International Capsules: Uchimura good as gold at world gym championships

LONDON — Kohei Uchimura of Japan has a gold medal. It might be the first of many.

Uchimura ran away with the men’s title at the world gymnastics championships Thursday night, adding it to his silver medal from the Beijing Olympics. He scored 91.500 points, more than 2½ ahead of Daniel Keatings, who delighted the O2 Arena by giving Britain its first all-around medal.

Russia’s Yury Ryazanov was third.

American Tim McNeill finished seventh at his first major international competition. U.S. champion Jonathan Horton was 17th after falls on three events.

McNeill was actually in position for a medal after four rotations, in third place going into parallel bars — one of his best events. But instead of his usual confident technique, he looked tight, as if he were trying to hang on to that spot on the podium.

"A little bit, in the back of my mind, I kind of had that thought of a medal in the all-around, and that might have messed me up a little bit," McNeill said.

Still, seventh at his first worlds is a strong showing.

"It’s absolutely thrilling," he said. "It’s going to be huge motivation, knowing I was in contention for a medal and knowing I can compete with the best in the world."

Few people had even heard of Uchimura when he arrived at the Beijing Olympics. The Japanese had a veteran — and much decorated — team, and he was just a kid. But he showed he more than belonged, winning the silver medal in the all-around.

Now, with Olympic gold medalist and two-time defending world champion Yang Wei retired, Uchimura is the one everyone is chasing.

And from the looks of it, no one’s anywhere close.

Uchimura is a completely different gymnast from Yang, who dominated the sport the last Olympic cycle. Yang wasn’t blessed with great execution (his high bar routine was best watched with one eye covered), but he was so technically superior it didn’t matter.

Uchimura has the tough tricks, but it’s easy to overlook his skill because his elegance and grace make everything look effortless.

His tumbling passes are landed with certainty, no wobbles or hops, as if he’s got sticky tape on his feet. On still rings, he hung upside down for several seconds, holding so still the cables barely swayed. Most people would barely be able to see after having the blood rush to their head like that, but he calmly flipped and twisted. At one point, he did three somersaults — suspended 8-plus feet in the air, mind you — and came to a dead stop.

His only rough spot was on parallel bars, where he took an extra swing midway through his routine. Considering he led by almost 2½ points, it wasn’t a big error.

He finished off the night with a high bar routine that had the crowd oohing and aahing, even if it did knock hometown hero Keatings out of the top spot.

Not that Keatings minded too much. A silver is almost as good as gold for him.

Britain hasn’t exactly been a gymnastics powerhouse. It didn’t win its first world medal until Beth Tweddle’s bronze on uneven bars in 2003, and Louis Smith’s bronze on pommel horse last summer in Beijing was Britain’s first Olympic medal in nearly a century.

But Keatings, along with Smith and Tweddle, have led a resurgence that makes Britain an emerging force — just in time for the 2012 Olympics, right here at the O2 arena.

Horton came to London as a favorite to contend for the all-around title. Did he pick the wrong time to have a bad day.

"It’s gymnastics," Horton said. "You have days like this."

Things went ugly in a hurry, his feet slipping out from under him on his first tumbling run on floor, his first event, and dumping him on his backside. Next up was his old nemesis, pommel horse, and sure enough, he found trouble again. He appeared to get caught as he worked between the pommels and he had to take a seat, a look of dismay crossing his face.

He also banged into the horse as he readied for his dismount, but managed to muscle through it. It was little consolation, though, with a score of 11.1 dropping him into last place.

Horton had climbed back up to 17th going into high bar, his last and best event. But after flipping and twisting himself high above the bar on one of his three release moves, Horton grabbed for the bar and came away empty, splatting onto the mat.

"I’m not done," Horton promised. "I’ll be back next year. I belong on the podium, and I can be on top."

Notebook: Horton’s medal hopes go splat at gymnastics worlds

LONDON — A bad night might turn out to be the best thing for Jonathan Horton.

The two-time Olympic medalist came to the world gymnastics championships expecting to contend for the all-around title. Instead he finished way down in 17th place after falling on three events Thursday night, including high bar.

"Since the Olympics, I haven’t had the motivation and fire like I feel like I should have," Horton said. "This does it."

