International Capsules: Phelps arrives in Charlotte after loss in 200 fly
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Phelps watched nearly a decade of dominance end in his signature event last month, then blamed his poor performance on a period of training that even he said lacked drive and focus.
He doesn't have any intention of letting it happen again.
The 14-time Olympic gold medalist is returning to the pool at the Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix this week, the sixth stop on the USA Swimming Grand Prix series and the first since Phelps finished fourth in the 200-meter butterfly in Ann Arbor, Mich.
It was Phelps' first defeat in the event since the Pan Pacific Championships in 2002.
"It was obviously frustrating, because (the streak) was something I wanted to keep going my entire career," said Phelps, looking relaxed and sporting a backward retro cap from his hometown Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. "I've used it as motivation."
Phelps plans to pare back his schedule in Charlotte, swimming the 200 freestyle, the 200 backstroke and the 200 fly at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.
"To be honest, it's probably what I needed," Phelps said. "I was playing with fire, and I got burnt pretty hard, and it was a fairly big one. It's better that it came at a Grand Prix meet than at a national championship or Olympics."
Cullen Jones kicked off the competition by securing the final spot on the U.S. world championship squad, beating Josh Schneider in a rare, 50-meter freestyle swim-off by four-hundredths of a second. Jones clocked a time of 22.24 seconds.
"We love training with each other," said Jones, who attended North Carolina State and trains in Charlotte with Schneider. "But I'd never wish this upon anyone."
Schneider's journey to the swim-off began with a tie with Jones at the U.S. championships last August. He had to go through an appeals process because of a disqualification at that event, and then recovered from a hand injury on top of that.
The result was an unusual swim-off scheduled nine months after the tie that both swimmers agreed to, providing a buzz on an otherwise non-eventful opening day for the annual meet.
"I'm disappointed," Schneider said. "We knew what it would take to win this. Neither of us got the time that we wanted, but it was a good race. It's time to get back to work."
Chloe Sutton, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, won the women's 1500-meter long-course freestyle in 16:16.11, ahead of Andreina Pinto. Sean Ryan, the fastest American high school swimmer at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials at age 15, won the 800-meter long-course freestyle in 8:11.10, ahead of Joseph Arnold.
When Phelps finally gets in the pool, he's likely to get the best that Olympic teammate and longtime rival Ryan Lochte has to offer.
Lochte believes that Phelps has put his disappointment in Michigan behind him.
"He's human," Lochte said. "It proves that anyone can win on any given day. It obviously made him upset, and he seems more focused. That's good for him, but it also helps the other swimmers here. It's good for the sport."
It's also part of a learning experience for Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, who carries a different objective for Phelps than he might have in the past.
"We're trying to find the optimum level for him, to put in place certain blocks to build this house," Bowman said. "Leading up to Beijing, any time we had the opportunity to do more, we did it. Not now. The challenge now is more clear. He's much more mature, more experienced, and the focus in training has been different."
Cycling
New bike race attaches charity's name to title
DENVER (AP) — The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is attaching a charity's name to its title to generate mass exposure for a global poverty-fighting campaign.
The race, which will be run through the Rocky Mountains and along Colorado's Front Range this summer, will now be known as "USA Pro Cycling Challenge for Millennium Promise."
The sponsorship donation to Millennium Promise, an international nonprofit organization that fights extreme poverty, includes $2 million worth of advertising during the 27 hours of TV coverage on NBC, Versus and online during the inaugural Aug. 22-28 race.
Race organizers say it's the first time a professional sporting event in the U.S. has donated the competition's presenting sponsorship to a charitable organization.
On Friday, the international cycling competition and the charity will unveil their "Spokes of Change" campaign marketed around the race and to cycling enthusiasts. The program will seek to raise donations to equip health care workers in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa with bicycles, cell phones, supplies, medicine and training.
Race co-owner Rick Schaden met Millennium Promise co-founder and President Jeffrey Sachs five years ago and said the charity's global mission "is a nice fit with our global race."
"Millennium Promise has a lot of great support, but it's kind of a narrow base. (Fighting) extreme poverty to date has really been through estates and institutions and trust funds and things of that nature, and we really think to make a difference broad awareness is very important," Schaden said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.
"And we think the race can really bring that with 20 million-plus viewers and the 1 million people onsite," Schaden said. "One of our goals is to take this entrepreneurial approach to fighting extreme poverty and really give it a face and give it awareness with American consumers and bike fans across the world."
