AP National Sports

LARUNS, France (AP) — The first mountain stage of the Tour de France has produced a new race leader and firmly indicated that defending champion Jonas Vingegaard has the upper hand in his duel with two-time winner Tadej Pogacar. On his Tour de France debut former Giro d’Italia champion Jai Hindley took the yellow jersey

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Wimbledon is the oldest Grand Slam tournament, and there are many ways in which the All England Club is setting one foot in the modern age while keeping another solidly rooted in its famous past. Tennis fans in New York City can gather to see

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Soccer royalty made its way into the Royal Box at Wimbledon on Wednesday when David Beckham took his place on Centre Court. Beckham, one of the most famous players in soccer history for both his ability on the field and his persona off it, attended Day 3 of the grass-court tournament

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer Years after their sport was hoisted onto the Olympic stage, the idea of riding for big money and gold medals still felt dirty, in a way, to most pro snowboarders. They were more focused on fun and friends than cash and prizes. For every death-defying calculation Shaun White made

The 2024 Formula One season will feature 24 races for what will be the longest calendar in the sport’s history. The season will begin in Bahrain on March 2 and finish in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 8. The opening two Grand Prix races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will take place on

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Antwun Echols, a boxer who twice lost to Bernard Hopkins in title fights, has died in Iowa. He was 51. Echols’ daughter, Antwunette Echols, says he died Sunday in Davenport of complications from diabetes. Echols fought Hopkins twice for the International Boxing Federation middleweight title, with Hopkins winning by unanimous decision

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A foundation set up by African soccer president and billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe has stepped in to resolve a pay dispute between South Africa’s Women’s World Cup players and their national association. It should ensure that the reigning African champions get on a

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Three environmental activists have been arrested at Wimbledon after running onto one of the courts and disrupting two matches by throwing orange confetti and puzzle pieces onto the grass. A pair of protesters from an organization that wants the British government to stop new oil,

By JOHN DUERDEN Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S.-born teenager Casey Phair has been selected in South Korea’s 23-player squad for the Women’s World Cup. The 16-year-old forward has a Korean mother and an American father. She is the first player of mixed heritage to represent South Korea in the top women’s or

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen has signed Germany forward Jonas Hofmann from Bundesliga rival Borussia Mönchengladbach. Leverkusen says Hofmann signed a deal through June 2027. Sporting director Simon Rolfes says, “He’s the type of player we were looking for for our squad thanks to his oversight of the game, his outstanding technical ability and

MILAN (AP) — Serie A champion Napoli will kick off its title defense at newly-promoted Frosinone. That will mark Rudi Garcia’s first match as Napoli coach after he replaced Luciano Spalletti at the end of last season. The upcoming Serie A schedule has been announced. Runner-up Lazio visits Lecce on the opening weekend. Inter Milan

MONACO (AP) — Two-time Olympic triple jumper Ana José Tima has been banned for three years in a doping case. Track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit says José Tima also was disqualified from all results since January 2022. That includes her 10th place at the world championships held last year in Eugene, Oregon. The 33-year-old

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Mason Mount has become Manchester United’s first signing of the offseason after completing a move from Chelsea for 55 million pounds ($69 million) and was immediately given the club’s iconic number 7 shirt. The England international has signed a five-year deal with the option of

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich is taking advantage of the summer break to lay a new hybrid field for next season and modernize its stadium ahead of the 2024 European Championship and 2025 Champions League final. The club says the new field will feature a mixture of natural and artificial grass. The stadium work involves

By The Associated Press The New York Liberty’s three-game road trip last week included multiple bus trips, two airplanes and three airports on the way from Connecticut to Las Vegas. The Associated Press traveled with the Liberty on their 13-hour trek to Las Vegas for Game 2 of the trip. Here is a look at

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Breanna Stewart knew where she wanted to go. Someone was in her way. During games, that’s not a problem for the WNBA MVP. While boarding a commercial flight, it’s a bit trickier. On a recent connecting flight carrying the New York Liberty from Atlanta to Las Vegas, Stewart had