Horton has long had the skills to be among the world’s best and, after his breakout performance at the Beijing Games, he had the confidence, too. He led the Americans to a surprise bronze medal after they lost 2004 Olympic champ Paul Hamm and his twin brother, Morgan, then added a silver on high bar.

Though he finished fifth in qualifying after a fall off pommel horse, his longtime nemesis, he had a clean slate Thursday with scoring starting from scratch in the final.

But things went ugly in a hurry. His feet slipped out from under him on his first tumbling pass on floor, his very first event, and he landed on his backside. He was in 18th place after the rotation and his chances of catching Japan’s Kohei Uchimura were probably over, but a medal was still a possibility.

Except the next event was pommel horse. Shaky routines on horse have helped cost him two medals already, at the 2007 world championships (he missed the bronze by a mere two-tenths of a point) and again in Beijing.

Sure enough, he stalled between the pommels and had to climb off, a look of dismay crossing his face. He also banged into the horse as he readied for his dismount, but managed to muscle through it. His score of 11.1 left him in last place.

He managed to make up ground with solid routines on still rings, vault and parallel bars. That brought him to high bar, where he is so good he can pile up all kinds of points. But he fell on a release move, prompting a groan from the crowd.

"It’s gymnastics. You have days like this," Horton said. "I’ll be better for this."

While people have tried to encourage Horton, telling him he can be great on pommel horse, he knows it will probably always be his weakest event. And that’s fine. Yang Wei managed to win an Olympic gold medal and two world titles despite being dismal on high bar because he beefed up his other routines.

Horton has a similar plan. The pommel horse routine he has now is the same one you’ll see in 2012, and it’s sure to be serviceable, if not solid, with three years of constant practice. By adding skills to his other five events, he knows he can be competitive with Uchimura and everyone else.

Horton didn’t have time to add the skills this year. Since Beijing, he spent several months on a cross-country gymnastics tour, finished up his last semester at Oklahoma, moved back to Houston and got married.

"I’m not done, I’ll be back next year," he said. "I belong on the podium, and I can be on top."

WELL DONE!

Daniel Keatings just delighted an entire country.

Keatings gave Britain its first all-around medal at the world gymnastics championships, finishing second to Japan’s Kohei Uchimura on Thursday night. And he did it in London, no less, at the very O2 Arena where gymnastics will be held during the 2012 Olympics.

When the final standings were announced, Keatings’ name could barely be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"It’s amazing, really. I’m still speechless with what happened today," Keatings said, still looking dazed. "I didn’t expect to win this at all, and with crowd pushing me all the way it helped keep my head up. I’m looking forward to another atmosphere like this in 2012. It just gave me a little taste of what it’s going to be like."

Britain has had about as proud a gymnastics tradition as, say, Canada. It didn’t win a world medal until Beth Tweddle’s bronze on uneven bars in 2003, and Louis Smith’s bronze on pommel horse in Beijing was Britain’s first Olympic medal in nearly a century.

So any success is greeted with massive celebrations. Smith not only met the queen after Beijing, she knew who he was. For Keatings to deliver in gymnastics’ glamour event, well, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Actually, it does. Kristian Thomas was sixth, giving Britain two in the top 10, another first.

"I’m over the moon," said Keatings, silver medalist at the European championships earlier this year. "I came here hoping to make the final. The silver medal is just a dream come true, really."

It will also focus Britain’s attention squarely on him. Now that he’s won one medal, fans are sure to clamor for more.

Bring it on, Keatings said.

"I’m ready to take on all the hard work I need to do for the Olympics in 2012," he said. "I’m going to try and push my routines even further to see where I can get with them and compete with Uchimura."

TAKING A SEAT

Fabian Hambuechen isn’t a big fan of this spectator thing.

The German, a contender for the all-around title at worlds, is on the sidelines this week after rupturing a ligament in his left foot during training Sunday. Rather than returning to Germany after he was hurt, Hambuechen decided to stay in London to support his teammates.

Marcel Nguyen was 12th Thursday night in his first all-around final.

"I don’t know how good I could be if I was healthy. But it was not easy to watch," Hambuechen said. "I’ve thought about it a lot for the last two days. But I talked to a lot of the gymnasts and everybody told me, ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s OK. I feel good."

