturned, they have a shot at a top-four finish. Which is frankly staggering.

The odd thing is that there's something very "Max Allegri" about the turnaround. Juve have achieved it without, for the most part, playing particularly well. They don't look like more of a team than they did before; they have simply churned out results and got on with it. And there's merit to that.

Even more merit -- and more important for this team's future -- is how the youngsters have driven it. Against Verona on Saturday, the likes of Nicolo Fagioli, Moise Kean, Fabio Miretti and even Federico Gatti (who was crucified after some of his early performances) all did their part. Whatever happens, Juve as a club are learning that, yes, the kids can contribute too. That's one silver lining to a turbulent season.

Barcelona backups shine in Elche hammering

Elche are last in LaLiga, so if there was a game for leaders Barcelona to mix things up, this was it. Xavi, already without Pedri, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele, took things even further. He left Alex Balde, Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie on the bench, deploying Marcos Alonso at centre-back and Eric Garcia in central midfield. Up front, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres joined Robert Lewandowski.

- Stream replay: Elche 0-4 Barcelona, ESPN+
- Stream LIVE: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Wednesday 4/5, 2:55 p.m. ET, ESPN+

It finished 4-0 and it could have been more, but Xavi's biggest takeaway has to be that maybe this team has more depth than some realize. Ansu, after his father publicly questioned his lack of playing time last week, scored a tremendous goal. Torres looked sharp. And, while I'm not Garcia's biggest fan at the back, he showed he can do a job in midfield.

Who knows, maybe he's Busquets' heir apparent?

Gabriel Jesus leads Arsenal to important win

Gabriel Jesus made his first Premier League start up front since suffering a knee injury in November and, for a while, it looked as if some magical balance that Arsenal had attained in his absence had been broken. He missed a sitter and for much of the first half Leeds United gave as good as they got. But then Luke Ayling gifted the Brazilian a penalty which he converted. Then in the second half, Arsenal switched gears and pulled away en route to a 4-1 win, with Jesus completing a neat move with Leandro Trossard for his second goal.

There's no beating around the bush, Jesus is not an orthodox centre-forward. What he offers is different, but nevertheless valuable in terms of movement and pressing. On a day without Bukayo Saka (who was benched), Arsenal needed personality and leadership up front and he offered it. Another three points ensured their eight-point lead at the top remained intact and it's one less game towards the finish line. The margin to slip up and allow Manchester City to nick the title got that much smaller.

Fans restless as PSG stumble to another defeat

It's been a while since the last time Paris Saint-Germain actually played well, maybe the 3-0 away victory over Marseille in February. If games lasted 85 minutes instead of 90, and if Marseille hadn't drawn consecutive home games, then PSG would be second, three points off the top of the table. Which, given their wage bill, would be really embarrassing, as opposed to simply embarrassing, which is where they're at now.

Against Lyon, PSG lost their second consecutive home game and it followed a script we've seen before. They created some chances early and then sort of disappeared, save for a disjointed flurry of long-range efforts towards the end. In between, they gave up a penalty (which Alexandre Lacazette smacked against the post) and an avoidable goal to Bradley Barcola.

At the final whistle, PSG's players were booed and it was hard to argue with the fans. It feels as if this team can't wait for the season to end. If it does -- as it likely will -- with another league title it will be down to the futility of the other teams as much as it will be down to their merits. PSG fans deserve better.

Lukaku has a nightmare as Inter lose third-straight Serie A game

Watch the highlights and stick to Expected Goals (xG) and you might conclude that Inter Milan were unlucky to lose at home to Fiorentina. They won the xG battle, Nicolo Barella hit the woodwork, Romelu Lukaku missed a hat trick of chances and Henrikh Mkhitaryan squandered another sitter.

You'd be wrong; Inter were poor. The passing was wayward and predictable, too often allowing Fiorentina to strike in transition. And the chances were mostly a function of individual efforts and opposition mistakes. Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has plenty to work on, but the priority is to fix a team that's crumbling mentally, first and foremost.

A word on Lukaku too. Yes, the misses were horrendous, reminiscent of some of his World Cup performances with Belgium, but he's getting on the end of the chances, which is something. A striker who never shoots on goal, won't get criticised in highlight packages. That said, at this rate, by the time he plays his way out of this funk Inter's season could be over.

Atletico take top-four step as Correa shines

Two years ago it was Angel Correa's late-season goals that pushed Atletico Madrid over the line to win the LaLiga title. He came up big again on Sunday, coming on to score a typical "street" goal, borne out of intensity and belief (and a bit of luck) and capped off with a stunning finish. Correa has only started one game in the last two months and Atletico have done fine without him, so Diego Simeone's decision to put his trust in other forwards has been vindicated. But there's something about his drive and the ability to turn a game that is hugely valuable and he showed it against Betis.

