July 2004 in Sports - July 17, 2004

July 17, 2004

• Tour de France: Lance Armstrong wins the 13th stage at Plateau de Beille, dropping almost all of his main rivals. French rider Thomas Voeckler retains the yellow jersey, but his margin over Armstrong has shrunk to 22 seconds. Italy's Ivan Basso, who was the only rider to stay with Armstrong today, is third overall. (ESPN) During the stage, American rider Tyler Hamilton withdraws from the race due to severe back pain. (NBC Sports)
• Rugby Union:
  • In the opening match of the Tri Nations Series, held in a very wet and windy Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, the All Blacks (New Zealand) defeat the Wallabies (Australia) 16–7. With the win, the All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup. (BBC)
  • The Springboks (South Africa) defeat the touring Pacific Islanders 38–24 in Sydney, Australia. (BBC)
• Track and field: Citing exhaustion, Marion Jones pulls out of the finals of the women's 200 meters at the United States Olympic Trials in Sacramento, California. She will compete in the Athens Olympics in the long jump and 4x100 and 4x400 relays. (ESPN)
• The Asian Cup kicks off in Beijing, China. Hosts PR China ties Bahrain 2:2.