Johnson Skipping Rich Zurich Meet

Michael Johnson, who won gold in the Olympic 200 and 400 meters, will miss out on a chance to get more, passing up today’s Weltklasse Grand Prix track meet in Zurich, Switzerland, because of an injured hamstring.

Weltklasse event winners get between $5,000 and $7,000--with $50,000 and a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold offered for a world record.

Pro Basketball

The Houston Rockets re-signed free-agent swingman Mario Elie to a two-year contract. Terms weren’t disclosed. Elie, 32, averaged 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Houston last season. He sat out 35 games because of a fracture in his right forearm last January. . . . Jerome Williams, Detroit’s first-round draft pick, signed with the Pistons. Terms of the multiyear contract were not released. Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward from Georgetown, was the 26th overall pick. . . . The Atlanta Hawks, looking to improve their outside game, signed former Georgia Tech star Jon Barry to a one-year contract. Barry, a four-year veteran, averaged 4.6 points and 1.7 assists during three years with Milwaukee and one season with Golden State.

Olympics

Hundreds of Tongans walked, biked, taxied and rode on the back of trucks to Fukuamoto International Airport to greet boxer Paea Wolfgramm, whose silver medal was the South Pacific’s first Olympic medal.

The usually shy Tongans roared their approval of the man who has been the talk of the island since he beat Cuba’s Alexis Rubalcaba in the super-heavyweight quarterfinals at Atlanta in only his 12th international fight in five years.

While his relatives danced to a brass band, Wolfgramm, 26, sat on a throne, surrounded by dignitaries and politicians, including Prime Minister Baron Vaea, who presented him with a mobile phone, a gift from the people.

Tennis

Pete Sampras advanced to the third round of the RCA Championships at Indianapolis, although it wasn’t easy. The world’s top-ranked player needed more than two hours to beat Don Johnson, ranked 300th, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (8-10), 6-2.

Tour newcomer Tommy Haas, an 18-year-old German in his first ATP tour event, upset eighth-seeded Renzo Furlan of Italy, 6-1, 6-2, in 56 minutes.

Top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, blanked in the first-set tiebreaker, recovered to beat Russian compatriot and Davis Cup teammate Andrei Olhovskiy, 6-7 (0-7), 6-3, 6-3, in the second round of the Pilot Pen International at New Haven, Conn.

Boris Becker withdrew from next week’s du Maurier Open at Toronto, citing a wrist injury sustained at Wimbledon.

Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil upset second-seeded Alberto Berasategui of Spain, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the Croatian Open.

Jurisprudence

Former Philadelphia and Houston guard Vernon Maxwell has been ordered to pay $1,350 monthly support for a daughter born a year ago.

Lisa Ann Henry, 22, filed a paternity suit last year that said Maxwell had fathered her child, who was born July 4, 1995.

Texas District Judge Annette Galik ordered Maxwell to pay support until the girl turned 18 and to pay $9,600 in back child support. He has visitation rights.

Harvey Martin, a former star defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, was arrested in Dallas after fighting with his girlfriend and will be observed for mental illness.

The arrest, on misdemeanor harassment and assault charges, was the second time in six months the 45-year-old former All-Pro faced assault charges involving Debbie Clark, 37.

Martin posted bond and was taken to a hospital for observation on a temporary mental illness warrant on the order of a county magistrate, sheriff’s department officials said.

Willie Rush, a Philadelphia boxing trainer, filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit this week against World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and fight promoter Don King in U.S. District Court. Rush alleges Tyson, King and two of King’s agents reneged on a March 1995 deal for Rush to train Tyson following the fighter’s release from prison.

Names in the News

Right-hander Rick Helling, 25, pitched a perfect game for the triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers, stopping the Nashville Sounds, 4-0. Oklahoma City is the Texas Rangers’ top minor league team. . . . Argentina’s Diego Maradona, 35, will undergo treatment for a recurring drug problem at an unidentified private clinic near Geneva. Maradona drew two 15-month suspensions from international soccer after testing positive for drug use. . . . Columnist Norman Chad will join TNT’s “Pro Football Tonight” show.

Miscellany

Lenny Krazelburg of Studio City, who finished fifth in the 200-meter backstroke at the Olympic trials, won the national title in the event at the Phillips 66 swim championships at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Roller Hockey International announced that the 1996 regular-season attendance has exceeded one million. The Anaheim Bullfrogs lead the four-year-old league with an average attendance of nearly 10,000.