Cycling
Valverde wins 4th Vuelta stage, Chaves keeps lead
VEJER DE LA FRONTERA, Spain – Former champion Alejandro Valverde won the fourth stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Tuesday, while Colombian Esteban Chaves protected the leader’s jersey for a third day.
The 35-year-old Spanish veteran perfectly timed his late charge on the final uphill push and held off Peter Sagan to keep the Slovak from claiming a second consecutive stage before winning the 130.2-mile ride from Estepona to Vejer de la Frontera in just over five hours.
Tour de France winner Chris Froome is still 40 seconds back.
Gambling
Ban on sports betting upheld by appeals panel
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – New Jersey has struck out again in its efforts to legally offer sports betting.
A federal appeals court panel Tuesday in Philadelphia upheld the federal ban on sports betting in all but four states.
But the 2-to-1 ruling left the door open for New Jersey to further appeal the matter to the full Third Circuit appeals court. State Sen. Ray Lesniak predicted that will happen shortly.
New Jersey has been trying since 2009 to offer legal sports betting at its casinos and racetracks to help both struggling industries.
Olympics
Too rich for Boston, L.A. to make money on Games
LOS ANGELES – Anxiety over taxpayer costs helped cripple Boston’s 2024 Olympic bid, but organizers in potential stand-in Los Angeles projected Tuesday they could stage events from Santa Monica Beach to the Hollywood Hills and bank a $161 million surplus.
Los Angeles, which hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, is viewed as the likely replacement for Boston’s failed bid because the city’s many existing venues could help keep costs low.
The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Friday on a proposal giving Mayor Eric Garcetti authority to execute agreements linked to the city’s bid.
Tennis
Struggling Nadal takes blame for his results
NEW YORK – Rafael Nadal says the responsibility for his recent struggles rests with himself, not his support team.
Coached by his uncle, Toni Nadal, he has won 14 Grand Slam titles. But 2015 has been a rough year in his return from injury.
Nadal noted Tuesday he has had “an amazing career with the team that I have today, the same team from the beginning.”
He adds: “So my feeling is if something’s not working well it’s not because of your team – it’s because of myself. The one thing I have to change is myself.”
That means playing more aggressively, and Nadal comes into the U.S. Open feeling much more confident in his game even if it hasn’t shown in the results.
Track and Field
Bolt, Gatlin breeze through to semifinals of the 200
BEIJING – Usain Bolt was back on familiar territory Tuesday, running his favorite event and showing off why he is the greatest 200-meter runner of all time.
After the intense pressure that accompanied his come-from-behind win over Justin Gatlin in the 100 on Sunday at the world championships, Bolt was all smiles as he coasted into the semifinals of the 200. Gone was any worry about injuries, about his rival, or about stutter-steps that marred his 100 semifinal heat.
“It means a lot more to me,” Bolt said of the 200, the event in which he is a three-time defending champion and two-time Olympic gold-medalist.
Easing up with 50 meters to go and jogging at the end, Bolt crossed in 20.28 seconds, tied for 13th overall. In the heat after him, Gatlin ran in 20.19.
Associated Press
