Kjus Wins Downhill

Lasse Kjus won his first World Cup downhill race in more than four years Thursday and in so doing regained the overall World Cup standings lead.

Kjus had a near-perfect run down the tough Hahnenkamm mountain at Kitzbuehel, Austria, finishing in 1 minute 58.78 seconds -- .01 of a second ahead of Stephan Eberharter, the reigning World Cup overall, downhill and super-giant slalom champion.

Daron Rahlves of Sugar Bowl, Calif., last year’s winner, was third in 1:58.98.

“It is incredible to win the race by one-hundredth of a second,” Kjus said.

“I have capitalized on my experience. After all, I have been in the business for some time. It feels wonderful to be fit and back on form again.”

His first downhill victory since March 1999 at Sierra Nevada helped him overtake Benjamin Raich in the overall rankings.

Kjus’ first downhill win on Hahnenkamm came in 1999. He also won three combined events, which add the times from the downhill and a slalom.

Kjus leads the overall World Cup standings with 695 points, six ahead of Raich. He is also third in the downhill standings behind leader Michael Walchhofer, who has 345 points.

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Sandra Prokoff narrowly beat teammate German Susi Erdmann in a World Cup bobsled race and retained her overall lead in the standings.

Competing under the lights on the Olympic track in Lillehammer, Norway, Prokoff and brakeman Anja Schneiderheinze had the fastest times in both heats -- 54.37 and 54.96 -- for a combined time of 1:49.33.

Erdmann and brakeman Annegret Dietrich, tied for the lead after the first run, had a second run of 55.02. Claudia Schramm and Nicole Hershmann completed a German sweep of the top spots, finishing third in 1:49.72.

After five races, Prokoff leads the overall standings with 163 points. Erdmann has 157.

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Sven Fischer posted his first World Cup biathlon victory of the season in a 20-kilometer individual race at Anterselva, Italy.

Fischer, who was timed in 56 minutes 32.7 seconds, has won at least one race each season since 1993. Raphael Poiree was second, 7.5 seconds behind. Ricco Gross was third, 30.2 seconds back.

Five-time Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjorndalen finished seventh, 1 minute 45.9 seconds behind.

Swimming

Ed Moses won the 100-meter breaststroke in a FINA World Cup short-course meet in Moscow, completing a sweep of nine events in three World Cup short-course meets.

The 23-year-old Moses won in 59.33 seconds, 0.17 ahead of Roman Sludnov. Kurt Muller was third at 1:00.45.

Moses tied Sludnov in the 50 breaststroke and won the 200 breaststroke on Wednesday.

He won the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke events in Stockholm a week ago, and set a record in the 200 in a sweep of the events in Berlin last weekend.

Golf

The British Open is returning to Carnoustie in 2007.

The Open was last played on the Scottish links course in 1999, and is remembered as the championship in which Jean Van De Velde blew a three-stroke lead on the 72nd hole and then lost a three-way playoff to Paul Lawrie.

“Carnoustie has always been acknowledged as an outstanding test of links golf with one of the most exacting finishes of any championship course,” said Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

Boxing

Jorge Lacierva of Mexico stopped Marinho Gonzalez of Los Angeles in the third round of a scheduled 10-round featherweight fight at the Irvine Marriott.

Lacierva floored Gonzalez three times with right hands in the second round, the final knockdown coming at the bell ending the round.

When Lacierva knocked down Gonzalez with another right hand in the third, the referee stopped the fight.