Author: Reuters

Posted on

German Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier dies after mountaineering accident in Pakistan

  • Former biathlete struck by rockfall at altitude of 5,700m

  • Tributes paid to athlete ‘with heart, attitude and vision’

The German double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management confirmed on Wednesday.

The accident occurred at around noon on Monday, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 metres at Laila Peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Tuesday. Dahlmeier was climbing with her mountaineering partner when she was struck by a sudden rockfall in the Hushe Valley, part of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Tour de France Femmes: Lorena Wiebes strikes again in stage four sprint finish

  • Wiebes holds off Marianne Vos to triumph in Poitiers

  • Demi Vollering continues after Monday’s heavy crash

Lorena Wiebes stormed to her second consecutive stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes on Tuesday, winning the fourth leg after denying Marianne Vos in a sprint finish at Poitiers.

Dutch rider Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) made her move around 250m from the line on a short uphill finish, with compatriot and overall leader Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) unable to overhaul her. Ireland’s Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) was third across the line in the bunch sprint.

Jeremy Whittle’s full report will follow

Continue reading...
Posted on

Alex de Minaur saves three match points before roaring back to win Washington title

  • Australian beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)

  • Spaniard blows three chances to win first ATP Tour title

Alex de Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event.

The Australian No 1, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month’s US Open.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Tour de France Femmes: García takes stage two as Le Court grabs yellow

  • Mavi García breaks clear with 10km left and clings on

  • Kim Le Court Pienaar takes yellow from Marianne Vos

The veteran Spanish rider Mavi García claimed victory in a demanding second stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, attacking solo in the closing kilometres to secure a dramatic win in Quimper after a 110.4km ride from Brest.

The 41-year-old Liv-AlUla-Jayco rider launched her decisive move with 10km remaining, opening a gap of about 20 seconds on the chasing pack. She held on through the explosive final climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of her pursuers.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Emma Raducanu outclassed by Anna Kalinskaya in Washington semi-final

  • Briton falls 6-4, 6-3 after dropping first sets of tournament

  • Russian to face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in final

Anna Kalinskaya outclassed Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-3 at the Washington Open to advance to the final, where she will face Leylah Fernandez.

After a strong start from both players, Kalinskaya secured the first break to lead 5-4 and served out the opening set, handing Raducanu her first dropped set of the tournament.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Jannik Sinner reappoints fitness coach he dropped after doping scandal

  • Player served three-month suspension over positive test

  • Umberto Ferrara blamed incident on physiotherapist

The Wimbledon men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner has reappointed his former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara with immediate effect, the Italian world No 1 confirmed on Wednesday.

Sinner parted ways with Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year following the investigation into his positive tests for banned substance clostebol.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Venus Williams, 45, becomes oldest WTA match winner since Navratilova

  • Williams, 45, earns first singles win since 2023

  • Oldest WTA winner since Navratilova in 2004

  • Beatsworld No 35 Stearns after 16-month layoff

Venus Williams wanted to send a message – to herself and to others – about coming back from a long layoff, about competing in a sport at age 45, about never giving up. Yes, there was something special about just being back on a tennis court Tuesday night.

There also was this: She really, really wanted to win.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Tour de France: Paret-Peintre stays ice-cool on Mont Ventoux for famous win

  • Home rider denies Ben Healy in lung-busting sprint finish

  • Tadej Pogacar retains the overall leader’s yellow jersey

Valentin Paret-Peintre stayed ice-cool in the heat to give France its first win in this year’s Tour de France as he prevailed atop the intimidating Mont Ventoux on the 16th stage.

The Soudal-Quick Step rider beat Ireland’s Ben Healy in a lung-busting sprint finish on the Giant of Provence, as Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after keeping chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in his sights on the 21.5km ascent at 7.5%.

Jeremy Whittle’s report to follow

Continue reading...
Posted on

Captain Harry Wilson backs Wallabies to surprise British & Irish Lions in first Test

  • Australia’s No 8 says team will try to ‘win every moment’ on Saturday

  • Nick Champion de Crespigny and Tom Lynagh come into injury-depleted squad

Australia captain Harry Wilson said the Wallabies were confident of beating the British & Irish Lions in the first Test at Lang Park on Saturday despite being heavy underdogs after losing several key players to injury.

