Good evening!

LeBron James is no stranger to being a trailblazer. His latest record achievement is becoming the first male professional athlete to be immortalised as a Ken doll as part of the Barbie universe.

As a representation of the basketball star’s actual height of 206 centimetres, LeKen James (as I think the doll should be known), stands one inch taller than a regular Ken doll.

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Stat of the day

35%
The percentage of supplements available to Australian consumers which contain substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Association, according to a new study. Commissioned by Sport Integrity Australia, Human and Supplements Testing Australia tested 200 supplements. It found products labelled as ‘fat burners’ or ‘muscle builders’ were more likely to contain banned substances.

Quote of the day

“We wanted to do something to reflect that growth, and equally with the United States being the home of the highest level of popularity of women’s football.”
IOC sports director Kit McConnell announcing the LA 2028 Olympics will feature a larger women’s soccer tournament than the men’s. The women’s tournament will feature 16 teams while the men’s will include 12. LA will also be the first Olympics with more female than male athletes.

Random fact of the day

Irish singer CMAT has a song named after ‘Vincent Kompany’, former Manchester City player and current manager of German club Bayern Munich. The artist referenced him because she was trying to think of a bald person whose name worked with the melody of her song, and he fit both criteria.

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In case you missed it…

⚽ The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals continued this morning, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) establishing themselves as favourites to claim a semi-final spot. Barcelona beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in a clinical display of football which saw Robert Lewandowski net two goals. Meanwhile, Aston Villa scored the 35th minute but PSG came roaring back with goals either side of half-time. A third goal after the 90 minute mark sealed a 3-1 victory for the home side, and strengthened their chances of holding onto a two goal lead when they play Villa in Birmingham next week. 

⚽ Sydney FC were upset 2-0 by the Singapore Lions in the first leg of the Asian Champions League Two semi-final. The deficit means that the A-League side will face an uphill battle in the second leg of the semi-final, needing to win by at least three goals in regular time or in a penalty shootout if they finish the match two goals ahead. The next leg will be played in Sydney on 16 April.

🏀 Australian basketball veteran Matthew Dellavedova has signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Kings. The 34-year-old, who starred for Melbourne United during this year’s NBL Finals, said: "It's going to be a fun and exciting next chapter for me, and being the competitor I am, I'll do everything I can to make it a successful one." Dellavedova brings plenty of experience to an already strong roster which includes the likes of Xavier Cooks, Shaun Bruce and Bul Kuol. 

⛳ The Par 3 Contest at the Masters on Wednesday (local time) was won by Colombian Nico Echavarria in a playoff against American J.J. Spaun. The winner of the Par 3 Contest, which has been held the Wednesday of Masters week since 1960, has never gone on to win the Masters in the same year. The first round of the Masters tees off at 9:40pm tonight (AEST).

Today’s recommendation

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Carlton star McKay opens up on mental health as Gather Round gets underway

Carlton star Harry McKay has opened up about his mental health struggles following a three-week hiatus from the game.

McKay opens up ahead of return

McKay has not played for Carlton since withdrawing from the side’s round two match against Hawthorn. On a podcast he co-hosts with his brother Ben, McKay revealed that he had “started feeling in not a great place mentally” and eventually asked his friends, family, and the club for some help. He said the support he has received has been overwhelming.

McKay said: “Everything in my world was in such a great place and… that's why it was really scary. I guess you could say that it was really irrational to feel like that."

Last week, the 27-year-old played for Carlton’s VFL side and will return to the club’s AFL side this Saturday when they play the West Coast Eagles.

Gather Round

The AFL’s Gather Round begins tonight with all eighteen clubs playing fixtures in South Australia throughout the weekend.

The opening match of the round will see home favourites the Adelaide Crows take on the Geelong Cats tonight at 7:40pm.

The Crows will be looking to bounce back from a one-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns last weekend, while the Cats will be looking to make it two in a row after thrashing the Melbourne Demons last week.

The Cats have a solid record at Adelaide Oval, having won five of their last six matches against the Crows there.

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De Minaur and Popyrin lead Aussie charge at Monte Carlo Masters

Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin have made strong starts to tennis’ clay season at the Monte Carlo Masters, making it through to the Round of 16. Closer to home, Australia’s women’s tennis team was on court today playing a qualifying match for the Billie Jean King Cup.

De Minaur and Popyrin

De Minaur, a quarter-finalist at last year’s French Open, beat Czech Tomáš Macháč in three sets 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. He is set for a tough encounter against world number 11 Daniil Medvedev for a place in the last eight. The last time they played on clay was at last year’s French Open in the Round of 16, which de Minaur won in four sets.

Popyrin advanced to the Round of 16 by beating American world number 17 Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Tonight, the Aussie will take on Norway’s world number seven, Casper Ruud. The two have never played each other before.

Djokovic early exit

Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a 100th tour title will have to wait after the Serbian was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets. The unseeded 27-year-old has now played Djokovic twice and beaten him in straight sets on both occasions.

After the match, Djokovic said: "I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this, it was horrible".

Billie Jean King Cup

Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup campaign commenced today with a qualifying match against Kazakhstan in Brisbane. Australia lost the match 2-0, with Maya Joint and Kimberly Birrell both being beaten in singles.

18-year-old Joint lost in straight sets (6-2, 6-1) to world number 23 Yulina Putsineva. Birrell lost to world number 10 Elena Rybakina.

Australia’s next match is against Colombia on Saturday.

Looking forward… (All times are AEST)

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