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In brief
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 18, 2003
Russia's Irina Slutskaya will not defend her title at next week's World Figure Skating Championships, withdrawing because of her mother's kidney illness, the Associated Press reported.
The Russian federation updated its Web site Monday to list Lyudmila Nelidina as a fill-in for Slutskaya. Earlier, the federation said it could not confirm Slutskaya's withdrawal.
Slutskaya's mother, Natalia, is on dialysis, and the skater has spent much of her time recently with her, with little time to prepare for competition. Her withdrawal strengthens the possibility of a U.S. women's sweep at worlds in Washington. The event begins Monday.
Four-time world champion and seven-time U.S. winner Michelle Kwan is the favorite. Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen also are on the American team.
Annika Sorenstam got a sneak peek at the Colonial course Sunday and found out how tough it can be. Sorenstam, the world's top-ranked female golfer, shot 5-over 75 in her first round at Fort Worth, Texas. When she competes in the Colonial in May, Sorenstam will become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias in the 1945 Los Angeles Open. At Colonial last year, golfers needed at least a two-round total of 143 to make the cut. If Sorenstam had posted two rounds of 75, she would have missed it by seven strokes.
South Florida's Leigh Ann Ellis was named Conference USA pitcher of the week for the second time this season. Ellis was 5-0, including a perfect game and a no-hitter. She allowed eight hits and one earned run in 29 innings, striking out 44 to improve to 16-4 with a .94 ERA. Tampa right-hander Eric Beattie of Brandon was named Sunshine State pitcher of the week after a five-hit, complete-game shutout of Slippery Rock.
Medaglia d'Oro was withdrawn from the Dubai World Cup because trainer Bobby Frankel thinks he is not ready. The winner of last summer's Travers Stakes at Saratoga was planning to run in the $6-million Cup on March 29.Kevin Greely, racing secretary of the Emirates Racing Association, said at least 13 American horses will compete in the seven-race card, which features a total purse of $15.25-million.
OBITUARY: Henryk de Kwiatkowski, owner of Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky., since 1992, died at home in the Bahamas. He was 79. Among his horses were Conquistador Cielo, 1982 horse of the year in North America, and Region of Merit, which won Sunday's $250,000 Tampa Bay Derby.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame asked LeBron James to donate one of his game-worn jerseys in recognition of the senior's high school career. Matt Zeysing, an assistant curator at the Springfield, Mass., museum, said the Hall will receive a No. 23 St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) jersey, pair of shorts and tennis shoes for a display that might be showcased by mid-April.
ARENA FOOTBALL: NBC removed Sunday's Tampa Bay-Indiana game from its broadcast schedule. Detroit signed defensive specialist Brent Browner off the Storm's practice squad, and Los Angeles signed former Storm and Central Florida lineman Jermaine Benoit to its practice squad.
TITLE IX: The WNBA endorsed a minority report submitted by the presidential commission on the sexual equality law. The league invited fans to sign a petition on its Web site, urging them to ask the government to enforce the legislation. Fans have until May 22 to sign.