Isaac del Toro celebrates second victory in Austria

▲ The Baja California native is poised to become the first Mexican cyclist to win that title. Photo @isaac_del toro_romero1

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. 9

With half a kilometer to go, the route to victory was already mapped out in the mind of Mexican Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates). With an explosive sprint , the tricolor left his rivals behind to win the third stage of the Tour of Austria and thus close in on the overall lead by just three seconds. A feat that brings him closer to the title, reasserting the potential he already demonstrated a few weeks ago in the iconic Giro d'Italia.

With two days remaining and after winning the two recent stages, Del Toro wears the green jersey for consistency and the white jersey for best young rider in the race. Not only that, he's also confirmed himself as the favorite in Austria and is poised to become the first Mexican to win this title.

The Tour of Austria, a race of just five stages but serving as a developmental stage, marks Del Toro's comeback after the Giro. And in this return, he advances every kilometer with power in his legs and the composure that only experienced cyclists can boast, even though the tricolor is only 21 years old.

While the nervousness is evident on the faces of the other competitors, the Baja California native only displays the conviction of a leader. With that attitude, El Torito celebrated another victory in the Austrian competition and, above all, placed second in the overall standings, just three seconds behind his teammate and competition leader, Felix Grosschartner.

That intense sprint that Del Toro displayed in the final stretch led him to win the day with a time of 3:39.27 hours, beating the American August Andrew (Ineos Grenadiers), and the Austrian Grosschartner, who remained in third place, seven seconds behind the champion.

The closing episode, featuring an unbeatable Isaac del Toro, was the perfect conclusion to an exciting day that pushed the riders to the limit as they braved the rain as they raced the 142 kilometers of mountainous terrain between Salzburg and Gaisberg.

It wasn't the best day for everyone, it was crazy because of the rain, but we did it. I had really high expectations and I'm super happy , said Del Toro, who was already thinking about the route of this Saturday's fourth stage between Innsbruck and Kühtai.

Pogacar takes the top spot in France

Meanwhile, world champion Tadej Pogacar – who shares a team with Isaac del Toro as a star member of UAE Emirates – is set to join the top five riders with the most stage wins in the Tour de France by regaining the leader's yellow jersey after winning the seventh round of this edition to reach 19 stage victories in one of the most traditional competitions in global cycling.

The record of 35 wins has been held since last year by recently retired Briton Mark Cavendish, ahead of Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28). Although he is a long way behind the top two, Pogacar is not far behind Frenchman André Darrigade (5th), winner of 22 stages in the Tour between 1953 and 1964. For now, the Slovenian is seventh in the ranking.

In a sprint , Pogacar overtook Jonas Vingegaard and Britain's Oscar Onley, who finished yesterday in second and third place, respectively.

With information from AFP

▲ The twins are part of the new generation of divers heading towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Photo @world_aquatics

Erendira Palma Hernández

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. 9

With the World Swimming Championships approaching, coach Iván Bautista, who has guided Olympic medalists Iván García, Germán Sánchez, Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agúndez, stated that Mexico has one of its best generations of divers, while highlighting the performance of the young twins Lía and Mía Cueva, who are under his tutelage and at 14 years old will compete in the event with the intention of gaining experience on the road to Los Angeles 2028.

Despite their young age, they have a great capacity and philosophy to transcend. There are high expectations for them in the future, and with this championship, they begin the Olympic cycle with the goal of qualifying for Los Angeles , the coach said.

Perfection in synchronized diving is a mirror image of both divers. With this in mind, Bautista found in the Cueva sisters the genetic peculiarity of identical physiognomy, which could be key to achieving the excellence required in this event.

Now, after several years of training as a team, Mía and Lía have begun to stand out as promising athletes in one of Mexico's most traditional sports, after winning silver in the synchronized diving event from the three-meter springboard at the Diving World Cup in Guadalajara in April 2025.

Lía and Mía are under the minimum age for the competition, but they have the drive and can perform the same jumps as the other competitors. The result is uncertain, as it's a tough competition, but we hope to advance to the finals and reach the podium , Bautista acknowledged.

With their achievement in Guadalajara as motivation, the twins will compete in their first elite tournament at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, which began yesterday and will conclude on August 3. Mexico is looking to maintain its position in both the artistic swimming events, which begin on July 18, and the diving events, which begin on the 26th of this month.

Lía and Mía are the youngest members of a distinguished delegation of Mexican divers led by Olympic medalists Osmar Olvera and Juan Celaya and made up of Gabriela Agúndez, Alejandra Estudillo, Randal Willars, Kevin Berlín, Aranza Vázquez, as well as the youngsters Treviño Zyanya Parra and Abigail González.