Schaden said the race will donate funds for the Spokes of Change program's first 1,000 bicycles to be used by community health care workers. The bikes, which cost $80 each, allow health care workers to see four times as many patients in a day than if they were on foot.
The Colorado race was originally named the Quiznos Pro Challenge but was changed to USA Pro Cycling Challenge earlier this year, in part to allow organizers to attach a charity's name as the presenting sponsor. Quiznos remains a founding sponsor.
"Our goal is to build a permanent world sporting property based in Colorado and really standing for the U.S., and we felt to start with a specific brand in the name could be limiting," said Schaden, who founded Quiznos and remains a shareholder. "We knew we were going to want to be innovative in what we did with the race, because it is a sporting event, not a corporation."
The race will feature 128 elite pro cyclists three weeks after the Tour de France. They'll race across nearly 600 miles over seven days through picturesque mountain cities such as Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge and Steamboat Springs. On the race's third day, they'll reach altitudes of more than 12,000 feet over two different peaks, something that required approval from the International Cycling Union.
"It's the hardest race on the UCI circuit, and we've never seen pros race at these elevation levels and these kinds of climbs," Schaden said. "There's two climbs on this race that we feel we're going to see some real drama and we'll see who can really make these climbs for that many miles. Certainly, great athletes can do it, but there may be ones that don't. That's why we call it the challenge."
Ten teams have already committed and race co-chairman Shawn Hunter, who is negotiating international television rights after securing a domestic TV deal, said the remaining six teams will be announced soon.
"We want to watch the early calendar to see who's competing on the highest level. So, those last six invitations we want to make sure the field is the best," Hunter said.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Ventoso wins sixth stage of Giro in sprint finish
FIUGGI, Italy (AP) — Francisco Ventoso of Spain captured the stage he'd been targeting when he edged Italian sprint specialist Alessandro Petacchi to win the sixth leg of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday.
Ventoso led home a mass sprint to win the 134-mile stage from Orvieto to Fiuggi in 5 hours, 15 minutes, 39 seconds.
"This is the stage that I identified before the race," Ventoso said. "It was very long and very hard, but I kept going to the end and got it.
"Danilo (Di Luca) went out with 150 to 100 meters to go and I just tried to stay with him. Petacchi then tried to pass me, but he couldn't keep up."
Petacchi appeared to be headed for his second stage win of this year's Giro when he went head to head with Ventoso to the line. However, he abruptly stopped pedaling just before the finish and freewheeled across the line.
Roberto Ferrari of Androni was third with the same time, while three-time Tour de France winner and race favorite Alberto Contador finished 39th in the same time.
Pieter Weening of the Netherlands retained the pink jersey, 2 seconds clear of Kanstantsin Sivtsov of Belarus and Marco Pinotto of Italy after more than 20 hours, 15 minutes. Contador was ninth, 30 seconds behind.
"We had a good day," Weening said of his Rabobank team. "Everyone was strong and tomorrow we will try to do the same and hopefully I will get another day in pink."
Also on Thursday, Giro officials declared that Sunday's ninth stage on Mount Etna would go ahead despite the volcano erupting overnight, saying workers were already clearing the road of ash. The ninth stage features two climbs on the volcano, including one to the finish at 6,207 feet above sea level.
Race organizers also announced that injured Dutch cyclist Tom Slagter would return to Netherlands after he is released from the hospital. The Rabobank rider crashed during Wednesday's fifth stage while grabbing for a water bottle, sustaining a concussion, a fractured eye socket and facial injuries.
Friday's stage covers 68 miles from Maddaloni to Montevergine di Mercogliano, featuring a final climb of 4,133 feet. The Giro finishes in Milan on May 29.
Slagter returning to Netherlands after Giro fall
MILAN (AP) — Injured cyclist Tom Slagter will leave the Giro d'Italia and return to the Netherlands once he is released from a hospital in Italy.
The Dutch rider sustained a concussion, a fractured eye socket and facial injuries from a crash during Wednesday's fifth stage of the race. The Rabobank rider spent the night in a hospital in Orvieto.
Slagter fell backward off his bike when he tried to take a water bottle during a climb. He received immediate attention and was taken away in an ambulance.
