Chambers Defeats Greene; Jones Wins Again at Oslo

Dwain Chambers was at his best Friday night, beating Maurice Greene and Tim Montgomery in the men’s 100 meters at the Bislett Games at Oslo.

Greene, the world-record holder, rocketed out of the blocks and took the early lead.

But the Olympic and world champion couldn’t hold off Chambers and lost by .01 seconds.

Chambers, of Britain, won the race in a relatively slow 10.05 seconds. Montgomery, second to Greene in last week’s U.S. Championships, finished third in 10.10.

Chambers also beat Greene last year in a meet in Glasgow, Scotland. This time, however, the field was much stronger, one of the best ever in the 100 at storied Bislett Stadium.

In the women’s competition, Marion Jones won the 100 meters for the seventh time at the Bislett Games. Jones, third out of the blocks, took the lead well before the halfway point and held on to win in 10.96 seconds.

Jones, coming off a winning time of 11.01 at the U.S. Championships in California last weekend, finished .17 ahead of Jamaica’s Tayna Lawrence. Chryste Gaines, second to Jones at Stanford last weekend, was third in 11.20.

Gail Devers bettered her Bislett Stadium record in the 100 hurdles by 0.03, winning in 12.53.

American Toby Stevenson was taken to a hospital after he fell on the track in the pole vault. Stevenson fell after missing his last attempt at 18 feet, 2 inches. He was able to walk from the stadium and organizers said Stevenson was not seriously injured.

Olympics

The Greek government at Athens defended a decision to scale back a number of Olympic sports venues because of high costs, describing some of the projects as unneeded luxuries.

Greece’s Olympic Committee also admitted that a project to refurbish a soccer stadium had fallen through. An alternate site for the final match in one of the Games’ premier events has not been found.

Athens 2004 chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki has said Greece hopes to save from $180 million to $285 million by reducing the scope of some venues--most located at Athens’ old Hellenikon international airport.

Hockey

Defenseman Philippe Boucher is not expected to re-sign with the Kings this weekend and will become an unrestricted free agent Monday, his agent said.

“You get this chance maybe once in a lifetime,” agent Pat Brisson said from Montreal, “and he’s obviously looking forward to testing the market.”

Brisson said there is “maybe a 50-50 chance” that Boucher will stay with the Kings, adding that he and the team “really haven’t spoken in the last 10 days.”

Boucher, 29, is eligible for unrestricted free agency because he has played in the NHL for 10 seasons and, at $582,038 last season, was paid less than the league average, which was about $1.5 million. He is seeking an average yearly salary of about $2.5 million.

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Defenseman Steve Duchesne changed his mind minutes before a midnight deadline and decided not to exercise a contract option that would have kept him with the Detroit Red Wings.

Red Wing General Manager Ken Holland said late Thursday that Duchesne had exercised an option worth $1 million to stay with the team for the 2002-03 season.

Duchesne chose not to exercise the option just before the deadline Thursday.

If Duchesne and the Red Wings do not reach an agreement by Sunday night, the 16-year veteran would become a free agent Monday.

Miscellany

UCLA men’s basketball player Ryan Hollins, a 6-foot-11 freshman from Pasadena Muir High who was released from a letter-of-intent by Saint Louis, will be eligible for the 2003-04 season, although he has appealed to the NCAA to gain eligibility next season.

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Gabriel Ruelas, who began a boxing comeback last year, defeated Eugene Vasser by a unanimous decision at Indianapolis. Ruelas (49-6), a former World Boxing Council super featherweight champion, won his third consecutive fight but does not have another scheduled. Vasser, 40, saw his record fall to 2-14.

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Gil de Ferran won the pole for the IRL’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, Va., turning a lap at 168.705 mph in qualifying.... Terry Cook won the pole for the NASCAR truck series GNC Live Well 200 race at West Allis, Wis.

Passings

Former Philadelphia Eagle end Don Luft has died. He was 72. Luft, a three-sport standout at Indiana, was with the Eagles in 1954 and also played in the CFL.