Townsend Falters in Gold Bid

Sean Townsend lost his chance to become the first American man to win the all-around gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships in Ghent, Belgium, after two falls during his high bar routine Thursday.

His comfortable lead turned into an eighth-place finish after one of the most dramatic collapses in the history of the sport.

“He was just a quarter of an inch from being world champion,” said U.S. Coach Stacy Maloney. “All he had to do was catch the bar to become world champion.”

In the end, it was unheralded teen Feng Jing of China who, with astonishingly solid nerves for a 16-year-old, lifted gold to become the youngest all-around champion after nailing his final performance on the pommel horse.

Two-time Ivan Ivankov of Belarus took silver after a brilliant routine on the high bar.

Tennis

Lindsay Davenport won her 14th consecutive match, beating Jelena Dokic, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the semifinals of the Sanex Championships at Munich, Germany.

Davenport next plays Kim Clijsters, who beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, 7-5, 6-1.

Gustavo Kuerten, the world’s top-ranked player, returned to his losing ways when he was beaten by Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the Paris Masters.

Also ousted in third-round play was defending tournament champion Marat Safin, who lost to Andreas Vinciguerra, 6-4, 6-4, and third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, who lost to Hicham Arazi of Morocco, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

College Sports

The NCAA Board of Directors approved a series of college basketball eligibility, recruiting and scholarship changes.

The board reinstated the summer recruiting period that was to end last July.

It also announced a moratorium on the so-called “5/8 rule” and allowed schools to add a ninth scholarship this year. Beginning next year, a school could qualify for one additional scholarship if it meets NCAA criteria.

Rodney Slater, who was U.S. transportation secretary under President Clinton, joined Olympians John Naber and Herman Frazier, golfer Betsy King and basketball players Bo Ellis and Richard Chapman as winners of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.

The awards are presented to former student-athletes who graduated 25 years ago. Candidates were rated on their performances on the field and in the classroom, in their professions and in their contributions to society since graduation.

The recipients will be honored Jan. 13 in Indianapolis with all but Naber, a Pasadena resident who will carry the Olympic torch in San Diego on Jan. 14, attending.

Miscellany

The United States won the bronze medal in women’s team foil at the World Fencing Championships at Nimes, France.

The team of Ann Marsh, Erinn Smart and Felicia and Iris Zimmermann beat Germany, 45-43, to claim the first medal for a U.S. women’s foil team.

Passings

Tom Cheney, who set the major league record with 21 strikeouts in a 16-inning game, died Thursday in Rome, Ga. He was 67.

Cheney was pitching for the Washington Senators on Sept. 12, 1962, when he went the distance in a 2-1 victory over Baltimore to set the record.

Bob Woodruff, former athletic director at the University of Tennessee and head football coach at Florida and Baylor, has died. He was 85.