Ledecky returns with a victory at TYR Series
The second night of the TYR Pro Swim Series at San Antonio, Texas, featured four events that came down to less than half-a-second difference between first and second place.
The evening kicked off with the 100-meter freestyle, where defending Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel touched first in 54.62.
On the men’s side, Blake Pieroni topped an A and B final that combined for 10 U.S. National Team members.
“The U.S. has gotten so much better in the 100 free over the last 4-5 years, it’s incredible,” Pieroni said.
In the 100m breaststroke, which featured a narrow finish in the women’s field between Molly Hannis and Annie Lazor, who finished in 1:07.10 and 1:07.31, respectively.
The men’s event also came down to just over three tenths of a second, as Michael Andrew’s 1:00.10 just out-touched Nic Fink’s 1:00.34.
The night rounded out with wins by U.S. National Teamers Hali Flickinger (2:07.55, 200m butterfly) and Katie Ledecky (4:05.00, 400m freestyle), who were back competing in their first long-course meets since March of 2020.
Football
The Washington Football Team released quarterback Alex Smith after he helped lead the team to the NFC East Division title. Smith, who turns 37 in May, won the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from a serious leg injury during the 2018 season that required 17 surgeries, including a near fatal infection. He missed all of 2019 and played in eight games in 2020 as Washington went 7-9.
• The Buffalo Bills signed veteran safety Micah Hyde to a two-year contract extension. The deal averages close to $9.6 million a year.
• The NFL hired Maia Chaka as the first Black female official in league history. Chaka enters the NFL after working in the Pac-12 and Conference USA.
Golf
Jennifer Kupcho and Austin Ernst each shot their second consecutive 5-under 67 to share the second-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Drive On Championship at Ocala, Fla.
Hockey
Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger is on the hot seat for overseeing a high-priced and underperforming team that has won just twice in its past 12 games. First-year general manager Kevyn Adams called the team’s play “unacceptable” and added “it’s flat-out not good enough.”
• Walter Gretzky, the father of Wayne Gretzky, died. He was 82.
Olympics
Mark Pavelich, the speedy center from the Iron Range who played on the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team, died at a treatment center for mental illness. He was 63.
Tennis
Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from a break down in the deciding set to beat Karen Khachanov and reach the semifinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in
Rotterdam, Netherlands. His win set up a semifinal against fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev, who was pushed hard by qualifier Jeremy Chardy in a 7-6 (2), 6-7 (2), 6-4 win.
• Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza each advanced to the Qatar Open final in Doha, one winning in straight sets and the other without even playing a point. Muguruza advanced when Victoria Azarenka pulled out with a nagging back injury.