Hambuechen doesn’t need surgery, and said he’s already started walking, being careful not to put his full weight on the foot. He expects to return to full training in about six weeks.

The loss of Hambuechen was a blow for the competition, and not simply because he was expected to challenge Japan’s Kohei Uchimura for the world title. He’s one of the sport’s most popular athletes, with his fellow competitors and fans. His high bar routine alone is worth the price of admission, packed with a circus act-like mix of flips, twists and pirouettes.

"It was something weird, to see someone qualifying for the high bar final at 15.1. It’s not that difficult to get that score," said Hambuechen, who scored a 16.25 when he won the high bar title at the 2007 worlds. "But the judges were really hard."

ROPES AND MATS

Benoit Caranobe, the surprise bronze medalist at the Beijing Olympics, was eighth. ... Colombia’s Didier Yamit Lugo Sichaca and Jeffrey Wammes of the Netherlands withdrew. They were replaced by Ildar Valeiev of Kazakhstan and Belarus’ Artsiom Bykau.

-- Nancy Armour

Winter Sports

3 new faces have big day at U.S. sliding trials

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Bree Schaaf only picked up bobsledding three years ago. John Daly had never scored such a big win against elite-level racers. John Napier is merely 22 years old.

They might not be up-and-coming anymore. On Thursday, that trio of U.S. sliders may have finally arrived.

Schaaf won the second of four women’s bobsled national team trials races, Daly finished atop the men’s skeleton standings for the day and Napier might have had the most significant result of his young career as a four-man bobsled driver — each putting themselves into position to secure spots on the U.S. World Cup team and have the inside track at berths in the Vancouver Olympics.

It was a day filled with surprises at chilly Mt. Van Hoevenberg, where Day 1 of the national team trials was dominated by veterans. On Day 2, the tables started to turn.

"It’s a huge deal," Schaaf said. "I woke up this morning, ready to rock. I daydream constantly about the Olympics. It’s been the driving force for this season, the driving force for a while now. I cannot wait until February, and I feel like everything is coming together for that purpose."

Schaaf was a skeleton racer until 2007, then persuaded coaches to give her a shot at driving a bobsled.

Good move.

Teaming with Michelle Rzepka, Schaaf’s time of 1 minute, 54.74 seconds was the day’s best by 0.22 seconds over Day 1 winners Erin Pac and Elana Meyers. There’s only three sleds in the women’s bobsled trials, competing for two available spots on the World Cup roster, where they’ll be joined by 2006 Olympic silver-medal winning driver Shauna Rohbock.

The standings are complex, with a point system in play and skeleton racers having the chance to throw out their worst race, so nothing will really be decided until the trials end in Park City, Utah on Oct. 24. One thing is certain: Daly, who won Day 2 by 0.04 seconds over another relative surprise in Stokes Aitken, won’t be throwing out his Thursday result.

"Yesterday was a downer," said Daly, who was seventh in Day 1. "Today was the bounceback. I got luckier."

Day 1 men’s skeleton winner Eric Bernotas is out of the trials, excused with an injury. He’ll be one of four men going to Whistler for international training in late October and, unless his strained right leg doesn’t heal, will be part of the U.S. roster when World Cup racing begins next month.

Zach Lund was third in men’s skeleton Thursday, still struggling with a sore hamstring.

"I’ve got a few days now to get better," Lund said.

Napier has had a few years to get better.

He comes from a sliding family; his mother was the race secretary Thursday, charting all the times and placings. He’s been in a sled since he was 8 and is hoping his win in the four-man race — his team was 0.16 seconds ahead of the sled piloted by veteran Todd Hays — is the sign that big things are looming.

"It feels good," Napier said. "The experience is a plus for me, because it’s only going to get better and stronger and faster. I hope that’s the case. I pray that’s the case."

The only part of the trials that is starting to look like a runaway is women’s bobsled, where former world champion Noelle Pikus-Pace won for the second straight day, 0.17 seconds ahead of Rebecca Sorensen — who also finished second in Day 1 competition.

Pikus-Pace set a personal-best time of 55.92 seconds in her first of two runs down the Lake Placid course Thursday. Brimming with confidence, she heads home to Utah on Friday, now a huge favorite to win the trials since Park City is her home track.

