Sports Press

Sports Round-Up: Tour de France Sprint Win, a Blockbuster Boxing Date, and Open Championship Build-Up

While the World Cup dominates headlines, plenty else has been happening across the sporting world this week.

On the road, the Tour de France continued to produce fireworks, with Norway's Waerenskjold claiming a maiden career win by powering to victory on the race's fastest stage so far. The result added another storyline to a Tour that has already thrown up several surprise stage winners this year.

In boxing, a heavyweight-sized announcement landed as Benn was confirmed to face WBC champion Garcia on 12 September, setting up one of the most anticipated domestic fights in recent memory and giving fans a firm date to look forward to once the summer's football has wrapped up.

Golf fans are turning their attention to Royal Birkdale, where the Open Championship is fast approaching. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre has spoken confidently about his chances of going all the way, while wider build-up coverage has been in full swing as players fine-tune their preparations on the famous links course.

There was also plenty of action in cricket, where the West Indies women's side completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep over Ireland, and India's women continued to impress with a strong showing against England in the ongoing Test series. In rugby union, Ireland have recalled several key players, including wing Baloucoune, ahead of a high-profile clash with the All Blacks.

Taken together, it is a reminder that even with the World Cup taking centre stage, the rest of the sporting calendar has kept up its own relentless pace.