In Sports News this week: a useful away win keeps Slavia's footballers top of the Gambrinus League; ice hockey's final Extraliga playoff series is about to get underway; racing-car driver Tomas Enge is in a stable condition after crashing badly at the weekend, and Czechs take a bronze medal at the world track cycling championships in Spain.
Slavia's footballers stay top
Slavia Prague - Sigma Olomouc, photo: CTK
Starting with football and Slavia Prague have gone four points clear at the top of the Gambrinus League. They won 2-1 away to Sigma Olomouc on Sunday to extend their lead over main rivals Sparta to four points. Sparta - who dropped to third in the table on goal difference following Liberec's win in Brno over the weekend - have a game in hand and could reduce Slavia's lead to one point if they beat play fourth-placed Mlada Boleslav at home on Monday evening.
Ice hockey's final Extraliga playoff series gets underway
Sparta Prague - Liberec, photo: CTK
Ice Hockey's Extraliga reaches its climax this week as the final series of playoff matches gets underway. Holders Sparta Prague are one of this year's finalists after brushing aside Liberec 4-1 in the best-of-seven semi-final series last week. Only Pardubice stand between them and a successful defence of their title. The east-Bohemian side won their semi-final just as emphatically - dismissing Ceske Budejovice 4-1. The first match of the best-of-seven final series takes place on Wednesday evening.
Czech stars shine in NHL
Staying with ice hockey and New York Rangers' Czech stars played a major role in their defeat of Philadelphia and Toronto at the weekend. In Saturday's game with Philadelphia Jaromir Jagr was man of the match with two goals and one assist, while his compatriots Petr Prucha and Martin Straka also got on the score sheet in a 6-4 victory. Jagr and Straka each scored again in Sunday's match with Toronto and Michal Rozsíval also chipped in with one goal in a 7-2 win. The victories were vital ones for Rangers as the wins keep them in the NHL playoff positions.
Tomas Enge in stable condition after crash
Tomas Enge, photo: BPA, CC BY-SA 3.0
Czech racing car driver Tomas Enge was badly injured after an accident in a Le Mans series race in St. Petersburg, Florida. Enge was leading Saturday's race when his car crashed into a wall on a bend in the 87th lap and burst into flames. According to the driver's manager, Enge was taken to hospital where he received treatment for broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken arm. His condition has been described as serious but stable. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash, but mechanical failure is not believed to be a factor.
Czechs take world cycling bronze
Petr Lazar and Alois Kankovsky, photo: CTK
Czech cyclists Alois Kankovsky and Petr Lazar have won a bronze medal at the world track cycling championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The Czech pairing came third in the Men's Madison event on Sunday, just two points behind silver medallists Peter Schep and Danny Stamm of the Netherlands and three points behind winners Franco Marvulli and Bruno Risi of Switzerland.
