Italian rider wins in Tour
Italian rider Elia Viviani claimed his first career stage win on the Tour de France after storming a bunch sprint on Tuesday.
Viviani was ideally set up by the DeceuninckQuick Step leadout train in the finale and made the most of the slight uphill finish in the eastern city of Nancy. He used his considerable power to edge Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan and claim the fourth stage of the three-week race.
The 133-mile flat route from Reims to Nancy did not pose any major difficulty and was a perfect opportunity for sprinters to get a stage win.
Viviani’s teammate Julian Alaphilippe, the first Frenchman to wear the yellow jersey in five years after his solo victory in Stage 3, kept the overall lead, with no change at the top of the overall standings.
HOCKEY
Former Nashville Predators captain Greg Johnson died Monday morning at his home in Michigan. He was 48.
Johnson, who was taken by the Predators in the expansion draft, was the team's captain from 2002’06, sharing the title with Brad Bombardir in 200304.
Johnson was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round in 1989, though he never played for them and was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. After four years at the University of North Dakota and appearances with the Canadian National Team, he began his NHL career with the Red Wings in 1993-’94.
He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks before playing his final seven seasons with the Predators. He finished with 145 goals and 369 points in 785 games, including a career-best 50 points in his first season in Nashville in 1998-’99.
GOLF
John Daly withdrew from the British Open three days after being told he can’t ride in a cart.
The R&A announced Tuesday that Daly, who won the Open at St. Andrews in 1995, has withdrawn because of a medical condition. He was replaced at Royal Portrush by Kevin Streelman.
Daly cited the Americans with Disabilities Act in requesting – and receiving – a cart for the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. Daly says he has osteoarthritis in his right knee and that makes it difficult to walk.
The R&A said it denied his request because it considers walking to be an integral part of the championship.
NFL
Former Detroit Lions and Houston Texans safety Glover Quin retired after 10 seasons in the NFL.
Quin had an NFL-high seven interceptions in 2014 with the Lions and 24 interceptions during his career.
Houston drafted him in the fourth round out of New Mexico in 2009. Quin left the Texans to sign a five-year deal in 2013 with the Lions and was given a contract extension with them in 2017.
Detroit released the 33-year-old Quin in February with one year left on his deal.
Spanning the globe: The NFL International Combine is headed to Germany for the first time.
Up to 50 athletes will be selected to go through a series of tests in front of NFL evaluators at a sports training facility outside of Cologne on Oct. 19.
NBA
The NBA is giving coaches the right to challenge one call per game next season.
They may challenge a personal foul charged to their team, a called out-of-bounds violation, a goaltending violation or a basket-interference violation. The league told teams last month that the challenge will be in place on a one-year trial basis pending approval from the board of governors, which has now happened.
In addition, instant replay can now be triggered by game officials working in the review center in Secaucus, New Jersey, without the involvement of the on-court refereeing crew.
The replay center will have the authority to review whether a shot was a two-pointer or threepointer whether or not refs in an arena ask for such a shot to be checked, plus potential shot-clock violations.