Crossword Genius

Having rushed for half the game, seemed out of breath (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gasped

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'half the game seemed out of breath' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'having rushed' is the wordplay.
'having' becomes 'ga' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'rushed' becomes 'sped' ('speed' can be a synonym of 'rush').
'ga'+'sped'='GASPED'

'for' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gasped that I've seen before include "Struggled for breath" , "Breathed noisily" , "Drew breath in sharply as in astonishment" , "Breathed laboriously" , "'Panted, puffed (6)'" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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