This year's Mexican delegation is strong, perhaps the strongest ever. That speaks to the competitive level we have here in Mexico and the strong momentum we're experiencing as a team. The cycle leading up to Los Angeles 2028 is just beginning, but these could be the best Olympic Games for the country in diving , Bautista noted.

Afp and Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. a10

Wimbledon. The leaders of a new generation of junior tennis players will face off for the traditional Wimbledon title for the first time. World number one Jannik Sinner, Italy, defeated the experienced Novak Djokovic and will now compete for the title against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is chasing him in the world rankings and secured his place after defeating Taylor Fritz.

Sinner, who boasts three Grand Slam titles to his name, won 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in just under two hours against Djokovic, who, despite his 38 years of age, insisted that it won't be his last time in London. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to move as well as I thought or hoped. I definitely plan to come back, at least one more time .

The world leader, who is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open twice and the US Open once, put the brakes on Djokovic's dream of extending his record of major tournaments to 24.

Even with his right arm bandaged after injuring himself in the previous match, the 23-year-old Italian took revenge on Djokovic, who eliminated him in the 2023 Wimbledon semifinals.

▲ The Spaniard (above) and the Italian will face each other again after competing for the Roland Garros title, with the former winning. Photo by AFP

Sinner now faces another rematch in the title match against Spaniard Alcaraz, to whom he lost in the Roland Garros final in June.

Alcaraz defeated fifth- ranked American Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in the first semifinal. The Spaniard also extended his winning streak to 24 consecutive matches.

The world number two will be seeking his third consecutive title at the All England Tennis Club and becoming the Spanish player with the most championships on the London lawn, as well as the first since Björn Borg in 1980 to win back-to-back Roland Garros-Wimbledon doubles.

Venus Williams returns

Tennis also received an unexpected announcement, after 45-year-old American Venus Williams revealed that she will compete in the WTA 500 tournament in Washington (July 19-27). The former world number one has not competed for 16 months since falling in the first round of the 2024 Miami Open.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. a10

Marco Verde, 23, has tasted thousands of triumphs in his short boxing career, from the silver he won at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to the victory over fellow countryman Michel Polina in his first professional fight in Saudi Arabia on the undercard of Saúl Canelo Álvarez and Cuban William Scull. Now he must pass the test in front of his hometown of Culiacán, Sinaloa, in a six-round middleweight bout against Colombian Cristian Montero, which will take place today at the Juan S. Millán Sports Center.

"I couldn't be happier. I know the event is going to be packed. I'm also happy to fight with friends of mine who will be on the card, and I'm happy for the crowd to enjoy it, which is what matters ," the boxer said yesterday after making the catchweight. The Mexican weighed in at 70.1 kilograms, while his opponent weighed 71.3.

We went through one of the hardest things: the scale, now we just have to recover and tomorrow (today) go out with everything , he added.

His scheduled opponent was originally Venezuelan Humberto Díaz, but due to last-minute immigration issues, he was replaced by Montero, who has a record of four wins (two by way of chloroform) and four losses. This isn't a problem for Verde.

You work on a solid strategy, and having an opponent changed so quickly isn't easy because you don't have enough time to analyze it. However, thanks to my amateur experience and my team, we're going to develop a combat tactic that will adapt well to the fight, and we're going to come out with our hands raised , he declared.

Regarding the case of Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., detained for being in the United States illegally and for having an arrest warrant in Mexico for ties to the Sinaloa cartel, Verde said that the son of the legend has his support .

Another boxer who will also enter the ring today is the tricolor Williams Camarón Zepeda, who will seek to take the title from American Shakur Sugar Stevenson, World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight world champion at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.

Gervonta Davis arrested

Meanwhile, undefeated American Gervonta Davis, the world lightweight champion, was arrested yesterday in the United States on charges of assault and domestic violence related to an incident involving his partner in June, according to media reports.

Davis, 30, allegedly punched his ex-girlfriend outside her home in Doral, Florida, the Miami Herald and TMZ reported.

Davis has a ring record of 30-0, with one draw and 28 knockouts. His most recent fight was a controversial, majority-tipped fight against fellow American Lamont Roach last March in New York, in which he retained the WBA lightweight title.

With information from AFP

▲ Photo Ap

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. a10

Randy Arozarena became the fifth Mexican player to be in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, following the withdrawal of his teammate Julio Rodríguez, the Seattle Mariners announced. If the Tricolor players' participation in the Big Leagues was already historic, Arozarena's inclusion from the American League will add even more importance to the midseason classic, which will be played Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Joining Arozarena will be Andrés Muñoz (Mariners), Isaac Paredes (Astros), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays), and Jonathan Aranda (Tampa Bay).