The Wallabies have won only four of their last 11 Tests and on Saturday will be without regular fly-half Noah Lolesio and their best Test player of the last two years, loose forward Rob Valetini.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Pogacar crashes and protester disrupts sprint finish on chaotic stage 11 of Tour de France

  • Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen claims win in Toulouse

  • Pogacar falls 5km from end but quickly back on bike

Chaos reigned on stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse as the defending champion, Tadej Pogacar, crashed and an anti-Israel protester ran on to the final straight. Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen claimed the stage win ahead of second-placed Mauro Schmid of Switzerland.

A male protester wearing a ‘Israel out of the Tour’ T-shirt ran on to the home straight, as two frontrunners sprinted for victory, before he was restrained by a security officer. The protester, who was also waving a keffiyeh, was about 50m from the finish line. Israel is represented on the Tour through the Israel-Premier Tech team, but no Israeli riders are in the race.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Marc Márquez wins crash-filled German MotoGP as just 10 riders complete race

  • Márquez holds off brother Álex to extend title lead

  • Francesco Bagnaia third as eight riders crash out

Marc Márquez proved once again why he is known as the “King of Sachsenring”, as the Ducati rider won the German Grand Prix on Sunday in a race that became a test of survival with only 10 riders finishing.

Márquez’s ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring, in his 200th overall start, takes his season points tally to 344. He has stretched his championship lead over his brother, Álex, who finished second, to 83 points. Marc’s teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, finished third and sits 147 points behind.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Australian teenager Maya Joint saves four match points to win Eastbourne title

  • Joint defeats Eala 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 for second WTA title

  • Pegula overcomes Swiatek in Bad Homburg Open final

Australia’s Maya Joint saved four match points before beating Alexandra Eala 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10) to win the Eastbourne title in a gripping final on Saturday.

Four times Eala, the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final, was a point away from victory in the final-set tie-break but Joint dug deep to prevail. The 19-year-old showed tremendous resilience to stay alive and when she earned her second match point at 11-10 and made no mistake, drilling a backhand crosscourt winner.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul sparkle with tons as India set England 371 to win first Test

Another India lower-order collapse gave England a fighting chance of a thrilling victory in the first Test at Headingley, with the hosts 21-0 in their second innings at the close of play on day four, chasing 371 to win.

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul struck centuries for the visitors, with the former becoming the second wicketkeeper to hit twin tons in a Test match. But just as he did in the first innings, Josh Tongue came to the fore when seeing off the Indian tail, with three wickets in four balls helping ensure the tourists lost their final six second-innings wickets for 31 runs.

Ali Martin’s report will follow shortly.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Bradley overhauls Fleetwood on final hole to win Travelers Championship

  • English golfer three-putts on 18th while Bradley birdies it

  • American Ryder Cup captain wins by one shot

The US Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley, birdied the final hole of the Travelers Championship and soared past England’s Tommy Fleetwood to win the tournament in a stunning finale in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Bradley shot a two-under-par 68 for a four-round total of 15 under to win by one stroke over Fleetwood (72) and Russell Henley (69).

Continue reading...
Posted on

Marc Márquez wins battle of brothers to delight Ducati fans at Italian GP

  • Alex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio also on podium

  • Spaniard claims 93rd win of his career across all classes

Ducati’s Marc Márquez won the Italian Grand Prix after a dogfight for podium places at the Mugello Circuit on Sunday, taking the chequered flag ahead of his brother Alex Márquez to maintain an iron grip on the riders’ championship.

Gresini Racing’s Alex Márquez briefly led the race early on before Marc Márquez took control, while Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing claimed third place after snatching the final podium spot from Italian compatriot Francesco Bagnaia. The home favourite, Bagnaia, also led the race in the initial stages but the Italian, who had won the previous three races at Mugello, was overshadowed by the Márquez brothers and could only finish fourth in front of his home fans.

Continue reading...