Kostelic Shakes Off Illness to Sweep Ski Titles

Croatia’s Janica Kostelic left a sick bed to win the slalom Friday, gasping for breath at the finish after becoming the first woman in 23 years to sweep three ski titles at a world championships.

Kostelic, who skipped the giant slalom this week because of a high fever and cough, was third after the opening leg but skied an amazing second run to successfully defend her title. She won the downhill and combined last week.

Kostelic doubled over after her latest victory and wiped her forehead with snow before being helped off the course at Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy.

The previous woman to win three gold medals at the worlds was Switzerland’s Erika Hess (slalom, giant slalom, combined) in 1982 in Schladming, Austria. Kostelic also won three golds at the 2002 Olympics (slalom, giant slalom, combined).

Kostelic had a combined time of 1 minute 47.98 seconds. Finland’s Tanja Poutiainen, the leader after the opening leg, placed second in 1:48.16 for her second silver medal of the worlds following the giant slalom.

U.S. skiers Resi Stiegler, Sarah Schleper and Julia Mancuso finished sixth through eighth.

Pro Football

An arbitration ruling that ordered Ricky Williams to repay the Miami Dolphins $8.6 million should be overturned, even though the former running back breached his contract when he retired, an attorney for the players’ union argued.

Jeffrey Kessler told a federal judge the damage award was excessive because it was 40% more than Williams made in the two seasons he played for the Dolphins.

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Brian Mitchell, one of the NFL’s top return men and holder of nine league records, will sign a one-day contract next week so that he can retire with the Washington Redskins, a team with which he spent 10 seasons. Mitchell, 37, was cut by the New York Giants a year ago and did not play in 2004.

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Eagle offensive coordinator Brad Childress signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2008 season.

Tennis

With an impressive mix of power and finesse, No. 7 Jurgen Melzer breezed past second-seeded Andre Agassi, 6-3, 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the SAP Open at San Jose.

Melzer next faces unseeded Cyril Saulnier, who defeated No. 4 Vince Spadea, 6-2, 6-4.

Third-seeded Tommy Haas recovered from a first-set loss to remain unbeaten in seven career meetings against No. 8 Max Mirnyi, winning 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-2.

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Top-seeded Serena Williams withdrew from the Open Gaz de France quarterfinals because of stomach flu.

Williams, the Australian Open champion, had complained of feeling ill after her second-round win over Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.

On the court, second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo beat eighth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva, 6-2, 7-6 (2).

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Mariano Puerta stunned top-seeded Carlos Moya, 7-6 (0), 6-3, putting an Argentine in the semifinals of the country’s only major ATP tournament. Puerta will next face compatriot Jose Acasuso, who beat Nicolas Almagro, 6-3, 6-4.

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Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez defeated Taylor Dent, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (8), to reach the semifinals of the Open 13 at Marseille, France. He will next face third-seeded Joachim Johansson, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Karol Beck.

Baseball

Pitcher Kyle Lohse defeated the Minnesota Twins in the first salary arbitration case of the off-season.

Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Lohse will get a raise from $395,000 to $2.4 million. Minnesota had offered $2.15 million to the right-hander, who went 9-13 with a 5.34 earned-run average in 34 starts last season.

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New Seattle Mariner first baseman Richie Sexson was cited on suspicion of drunken driving last weekend in Vancouver, Wash., after being stopped for speeding. Sexson entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday, according to court records. A spokeswoman for Sexson said he was not impaired “based on the two Breathalyzer tests he later took.”

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Darryl Strawberry is rejoining the New York Mets as a special instructor for a few days during spring training. It will be his first time with the team since he left after the 1990 season to sign with the Dodgers.

Miscellany

Tampa Bay Buccaneer owner Malcolm Glazer was dealt a setback in his bid to take over Manchester United, with the board of the famed soccer team saying it was unlikely to recommend the move to shareholders.

But the directors, who have been discussing the $1.49-billion bid for a week, said it was up to shareholders to decide.

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Canada’s Lorie Kane and Dawn-Coe Jones shot a best-ball seven-under-par 66 for a share of the first-round lead in the Women’s World Cup at George, South Africa.

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East Carolina freshman La Shawn Merritt ran the fastest 400 meters in the world this year, beating reigning world champion Bershawn Jackson in a time of 44.93 seconds in the Tyson Invitational at Fayetteville, Ark.

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Zack Brown of Chino Hills, the pro circuit rookie of the year in 2004, is among the top bull riders competing at the Anaheim Open, the 10th of 31 stops on the 2005 series, beginning tonight at the Pond. It starts at 6 tonight and at 2 p.m. Sunday.