Olympian Paul Anderson Dies

Paul Anderson, 61, once recognized as the strongest man in the world, died Monday at a Vidalia, Ga., hospital after a long struggle with kidney failure and arthritis.

Anderson set nine world records and 18 American records in weightlifting in the 1950s.

He won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne, Australia, and set three Olympic records. He is the last American heavyweight to have won an Olympic gold medal.

Baseball

Pitcher Pat Mahomes of the Minnesota Twins was knocked unconscious and trapped in his vehicle after it rolled over on a bridge in downtown Minneapolis early Monday, police said.

Mahomes suffered head injuries but was treated and released from the Hennepin County Medical Center.

Mahomes, who was alone, was traveling at “a fairly high rate of speed” when his vehicle crossed the center line, hit a guard rail and rolled over, police said.

He was not wearing a seat belt and was trapped until police were able to get him out.

Michael Jordan is suffering from a mild strain of the rotator cuff and a mild sprain of the shoulder capsule, Dr. James Andrews said. He will begin rehabilitation exercises and his date of return to the double-A Birmingham Barons is unknown.

Jason Leader, 12, a young cancer patient who inspired a home run last season by Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn and later tossed out the first pitch at a game in Fenway Park, died at his home near Albany, N.Y.

A Phoenix sports authority approved $250,000 for preliminary design of a baseball stadium the Chicago Cubs would use for spring training, although where the stadium will be located remains undecided.

Boxing

Representatives of George Foreman and Top Rank filed a lawsuit in Nevada State Court, seeking an injunction to prevent the World Boxing Assn. from sanctioning any heavyweight championship fight in this country other than Foreman vs. Michael Moorer.

The complaint alleges that the WBA and others engaged in unlawful age discrimination, bad faith conduct and collusion in illegally refusing to sanction the Nov. 5 bout between Foreman and Moorer.

Unbeaten Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico City improved his record to 32-0 with an eighth-round technical knockout of Israel Gonzalez from Durango, Mexico, at the Forum. It was the 22nd victory by knockout for Barrera, the WBC’s No. 3-ranked bantamweight.

In a 10-round welterweight bout, Shibata Flores improved a 27-1, 18-knockout record with an eighth-round TKO over Jesus Cardenas.

Soccer

The Canadian women’s national soccer team moved into first place in the CONCACAF regional qualifying tournament for the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Championship with a 6-0 victory over Mexico in Montreal.

In a second match, Trinidad & Tobago came from behind to defeat Jamaica, 2-1. Canada (2-0) leads the five-nation field, ahead of the United States (1-0) and Trinidad & Tobago (1-1). Jamaica and Mexico are winless after two games.

The U.S. team plays Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday.

Miscellany

The NCAA Council said it would sponsor several measures during next January’s convention to give athletes more say in NCAA affairs. The NCAA had already said it would seek to make athletes the main recipients of legislative regard during its convention in San Diego in January.

Dick Harter, former coach of the Charlotte Hornets, took his old team to court, claiming he’s owed $224,000 in perks and benefits he never got after he was fired in 1990.

Marc Goellner relied on a strong serve and upset 14th-seeded Richard Fromberg, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, in the first round of the Volvo International tennis tournament in New Haven, Conn.

Jeremy Bates of Britain needed only 61 minutes to beat 11th-seed Jaime Yzaga of Peru, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round of the RCA Championships at the Indianapolis Tennis Center.

Debbie Yow resigned as athletic director of Saint Louis University to accept the same position at the University of Maryland. Yow, 42, presided over the revitalization of the men’s basketball program during her four years at St. Louis. She hired Coach Charlie Spoonhour, who led the Billikens to the NCAA tournament last season for the first time in 37 years.

Graeme Obree, the defending world pursuit champion, was disqualified from the World Track Cycling Championships in Palermo, Sicily, because the downhill skier-style position his homemade bike puts him in is considered advantageous. Florian Rousseau of France won his second consecutive world title in the one-kilometer time trial, edging American Erin Hartwell by 0.632 seconds.