The goal may have come late, but it was very much deserved for what Atletico had shown earlier. True, Betis without midfielders Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales are a different proposition, but credit must go to Atletico for taking the game to a direct opponent for a top-four spot and grinding away, once again powered by the magnificent Antoine Griezmann.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is nearing a return to the team and is expected to be back early this week, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday.

Wiggins, who has missed 22 consecutive games attending to a family matter, is expected to be back in the Bay Area as soon as the next 24 hours, sources told Wojnarowski.

It is unclear how much Wiggins will play in the team's final three regular-season games, but his return would come with enough time to prepare for the play-in tournament and playoffs beginning next week. The Warriors are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Golden State had been hopeful Wiggins would be able to return soon but were operating with no clear timeline for when he could be back.

"We'd love to have him and hope that that does happen, because we want to be whole and I'm sure he wants to be a part of this," Stephen Curry said last week. "But when he walks in the door, it'll be when it's the right time for him. That's kind of the expectation at this point."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Wiggins has been working out every day while away from the team, but as he returns to the team's facilities, the training and medical staff would evaluate his fitness and conditioning to determine how soon he would be able to return to play. Wiggins has missed a total of 41 games this season with left foot soreness, a strained adductor and a bout with a non-COVID-19 illness.

Last summer, Wiggins signed a four-year contract extension after he had an All-Star year and played a major role in the Warriors' championship run. He's averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 rebounds this season while shooting nearly 40% from 3.

The Warriors head into Monday night's slate in a four-way tie in the loss column for the last two guaranteed playoff spots in the Western Conference.

North Isle of Man AC athlete takes down mark from 1993 as Jarlath McKenna claims the men’s title

Eilish McColgan wasn’t the only runner breaking British records on the road this weekend (April 2), as Adrian Stott reports.

Sarah Webster, North Isle of Man AC, in her debut at the distance, recorded 7:03:40 at the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km event, that incorporated the annual Home countries International, held at Craigavon in Northern Ireland. This was an astonishing 23 minute improvement on the time of 7:27:19 set by Carolyn Hunter-Rowe, when winning the World Championship 100km in Torhout, Belgium in 1993.

The event also included the British Athletics 100km Championship and the national championships of Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland and Ulster.

BRITISH RECORD ALERT Sarah Webster In winning @BritishAthletics 100km champs in a time of 7:03:40, broke Carolyn Hunter-Rowe’s time of 7:27:19 from 1993. Also 5th best world All time. TBC pic.twitter.com/jkfoPqY70u

— Adrian Stott (@TaritTweets) April 2, 2023

In a strong mens field, Northern Ireland’s Jarlath McKenna of Bristol and West AC, was a popular home winner of the men’s championship. Pre-race favourites, Northern Ireland’s Gareth King and England’s Ollie Garrod, were prominent in a small group that included McKenna in the early stages.

Approaching half-way, GB international King upped the pace and only fellow British teammate, Garrod stayed with him.

King looked strong and was drawing away from Garrod and looking on course for a sub-six hour 30 minute time.

Those familiar with 100km racing know full well that after 40 miles, the real racing starts and things can, and often do, change quickly.

Approaching 75 km, King pulled up with a knee issue that forced him to drop out .

This left Garrod in the lead with five laps of the approximate 5km course to cover and also looking good for a sub 6:30 time. The Belgrave athlete then experienced his own issues and started slowing very quickly.

Possibly still feeling the effects of his phenomenal world 40 mile record the previous month, he was overtaken by a few of the runners chasing him. McKenna, from being four minutes behind Garrod at 80km, found himself in the lead by a minute at 85km.

Behind him, Swansea’s Daniel Rothwell and Cambridge and Coleridge’s Jo Turner were in a battle for the silver and bronze medals.

It was Turner that eventually prevailed, taking second place in 6:41:06, over two minutes ahead of Swansea’s Rothwell who ran 6:43:25.

Rothwell had the satisfaction of setting a new Welsh record. He cut it fine, beating the time of 6:43:55 set by fellow Swansea Harrier Trevor Hawes, set at Nottingham in 1989, by a mere 20 seconds. Garrod despite continuing to slow, hung on to finish in 8th in 6:58:10.

In a continued sign of the resurgence of the quality over 100km, nine men dipped under seven hours, improving on the seven men in last years championships in Perth.

MENS PODIUM @BritAthletics 100km champs Craigavon NI.
1Jarlath McKenna @Bristolwestac 6.37.19
2. Jo Turner Cambridge & Coleridge 6:41:06
3.Daniel Rothwell Swansea 6:43:25
McKenna moves to 6th on GB AT 100k list Rothwell to 9th TBC
Rothwell new @WelshAthletics recordTBC pic.twitter.com/Qqk4UZjF6o

— Adrian Stott (@TaritTweets) April 2, 2023

McKenna now sits sixth on the GB all-time list with Turner in ninth and Rothwell in 13th.

