Daily overview in English
A review of daily sports events with a focus on the standings of Slovenian teams and individuals both domestically and internationally.
SEVILLA - Czech cyclist Pavel Bittner is the winner of the fifth stage of the Vuelta a España. On the 177 km long route from Fuente del Maestre to Seville, he surprisingly emerged victorious in the sprint, defeating both favored cyclists, Belgium's Wout Van Aert and Australia's Kaden Groves. Slovenian star Primož Roglič retained the overall lead, safely crossing the finish line in 57th place within the main group.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian national ice hockey team, which will compete in the elite division of the World Championship in 2025, will play the first part of the championship in Stockholm. Their first opponents, as determined by today's draw, will be record 28-time world champions Canada. The Lynx's first game will be on May 11. The 2025 World Championship will take place in Sweden (Stockholm) and Denmark (Herning). Slovenia will compete in Group A. After the opening game against Canada, Slovenia will face Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and France.
LAUSANNE - Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who defended his Olympic gold in Paris with a new world record, won the pole vault event in Lausanne with a height of 6.15 meters. The Diamond League will continue on Thursday with the remaining disciplines. Ljubljana's Lia Apostolovski will compete in the high jump.
MADRID - Spanish football club Atletico Madrid has officially signed former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, as announced earlier this month. The 24-year-old English international signed a five-year contract with Atletico, where Slovenian national team captain Jan Oblak is the first-choice goalkeeper. The transfer from London to Madrid is reportedly worth around 38 million euros, according to the BBC.
MUNICH - German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has announced his retirement from the national team, as reported by various news agencies, including the German DPA. The 38-year-old Neuer earned 124 caps for the national team.
LONDON - English Premier League club Chelsea continues to be active in the transfer market. Today, they officially confirmed the transfer of 24-year-old Portuguese forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid, reportedly paying 52 million euros, according to Transfermarkt.
COPENHAGEN - Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard will not race again this season, as confirmed by Merijn Zeeman, the sports director of the Visma-Lease a Bike team, to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. According to Zeeman, the 27-year-old Dane needs rest and wishes to be with his family for the birth of his second child. Vingegaard will not participate in the World Championship in Switzerland in September, where Slovenian star Tadej Pogačar is the main favorite for the rainbow jersey. Vingegaard has not competed in the World Championship since 2018 in Innsbruck.
LJUBLJANA - Jannik Sinner remains at the top of the ATP rankings despite losing 400 points after two positive doping tests in March. An independent tribunal acquitted the 23-year-old Italian on Tuesday after he tested positive for clostebol twice in early spring, claiming the substance was ingested unintentionally. Sinner explained on social media that the banned substance entered his body through his physiotherapist's hands. The physiotherapist used a spray containing clostebol, which is available over the counter in Italy, to treat a wound on Sinner's finger.
PARIS - The 2025 and 2026 MotoGP World Championship seasons will begin in Thailand. For the first time in over 25 years, the championship will kick off in Southeast Asia, the organizers announced, according to the French news agency AFP. The Buriram circuit is set to host the season's opening race on March 2 next year, moving from its current late-October slot. Malaysia first organized a MotoGP World Championship race in 2018, and there were no races in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PARIS - The first athletes, including the first Slovenians, have arrived at the Paralympic Village in Paris. The first Slovenian to arrive was parashooter Franček Gorazd Tiršek. Slovenia will be represented by 14 athletes across four sports at the games, which will take place from August 28 to September 8. The Slovenian team, which includes sitting volleyball players, two archers, one athlete, and one shooter, is led by Boro Štrumbelj. Together with his deputy Jana Čander, he arrived in Paris a few days ago and today welcomed Tiršek, who is accompanied by coach Andreja Gorjup and physiotherapist Luka Vukan.
