Sports Digest/ CYCLING: Nicolas Roche took his first professional stage victory in great style yesterday, winning the fourth stage of the Tour de l'Avenir in Metz, France, writes Shane Stokes.
The second year professional went clear early on in a break and build up a six-minute lead on the main bunch, then pressed on with three others on the final run in to the line. He played things perfectly in the final kilometre to win the stage and, equally importantly, took over the race leader's jersey.
The Tour de l'Avenir has been won in the past by riders such as Greg LeMond, Charly Mottet and Denis Menchov and is regarded as a predictor of top-level success in the sport.
As the name translates, it is an unofficial Tour de France for future riders and as such is limited to those 26 years of age and younger. Roche is just 22 years old.
"I am really happy to get my first win, especially in a race such as this," he said yesterday. "I was away in a break for 160 kilometres on stage two and almost took second, being caught with just 150 metres to go.
"I felt good all day today but was a little nervous coming to the end, as I have messed up a few sprint finishes lately.
"I did things just right and am really happy it worked out as it did."
Roche is now 29 seconds clear in the overall classification. He said that he is uncertain of his chances of holding on to yellow as there are some tough mountain stages to go and his team-mate is seen as a better climber.
"Whatever happens over the next few days, I am very happy to get this stage win," he stated.
He is the son of Stephen Roche, who won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world championship in 1987.
MOTOR SPORT: Double world champion Sebastien Loeb clinched a record 27th career victory in Tokyo yesterday when he won the Rally of Japan for the first time to tighten his stranglehold on this year's championship.
The Frenchman, driving a Citroen for the Kronos team, beat Ford's Marcus Gronholm by 5.6 seconds after 27 stages on the loose gravel roads around Obihiro in the northern island of Hokkaido.
Loeb, who now leads the Finn by 33 points with five rounds of the championship remaining and a third title in a row all but won, already held the records for most wins in a single season (10) and most in a row (six). He had shared the record of 26 wins with retired Spaniard Carlos Sainz.
Gareth MacHale and Paul Nagle in a Ford Focus WRC finished in 22nd place.
BOXING: The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) have named two Belfast fighters on a seven-man Irish team for the World Junior Championships which begin in Morocco tomorrow.
Bantamweight Ryan Lindberg from the Immaculatta Club, and Light heavy Ciarán McAuley of the Holy Family/Golden Gloves club will be representing their country in North Africa.
John Joe Nevin, Shane Cox, John Joe Joyce, Martin Lynch and Michael Collins make up the rest of the Ireland panel under coaches Jim Moore and Jimmy Payne.
Linberg won silver at the European Junior championships in Rome this summer, while Joyce bagged bronze at the same tournament, and Collins landed bronze at the European Cadet Championships last year. The Irish squad arrived in Morocco on Saturday after a week-long training camp in Germany.
IRISH SQUAD: 48Kg, JJ Nevin (Cavan) 51Kg, S Cox (Gorey) 54Kg, R Linberg (Immaculata, Belfast) 60Kg, JJ Joyce (St Michaels, Athy) 64Kg, M Collins (Darndale, Dublin) 69Kg, M Lynch (Golden Gloves, Dundalk) 81Kg, C McAuley (Holy Family/Golden Gloves, Belfast).
RUGBY: Connacht, hoping to build on their winning start to the Celtic League, have drafted in prop Brett Sturgess (24) from Northampton Saints after losing Irish Under-21 international Ronan Loughney to a long-term knee injury. Galway native Loughney, who has also been capped at Under-19 level, suffered a second cruciate ligament injury in a pre-season clash against Narbonne and will miss a large chunk of the season.
BASKETBALL: Ireland lost their opening European championship qualifier by a single basket 59-57 to Switzerland in Geneva yesterday. Although hugely disappointing, Ireland's competitiveness, they lost this same fixture last season by 19 points, will have pleased new head coach Greg Gurr. Game two of a three game campaign is against Romania on Saturday at the National Basketball Arena, live on RTE at 3.30pm. Cyprus come to Dublin on September 16th.
Top scorers: Pat Burke 14 Donnie McGrath 8 Jay Larranaga 8.
