SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 No yellow in peloton after Martin crash LIVAROT: The Tour de France peloton will ride thought I almost could stay upright, but then I went 190.5km from Livarot to Fougeres yesterday without into a rider of Giant-Alpecin and I had no balance a yellow jersey after Chris Froome opted against anymore,” explained the three-time world timetrial donning it. Tony Martin would have been the yellow champion. “I crashed at relatively low speed, with jersey wearer for stage seven but he crashed in the my full weight on the left shoulder. I felt directly that finale of Thursday’s sixth stage, breaking his collar- something was broken. We went to make an X-Ray bone and forcing him to abandon the race. The jer- directly after the finish because I was thinking ‘OK, sey thus should have passed to new leader Froome, maybe I am wrong. Maybe I can start tomorrow’. the 2013 champion, but he decided to decline the “But now it is confirmed my (collarbone) is broken. honor as a mark of respect for Martin. “For those ask- This has been like a movie, an emotional roller coast- ing, I won’t be wearing yellow today! All the best to er at this Tour. Now I am really sad.” Martin inadver- @tonymartin85 with his op & recovery,” said Froome tently caused a spat between reigning champion on his official Twitter page. There is precedent for Vincenzo Nibali and Froome, with the Italian initially such a move by Froome. blaming the Sky rider for the crash. In 1980 Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk turned down Froome went straight from the finish to Nibali’s the opportunity to wear yellow after race leader Astana team bus to straighten things out with the Bernard Hinault quit following stage 12 due to ten- Sicilian. “There was some confusion as to who dinitis in his knee. American Greg Lemond did like- caused the crash, wanted to clear that up with wise in 1991 after Dane Rolf Sorensen crashed just @AstanaTeam @vincenzonibali (definitely wasn’t before the finish in Valenciennes. But the most me!),” Froome tweeted after a picture was shared of famous such incident was when Belgian great Eddy him at the Astana bus. Nibali revealed he had apolo- Merckx refused the jersey after Spain’s Luis Ocana gized to the man he succeeded as Tour champion. crashed in 1971.Most recently, Alberto Contador “After the crash I thought it was @chrisfroome, but declined to wear the jersey in 2007 after Denmark’s then he came to me we sorted things out and I apol- Michael Rasmussen was forced out of the race due to ogized to him,” the 30-year-old winner of all three a doping scandal. Martin was the 15th yellow jersey Grand Tours said on Twitter. Nibali also explained wearer to crash out of the Tour de France. The Etixx- why he had initially been so upset. “I need to recov- Quick Step rider caused the spill as he wobbled to his er from a few bumps and bruises, it’s never pleasant right, bumping into France’s Warren Barguil. to hit the deck with the entire peloton on top of “I hit the rear wheel of the rider in front of me. I you!!” —AFP More drama for Farah after an emphatic comeback win LAUSANNE: No sooner had embattled Mo tion.” Farah had reacted badly to Vernon’s Farah scorched to an emphatic victory in his comment after last year’s European first race since being mired in doping allega- Championships implying that the Somali- tions surrounding his coach than he found born runner was not European, but he himself at the centre of a foul-mouthed spat. avoided any questions about what hap- Reigning Olympic and double world champi- pened between the two on the Lausanne on Farah produced a trademark kick from 80 track, instead focusing on his performance meters to win a high-quality 5000m at the and what it meant in a turbulent season. Lausanne Diamond League on Thursday in “I had a great finish. Overall I am happy his first outing since drug claims against with the way the race went today. This vic- coach Alberto Salazar. Farah was quick to say tory is also a way to answer some of the crit- Supporters cheer along the road as the pack ride during the 190.5 km seventh that his performance answered his and ics regarding my coach that came out lately,” stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race yesterday, Salazar’s critics, with the runner not implicat- said 32-year-old Farah, with one eye on next ed in any wrongdoing and the coach refut- month’s world championships in Beijing. between Livarot and Fougeres, northwestern France. —AFP ing all allegations he administered testos- “The race had everybody in it, it wasn’t an terone to American distance runner Galen easy race, it was like a mini-worlds. I wanted Rupp in 2002 when Rupp-a training partner to come out here and race against the guys Gatlin hoping Bolt ‘healthy, of Farah-was only 16, and encouraged mis- before the worlds, I was happy with the way use of prescription drugs. I finished the race, I enjoyed it. “As an athlete fit’ to go in Beijing worlds But rather than being able to completely all I want to do is what I do best and that’s to bask in his sumptuous display, attention was run and to represent my country and to win LAUSANNE: American Justin Gatlin has Usain the 2008 Beijing Games-bar one hiccup over turned instead to Farah’s apparent snubbing medals, enjoy training and enjoy racing.” Bolt fixed in his sights and has expressed his 100m in the 2011 Daegu worlds. “Hopefully of British teammate Andy Vernon, who also Farah said he had never been in doubt when hope that the injured Jamaican sprint king will Usain will be healthy and ready to go when the ran in the 5000m. As Farah prepared himself Ethiopian teenager Yomif Kejelcha bolted be healthy for next month’s world champi- world championships come around and hope- for an interview on the track immediately with 300 meters to run. onships. Gatlin, at the age of 33, will head to the fully I’ll see him in the finals,” Gatlin said after his after his impressive victory, Vernon went to “I was confident enough, I believed in Beijing worlds as firm favorite in both the 100 victory at the Diamond League meet in shake his hand in a bid to bury the hatchet myself and training has been good,” he and 200m, another victory in 9.75 seconds in Lausanne. The American, however, said Bolt after a nasty verbal spat earlier this season. said, adding that his first race in six weeks the shorter event on Thursday extending his would not be worrying about the form of a raft But in another public relations faux pas, after he pulled out of the Birmingham unbeaten streak to 26 races since August 2013. of sprinters currently racing while he undergoes Farah turned his back and, according to Diamond League meet in early June to The American courts controversy wherever treatment on a pelvic injury. Vernon, told him to clear off in no uncertain return to his US training base to confront he goes given his background-he won the 2004 “Usain’s a great opponent, for one, and two I terms. “I went to shake his hand and he Salazar had not come quick enough. “I was Olympic 100m title and was 2005 world sprint don’t think that he has to worry about anybody, turned his back on me and told me to fuck really pumped up before this race, it has double gold medallist but then served a second he has to go out there and do what he does, off,” explained Vernon. “I wanted to bury the been a while, I haven’t raced and I wanted doping ban from 2006-10 before returning to and what he does best is go out there and win hatchet, I’m going up to Font-Romeu (where to race. It’s not like it was an easy field, I nail the 2012 world 60m indoor title, Olympic championships. “So it’s on me to go out there Farah trains in France) in a few days’ time wanted to come out and race everybody. “I bronze at the London Games and a world silver and give him the best challenge possible.” Of and I just wanted to end it. didn’t know it was going to have everybody in Moscow a year later. But Gatlin shuns any talk the current crop of sprinters, old heads are pre- “To not even be a sportsman and shake in it, I thought it was going to be a normal of his distractors, saying he has served his time dominant, and in Lausanne it was two other 33- my hand I think is pretty disgraceful, to be race.” Farah added: “As an athlete you just on the sidelines after a mistake and is now year-olds close on Gatlin’s heels in the shape of honest. Like in the armed forces, you salute have to do what you best. The last couple clean. Jamaican Asafa Powell and American Tyson the rank not the person sometimes. “I want- of weeks have been hard for my family and He instead concentrates on the mouth- Gay, who both clocked 9.92sec.