Walchhofer Too Fast for Maier and Miller

Michael Walchhofer finally tamed a troublesome turn on the Kandahar course Friday at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, to defeat Austrian teammate Hermann Maier and Bode Miller of Franconia, N.H., in a World Cup downhill event.

Walchhofer delivered a near-perfect run down the unusually soft course to win in 1 minute 57.79 seconds. Maier finished 0.99 of a second back and Miller, the newly crowned downhill and super-G world champion, was third in 1:58.92.

Walchhofer had crashed four consecutive years on the tricky FIS-Schneise turn, then lost a big lead last season when he slipped at the same spot and finished 16th.

Walchhofer’s victory increased his lead in the World Cup downhill standings, where he has 531 points. Miller is second, 93 points behind.

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Jeremy Bloom won his sixth consecutive World Cup moguls event, beating Travis Mayer in a 1-2 American finish on next year’s Olympic course at Sauze d’Oulx, Italy. Bloom won with 27.02 points. Mayer scored 26.61 and Mikko Ronkainen of Finland was third with 26.60.

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Tennis

Venus Williams ended the comeback run of former No. 1 Kim Clijsters, winning, 6-2, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Diamond Games at Antwerp, Belgium.

The third-seeded Williams needed barely an hour to defeat Clijsters, whose last WTA tournament victory came at the Diamond Games last year. She has been troubled by a wrist injury.

In today’s semifinals, Williams will play second-seeded Anastasia Myskina, who beat Katarina Srebotnik, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo defeated Patty Schnyder, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. She will play fourth-seeded Alicia Molik, who beat Klara Koukalova, 6-3, 6-4.

Top-seeded Andy Roddick turned his left ankle midway through the second set before beating Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2), in the quarterfinals of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships at Memphis, Tenn.

Roddick hurt the ankle with the second set tied at 4-4. If he can play, he’ll meet Kenneth Carlsen, who beat Jan-Michael Gambill, 7-6 (7), 7-5.

Top-seeded Roger Federer advanced to the semifinals of the ABN Amro at Rotterdam, Netherlands, defeating sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, 7-5, 7-5. He will play Mario Ancic, who upset third-seeded Tim Henman, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).

Federer, the defending champion, Marat Safin and Henman are among the players who will take part in a charity exhibition event March 11 in the Pacific Life Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The effort, led by Federer, will benefit UNICEF and other tsunami relief organizations.

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Miscellany

Yelena Isinbayeva set her second pole vault world record in a week and became the first woman to clear 16 feet indoors at the Norwich Union Grand Prix meet in Birmingham, England.

Isinbayeva beat the mark of 15-11 3/4 she set six days ago at Donetsk, Ukraine. She set the outdoor world mark of 16-1 3/4 when she won the Olympic gold medal in Athens in August.

The Galaxy signed Costa Rican national team defender Michael Umana. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Tonight’s Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Car race at Perris Auto Speedway has been canceled because of heavy rains and wet grounds. The Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will resume racing March 5 at Perris.

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Passings

Lou Welsh, captain of the 1952 USC football team that beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, has died. He was 73. The school said he died Monday in Reno. No cause of death was given.

Welsh is survived by his wife, Mary, his brother, seven children and 24 grandchildren.