/world sport
DOHA, Qatar -- Belgium's Tom Boonen retained his overall lead after winning the third stage of the Tour of Qatar on Tuesday.
Boonen, seen here winning a stage in the Tour de France, continues to be the man to beat in Qatar.
Boonen sprinted home ahead of Italy's Danilo Napolitano and Dutchman Steven De Jongh after the 147.5km ride from the Camel Race Track to Qatar Foundation -- crossing the line in three hours, 29 minutes, 41 seconds.
Midway through the stage the Belgian just avoided crashing to the ground after a near collision with Dutchman Maarten Tjallingii.
"I had to take evasive action," confirmed the Quick Step rider. "It's a nice win as the day was far from easy. It was very windy and the riders were nervy."
Boonen now holds a 13-second overall lead from De Jongh, with Belgian Greg Van Avermaet a further 10 seconds further back.
Australia's Chris Sutton is also contention for a top-three finish as he ended the stage just one second outside a podium place.
Wednesday's fourth stage is a 131.5km ride from Khalifa Stadium to Al Khor Corniche. E-mail to a friend 
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