Leeds overpower York for first Super League win
Betfred Super League
Leeds (22) 46
Tries: McDonnell, Sivo 2, Hankinson, Hall 2, Croft, Newman Goals: Connor 7
York (6) 14
Tries: Vaughan, Thompson, Galeano Goals: Harris
Leeds Rhinos taught newcomers York a harsh lesson in the quality of the Super League with an eight-try thrashing of the newly-promoted Knights at Headingley.
Meeting for the first time since 1995, York, who stunned champions Hull KR in their opening game, competed well in the first half an hour, with the scores level at 6-6 through tries from James McDonnell for Leeds, and Paul Vaughan for York.
But two tries in three minutes from Maika Sivo and Ryan Hall pushed Brad Arthur's side clear, before Chris Hankinson gave the Rhinos a comfortable 22-6 lead at the first-half hooter.
The hosts scored quickly after the restart through veteran Hall again, before further tries from Brodie Croft, Harry Newman, and another from the irrepressible Sivo, gave Leeds their first win of the Super League campaign in front of a raucous home crowd.
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York head coach Mark Applegarth will have been well aware of the challenge the top flight would pose to his side, but this was put in sharp focus by the composure and ruthlessness of Leeds' attacking sets.
On occasion they got over with pure brute force, epitomised by Sivo, who scored two tries on his first match in a year with bruising carries.
Hall, who scored his 348th and 349th career tries, demonstrated the experience and guile required at this level, scoring one try from a free-flowing move, and with the second, running 45 metres to run in from an interception.
Jordan Thompson scored a try for York on his 200th appearance, with Scott Galeano going over at the end of the game.
However, this was a performance that highlighted Leeds' potential this season, after an opening weekend loss to Leigh Leopards.
They will hope to take the efficiency and quality of their performance to Las Vegas next week, as they prepare to take on last season's treble winners Hull KR.
'It gives us something to work on' - Arthur
Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds:
"I was really happy with 75 minutes of it, but I want us to be ruthless with five minutes to go. We should have scored another try, but in the end conceded a soft one.
"Our defence this year is not where it needs to be. The tries we've had scored against us haven't been good enough, we're not making them work hard enough. But it's only round two, it gives us something to work on.
"I was really happy with our start, it was very professional. We got some good points, we kept chasing the game the way we wanted to, and we were physical and our effort was really good.
"We've got to have something to work on early on in the piece, haven't you?"
'We got served a bit of a lesson' - York reaction
York Knights head coach Mark Applegarth told BBC Radio York:
"I thought Leeds were excellent, we knew they were going to respond after [defeat] last week, but I thought we got served a bit of a lesson, if I'm perfectly blunt.
"We started well in the game, but then back-to-back tries really cost us, and Leeds are probably the best team in the league when they're playing on the front foot like that.
"There was some really good stuff to get after next week, but we knew we would have an up and down year, we weren't going to get 23 wins on the bounce like we did last year.
"We knew we'd get some decent highs and some pretty stinging losses, and this was definitely that, and we need to learn a lesson quickly about responding in the right manner."
Leeds: Miller, Sivo, Newman, Hankinson, Hall, Croft, Connor, Jenkins, Levi, Holroyd, McDonnell, Watkins, Smith
Interchanges: O'Connor, Palasia, Mata'utia, O'Neill
York: Mataafa, Jones-Bishop, Wood, Buchanan, Galeano, Williams, Harris, Va'a, McShane, Vaughan, Griffin, Field, Thompson
Interchanges: Balmforth, Martin, Sangare, Vuniyayawa
Referee: James Vella.
No ice, no problem. Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo’s impossible dream
Limits never existed for Donovan Carrillo, the Mexican skater. With only a pair of skates and the ice rink of a shopping mall as a training scenario, he began to forge a dream that, over time, materialized to become not only a personal milestone, but a historic one for all of Mexico.
Carrillo, 26, is the first Mexican to qualify for the figure skating final at the Olympic Winter Games, achieving it for the first time at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and the current Milano Cortina 2026. In addition, he has won other titles during his career of almost 20 years.
