Croatian Star Ljubek Is Shot and Killed

Croatia’s most successful Olympic athlete ever was killed at his home, police at Zagreb said Thursday.

Canoeist Matija Ljubek, 46, was shot and killed Wednesday. His brother-in-law, Marko Varzic, a major in the Croatian army, was arrested on suspicion of killing Ljubek and another cousin the same evening.

Croatian newspapers said Varzic reportedly had psychiatric problems and killed the two men because of a family argument.

Ljubek’s death stunned Croats, who revered him as the man who brought home four Olympic medals.

He won gold and bronze in Montreal in 1976, and gold and silver in Los Angeles in 1984. In other world championships, he won four gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

Ljubek had been working recently with the Croatian Olympics Committee, and he headed the Croatian mission at this year’s Sydney Games.

Ljubek is survived by his wife and two children.

Tennis

Martina Hingis of Switzerland had an easy time in the quarterfinals of the $1-million Swisscom Challenge at Zurich, taking only 47 minutes to oust Russian qualifier Anastasia Myskina, 6-0, 6-4.

Sixth-seeded Jennifer Capriati needed only 58 minutes to oust France’s Anne-Gaelle Sidot, 6-3, 6-1, in a second-round match.

France’s Nathalie Tauziat breezed into the quarterfinals, routing Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva, 6-0, 6-4.

Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and Mark Philippoussis of Australia posted third-round victories in the Japan Open at Tokyo, where defending women’s champion Amy Frazier won easily.

Kuerten needed three sets and almost two hours to overcome unseeded Andrea Gaudenzi of Italy, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Philippoussis got a surprisingly tough match from qualifier Yong-il Yoon of South Korea, but prevailed in straight sets, 7-6 (7), 6-4.

Things were much easier for Frazier, who dominated Sylvia Plischke of Austria, 6-1, 6-2.

The last remaining seeded players, Tim Henman and Cedric Pioline, advanced to the quarterfinals of the $800,000 CA Trophy tournament at Vienna.

The sixth-seeded Henman of Britain made quick work of Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 6-2. France’s Pioline, seeded eighth, had more trouble with Romanian Andrei Pavel, winning 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).

Soccer

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro allege soccer superstar Romario evaded Brazilian taxes while he played in Europe and could owe millions of dollars to the government, local media reported.

The charges stem from 1988 to 1993, when Romario played in Holland with PSV Eindhoven and then in Spain for the FC Barcelona team. Prosecutors allege Romario failed to declare taxes during these years as Brazilian law requires even for those living abroad, the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported.

A Munich newspaper apologized to designated German Coach Christoph Daum, admitting it had revived five-year-old rumors that he snorted cocaine while sparking the bitterest feud in the country’s soccer history.

Bayern Munich Manager Uli Hoeness also came under fire for his role in the affair, with some believing the article printed on Oct. 1 in the Munich Abendzeitung was instigated by him in a campaign against Daum.

College Basketball

Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson has agreed to a seven-year, $7.2-million contract extension.

Richardson, who led the Razorbacks to the 1994 NCAA championship, has a 356-144 record in 15 seasons at Arkansas.

Richardson will make at least $1.03 million each year through 2007. Richardson can make additional money by taking his team to postseason play.

Texas Tech center Andy Ellis has a broken right wrist and will miss five weeks of practice, but could be back in time for the season opener, Coach James Dickey said.

Miscellany

Bryan Reffner took the pole for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ O’Reilly 400, setting a Texas Motor Speedway record with a 180.373-mph qualifying lap at Fort Worth.

A West Palm Beach, Fla., judge who said he might not believe what boxing promoter Don King tells him in a lawsuit against rival Bob Arum won’t be their referee any more.

A state appeals court revived King’s lawsuit and yanked Circuit Judge W. Herbert Moriarty from the case based on his expression of “disbelief . . . unrelated to any testimony that the court heard.”

Michael Klim, who won two relay gold medals in Sydney, won’t compete in this week’s Australian short-course swimming championships because of a back injury. . . . Ion Tiriac announced his resignation as Romanian Olympic Committee president, citing personal reasons.

American Colin Edwards was assured of the World Superbike championship after an arbitration court upheld a drug-related suspension imposed on Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga.

Haga could have caught points leader Edwards this weekend in the final round of the Superbike series in Brands Hatch, England, but won’t be allowed to race.

Boys will have their own softball division beginning next year, the Little League Baseball International Board of Directors decided.

Controversy arose this year during the Little League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich., when the Eloy, Ariz., team’s roster included five boys--the first time boys competed in the tournament--and went on to win the title.

For the Record

Olympics--The last name of Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, head of the Athens organizing committee for 2004, was reported incorrectly Thursday.