ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 16

The pack speeds down the Champs Elysees as the Arc de Triomphe is seen in the back- ground during the twenty-fi rst and last stage of the cycling race over 108.4 kilom- eters (67.4 miles) with start in Chatou and fi nish on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Pogacar wins 2nd straight Tour title Van Aert claims 21st stage

PARIS, July 18, (AP): Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France for a sec- ond straight year after a mostly ceremonial fi nal stage to the Champs-Ely- sees on Sunday in cycling’s biggest race. The Slovenian rider with UAE Team Emirates success- fully defended his huge lead of 5 minutes, 20 seconds over sec- ond-place . The 22-year-old Pogacar won his fi rst title last September when ’s Wout Van Aert (left), he became the Tour’s youngest crosses the fi nish line to win ahead champion in 116 years. He is now of Britain’s . (AP) the youngest double winner of the race. CYCLING

Wout van Aert won the 21st stage in a mass sprint. That pre- vented Mark Cavendish from beat- ing Belgian great ’s record of 34 stage wins which the British equaled earlier in the race. Tour de France winner Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the twenty-fi rst and last stage The mostly fl at 108-kilometer of the Tour de France cycling race over 108.4 kilometers (67.4 miles) with start in Chatou and fi nish on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France. (AP) (67-mile) leg began in Chatou just outside Paris and concluded with nal for those fi ghting for a prestig- eight laps up and down the famed ious stage win as the fi rst accelera- avenue. tions took place. But the attackers’ ‘All three now in isolation’ Richard Carapaz fi nished third efforts did not pay off and the stage overall, 7:03 off the pace. ended in a mass sprint. Pogacar and his teammates Cavendish, who consoled him- Los Angeles FC forward Latif rode at the front of the pack Blessing, (left), and Real Salt Lake together as they reached the self with the best sprinter’s green First ‘positive’ COVID-19 tests forward Bobby Wood try to head Champs-Elysees, and the Slo- jersey, banged his handlebar in the ball during the second half of a frustration after van Aert edged Major League Soccer match, in Los venia champion raised his fist in Angeles. LAFC won 2-1. (AP) the air in celebration. Jasper Philipsen to the line. Caven- — See Page 18 — Pogacar’s gesture acted as a sig- dish was third. for athletes in Olympic Village TOKYO, July 18, (AP): Two South Milwaukee leads Suns 3-2 African soccer players have become the fi rst athletes inside the Olympic Barbora ‘wins’ Village to test positive for COVID-19, with the Tokyo Games opening on Fri- day. all-Czech fi nal Resilient Bucks on verge of NBA title An offi cial with the South African PRAGUE, July 18, (AP): French soccer team also tested positive, as Open champion Barbora Krejcik- PHOENIX, July 18, (AP): Jrue Holi- did a fourth member of South Africa’s ova triumphed at the Prague Open day seized his chance to give the Mil- contingent, the head coach of the rug- on Sunday for her third WTA title. waukee Bucks the lead in the NBA by sevens team. The rugby team were In an, second-seeded Kre- Finals. in a pre-Games training camp in an- jcikova demolished No. 8-seeded Took it right out of Devin Booker’s other Japanese city. Tereza Martincova 6-2, 6-0, hit- hands, actually. Organizers confi rmed the positive ting 26 winners on her way to vic- Holiday’s steal and alley-oop pass tests for the two athletes in the Olym- tory in 65 minutes. to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a pic Village in Tokyo on Sunday but From 2-2 in the opening set, dunk sealed a wild Game 5 and gave didn’t identify them other than to say Krejcikova cruised, winning 10 the Bucks a 123-119 victory over the they were non-Japanese. straight games against her op- Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. The South African Olympic com- ponent who was playing her fi rst “It’s who he is,” teammate Pat Con- mittee later confi rmed the three COV- WTA fi nal. naughton said. “He’s a winner.” ID-19 cases in their soccer delegation Krejcikova didn’t lose a set at And for the fi rst time in 50 years, the at the village - two players and a video the hard-court tournament that she Bucks have a chance to be. analyst. All three were now in isolation used as a warm-up for the Tokyo Antetokounm- at the Tokyo 2020 isolation facility, Olympics. po had 32 points, the South African Olympic committee nine rebounds said. The players were defender Thabi- TENNIS and six assists. so Monyane and midfi elder Kamohelo Khris Middleton Mahlatsi. added 29 points, The rest of the South Africa soccer squad had tested negative for the vi- She won her three titles, includ- and Holiday had ing Strasbourg and Roland Gar- 27 points and 13 rus twice and was “following closely ros, in her last four tournaments, assists. all the recommendations of the local winning 20 of her last 21 games. The Bucks health authorities,” the South African Her only defeat came in the fought their way Olympic committee said. fourth round of Wimbledon to out of an early eventual winner Ashleigh Barty. Booker 16-point hole by Meanwhile, Pablo Carreno fl irting with the OLYMPICS Busta continued to impress on best-shooting night in NBA Finals his- clay with a 6-2, 6-4 win against tory, but then won it by making a huge Filip Krajinovic in the Hamburg defensive play for the second straight South Africa are due to play Japan European Open fi nal. game. Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis, (foreground), reaches for the ball in front of Phoenix Suns guard Langston in their fi rst game of the men’s soc- Galloway during the fi rst half of Game 5 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Phoenix. (AP) The second-seeded Spaniard They can win their fi rst title since cer competition on Thursday at Tokyo did not drop a set and converted 1971 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Stadium. made 32 of 45 shots in the middle two all three of his break opportuni- “Obviously we know what the deal South African rugby sevens coach ties. is. It’s one game away from being the quarters, outscoring the Suns 79-53 Neil Powell tested positive on Satur- NBA champ,” said Antetokounmpo, during that stretch. Al Ahly win back-to-back day and is in an isolation facility in the Milwaukee became the fi rst road southern city of Kagoshima, where the told The Associated Press. team to win in the series and with one team are preparing for the Olympics. South African Olympic and soccer BASKETBALL more victory will complete its sec- Champions League titles Powell will have to stay in isolation for offi cials didn’t immediately confi rm ond 2-0 comeback in this postseason 14 days and will miss the rugby sevens whether the two soccer players and - along with the fi fth in NBA Finals CASABLANCA, Morocco, July Solia made it three. competition, South Africa’s national offi cial who tested positive had been whose postgame press conference was history. 18, (AP): Al Ahly of Egypt won a Al Ahly’s South African coach rugby body said. vaccinated. delayed because he was dehydrated. Game 5 winners of a tied series have second straight African Champions Pitso Mosimane led his team to a Powell had been vaccinated against However, South Africa’s Olympic Booker had 40 points, his second won the series 21 of 29 times in the League by beating 10-man Kaizer second title having been appointed COVID-19 with the one-shot Johnson committee said in May it would offer straight 40-point game. But with the NBA Finals. Chiefs of South Africa 3-0 in the only last September. Al Ahly won & Johnson vaccine in South Africa on all its Olympic athletes going to Tokyo Suns rallying and down one with 16 “We’ve got to win one game to fi nal . May 24, team spokesman JJ Harmse the J&J vaccine. seconds left, he drove into the middle put them back on the plane. That’s All the goals came in the second and Holiday wrestled the ball out of his it,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. half and after Kaizer Chiefs mid- SOCCER hands. “And you have to have that determina- fi elder Happy Mashiane was sent “I was just trying to score the ball, tion that you’re willing to do whatever off for a second yellow card just he was behind me,” Booker said. “I it takes to put them back on the plane.” before halftime. last year’s Champions League a turned and he was right there.” Paul had 21 points and 11 assists, Mohamed Sherif swept a shot month after Mosimane joined. Antetokounmpo sprinted down the and Deandre Ayton fi nished with 20 high into the net for the opening Win also extended Al Ahly’s reign court to his right and Holiday - rather points and 10 rebounds. But the Suns goal in the 53rd minute. Sherif’s as Africa’s most successful club with than pulling the ball out to run the clock missed a chance to move within a vic- back heel set up Mohamed Magdy 10 Champions League titles, fi ve down - fi red a perfect lob pass that the tory of their fi rst championship and for 2-0 11 minutes later. Amr El better than Egypt rivals Zamalek. Greek Freak slammed down while Chris will need a victory at Fiserv Forum to Paul fouled him to make it 122-119. bring the series back to the desert for “Giannis took off and he was calling for Game 7 on Thursday night. against the Lakers in Game 3 of the didn’t matter once the defensive ace of the ball,” Holiday said. “At that point, I “We knew this wasn’t going to be 2009 fi nals. Holiday’s basket had the the Bucks backcourt took it back from just threw it as high as I could and only easy. We didn’t expect it to be. It’s Bucks in good shape at 108-94 with Booker. where Giannis could go get it,” hard,” Paul said. “Coach said it all about 9 minutes remaining, but the It wasn’t as spectacular a defensive Antetokounmpo missed the free year long, everything we want is on Suns put together a push in the fi nal play as Antetokounmpo’s block of throw, but the Bucks grabbed the re- the other side of hard and it don’t get minutes. Down 10 with just under 3 Ayton’s dunk attempt that preserved a bound and Middleton made one free no harder than this.” 1/2 minutes remaining, the Suns got two-point lead in Game 4, but it was throw for the fi nal point of the night. Milwaukee was at 62.1% shoot- a 3 from Booker and a basket by Paul every bit as important to a Bucks team Before the defensive stand, Milwau- ing after three quarters, threatening to cut it to 120-119 with 56 seconds to making its fi rst fi nals appearance since Reena Parnat, from Estonia, practices for the 2020 Summer Olympics at kee’s offense was the story. The Bucks to challenge Orlando’s 62.5% mark play. Holiday missed a jumper, but that 1974. Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo. (AP)

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