cycling
FLC alumnus Tom Danielson captures Tour of Utah crown
PARK CITY, Utah – American Tom Danielson won the Tour of Utah on Sunday, finishing third behind Spain’s Francisco Macebo in the sixth stage.
Danielson, riding for Garmin-Sharp, finished with an overall time of 23 hours, 5 minutes, 45 seconds. He was second Saturday in the fifth stage.
The difference maker for Danielson ended up being the final climb over Empire Pass. He left nothing to chance, breaking away from the Peloton at the start of the climb and creating a large enough time gap to give himself a cushion on the descent into Park City.
Danielson calculated the risk of burnout from pushing so hard early in the climb. He kept a steady pace to the top to position himself for the overall win.
Macebo, riding for 5-Hour Energy, earned the stage victory after catching Danielson and passing him on the final 3 kilometers. Macebo crossed the finish line in 3:12:52.
olympics
Reedie next in line to run World Anti-Doping Agency
MOSCOW – British Olympic official Craig Reedie is set to become the next president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, facing the “daunting” task of cleaning up worldwide drug scandals across sports.
Reedie, a vice president of the International Olympic Committee, was nominated for the WADA post Friday by the IOC executive board. He was chosen over former Olympic hurdles great Edwin Moses and former IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch.
Reedie is in line to succeed John Fahey, a former Australian minister who steps down at the end of the year.
The 72-year-old Reedie, already a member of WADA’s executive committee, will be put up for election at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg from Nov. 12-15. The vote is expected to be a formality.
tennis
Nadal downs hometown boy Raonic in Rogers Cup final
MONTREAL – Rafael Nadal beat Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday in the Rogers Cup final, spoiling Raonic’s bid to become the first Canadian winner in the event in 55 years.
Robert Bedard, the last Canadian to win what then was called the Canadian Open in 1955, was in attendance to see Nadal claim his third Rogers Cup title. The Spanish star also won in 2005 and 2008.
Raonic was the first Canadian since the now 81-year-old Bedard even to reach the final.
Nadal, playing his first tournament since a first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, posted his eighth tournament win this year and the 58th of his career. On Saturday night in the semifinals, Nadal beat two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2).
By reaching the final, the 22-year-old Raonic will move up to 10th in world rankings, a record for a Canadian. He will be the youngest player in the top 10. Nadal will move from fourth to third.
Serena Williams rolls to title over Cirstea in Toronto
TORONTO – Serena Williams won the Rogers Cup for the third time, routing unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-0 in Sunday’s final.
The top-ranked woman captured her eighth WTA title of the year and 54th of her career. All three of her Rogers Cup crowns have come in Toronto, the others in 2001 and 2011. Williams has lost only one match since March, a stunning early exit at Wimbledon.
She did not drop a set this week. The only time she was tested was in her semifinal against third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.
Cirstea was appearing in her third WTA final and looking to build on her only title – in 2008 at Tashkent. But despite this loss, the tournament proved a breakthrough. She ousted two former No. 1 players in Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki. She also defeated defending champion Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Li Na in the semis.
Associated Press
