CYCLING
Bardet wins first Tour stage
French climber Romain Bardet of the Team DSM-Firmenich Postnl on Saturday claimed the overall leader’s yellow jersey when he won the opening stage of the Tour de France with a late escape on a 206km run from Florence to Rimini. The peloton set off from downtown Florence on the 21-day epic in 30°C heat that left many riders suffering, with British sprinter Mark Cavendish trailing by 30 minutes when Bardet crossed the finish line. “I was hurting so bad I saw stars,” Cavendish said. “If you have my body type, don’t start a cycling career, those days are gone,” said the stocky sprint specialist. “We aren’t riding around chatting anymore.” Thirty-three-year-old Bardet’s teammate Frank van den Broek was part of an early break and the pair survived a reel-in effort from a fast-closing peloton for victory on the Rimini seafront. Van den Broek is “on the first day of his first Tour de France and I couldn’t have done it without him,” Bardet said.
SOCCER
Argentina down Peru 2-0
Argentina on Saturday shrugged off the injury absence of Lionel Messi to maintain their perfect start at the Copa America with a 2-0 victory over Peru in Miami. Lautaro Martinez scored twice at the Hard Rock Stadium to seal a win that ensured Argentina advance to the quarter-finals as Group A winners. They next face the runners-up from Group B in the quarter-finals in Houston on Thursday. In Saturday’s other Group A game, Canada held 2015 and 2016 Copa America champions Chile to a 0-0 draw in Orlando, which was enough to see the Canadians into the last eight. Chile needed a victory to leapfrog Canada into the knockout rounds, but were left with a mountain to climb early in the game when Gabriel Suazo was dismissed for a second yellow card after only 27 minutes. Canada are to play the winners of Group B in the quarter-finals.
BASKETBALL
LeBron seeks new LA deal
LeBron James opted out of the final season of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers prior to Saturday’s deadline. The Lakers and James plan to work out a new three-year deal. James is eligible for a three-year, US$162 million package. James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said his client would consider taking less money if it means Los Angeles can gain a US$12.9 million mid-level exception to add a significant player. “He is prioritizing a roster improvement,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s been adamant about exuding all efforts to improve the roster.”
ATHLETICS
Lyles sets 200m trials record
The night before his 200m final, Noah Lyles sent a shout-out on social media to the sprinters in Jamaica, egging them on to help make the upcoming Paris Olympics great. Then, the final rolled around, and all Lyles had to do was look two lanes to his right to see he had his hands full on Saturday night right at home in the US. Lyles had to bust it through the finish line to overtake, then beat, Kenny Bednarek at the US track trials, finishing in 19.53 seconds, the best time of the year, but a scant 0.06 seconds clear of second place. Lyles’ 19.53 seconds broke the US Olympic trials record of 19.66 held by Michael Johnson since 1996.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS