Have you decided to relax and cut for the weekend? We can understand you… even if you missed major sporting events! Don’t worry, here’s a reminder of the weekend’s news. It was particularly dense and international. From England with Wimbledon and the Formula 1 Grand Prix to Silverstone, to Denmark for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, passing by the victory of the XV of France in Japan, there is something for everyone.
Tour de France: public on fire, Van Aert in yellow, Jakobsen and Groenewegen turn the page… The start in Denmark did not disappoint
The Tour de France will not regret its Nordic getaway. In Denmark, the spectators turned this event into a magnificent popular celebration. And the peloton was also up to it. Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) surprised everyone in the wet time trial on Friday in Copenhagen to take the first yellow jersey of the race. A tunic quickly recovered by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), 2nd of the first three stages! The Belgian was overtaken in the sprint on Saturday by Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), then on Sunday by Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange – Jayco). The two Dutchmen have definitely put behind them the terrible fall during the Tour of Poland in 2020 which almost cost Jakobsen his life. The favorites are for the moment well protected, despite the nervousness of the first days.
Wimbledon: ending the series of 37 consecutive victories of Swiatek, the capital feat of Alizé Cornet
This is the great French feat of the weekend. Alizé Cornet dominated world number one Iga Swiatek on Saturday in the third round of Wimbledon, without discussion (6-4, 6-2). Swiatek remained on 37 victories in a row and was a big favorite for the title on the London turf. But she fell on a Cornet in a state of grace all week. Like in 2014, when Cornet had already knocked down Serena Williams, then absolute boss of the circuit, on the same court n°1 and at the same stage of the tournament.
Another great French performance, Harmony Tan also reached the round of 16, after beating Katie Boulter. Cornet will play Australian Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday, while Tan will face Amanda Anisimova. End of the course, however, for Caroline Garcia, who fell in the round of 16 on Sunday. The other highlight of the weekend at the All England Club will remain the verbal skirmish between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who did not at all appreciate the behavior of his executioner on Saturday in the third round.
Formula 1: concern for Zhou and Albon, then the big premiere for Sainz… We had it all at Silverstone!
The 2022 British Grand Prix is likely to be remembered for some time. First of all for his impressive crash at the start, which saw the Chinese Guanyu Zhou finish his race by flying into the protective mesh in front of the stands, after sliding on the roof for a hundred meters. The Alfa Romeo driver and Alex Albon (Williams), also affected, are doing well. Zhou can thank the roll bar, the halo, without which the accident could have been dramatic.
A legendary Grand Prix on a mythical circuit! ❤️
The summary of #BritishGP ⬇️ https://t.co/jHVzV1Fj2e
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) July 3, 2022
Victory went to Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), winner of his first career Grand Prix after a crazy race. His teammate Charles Leclerc (4th) was unable to take advantage of the mechanical problems of championship leader Max Verstappen, his Ferrari team having weighed down his race several times with an astonishing strategy. The podium is completed by Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), great host of a beautiful final.
Rugby: the XV of France bends Japan
The French rugby team did not miss the start of its end-of-season tour. With a largely renewed team, the Blues dominated Japan (42-23), in particular thanks to its physical strike force. They especially made the difference after the break (13-13 at halftime) to register five tries and suffocate their opponents in the dampness of Aichi. This ninth consecutive success brings Fabien Galthié’s men closer to a small victory in the longest series of successes in the history of the French XV. Appointment is made on Saturday June 9, with a poster identical to the program.
Athletics: the Zeze rocket!
To sign less than ten seconds on the 100 meters, and less than 20 seconds on the 200 is not easy. Achieving such a performance on the same day classifies a man a little more. Frenchman Mickaël-Meba Zeze was the author on Sunday in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
Second Frenchman in history under 20 seconds after Christophe Lemaitre (19”80 in 2011)!
Meba-Mickael Zeze 2nd in the 200m in 19”97 (+1.2) in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland)!
Fantastic Sunday after his 9”99 over 100 m!
@ATHLE_chpic.twitter.com/6Ykn5W7UMH
– FFAthlétisme (@FFAthlétisme) July 3, 2022
The 28-year-old sprinter started by signing 9.99 on the straight, becoming the fourth Frenchman to go below the legendary ten-second mark. Then, in the 200m, of which he is the French champion, Zeze slammed 19″ 97, becoming the second Frenchman under 20 seconds after Christophe Lemaitre. Ironically on this incredible day, the Norman did not win either of the two races in question, on a track known to be very fast, at altitude.