The crash came amid heightened safety concerns after Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt died following a crash during a descent on Monday. Riders have also expressed concern about a descent on the 14th stage in the Dolomites.
Giro stage on volcano to go ahead despite eruption
MILAN (AP) — Giro d'Italia organizers say the ninth stage on Mount Etna will go ahead Sunday despite the volcano erupting overnight.
Ash rained down on Catania and surrounding villages in the early hours of Thursday after the volcano became active, opening a crater pit on one side. The ninth stage features two climbs on the volcano, including at the finish line at 6,207 feet above sea level.
Race director Angelo Zomegnan said in a statement that "Sunday's stage is not at risk. The stretch in question is only that of the last 4 miles on Etna. But onsite teams are already working to clear the road."
Gymnastics
China gymnast's U.S. lawsuit risks tainting image
BEIJING (AP) — Thirteen years after a training accident left her paralyzed and ended her career as a world-class gymnast, China's Sang Lan has filed a lawsuit in the United States, one that threatens to tarnish her carefully maintained reputation for resilience at home.
The $1.8-billion suit targets everyone — from Ted Turner, who founded the Goodwill Games where the accident happened in 1998 in New York, to the former AOL Time Warner Inc. media company, which owned the games, to USA Gymnastics, which supported the event, to the couple who were her guardians in New York. It says they broke promises to care for Sang, then 17 and paralyzed from the chest down ever since.
The suit is an unexpected turn for Sang, whose sweet smile and upbeat nature earned her many supporters in China and who became a symbol of determination and courage in the face of a devastating injury. Returning home in 1999, she received a hero's welcome, with officials calling her "the pride of all Chinese." Since then, she has used her fame to advocate for the disabled.
Sang says her public image and the lawsuit are separate affairs, and she thinks it's more important to set the record straight about the circumstances surrounding her fall.
"At that time, people said that Sang Lan herself lost control and made the mistake that caused her to fall," Sang, now 29, said during an interview Wednesday in her two-bedroom apartment in northeast Beijing, where Beijing Olympics memorabilia decorate the shelves.
She says she fell because she was distracted by someone who moved a mat while she was in mid-air.
"I've already suffered such a great loss," she said, gesturing with her hands at her thin body. "I just want an explanation and to understand the truth about what happened that year. There is nothing wrong with that."
Turner, Time Warner and USA Gymnastics all declined comment. The New York couple's lawyer said the complaint had no merit and deplored the airing of the case in the Chinese media.
Reactions among Chinese media and fans have been sharply divided, an unusual situation for Sang, who in the past has been called a "smiling angel," ''wheelchair angel" or "sunshine girl." While some praise her for defending her rights, others have accused her of being overcome by greed or allowing herself to be used by others.
"Sang Lan turns from angel to devil overnight: Is she really greedy and ungrateful?" ran the headline in a commentary on Sportscn.com, a sports news website. It wondered if Sang should instead be taking action against the Chinese Gymnastics Association, which like most of the state-run sports machinery has a spotty record taking care of athletes past their prime.
As is the case with many Chinese athletes, Sang started training early, at age 5, getting picked because she had long legs and a petite frame. She was sent to a sports school in her hometown in the eastern city of Ningbo and before long she was chosen for national team training in Beijing. In 1997, she won the national vault championship and her future could not have been brighter.
A year later came the fall at the Goodwill Games. She crashed headfirst onto a mat while doing a routine vault during warm-ups. The fall fractured Sang's lower neck.
She underwent surgery and rehabilitation in New York for 10 months, during which she regained some strength in her shoulder and arms and was visited by singer Celine Dion, actor Leonardo DiCaprio and then-Vice President Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore. While in New York, the Chinese Gymnastics Association placed her in the care of Liu Guosheng and Xie Xiaohong, a Chinese-American couple with ties to the organization, Sang said.
Back in China, Sang carved out a new life, juggling physical therapy with studying broadcasting at Peking University, jobs in video journalism and lobbying for the rights of the disabled. She carried the Olympic torch in the 2004 Athens Games and then again for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Her physical condition, she said, has not improved much, especially after she moved farther away from the hospital where she used to get regular physical therapy in Beijing. She still has no feeling in her fingers and now her calves have shrunk with the lack of movement.
"I've been doing my own physical therapy. But my paralysis is from the chest down," Sang said, drawing a line across her chest with her hand, "so I have no way of exercising my lower limbs and that's caused my calves to atrophy."