"I’m bringing some momentum to Park City," Pikus-Pace said. "I jumped off the sled on my first run and just started screaming, like I had the perfect run. It’s been a long time since I had one of those. So it couldn’t have been a better finish here in Placid."

-- Tim Reynolds

Injured Bernotas gets waiver for U.S. sliding trials

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Less than four months from the Vancouver Olympics, the U.S. skeleton team is already dealing with some significant injury issues.

Eric Bernotas, the 2006 Olympian who was leading after the first day of national team trials, has been excused from the remainder of that competition with a strained right quadriceps. The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said Bernotas will be one of the four men’s sliders headed to Whistler, B.C. this month for official training on the Olympic track.

Barring another injury, Bernotas will be on the World Cup roster when that season begins next month.

"It gives me relief that I now have time to recuperate," Bernotas said. "But I still have to stay on top of what I need to execute, and that’s not just handed to me. That’s my responsibility, and my other responsibility now is getting well. It’s tricky, but I realize now that I can’t let my guard down. That’s the challenge."

He’s the second prominent U.S. skeleton racer out of the team trials, a key part of the Olympic selection process. Two-time World Cup overall champion and 2006 Olympian Katie Uhlaender is still recovering from three surgeries on her left kneecap. Uhlaender shattered the kneecap in a snowmobile crash in April, then re-injured herself in another mishap two months ago.

Unlike Bernotas, Uhlaender’s waiver does not guarantee her a World Cup spot.

"I’m a warrior, and I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing," Uhlaender said. "I’m being the athlete my dad raised me to be, and that’s to do the best not to complain, get up and do what I can. That’s all I can do. There’s no point in making myself sick over worry or saying ‘What if?’ I have what I have and I’ll do what I have to do."

It already has been an extremely difficult 2009 for Uhlaender. Her father — former major league outfielder Ted Uhlaender — died of cancer Feb. 12, the day she won a World Cup silver medal in Park City, Utah.

She and Bernotas aren’t the only two banged-up skeleton racers right now.

Zach Lund has a strained hamstring, but his request for a medical waiver was denied Wednesday night, when the USBSF held a 2½-hour conference call to discuss the waiver requests. He was able to race Thursday and moved into third place behind John Daly and Stokes Aitken.

"It’s sore, but it didn’t worsen," Lund said.

He missed the 2006 Turin Olympics because of a one-year suspension for a doping violation triggered by a hair-restoration drug that wasn’t compliant with World Anti-Doping Agency regulations.

Lund was on the track early Thursday when competition resumed at the team’s Mt. Van Hoevenberg training base.

The skeleton trials conclude with two more race days Oct. 23 and 24 in Park City, Utah. It’s likely the three top-ranked men and women will qualify for the training days in Whistler, where they’ll be joined by Bernotas and Uhlaender.

-- Tim Reynolds

Miller ‘happy’ to be training with U.S. Ski Team

SAAS-FEE, Switzerland — After two years away, Bode Miller is back training with the U.S. Ski Team.

The two-time World Cup overall champion says he’s really happy to be skiing with the team again.

Miller is fine-tuning his equipment ahead of the World Cup season — and what he hopes will be a trip to the Vancouver Olympics.

Miller left the U.S. squad and raced independently for two seasons, but is working with the group again, including Olympic champion Ted Ligety.

Miller made his remarks in a statement released by the team on Thursday.

The men’s World Cup starts Oct. 25. Miller hasn’t said when he’ll join the circuit.

Sailing

Cup challenger asks Swiss to rethink venue

A bitter fight between the syndicates set to compete for the America’s Cup took another twist due to the U.S.-based challenger’s concerns about the Swiss-backed champion’s selection of a Persian Gulf port to host February’s races.

Challenger Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco told the Societe Nautique de Geneve that it is considering filing a complaint with New York courts on the grounds of breach of fiduciary duty, in part because of the selection of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, as the site of the best-of-three showdown.

In a letter sent late Thursday, GGYC commodore Marcus Young urged SNG "to reconsider that choice in respect of your duty and responsibility as Trustee."

GGYC, which backs the BMW Oracle Racing sailing team, has already asked the New York State Supreme Court — which has jurisdiction in America’s Cup legal spats — to reject RAK as the venue, largely because of its proximity to Iran.