The skater has become living proof that even when accessible roads are nonexistent, one can create them, because choosing figure skating as a discipline in Mexico is a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure to practice it.
“I was told many times that I would never achieve anything in figure skating. That it was crazy to even try,” Carrillo told Olympics.com. “And that the most I could hope for in an international competition was to finish last. I’ve proven that Mexicans have a lot to offer in sports.”
The beginning: A dream over ice at a mall
Born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Carrillo fell in love with figure skating when he was 8 years old. At the time, he was involved in gymnastics and diving. That spark for figure skating came thanks to his older sister, Daphne, who practiced the sport.
“I used to go with my parents to pick her up, and that’s what led me to meet a girl and fall in love,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
Noticias esenciales en español: Suscríbete al boletín de La Voz
After Carrillo began training, figure skating became an expensive sport for his family, and they were no longer able to afford lessons with his coach, Gregorio Núñez. But the coach did not want to part ways with the athlete and his family, as Carrillo’s future looked bright in his eyes.
“I saw that he was a child with a special spark, with charisma,” Núñez said for Winter Tracks, an original Olympic Channel series. “At that moment, I believed it was the best option, and now I think I wasn’t wrong.”
The shared dream between Núñez, Carrillo and his family led Donovan to move from Zapopan to León, Guanajuato, with his coach in 2013 to continue training in the sport. He kept training at a shopping mall ice rink while drawing inspiration from figure skating greats Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernández.
After years of practice and growth miles away from home, Carrillo began competing nationally. His first competition took place in Mexico City in 2013 when he participated in the ISU Joven Magnífico Prix (JGP).
The evolution and present: A historic Mexican milestone for figure skating
During the 2017–2018 season, Carrillo competed in his first international tournament. In 2019, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to land a triple axel in an official competition and earned his first international medal at the Philadelphia Summer International, where he placed second.
In 2022, Carrillo experienced the “pinch me” moment every athlete dreams of: competing in the Olympic Games. He secured his spot thanks to his 20th-place finish at the 2021 World Championship, becoming the first Mexican in 30 years to compete in the men’s individual figure skating program at the Olympics.
But making it to the Olympics and performing in the short program of the competition was not the end of the story. Historic achievements continued for Carrillo and Mexico when he qualified for the free skate program (final) concluding the Olympic tournament in 22nd place.
“My performance at Beijing 2022 is proof that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
Carrillo experienced a sense of déjà vu at the Milano Cortina 2026, where the Mexican once again took to the ice with technique, attitude and confidence. These qualities led him to qualify once more for the final program in figure skating, where he finished the competition in 22nd place again.
But beyond medals, Carrillo has earned the love of many, especially his fellow Mexicans. One of the greatest proofs of that support came in the applause that blended with chants that yelled “Donovan! Donovan!” following his short program performance at the 2026 Olympics — a moment sealed with an inspiring message from the athlete.
“This is for Mexico,” Carrillo said, looking into the camera after finishing his performance. “Dreams do come true.”
Reach out to La Voz reporter Paula Soria via email:[email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Donovan Carrillo? The only Latino figure skater at the Olympics
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Mali: Date set for executive committee elections of the Malian Football Federation
Full schedule of the process announced
Mali: Date set for executive committee elections of the Malian Football Federation
The secretary general of the Malian Football Federation has unveiled the official timetable for the upcoming elections to appoint a new executive committee, following the resignation of the previous board led by Mamoutou Touré.
The Malian Football Federation (FEMAFOOT) will soon have a new president and executive committee. The secretary general, who was appointed by FIFA and CAF to oversee daily operations, announced in a statement dated February 20 the key milestones and deadlines leading up to the election of a new leadership team.
The process will kick off on February 26 with the opening of nominations, giving interested candidates until March 17 to submit their applications. After the documents are reviewed, the final list of candidates will be published on April 1.
The process will reach its climax on April 16, the date set for the electoral general assembly. Just four days later, on April 19, the winners will be officially inaugurated into their new roles to lead the future of Malian football.