Though she is able to feed and clean herself and use a computer, Sang continues to need help showering and going to the bathroom. She said that with age, she is also becoming more vulnerable to complications such as urinary tract infections and potentially life-threatening kidney problems.
Sang has health insurance with the American company TIG Insurance but is unable to use it for treatment outside the U.S., the lawsuit says. The company is also among the parties named in the lawsuit; it did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, says Time Warner and the gymnastics organization failed to follow through on promises to make sure her medical bills and other needs were covered, and that she's been unable to obtain necessary treatments.
Also targeted in the complaint were her guardians in New York, who go by K.S. Liu and Gina Liu in the United States. It says they controlled her every move, silenced her from speaking out about the fall and later waged a smear campaign against her by attacking her in postings on their blogs.
In an another development, Sang, her manager and her lawyer have alleged in recent days that she was the victim of improper sexual behavior while living with the Liu family. Sang's lawyer in New York, Hai Ming, said K.S. Liu and another male family member bathed Sang or otherwise touched her inappropriately. A police report has been filed in New York's Westchester county where they used to live, Hai said.
The Lius refused to comment. Their attorney, Hugh H. Mo, said he was puzzled that Sang was taking legal action so many years after the accident and wondered if she was receiving proper legal advice. He said the Lius were a "very generous and charitable" couple who had taken Sang and her mother into their home after the fall to help her convalesce.
"At the end of the day, the biggest loser is Sang Lan. Her image is worth more than $1.8 billion," Mo said. "The way the lawsuit has been disclosed to the media is unseemly."
Sang's lawyer, Hai, has been accused by some bloggers of manipulating Sang into filing the lawsuit for publicity or financial gain. Hai said Sang's manager had approached him in March and that he was taking on the case pro bono and would not accept a penny of any potential damages awarded by the court if the case proceeds.
Hai acknowledged, however, that parts of the lawsuit could be dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired for some of the counts in the complaint. But Sang said she was prepared for any outcome.
"Losing or winning (the lawsuit), is not important to me," she said. "I believe the law will be fair and just."
-- Jillian Wong
Olympics
Israeli-Palestinian sports talks progress at IOC
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Israeli and Palestinian Olympic officials stepped up efforts to improve cooperation during a second round of talks with the IOC on Thursday.
With free movement for athletes and coaches high on the agenda, Israeli officials promised to present their government a Palestinian proposal to help overcome travel restrictions imposed on their territories.
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge described the follow-up talks to a January summit as "frank and friendly."
"The IOC has an obligation to support measures to protect athletes and to use sport as a tool for peace and development," Rogge said in a statement.
Both parties agreed on the principle of lifting travel restrictions "taking into account the security issues in the region."
Four years ago, the Palestinian national team was eliminated from 2010 World Cup qualifying by forfeit after some team players could not travel to Singapore for a return match.
Now the sides have built on a trip by Rogge last October to create regular dialogue.
They agreed Thursday to create a hotline for improving communications between the two national Olympic committees.
The IOC is promising increased funding from its Olympic Solidarity program to help more Palestinian athletes prepare for the 2012 London Games, with additional help from Israeli coaches and facilities.
The Olympic Council of Asia has also teamed with the IOC to prepare a road map and funding for improving the Palestinians' sports infrastructure.
Israel and the Palestinians also want entry to the 2013 Mediterranean Games being staged in Turkey.
After two meetings in Lausanne this year, future talks are likely in Ramallah and Tel Aviv.
Construction costs cut for London 2012
LONDON (AP) — The British government says the estimated construction costs of the 2012 London Olympics have decreased by 35 million pounds ($57 million).
Government figures released Thursday show the projected final building costs have declined from 7.301 billion pounds ($11.87) to 7.266 billion ($11.81 billion). The delivery of the Olympics remains on time and within budget.
Construction of the venues and infrastructure is 83 percent complete, with the 7,000-capacity handball arena the latest stadium to be completed. The basketball arena is nearing completion.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says the Olympic Delivery Authority "has continued its focus on costs, driving efficiencies across the program."
Track & Field
Jeter takes women's 100 at Daegu meet
DAEGU, South Korea (AP) — American sprinter Carmelita Jeter breezed to victory in the women's 100 meters at the Colorful Daegu meet Thursday. Jeter covered the distance in 11.09 seconds to beat countrywoman Lashaunte Moore, who finished in 11.27.
