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Swimming: Three-time Olym-pian Fran Halsall (picture, right) has announced her retirement from swimming. The 26-year-old was fourth in the women’s 50 metres freestyle at the Rio Games as an Olympic medal proved elusive once more. The Liverpool swimmer, whose training base for much of her career was Loughborough, has won medals at world, European and Commonwealth level, including gold in the 2015 World Championships in the 4x100m mixed medley relay. Halsall said: “Announcing my retirement from swimming is a weird concept to me as I’ve never seen it as a career or job. It’s time to close this chapter of my life and move on to the next.”
Snooker: Two-time winner John Higgins was knocked out of the Dafabet Masters in the first round following a thrilling 6-5 defeat to Mark Allen at Alexandra Palace, yesterday. Higgins, who last won the tournament in 2006, missed crucial yellow and blacks when he was in the balls at 5-5, giving Allen the opportunity to avenge defeat in the UK Championship. Allen said world snooker.com: “It was very tense in the last. I noticed John shaking quite a bit. Him missing the black off the spot was unexpected – but not so much to me. It shows how much it means to John considering what he’s done in the game.”
Basketball: NBA games have been played in Mexico for a quarter of a century and the league, eager to grow the sport worldwide, is “going to look at” the possibility of establishing a franchise in that country, according to commissioner Adam Silver. Silver said last weekend when Phoenix Suns played their second of two games in a week in the Mexican capital that there were no immediate plans to expand the NBA and the next step should be to increase the regular-season games in the region. “In terms of a franchise in Mexico City, it’s something that we’re going to look at,” Silver was quoted as saying.
Golf: World number two Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from the Abu Dhabi Championship after tests on Monday showed he picked up a rib injury in South Africa last week, the European Tour said. The Northern Irishman had intense physiotherapy treatment and took pain-killers over the weekend at the South Africa Open after struggling through much of Friday’s second round. The four-time major champion, who lost to Englishman Graeme Storm on the third playoff hole at Glendower Golf Club, will start a rehabilitation programme for the stress fracture.
Rugby Union: Exeter winger Jack Nowell’s sensational form this season means he should be one of the first names in the British and Irish Lions squad to tour New Zealand this year, according to his club coach Rob Baxter. The 23-year-old Nowell produced another livewire attacking display as Exeter maintained their slim hopes of qualifying for the last eight of the Champions Cup with a 31-19 bonus-point win over Ulster on Sunday. Nowell missed the Autumn internationals due to injury but looks certain to win his 19th England cap in the Six Nations opener against France on February 4.