Latest news with #OlympicSilverMedalist
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Toulouse crush Toulon to reach Top 14 semis as Castres pay tribute to Raisuqe
Toulouse crushed Toulon for the third time this season on Saturday with a 50-16 win to qualify directly for the Top 14 semi-finals as Castres mourned Fijian wing Josaia Raisuqe. Some 2,000 people gathered at the Stade Pierre-Fabre in Castres to pay their respects to Raisuqe after the Fijian Olympic silver medallist died Thursday when his car was hit by a train. A minute's applause will be held at all Top 14 and second-tier matches this weekend. "We will all remember his spectacular plays, his flashes of genius," said Castres president Pierre-Yves Revol, speaking fondly of a player who was "always smiling". Players, members of the coaching staff and other club officials joined supporters at the entrance to the stadium, with large screens and Fijian flags set up as part of a ceremony in memory of the 30-year-old winger. Raisuqe was on his way to training earlier this week when the train collided with his car on a level crossing. "Castres will be there in every way possible to make the days to come a little less heavy, a little less painful," added Revol, after a tearful address from Raisuqe's partner, Ilona. Saturday's game between Castres, who are fifth in the table, and Clermont was postponed and rescheduled for the weekend of May 24-25. Top 14 leaders Toulouse ensured their place in the semi-finals and moved 15 points ahead of Bordeaux-Begles, who play in Montpellier on Sunday, with an emphatic win over Toulon. Toulon, reduced to 14 men throughout the second half, suffered their third defeat in their last four matches in all competitions and remain stuck in third place. Ugo Mola's Toulouse, looking to redeem themselves from their Champions Cup semi-final defeat, took an early lead with a penalty try. Mathis Castro-Ferreira doubled the lead with a 14th minute try before fly-half Romain Ntamack left the pitch with concussion and was replaced by Paul Graou. Santiago Chocobares, Naoto Saito, Paul Costes, Matthis Lebel, Pierre-Louis Barassi and Graou also touched down for Toulouse. - Hastoy lifts La Rochelle - Earlier, La Rochelle fly-half Antoine Hastoy's late drop goal snatched a precious 30-29 win over Vannes to stay in the race to qualify for the Top 14 final phase. After the postponement of the Castres match, La Rochelle moved into sixth place, the last qualifying spot for the play-offs, thanks to their bonus-point victory. The western port side came close to defeat against bottom outfit Vannes, who had come back from 12-0 down and thought they had a crucial victory for survival when prop Thomas Moukoro's try put his team 29-27 in front after 77 minutes. But they were crushed by Hastoy's masterful drop goal in the 80th minute, scored some 40 metres from the posts to give his team a third consecutive win. Also a contender for the play-offs, Lyon took a risky gamble by resting most of their senior players after winning their Challenge Cup semi-final against Racing. But Karim Ghezal's decision failed to pay off, as his seventh-placed side suffered a narrow 29-27 defeat against a determined Pau who won thanks to Thibault Daubagna's 76th-minute penalty. Pau are ninth, four points behind La Rochelle. Bayonne, meanwhile, consolidated their fourth place with a 24-24 draw against a tough but uninspired Racing 92 team, who are in 11th position. In a close, nerve-racking match, Perpignan defeated Stade Francais 20-18, giving themselves a bit of breathing room in the relegation race by climbing one place to 12th -- the spot previously occupied by the capital side. Despite two long-range misses, Tommaso Allan scored the decisive penalty with five minutes remaining. Stade Francais are now in more danger than ever -- 13th and in the relegation zone, just one point ahead of Vannes. bur-ea/nf
CBS News
09-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Philadelphia skating club, Nancy Kerrigan honors victims of mid-air plane crash near Washington D.C.
During an emotional tribute, members of the Wissahickon Skating Club circled the ice and placed red roses at a small memorial to honor the 28 members of the figure skating community killed in the mid-air crash near Washington D.C. On January 29, 67 people were killed when an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided over the Potomac River. "We have a number of skaters that were directly affected by the tragedy, best friends on the flight, siblings, coaches," said Russ Witherby, the director of skating at the Wissahickon Skating Club. As a way to pay tribute, Witherby and his club hosted a benefit exhibition Saturday called, "Skate from the Heart." They held a moment of silence, and Olympic Silver Medalist, Nancy Kerrigan, joined the young skaters as a way to show her support. "This has hit this community really hard, as well as it did in Boston, and it's just a lot, tragic," said Kerrigan. Some of the victims on board the plane were members of the Philadelphia Skating Club and the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club. On Saturday night, the skaters performed in memory of their friends, and expressed their sorrow and pain through their passion on the ice. "Just being able to be with fellow members of the community and to celebrate the sport and celebrate the people that we lost," Witherby said. Katie Brown watched the exhibition with her family. "I knew about the plane crash I had no idea there was such a local connection to the families so definitely wanted to be here to support," Brown said. The skating community is small. Kerrigan said she immediately accepted Witherby's invitation to attend the exhibition. The Olympian was there to help and cheer on the skaters, and remind them whenever you fall you have to get back up. "I didn't go to school to become a nurse and to be there to help somebody in that way, so if I can lend my name at this point, I'm so grateful to be able to help in some way," Kerrigan said. All the proceeds from the exhibition will go to the U.S. Figure Skating Support Fund, which was created to help the families impacted by the tragedy.
