OLYMPICS
Swimming, gymnastics and track and field at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be televised live on network television in the United States – a first for an Olympics held in Europe.
NBC will have at least nine hours of weekday daytime coverage, expanding to at least 11 hours on weekends. With Paris six hours ahead of New York, the marquee finals will air live in the morning or late afternoon.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will have every sport and event live, from July 26 through Aug. 11.
HORSE RACING
PREAKNESS: Kentucky Derby winner Mage remains on track to run in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore next week to continue a pursuit of horse racing’s first Triple Crown since Justify in 2018, with a final decision expected Friday.
Ramiro Restrepo, part of the ownership group, said those in charge of deciding Mage’s next race wanted to see one final workout before making that determination.
Mage would be the first unquestioned Derby winner to go to the Preakness with a chance to win the Triple Crown since Justify five years ago.
• Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has been suspended 10 days and fined as the result of a positive drug test last year involving Forte, who was scratched hours before the Kentucky Derby last weekend because of an injury.
Forte was disqualified after winning the Hopeful Stakes on Sept. 5, 2022, at Saratoga in upstate New York for testing positive for meloxicam, according to a ruling posted Thursday on the New York State Gaming Commission website.
The drug is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory that is not legal in racing. Pletcher also was fined $1,000. Forte’s owners, Mike Repole and Vincent Viola, forfeit the Hopeful’s first-place purse earnings of $165,000.
Pletcher plans to appeal and a stay of the suspension has been granted.
GOLF
PGA: S.Y. Noh thought he didn’t have quite enough distance with his 3-wood as he pondered going for eagle and a 59 on the par-5 18th hole in the first round of the Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas.
The South Korean didn’t seem to mind settling for tying the course record.
Noh, a 31-year-old journeyman with one career PGA Tour victory, made three putts of at least 25 feet on the back nine for an 11-under 60.
Adam Scott was three shots back at 63, along with Marty Dou of China.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Billy Andrade, Timothy O’Neal and Paul Broadhurst each shot a 5-under 67 in Birmingham, Alabama, to take the first-round lead at the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors, with defending champion Steve Stricker one shot back.
Joining Stricker at 68 were Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Ken Duke.
LPGA: Sei Young Kim shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take the first-round lead in the Founders Cup at Clifton, New Jersey.
South Korean rookie Hae Ran Ryu was a stroke back.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Unheralded Swedish golfer Simon Forsstrom shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the Soudal Open at Antwerp, Belgium.
The No. 429-ranked Forsstrom made seven birdies in his first 13 holes before parring his way home at Rinkven International Golf Club.
Four players were tied for second: Jens Dantorp of Sweden, James Morrison and Andrew Wilson of England and Germany’s Marcel Siem.
TENNIS
ITALIAN OPEN: Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion who has fallen to No. 134 while dealing with injuries, beat reigning Australian Open champion and second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the second round in Rome.
Another American on the comeback trail, Taylor Townsend, eliminated third-ranked Jessica Pegula of the U.S., 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Townsend is ranked No. 168 and had to go through qualifying as she tries to rebuild her ranking after maternity leave.
Coco Gauff, another American and last year’s French Open runner-up, routed Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1.
SOCCER
EUROPA LEAGUE: Substitute Federico Gatti scored deep into stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Juventus against six-time champion Sevilla in the first leg of the semifinals.
Roma stayed on course to claim back-to-back European titles by beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the first leg of their semifinal.
CYCLING
GIRO D’ITALIA: Mads Pedersen won the sixth stage after a two-man breakaway was caught with the finish line in sight.
Pedersen beat Jonathan Milan and Pascal Ackermann in a bunch sprint at the end of the picturesque 101-mile route that started and finished in Naples.
Overall favorite Remco Evenepoel was in a lot of pain after being involved in two crashes Wednesday but finished safely in the pack Thursday to remain 28 seconds behind leader Andreas Leknessund.
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