Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, seated, pose for a photo at their home in 2013, in Holland, Mass. Hoyt, who with his father pushing his wheelchair became a fixture at the Boston Marathon and other races for decades, has died. He was 61. Hoyt died of complications with his respiratory system. Rodrique Ngowi/Associated Press
Rick Hoyt, who with his father pushing his wheelchair became a fixture at the Boston Marathon and other races for decades, has died. He was 61.
“Rick along with our father, Dick, were icons in the road race and triathlon worlds for over 40 years and inspired millions of people with disabilities to believe in themselves, set goals and accomplish extraordinary things,” the Hoyt family said in a statement.
Hoyt died of complications with his respiratory system, his family announced on Monday. Rick Hoyt had cerebral palsy, which left him a quadriplegic, but he and his father became as much a part of the Boston Marathon as sore feet or Heartbreak Hill. With Dick Hoyt – who died in 2021 – pushing, the two completed the course 32 times. The Boston Athletic Association presents a Rick & Dick Hoyt Award each April to someone who exhibits their spirit through advocacy and inclusion.
The father and son pair also participated in more than 1,000 other races, including duathlons and triathlons; in 1992 they completed a run and bike across the U.S. that covered 3,735 miles in 45 days. In 2013, a statue of father and son was erected near the Boston Marathon’s starting line in Hopkinton.
SOCCER
PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years after drawing with Leicester 0-0 in the English Premier League on Monday, a milestone moment for a Saudi-controlled club with the resources and ambition to become a major force in European soccer.
The point ensured Newcastle cannot be denied a top-four finish heading into its final game of the season, at Chelsea on Sunday.
SERIE A: A bad day for Juventus turned worse when a 4-1 loss at Empoli on Monday saw its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League implode.
Before kickoff, Juventus was hit by a 10-point penalty for false accounting. That dropped the club to seventh in Serie A, five points behind fourth-placed AC Milan. Juve hosts Milan next weekend in one of its final two matches.
Another route into the Champions League ended last week in a loss to Sevilla after extra time in their Europa League semifinal.
OLYMPICS
OBITUARY: Terry McDermott, who won the only gold medal for the United States at the 1964 Winter Olympics and then appeared with the Beatles during their American television debut, has died. He was 82.
U.S. Speedskating said in a statement posted on social media Monday that McDermott died early Saturday surrounded by his family. It did not immediately specify where the Michigan native died or give a cause.
TENNIS
RANKINGS: Carlos Alcaraz replaced Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, earning the top seeding at the French Open, and Daniil Medvedev’s Italian Open title moved him up to No. 2 ahead of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic’s loss in the fourth round as the defending champion in Rome dropped him to No. 3. That means he and Alcaraz could end up in the same half of the Roland Garros bracket and be set up for a potential semifinal showdown, depending on what happens in Thursday’s draw in Paris.
The French Open, which begins on Sunday, will mark the first chance to be seeded No. 1 at a major tournament for Alcaraz, a Spaniard who turned 20 this month. He is 30-3 with four titles in 2023.
Iga Swiatek, the defending champion in Paris, remained at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, which she has led for more than a year, followed by No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion.
FINED: French tennis player Hugo Gaston was fined 144,000 euros (about $155,000) by the ATP Tour – more than he’s collected in prize money so far in 2023 – for pulling a ball out of his pocket and throwing it on the court during a point in an attempt to get a do-over, his fourth unsportsmanlike conduct violation this season.
The tour announced its ruling on Monday, saying that Gaston’s appeal of the punishment got it reduced by half, to 72,000 euros (about $77,500), as long as he meets certain conditions, including no additional violations during a probationary period of a year.
The ATP said unsportsmanlike conduct fines “increase by 100% with each consecutive violation in the same season.” Gaston has made a little more than $120,000 in prize money this year while going 2-5 on tour. He is a 22-year-old left-hander who has been ranked as high as 58th and is currently 108th.
HOCKEY
WORLDS: Norway stunned Canada 3-2 in a shootout and handed the favorite a second straight defeat at the ice hockey world championship on Monday in Riga, Latvia.
It was only Canada’s second loss to Norway in tournament history; the other was in 2000. Canada also lost to Switzerland 3-2 on Saturday, and remained third in Group B, one point behind the Czech Republic. Norway was sixth and had no chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the Finnish city of Tampere, Sweden recovered from a goal down to defeat Denmark 4-1. Nicklas Jensen put Denmark ahead but Sweden replied with four straight goals from Dennis Everberg, Andre Petersson, Lucas Raymond and Carl Grundstrom.
Sweden remained second in Group A, trailing leader the United States by a point. Denmark was fifth.
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