In the women’s championship, the margin of record setting was nothing short of phenomenal.

In a stunning display of committed running, Sarah Webster bravely committed from the start.

While some experienced observers, on appreciating the speed of her early laps splits, were voicing concerns that she just would not be able to sustain this pace, others were content to see her continue lap after lap.

Between three and four laps to go, it was obvious barring a disaster, that the British women’s record would go. People were even wandering if Northern Ireland was about to see only the third woman in history to run under seven hours for 100km.

A noticeable slowing in the last two laps though took Webster’s finishing time out to 7:03:40.

In addition to shattering the British record, it is the second fastest time ever by a European, behind Dominika Stellmach’s 6:53:20, and the fifth fastest all-time ever by a female athlete.

Over an hour behind her there was a race going on for the other women’s podium placings.

WOM PODIUM @scotathletics 100k champs 2023
1 Emma Murray. JSKintore centre
2 Amanda Woodrow L
@EdinburghAC
3.Catherine. Cowie R Portobello RC pic.twitter.com/UBLk6Fr7y1

— Adrian Stott (@TaritTweets) April 2, 2023

Scotland’s Emma Murray had worked her way steadily up to second place ahead of Ireland’s Pat McLaughlin, while Northern Ireland’s Karla Borland was also involved in the mix.

Over the closing laps, McLaughlin stayed strong to comfortably take second place in 8:19:25.

Murray and Borland ended up almost in a sprint finish, Borland winning by 10 seconds with 8:26:26 to 8:26:36. With McLaughlin ineligible for the GB championships, this left Borland and Murray in silver and bronze medal positions.

McLaughin took the Irish women’s title, Borland the Northern Ireland and Ulster title and Murray the Scottish title.

For the men, Ciaran McGoniagle finished seventh and claimed the Irish title. Dougie Selman, in fifth, got the Scottish crown with McKenna taking the Northern Ireland and Ulster title.

In the Anglo Celtic Plate home countries team competition, England comfortably beat Scotland and Ireland taking silver and bronze respectively. In the women’s team, Scotland had a close tussle with Northern Ireland, eventually winning out by a small seven minute interval.

Anglo Celtic Plate Home Countries team Competition

Men’s Competition

England  21:00:54

Scotland  21:19:57

Ireland    22:01:57

Women’s Competition

Scotland  25:58:39

Northern Ireland  26:06:51

*Only two full women’s team finished

Women’s Individual Competition

Sarah Webster  Isle of Man    7:03:40

Karla Borland   Springwell AC 8:26:26

Emma Murray   JSKintore       8:26:36

Men’s Individual Competition

Jarlath McKenna Bristol & West    6:37:19

Joseph Turner    Cambridge & Coleridge  6:41:06

Daniel  Rothwell    Swansea Harriers 6:43:25

The International Tennis Federation will offer record prize money in women's events over the next three months and allow a return to China this year.

ITF tournaments, the level below the ATP and WTA Tours, have not taken place in China since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ITF said tournaments would resume "later this year" but gave no details.

The WTA, which has not held tournaments in China since 2019, in 2021 suspended events there over concerns for Chinese former doubles world number one Peng Shuai.

Peng accused a Chinese official of sexual assault in a social media post but, after briefly disappearing from the public eye, later denied making the allegations. The situation led to widespread concern about her welfare.

The WTA told Reuters last week that a decision on a potential return to China was "forthcoming".

It wants to meet with Peng in person before Chinese tournaments can resume.

The ITF also said it will stage its first World Tennis Tour event in Ethiopia and return to Burundi and Cyprus for the first time since 2013 and 2016 respectively.

"We have received reassurance that it's safe for players, their families and teams to compete in China, so we're looking forward to bringing the World Tennis Tour back there," ITF president David Haggerty told Reuters.

"Our fundamental purpose is to develop grassroots tennis in 213 countries with different social, economic and political conditions.

"We will continue to do that for the good of our sport around the world."

The qualifying teams and players for the return of the LPGA’s Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown were announced on Monday.

Eight countries, represented by 32 players, will compete May 4-7 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California. Players have until April 7 to commit to the event (seedings will not change).

The format of the event is such:

• Two groups with four teams in each group
• Each team will play the others within the group over three days of fourballs (better ball)
• The top 2 point earners from each group will advance to Sunday
• The semifinals will consist of two singles matches and one foursomes (alternate shot) match
• The two semifinal winning teams will compete in the same format in the finals, with a consolation match

Here are the eight teams and the respective players who have qualified. Qualification was based on aggregate number of Rolex Ranking points as of April 3. The International Crown was most recently contested in 2018, won by South Korea. The U.S. won in 2016 and Spain in 2014.