Jeter couldn't match the world-leading 10.86 she ran in Jamaica last week but was still dominant in the latest meet of the IAAF World Challenge series.
Americans dominated the sprint races, with Walter Dix taking the men's 100 in 10.00, edging countryman Mike Rodgers who was second in 10.03.
Three-time world champion Allyson Felix of the U.S. won the women's 200 in 22.37, David Oliver clocked 13.14 to win the men's 110 hurdles, and Olympic champion Dawn Harper took the women's 100 meter hurdles in 12.73.
Yuzo Kanemaru of Japan had a season's-best 45.23 to win the men's 400, beating David Neville of the U.S. by 0.01 seconds.
Kenya's Boaz Lalang won the men's 800 in 1:45.90. Duane Solomon of the U.S. was second.
Daegu will host the world championships in August.
-- Jin-Man Lee
Arkansas track teams headed to SEC championships
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' men's and women's track and field teams are in Athens, Ga., for the Southeastern Conference outdoor championships.
The SEC event starts Thursday and runs through Sunday and both Arkansas teams are highly ranked and vying for league titles.
The Razorbacks' men's team has three SEC event leaders heading into the meet — Marek Niit in the 200 meters, Duncan Phillips in the 1,500 meters and Eric Fernandez in the 10,000 meters. Coach Chris Bucknam says the Razorbacks are "coming on at the right time."
Arkansas' woman have five SEC event leaders — Shelise Williams in the 400 meters, Stephanie Brown in the 800 meters, Tina Sutej in the pole vault, Makeba Alcide in the heptathlon and the Razorbacks' 1600-meter relay team.
Volleyball
Whitefish names new volleyball coach
KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — Whitefish High School has announced that Sarah Scott will replace Jackie Fuller as head volleyball coach.
The Flathead Beacon reports Scott has coached Whitefish's junior varsity team for the past two years. She is a native of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and played volleyball for Westmont College in Santa Barbara, competing in two national tournaments.
Scott completed her teaching certification at Montana Western while coaching the Butte High freshman volleyball team. She is also a teacher at Whitefish.
The school board approved Fuller's resignation and Scott's hiring on Tuesday.
Fuller resigned last month after posting a 324-102 record at Whitefish, including state titles in 2001, 2002 and three straight from 2004 to 2006. Fuller is staying at Whitefish High as activities director and assistant principal.
Goody chosen as Capital's varsity volleyball coach
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Hollee Goody, who built a winning volleyball program at Fort Benton High School, has been chosen as the next varsity volleyball coach at Helena's Capital High.
The 34-year-old coached Capital's sophomore team last season and will succeed Sarah Urban if the Helena School District board approves the move.
The Independent Record reports that in 2003, Goody started coaching a Fort Benton team that hadn't won a single game — let alone a match — the previous season. Fort Benton reached the Class C state tournament for the first time in school history last fall.
At Capital, Goody inherits a program that was 11-12 last winter and has not reached the Class AA state tournament in three straight seasons. Urban, who resigned earlier this year to spend more time with her family, coached the team from 2005-2010.
Sailing
Italian team pulls out of America's Cup
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mascalzone Latino, the sailing team that represents the Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup, won't compete in the regatta in 2013.
Vincenzo Onorato says on the Italian team's website that it was not able to raise the money needed to be competitive.
There is no word from Mascalzone's sponsoring yacht club, Club Nautico di Roma, on whether it will continue as Challenger of Record. The Challenger of Record represents all challengers in dealings with the defender, Oracle Racing of San Francisco.
If another team doesn't emerge to represent Club Nautico di Roma, the Challenger of Record duties would be passed along to another yacht club that has a team in the regatta.
Figure Skating
Sibling dancers who won '08 U.S. junior title split
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Madison and Keiffer Hubbell, siblings who won U.S. ice dance titles at the juvenile, intermediate and junior levels, are ending their partnership.
Madison Hubbell will continue skating with a new partner, Zach Donohue. She says it was "hard" to end her 10-year career with her brother, but said Thursday she's "re-energized and excited" about the change.
The Hubbells began skating together in 2002 and won their first U.S. title, at the juvenile level, the next year. They also won the intermediate crown in 2004, and were junior champions in 2008. They were fourth at this year's U.S. figure skating championships, their third as seniors.