Young’s letter includes several links to news reports of RAK’s connections with Iran and arrests of an Iranian-linked terror cell operating in RAK.

"The foregoing is a small and representative sample," Young wrote to SNG, which backs two-time defending champion Alinghi, owned by biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli.

"Regrettably, terrorism and threats to public safety are, these days, a fact of life," Young wrote. "We note in your brief filed with the court earlier this week the assertion that Ras al-Khaimah has never been connected with terrorism. On the contrary, according to the FBI one of the pilots who crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11 was born and raised in Ras al-Khaimah," he said, referring to Marwan al-Shehhi.

"If Mr. Bertarelli has encouraged your Club into this irresponsible situation, now is the opportunity to salvage the reputation of your Club, the America’s Cup and the sport of sailing by leading the way out," Young wrote.

Representatives from BMW Oracle Racing and Alinghi couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

It wasn’t clear what penalties SNG could face, or if GGYC would ask the court to remove the Swiss as trustee. Pursuing breach of fiduciary duty could be an offshoot of the GGYC’s mid-August hiring of David Boies, a trial lawyer who has been involved in several high-profile cases in the United States.

In a motion filed Oct. 2, BMW Oracle Racing cited "grave safety concerns" for its U.S.-based crew that would be sailing a massive trimaran named USA within several miles of Iran.

A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 27 on the venue issue and ongoing rules squabbles between the bitter rivals.

BMW Oracle Racing is owned by software mogul Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp. A twisting, two-year court fight resulted in the Americans being declared the rightful challenger, and the sides have continued to spar over rules and other matters.

Besides safety concerns, BMW Oracle Racing has argued that RAK doesn’t comply with the requirements of the Deed of Gift, the 19th-century document that governs the America’s Cup.

Alinghi said in its court filing that it is entitled to hold the racing in RAK based on a court order from earlier this year, and that the emirate is capable of the security and infrastructure needed to host sailing’s marquee event.

-- Bernie Wilson

Olympics

Aboriginal artwork for Vancouver Olympics medals

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The medals at the Vancouver Olympics will feature aboriginal artwork and no two will be alike.

The gold, silver and bronze medals for the 2010 Winter Games were displayed by British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell at a news conference Thursday.

The circular medals will weigh 1.1 to 1.3 pounds — the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history. The medals are based on two large artworks of an orca whale and raven by Canadian designer Corrine Hunt.

Ore for the metals came from mines in Canada, Alaska and Chile. The medals’ undulating surfaces represent the sea and mountains of Canada’s west coast.

"We needed to draw from our environment and all those things that make up this amazing place where we live," Hunt said.

The unveiling was emceed by three-time speedskating medalist Nathalie Lambert.

"These medals, these beautiful pieces of art, are brought to life by the passion of the athletes," Lambert said.

John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, recently presented sample medals to IOC president Jacques Rogge.

"It was five seconds of silence and pleasure and the look of somebody who had just been given this extraordinary gift," Furlong told The Associated Press.

-- Jeremy Hainsworth

Britain to begin anti-doping effort in December

LONDON — The British government will open the country’s first anti-doping program in December.

UK Anti-Doping will be responsible for enforcing the compliance of sports’ governing bodies with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The government says it will open a "drugs cheats hotline" beginning next year to allow confidential reporting of those suspected of doping. It also plans to create an athlete committee to work as a liaison between competitors and the new anti-doping body.

UKAD will be based in London and headed by chairman David Kenworthy and chief executive Andy Parkinson.

Track & Field

South Africa’s Semenya asks for exam break

JOHANNESBURG — A South African newspaper reports a champion runner at the center of a gender controversy has asked to put off university final exams.

Caster Semenya’s coach, Michael Seme, was quoted in Beeld newspaper saying he suspected the trauma of the controversy was just hitting Semenya and led her to make the request to officials at the University of Pretoria, where she is studying sports science. Seme says the university told her she could take her tests when she is ready.

University students across South Africa are taking exams in coming weeks.

Semenya won the 800 meters at the Berlin world championships in August. Before the final, the IAAF announced it had ordered gender tests and it is still waiting for the experts’ verdict on whether she can continue competing as a woman.