Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider Retires at Peak of Skiing Career

World Cup champion Vreni Schneider retired Wednesday at the peak of her career as one of skiing’s all-time greats.

The 30-year-old Swiss skier won three World Cup overall titles, three World Championships and three Olympic gold medals.

“I decided that now is the right moment, to stop while I’m on top,” she said.

Schneider won 55 World Cup races and said she felt no pressure to match the 62 victories of retired Austrian star Annemarie Moser-Proell.

Pro Football

Raider running back Harvey Williams has been ordered to stand trial May 22 in Overland Park, Kan., a Kansas City suburb, on charges of assaulting his ex-wife. Williams has been charged with one count of aggravated assault, a felony, and one count of battery, a misdemeanor.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed veteran safety Ronnie Lott as an unrestricted free agent, the Kansas City Star reported. Lott, who turns 36 on May 8, played the last two seasons with the New York Jets, from whom the Chiefs earlier acquired safety Brian Washington and cornerback James Hasty.

Guard Max Montoya, who played the last five seasons with the Raiders after 11 with the Cincinnati Bengals, has officially retired. . . . The NFL has denied the Philadelphia Eagles’ appeal to further upgrade the compensatory draft picks the team got for losing free agents Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons. The Eagles’ compensatory picks in this weekend’s draft will be the 63rd and 169th overall. . . . The Miami Dolphins released defensive back Tyrone Braxton to get below the salary cap.

Soccer

AC Milan advanced to the European Champions’ Cup final for the fifth time in seven years, defeating Paris-St. Germain, 2-0, on goals by Dejan Savicevic. Milan, the defending champion, will play Ajax Amsterdam in the final on May 24 in Vienna.

FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, said it is investigating allegations of attempted bribery of players at the World Youth Championship in Qatar.

Tennis

Thomas Enqvist and Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden won the only matches completed before rain washed out the schedule at the Hong Kong Salem Open. Enqvist beat German David Prinosil, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-4. Bjorkman scored a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Canadian Greg Rusedski. . . . Top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Kris Goossens of Belgium, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the second round of the Nice Open in France. Alberto Costa defeated fellow Spaniard Francisco Clavet, 6-3, 6-1.

Names in the News

Ron Mercer, the Naismith award winner as the nation’s top prep basketball player, signed a national letter of intent to play at Kentucky. . . . Peter Cornell, a transfer from the University of Puget Sound, has signed to play basketball for Loyola Marymount. . . . Jeff Ruland, who led Iona to two NCAA tournaments under coach Jim Valvano from 1977-80, returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach.

Parents of several Australian female gymnasts have accused Ju Ping Tian, the country’s head coach, of mistreating the athletes, prompting the federal government to investigate. . . . Enrique Carrion, winner of three medals at boxing’s World Championships, was among five Cuban amateur fighters suspended for two years by the International Boxing Federation after testing positive for a banned substance. The others were junior-flyweight world champion Alexander Jimenez, Mario Kindelan, Yoandri Reyes and Ernesto Cabrera.

Former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney reached an agreement with the school that will allow him to get out of the remaining years on his contract. . . . Christophe Auguin of France raced toward his second consecutive BOC sailing title, leading his closest competitor by 227 miles on the final leg of the 27,000-mile around-the-world solo race that ends in Charleston, S.C.. . . Indiana University will not renew the basketball scholarship of freshman guard Michael Hermon, Athletic Director Clarence Doninger said.

Four Olympians were among the 12 qualifiers in men’s three-meter springboard competition on the opening day of the Phillips 66 National Championships at Midland, Tex. Scott Donie of Miami, the 1992 Olympic platform silver medalist, placed first by nearly 11 points over 1992 Olympic teammate Kent Ferguson. Dean Panaro, the 1995 Pan American Games one-meter springboard gold medalist, was third, and 1988 Olympian Mark Bradshaw, the defending champion, finished fourth.