Page 22 - aruba-today-20190709

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 9 July 2019

This Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 file photo shows the headquarters
of Europol in The Hague, Netherlands.
Associated Press

Massive police effort

leads to steroid

France’s Julian Alaphilippe rides to the finish line to win the third stage of the Tour de France
cycling race over 215 kilometers (133,6 miles) with start in Binche and finish in Epernay, Monday, busts across Europe
July 8, 2019.
Associated Press By EDDIE PELLS
Cool in Champagne: Alaphilippe AP National Writer

wins sparkling Tour Stage 3 A massive law-enforcement bust across Europe has
resulted in the seizure of 24 tons of raw steroid pow-
der and the closure of nine underground labs that
By JOHN LEICESTER of four notable hill climbs tiful way to start this Tour,” produced performance-enhancing drugs and other
AP Sports Writer heading toward Epernay. Alaphilippe said. “This op- illegal substances.
EPERNAY, France (AP) — “I did exactly what I’d portunity offered itself up Europol said Monday that the operation, which in-
He was sweating, baked planned to do,” he said. and I had to seize it.” cluded 33 countries and was led by national police
by the sun, and burning “When it works, you have He was overcome with forces in Italy and Greece, was the largest of its kind
through his energy reserves. to savor it.” emotion, barely able to and led to the arrest of 234 people and the disman-
But, under the intense pres- Jumping out of the saddle speak through tears, at the tling of 17 organized-crime groups.
sure of being pursued by to hammer on his pedals prospect of slipping into The World Anti-Doping Agency also participated
the chasing pack of riders up the final part of the 12% the canary-yellow leader’s in the sting, which discovered a trafficking system
at the Tour de France, Ju- incline, Alaphilippe caught jersey for the first time in his in which non-professional athletes used recharge-
lian Alaphilippe also stayed other riders cold. career. He took the race able credit cards and cryptocurrencies to buy small
as cool as a chilled glass of “A very strong attack. I was lead from Mike Teunissen, amounts of illegal substances, much of which was
Champagne. surprised,” said Peter Sa- a Dutch sprinter who won it moved through gyms and unregulated online phar-
The French rider’s sparkling gan, the equally explosive on Stage 1 and held it on macies. Dealers used social media to advertise and
and poised Stage 3 ride Slovak who’d also been Stage 2 but who wilted on promote their products.
on Monday into Epernay, eyeing the stage to add to Epernay’s vineyard-cov- “This is the sort of multi-party collaboration that pro-
the Champagne town that his collection of 11 career ered hills. duces real results and can make a significant impact
exports bubbly worldwide, stage victories at the Tour. It was Alaphilippe’s first on the availability of counterfeit and illegal drugs
delivered a first victory for But as the pack then re- stage victory at this Tour used by some athletes globally,” WADA intelligence
France at this Tour and the acted and laid chase, eat- and third in his career. He director Gunther Younger said.
country’s first yellow jersey ing into his meager lead of also won two stages on the Officials said they carried out a combined 1,357 urine
since 2014 when Tony Gal- around half a minute, vic- Tour last year. and blood tests at sports events as part of the op-
lopin held the race lead tory for Alaphilippe was by Although relatively flat for eration, though no details were shared about which
for one day. The manner no means guaranteed. much of the way, the furi- events or who was tested.
of Alaphilippe’s win — sur- Tongue lolling in the heat, ous hilly finale of the 215-ki- Nearly 1,000 individuals have been reported for pro-
prising other pretenders the leader of the Deceun- lometer (134-mile) trek from ducing, selling or using performance enhancers and
for the stage victory with a inck-Quick Step team kept the Belgian town of Binche 839 judicial cases have been opened across Europe.
devastating burst of speed his pursuers at bay for 16 offered more inklings about Public authorities have been taking an increasingly
on a sharp climb and then long and lonely kilome- the fitness of main con- high-profile role in sports corruption cases. Last Oc-
gritting his teeth as he rode ters (10 miles), speeding tenders for the overall vic- tober, the U.S. Justice Department charged Russian
solo to the finish — oozed alone up Epernay’s cob- tory in Paris on July 28. military intelligence officers in a wide-ranging case
what the French call “pa- bled Champagne Avenue Defending champion Ger- that included WADA and FIFA. Earlier in 2018, police
nache,” or pure class. He’d heaving with sun-baked aint Thomas couldn’t quite in Austria raided the international biathlon federa-
long targeted the stage, fans to the lung-busting up- stay with his Ineos team- tion’s offices in a case in which the agency’s presi-
with its final section of sharp hill finish. mate Egan Bernal up the dent was accused of covering up Russian doping
hills among the Cham- By the time he sped past final incline. Bernal pipped cases.
pagne vineyards, as suit- a statue of Dom Perignon, Thomas by five seconds, “So many of the busts that have happened in the
ing his explosive strengths, a monk who lent his name strengthening suspicions sports world for doping recently have only been pos-
and executed his plan to to James Bond’s favorite that the lithe Colombian sible because police have wiretapping ability and
perfection. Cheered on brand of Champagne, it climber could he hard to other investigative powers that normal anti-doping
by thick roadside crowds, became clear Alaphilippe contain in the Tour’s moun- agencies and sports organizations don’t have,” said
Alaphilippe delivered the wouldn’t be caught. tains, with the first climbing Max Cobb, president of the U.S. Biathlon. “This just
decisive blow on the Cote “Winning the stage in this stage fast approaching in another example of how important that is to clean-
de Mutigny, the steepest manner is the most beau- Stage 6 on Thursday.q ing up sport.”q