Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Friday 20 July 2018
Rowdy Tour fans tarnish win

for Thomas atop Alpe d'Huez

By ANDREW DAMPF stemming from last year's Nibali, the 2014 champion
AP Sports Writer Spanish Vuelta — even got back up but finished
ALPE D'HUEZ, France (AP) though he was cleared of seventh in the stage, then
— One of cycling's big at- wrongdoing just days be- was taken to the local hos-
tractions is that fans don't fore the Tour started. pital for medical tests for a
have to pay to watch — Froome is attempting to suspected back injury.
and they can get as close match the record of five "He should have been
as they want to the riders. Tour victories shared by fighting for victory," Thomas
The sport paid for that un- Jacques Anquetil, Eddy said of Nibali. "It's a bit of a
limited access Thursday Merckx, Bernard Hinault downer on the day."
when unruly spectators in- and Miguel Indurain. Nibali said: "The road be-
terrupted the most iconic Thomas sprinted away from came narrower and there
climb of the Tour de France. Sky teammate Froome and were no barriers. There
With fans pressing too close a couple of other riders to were two police motor-
to an elite group of riders win Stage 12, becoming bikes. When Froome ac-
at the conclusion of the 21 the first rider in Tour history celerated, I followed him, I
hairpin bends up to Alpe to win atop Huez in the yel- was feeling good. Then we
d'Huez, top contender Vin- low jersey. slowed down and I hit the
cenzo Nibali crashed into a Lance Armstrong won an ground."
police motorbike and later individual time trial up Huez Nibali was diagnosed with
withdrew from the race, in 2004 while wearing yel- a fractured vertebra and
four-time champion Chris low but that victory was the Bahrain-Merida rider Britain's Geraint Thomas, wearing the overall leader's yellow
Froome received some later stripped for doping. later tweeted that he was jersey celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the twelfth
stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 175.5 kilometers
undesired contact on his "Unbelievable. Not in my withdrawing from the Tour. (109 miles) with start in Bourg-Saint-Maurice Les Arcs and Alpe
back, and yellow jersey wildest dreams did I ever Tom Dumoulin crossed sec- d'Huez, France, Thursday, July 19, 2018.
holder Geraint Thomas was think I would win up here," ond, two seconds behind Associated Press
booed on the podium. Thomas said. "It's one of Thomas, and Romain Bar-
"If people don't like Sky and those things that's going to det came third, three sec- entertain without being Thomas extended his lead
want to boo, that's fine. stay with me for the rest of onds back. touched or impacted on over Froome in the overall
Boo all you like, but don't my life." Froome, who finished by the crowd," Sky gen- standings to 1 minute, 39
affect the race," Thomas But Thomas acknowledged fourth, four seconds behind, eral manager Dave Brails- seconds. He'll likely hold
said. "Don't touch the rid- that Nibali's crash took refused to talk to reporters ford said. "Part of the joy of on to the yellow jersey for
ers. Don't spit at us. Voice some of the luster away afterward. A fan who al- our sport is how close the at least several more days
your opinions all you want from his victory. legedly hit him during the crowd gets. But we have as the Tour returns to flatter
but let us do the racing." Thomas rode over Nibali's stage was put in handcuffs to bear in mind that if it roads for Stages 13 and 14
Attitudes toward Sky soured rear wheel — when the by French police. impacts on the race, as it before the climbs resume in
when Froome was involved Italian went down — but "You expect professional did with Nibali today, then the Massif Central and the
in an asthma drug case managed to stay upright. athletes to play sport and that's too much." Pyrenees.q
Olympic figure skating medalist Denis Ten killed

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH on Twitter he was "hon- manage only 27th at the
AP Sports Writer ored and grateful to have Pyeongchang Olympics in
MOSCOW (AP) — Olympic shared the ice" with Ten. February.
figure skating medalist De- "One of the most beauti- Ten hadn't formally retired
nis Ten was killed Thursday, ful skaters to have graced from skating, but in recent
and prosecutors in Kazakh- our sport. My thoughts are months he'd often spoken
stan said they were treat- with his family during this of his studies in econom-
ing the case as murder. unimaginable time." ics and his plans to write a
Ten was stabbed after a The International Skating movie script.
dispute with people who Union said it was "deeply "Independently of what
allegedly tried to steal a saddened" by news of Ten's happens in the future, I
mirror from his car in his death. realize that I had a great
home city of Almaty, Ka- "His shining achievements career, where everything
zakh news agencies report- brought glory to our coun- happened — highs and
ed. Doctors in Almaty say try and helped popularize lows, medals and disap-
the 25-year-old skater died sport among young peo- pointments, nice memo-
in the hospital there. ple," Kazakhstan President ries and not so nice ones,
Born in Kazakhstan to a Nursultan Nazarbayev said. In this Feb. 16, 2018 file photo, figure skater Denis Ten, of unique events, meetings
family of Korean descent, "Denis was not only an ex- Kazakhstan, reacts as his score is posted following his and many magical things,"
Ten's bronze at the Winter cellent athlete, whose tal- performance in the men's short program figure skating, in Ten said in September in an
the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in
Olympics in Sochi in 2014 ents was recognized and Gangneung, South Korea. interview with the ISU web-
made him Kazakhstan's first honored in many countries Associated Press site.
medalist in figure skating. of the world, but also a re- "Somewhere I realize that
Canadian skater Patrick markable personality and a tinents championships in ist in 2013. I was a really lucky person
Chan, who won silver in true patriot of Kazakhstan." 2015, and was a world Ten struggled with injuries with a quite fulfilled sports
the same competition, said Ten also won the Four Con- championship silver medal- in recent years and could life."q