British Skier Killed in Training Mishap

Kirsteen McGibbon, a promising 20-year-old British downhill skier, was killed Tuesday when she lost control on an icy section while training on an Alpine course in Altenmarkt, Austria.

British ski federation spokesman Mike Jardine said McGibbon, a native of Scotland, died from head injuries and internal bleeding.

“From what we know, she hit a major turn that was quite icy and lost it while going quite fast,” Jardine said.

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Michael Von Gruenigen won the men’s World Cup giant slalom on an icy course at Adelboden, Switzerland, by 1.83 seconds. The Swiss skier had the best times in both heats and was timed at 2 minutes 29.96 seconds overall.

Countryman Urs Kaelin finished second. Three-time Olympic champion Alberto Tomba did not race because of flu. Lasse Kjus, the leader in the overall standings, did not compete because he is recovering from a bad spill during practice last week.

Baseball

Left-handed relief pitcher Scott Radinsky, who feared for his life two years ago when he was told he had Hodgkin’s disease, signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers.

Radinsky, 28, sat out all of the strike-shortened 1994 season while undergoing chemotherapy treatments and was 2-1 with a 5.45 earned-run average in 46 games last season with the Chicago White Sox.

The San Francisco Giants signed Cuban pitcher Osvaldo Fernandez, who was sought by several major league teams after he defected in September. The Giants did not reveal details, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported the contract at three years and worth $3.9 million, including a signing bonus of more than $1 million.

The Chicago Cubs signed former Angel relief pitcher Bob Patterson to a one-year contract as a free agent. . . . The Texas Rangers avoided salary arbitration with third baseman Dean Palmer by signing him to a one-year contract worth $1.925 million. . . . The Toronto Blue Jays signed third baseman Ed Sprague to a three-year contract. . . . Infielder Juan Samuel and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a minor-league contract that would pay him about $325,000 if he makes the major league team.

Jurisprudence

Herve Filion, harness racing’s winningest driver, was arraigned in White Plains, N.Y., on upgraded criminal charges stemming from allegations that he and three other drivers were involved in a race-fixing scheme at Yonkers Raceway.

German tax authorities will drop their investigation of Steffi Graf if the tennis star pays a $3.4-million fine, according to the ZDF national television network. Graf reportedly does not want to pay more than $1.37 million. Graf’s father and manager, Peter Graf, was arrested in August on suspicion of evading taxes on his daughter’s earnings between 1987 and 1992.

A magistrate’s hearing in which Texas Ranger star Juan Gonzalez was to face aggression charges filed against him by a radio announcer in an incident involving Gonzalez’s girlfriend, merengue singer Olga Tanon, was postponed because Gonzalez’s lawyers failed to appear.

Boxing

Aaron Pryor, whose career was ended by drug problems, and Wilfred Benitez, the youngest fighter to win a world title, were among 13 former boxers and fight personalities elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Pryor won the junior-welterweight title in 1980 and again in ’84. Benitez was a junior-welterweight, welterweight and super-welterweight champion.

A scheduled 12-round bout between former world champion Hector Camacho and Sal Lopez in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was declared a technical draw when Camacho suffered a deep cut because of an accidental butt in the second round.

Miscellany

A bill giving California the country’s toughest law in regulating sports agents was introduced by Sen. Ruben Ayala (D-Chino). The bill’s cornerstone makes illegal payments to student athletes a felony and would require lawyers who act as players’ agents to register with the state Athletic Commission.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is being added to the 1996 schedule of the International Race of Champions, which will hold the first night race in series history at the 1.5-mile trioval on May 17.

European soccer’s governing body refused to change its stance and said it will maintain the three-foreigner limit for this season.

Names in the News

Offensive line coach Steve Marshall of Tennessee has signed to join new Coach Bob Toledo’s staff at UCLA. . . . Former NFL quarterbacks Joe Kapp and Craig Morton announced plans for a new football league they said will begin play next September. All-Star Football expects to have 16 franchises, including Los Angeles, playing games on Sundays in direct competition with the NFL.