Tour de France champion gets homecoming fiesta in Colombia
ZIPAQUIRA, COLOMBIA » Thousands of screaming fans held a victory party for Tour de France champion Egan Bernal in his Colombian hometown on Wednesday, celebrating the first Latin American to win cycling’s most prestigious race.
Bernal rode his bike into the central square of Zipaquira wearing the Tour de France’s iconic yellow jersey while some 3,000 supporters dressed in the same color chanted his name.
The 22-year-old won the Tour last month ahead of Ineos teammate and defending champion Geraint Thomas, becoming the youngest rider to win the race since World War II.
Bernal’s victory has been widely celebrated in Colombia, which has produced several world-class riders but had never won the Tour.
As Bernal flew home from Europe, a Colombian airline crew spotted him on their plane and celebrated his presence with a toast and free champagne for passengers. Then he was flown in a helicopter to his hometown of Zipaquira, about 30 miles outside Bogota, Colombia’s capital.
“If someone would’ve come to my neighborhood a few years ago and told me I was going to win the Tour de France, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Bernal said on a stage set up for the party that was decorated in yellow, with fresh flowers arranged in the shape of a bicycle. “Today I feel very proud to be Colombian and bring the yellow jersey home.”
Nadal wins Rogers Cup opener
MONTREAL » Top-seeded Rafael Nadal opened his Rogers Cup title defense, beating England’s Daniel Evans 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a second-round match delayed by rain three times.
After rain delays of six and 30 minutes, Nadal fought off two set points in the first-set tiebreaker. Play was stopped for 1 hour, 56 minutes with Nadal leading 2-0 in the second set.
The 33-year-old Spanish star, a four-time Rogers Cup champion, will face Argentina’s Guido Pella in the third round. Pella beat Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (2).
Second-seeded Dominic Thiem beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Serena Williams advances
TORONTO » Serena Williams won her first match since losing the Wimbledon final, beating Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Rogers Cup.
The 37-year-old Williams has won the event three times, all in Toronto. She will face Ekaterina Alexandrova — a 6-4, 6-3 winner over of China — in the third round.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep of Romania beat American qualifier Jennifer Brady 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Iowa extends AD through 2024
IOWA CITY, IOWA » Iowa athletic director Gary Barta has agreed to a three-year contract extension.
The school announced that Barta, who has been with the Hawkeyes since 2006, is now signed through 2024. Barta will earn a salary of $650,000 a year with deferred compensation that will bring his total up to $1 million in 2020-21.
Ronaldo lawyers file documents after Vegas rape case ruling
LAS VEGAS » Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers have filed court documents following a judge’s decision not to dismiss or keep completely secret a lawsuit by a Nevada woman who accuses the Portuguese soccer star of raping her in 2009.
Partially blacked-out pleadings submitted Tuesday in U.S. District Court revealed no new information, and lawyers for Ronaldo’s accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, did not immediately respond Wednesday to messages.
Ronaldo’s attorney, Peter Christiansen, declined to comment.