Page 15 - aruba-today-20240726

A15
SPORTS Friday 26 July 2024
After a grueling Tour de France, top riders are racing to recover for

Paris Olympics time trial

By DAVE SKRETTA that derailed her plans to
AP Sports Writer race for gold the following
The conclusion to the Tour year at the Tokyo Games,
de France last Sunday in then dealt with a series of in-
Nice, where Slovenia’s Tadej juries and illnesses along with
Pogacar became a three- some off-the-bike-hurdles in
time champion by dominat- her personal life. “Looking
ing rival Jonas Vingegaard back at Rio in 2016, I took
and the rest of the field, has everything for granted,” said
sent some of the world’s best Dygert, who helped the U.S.
cyclists into the road race win silver in the team pursuit
at the Paris Olympics in the in the velodrome that year.
best possible shape. “I remember Rio better than
For others, the race is on to Tokyo because I was hap-
recover from three grueling pier and healthier. I respect-
weeks in time for Saturday’s ed and felt so much more
time trial. grateful for being able to go
The cycling schedule was to Tokyo after my accident.
altered for this Summer I realized and understood
Games, and the traditional better that being selected
road race that starts the pro- for the Olympics is such an
gram was pushed back to accomplishment and that
give riders competing in it a it’s such a massive dream
longer break. But to make Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, center, follows teammate for everyone.”
the revised schedule work, Spain’s Mikel Landa during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 132.8 The bigger dream is to win
the time trial was pushed kilometers (82.5 miles) with start in Nice and finish in La Couillole pass, France, Saturday, July 20, gold, though. Dygert also
2024.
ahead to the day after the Associated Press has a bronze medal from
opening ceremony, which the team pursuit at the To-
means many riders from “The big three are Filippo from seven top-10 finishes second of the three Grand kyo Games.
the Tour will still have wob- Ganna, Remco and Josh during the Tour. Tours to finish in Nice. “It’s Yet the path to the top step
bly legs. Tarling,” said Brandon Mc- The race begins at Invalides pretty flat, a few corners, of the podium remains a
The biggest among them Nulty, the American time and ends at the gilded but it’s pretty simple overall,” daunting one in Paris.
is Remco Evenepoel, the trial champion, who did bridge of Pont Alexandre McNulty said. “Some bumpy Dygert’s biggest challenge
24-year-old from Belgium not compete in the Tour III. All the riders will pass by roads and stuff, but fast.” could come from Ellen van
who won the first of the Tour’s and hopes his fresh legs can Notre Dame, the Place de la That could play into the Dijk of the Netherlands, who
two time trials and went on carry him to his nation’s first Bastille and the former royal hands of American time gave birth to her first child
to finish third in the overall. medal in the men’s time trial residence at Chateau de trial world champion Chloe in October and returned
But after Pogacar withdrew since 2008. Vincennes, along with sev- Dygert in the women’s race. to racing in March, only
from the Olympics, citing After a pause, McNulty kept eral more of Paris’ iconic The 27-year-old from Browns- to break her ankle while
fatigue, the race against on going, throwing out Ste- sites. One they will avoid: the burg, Indiana, has over- training in June. The three-
the clock is wide open, es- fan Kueng of Switzerland as Champs-Elysée, the historic come a lot to become the time world time trial cham-
pecially given how little time another podium contender. thoroughfare where the favorite to win gold in Paris. pion decided a few weeks
riders have to recover from Belgium’s Wout van Aert Tour typically finishes but has Dygert was in a career- ago that she was in good
their trek through the French also could be in the mix, been taken over during the threatening crash at the enough shape to race in
countryside. provided he has recovered Olympics and forced the world championships in 2020 Paris.q

U.S. viewers’ Olympic interest is down, poll finds, except for Simone Biles

PARIS (AP) — On the heels 2016 Olympics in Rio de Ja- pian athletes in its cover- spondents ranked it in their begins with qualifying on
of low ratings for the coro- neiro. Gallup did not mea- age. The last three Olym- top three. That competition Sunday.q
navirus pandemic-marred sure viewing intentions for pics, including the 2018 Py-
Tokyo and Beijing Olympics, the Tokyo Olympics, which eongchang Games, were
Paris may not do much bet- were delayed a year. held in time zones that lim-
ter among U.S. viewers, a NBC’s prime-time cover- ited how much live action
poll from Gallup released age of the Tokyo Olympics NBC could air in prime time.
Thursday found. mostly drew about half the The network did not im-
Simone Biles and women’s audience of its Summer mediately respond to The
gymnastics are poised to Games predecessor. The Associated Press’ request
be a bright spot, with those Beijing Olympics had the for comment on the poll.
surveyed selecting it as their lowest-ever U.S. audience Biles and the rest of the
most anticipated sport. for a Winter Games. Both U.S. gymnastics squad
But according to the poll, Games were held under could bring in high ratings,
30% of respondents said severe restrictions, limiting though, with Gallup find-
they will not watch any of spectators and dampening ing in general that wom-
the Games, 34% said they the typical fanfare. NBC, en’s sports were as antici-
will not watch much and which holds the U.S. broad- pated as men’s. Forty-two
35% said they would watch casting rights through 2032, percent chose women’s Simone Biles of the United States practices the uneven bars
at least a fair amount. That is trying to turn around that gymnastics as their most during a gymnastics training session at Bercy Arena at the 2024
last figure is down from the trend by enlisting a slew of anticipated sport, while Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France.
Associated Press
48% measured before the entertainers and non-Olym- around two-thirds of re-