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Alejandro Valverde (41) already has first win
5:40 p.m.: Alejandro Valverde already has his first victory in what should be his last year as a cycling professional. The 41-year-old Spaniard from Movistar won the Trofeo Pollença-Port d’Andratx on Saturday, a preparation race in Mallorca.
Valverde trumped American Brandon McNulty and Russian Aleksandr Vlasov in a sprint uphill. On Friday, the former world champion had already finished second in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, the third of five matches on the holiday island. The Belgian Tim Wellens then defeated him. The victory in Port d’Andratx was his 132nd as a professional cyclist. The first was on April 9, 2003 in the Tour of the Basque Country.
Valverde wants to participate in the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España this year. That last game starts on August 19 in Utrecht.
Noa Lang in isolation after positive test at Club Brugge
5.30 pm: Club Brugge coach Alfred Schreuder has no access to attacker Noa Lang for a while. The Dutch wing striker has been tested positive for the corona virus. As a result, he is currently in isolation and will in any case miss the away game against Kortrijk on Sunday evening. Ruud Vormer and Bas Dost are part of Schreuder’s match selection.
Defending champion Club Brugge drew 0-0 against league-leader Union last Thursday. Lang was substituted in that game after the first half. As number 2, Club Brugge is nine points behind the surprising list leader.
Handball players against Portugal or Switzerland for World Cup ticket
4.45 pm: The Dutch handball players will compete in April against the winner of the game between Portugal and Switzerland for a ticket for the 2023 World Cup. That is the result of the draw that took place in Budapest on Saturday. The play-off for World Cup participation consists of two matches.
The Netherlands finished tenth at the European Championship, which currently takes place in Hungary and Slovakia, and can therefore skip the first phase of the qualification. The team of national coach Erlingur Richardsson also avoided strong countries such as Germany, Iceland and Russia. The organizing countries Poland and Sweden and the reigning world champions Denmark were already certain of participating in the World Cup, which will be held next year from 11 to 29 January. Spain, France and Norway have won a direct starting ticket at the European Championship.
The play-offs start for the Orange with an away game on April 13 or 14. The return in the Netherlands is in the weekend of April 16 and 17. Portugal and Switzerland will meet in mid-March. The Dutch handball players last participated in a World Cup in 1961.
Corinne Suter wins downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
1.33 pm: Corinne Suter seems to be in shape in time for the Winter Games in Beijing. The Swiss won the descent on Saturday, counting for the World Cup, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Suter beat her compatriot Jasmine Flury (0.51). Cornelia Hütter finished third. Suter last won a World Cup match in December 2020. Not all favorites for an Olympic medal appeared at the start in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Italy’s Sofia Goggia gave her injured knee a rest. The American Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Gut-Behrami and Michelle Gisin from Switzerland and the Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel decided to travel to China prematurely.
Another super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is scheduled for Sunday.
Carl Verheijen: “I am counting on good performances, so that the Dutch can see some bright spots in these dark months.”
Ⓒ Photo René Bouwman
Carl Verheijen takes over duties as chef de mission from Maurits Hendriks
12.16 pm: Carl Verheijen has resumed his task as chef de mission at the Olympic Games. The former skater only arrived in China on Saturday after he tested positive for the corona virus two weeks ago.
In Verheijen’s absence, Maurits Hendriks, technical director of sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF, temporarily replaced him. The majority of Team NL arrived in China on Thursday. Hendriks had two fairly hectic days after the riot in the skating world between Team Zaanlander of coach Jillert Anema on the one hand and national coach Jan Coopmans and skater Ireen Wüst on the other. Hendriks held talks with all those involved to get them back on the same page.
After arriving in Beijing, Verheijen visited the ice rink on Saturday. The Dutch formation was training there in the afternoon. The Olympics start on Friday.
Laurens De Plus returns to the peloton
11.45 am: Cyclist Laurens De Plus will return to the peloton next week. The Belgian rider of Ineos will be at the start of the Star of Bessèges on 2 February.
De Plus gave up last April in the Tour of the Basque Country and then no longer rode an official race. He continued to suffer from a viral infection for a long time. The Belgian hardly took action in 2020 due to stomach and intestinal problems.
De Plus broke through in 2019 with a win in the BinckBank Tour.
Canada Olympic team hit by corona
09.36: Five members of Canada’s Olympic team tested positive for corona after arriving in Beijing. They are now in quarantine and hope to be recovered in time for the Winter Games that open on Friday.
Canada does not report who has been infected and is also keeping track of whether athletes or officials have been quarantined. Canada’s Olympic team consists of 246 people.
Phoenix Suns basketball players celebrate ninth straight win
8.41 am: The Phoenix Suns basketball players have won their ninth consecutive NBA game. They were also too strong for Minnesota Timberwolves (134-124).
Devin Booker scored 29 points and provided 9 assists for the winning western division leader. Miami Heat holds the lead in the Eastern Division, thanks to a win over LA Clippers (121-114).
Charlotte Hornets was too strong for LA Lakers (117-114). LeBron James was missing from the losing team for the second game in a row. The star is struggling with a knee injury.
Lucinda Brand in action with Shirin van Anrooij during a training in Fayettevile, USA.
Ⓒ HH / ANP
Cyclo-cross women compete for world title on possible slippery course
07:01 am: Six Dutch women will participate in the battle for the cyclocross world title in Fayetteville on Saturday. The Orange squad initially consisted of eight riders, but Annemarie Worst (corona) and Denise Betsema (feverish) were unable to travel to the United States. This means that the numbers 2 and 3 of the last World Cup are not on the starting list.
Defending champion Lucinda Brand is there, just like Marianne Vos, who can be considered her biggest competitor given the image of recent months. The course in Arkansas is not considered super difficult, which may be in favor of Vos who has the best sprint. At the World Cup race in Fayetteville earlier this season, the rain had turned the ground into a mud puddle and Brand was the best.
Rain is not expected, but there is frost on the ground at night, which can make it slippery during the day. The match starts at 9.30 pm Dutch time.
Ashleigh Barty goes home to win Australian Open
7 a.m.: Ashleigh Barty hopes to become the first Australian winner of the Australian Open in Melbourne since Chris O’Neil in 1978. The number 1 in the world will compete against American Danielle Collins in the final from 9.30 am Dutch time. Barty won three of the previous four games, but Collins was victorious in their last game in Adelaide early last year.
The 28-year-old American, number 30 in the world, is in the final of a grand slam tournament for the first time. She already reached the semifinals in Melbourne three years ago. Barty won Roland Garros in 2019 and was victorious at Wimbledon last year. She now hopes to give the Australian Open a winner from her own country for the first time in 44 years. Barty (25) is still without a set loss in this tournament and lost only 21 games in six matches on the way to the final.
Last year Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open. The Japanese was now eliminated in the third round. The men’s final will be between Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev from Russia on Sunday.