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 which 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 2 minutes 29.96 seconds overall.

Fellow Swiss Urs Kaelin finished second. Three-time Olympic champion Alberto Tomba did not race because of flu. Lasse Kjus, the leader in 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, missed 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 6-foot-1, 190-pound former star of the Cuban national team has agreed to a three-year contract. The Giants did not reveal details, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported it is a $3.9-million deal, including a signing bonus of more than $1 million.

Former Angel relief pitcher Bob Patterson was signed as a free agent by the Chicao Cubs to a one-year contract. . . . 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.

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.

A new indictment charged Filion and the others with grand larceny and conspiracy in the theft of more than $200,000 in losing bets on the races they allegedly rigged.

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.

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. Other inductees included lightweight champion Joe Brown, bantamweight champion Manuel Ortiz and trainer-manager Emanuel Steward.

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 attorneys who act as players’ agents to register with the state Athletic Commission. Under present law, attorneys do not have to register with the Dept. of Industrial Relations, the office currently regulating agents. Twenty two states have agent laws.

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. The decision puts UEFA in conflict with the European Union’s highest court, which ruled last month that the limit on foreigners is illegal and should be abolished.

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.