Dolphins’ Porter faces a charge of battery

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter was accused of punching Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones after Las Vegas police said the players exchanged trash talk at a casino blackjack table.

Porter was issued a summons on a misdemeanor battery charge after the Sunday altercation that began inside the Palms, police said.

Porter could face up to a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine, police said, but no court date was immediately available.

Porter, 6 feet 3 and 250 pounds, left the Pittsburgh Steelers after eight years and signed a five-year, $32-million deal with the Dolphins this month. Jones, 6-5 and 307 pounds, sat out much of last season because of a knee injury.

Dolphins Coach Cam Cameron said Porter, a three-time Pro Bowl pick, told him about the incident Monday morning.

“We will monitor the situation and refrain from making any further comment until we gather more information,” Cameron said in a statement.

The Bengals didn’t comment.

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MOTOR RACING

NHRA driver Medlen

is critically injured

NHRA driver Eric Medlen was critically injured in an accident at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, his team said.

Medlen, 33, who drives for John Force Racing, was injured when his funny car crashed into a guardrail during a test session.

He was taken by helicopter to the University of Florida medical center, where he was in the intensive care unit, the team said on its website. His injuries were not disclosed.

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DIVING

China collects gold

in synchronized diving

China dominated the men’s three-meter and women’s 10-meter synchronized diving finals at the world championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Wang Feng and Qin Kai, who finished with 458.76 points, won the men’s gold medal by 39.84 points, and Jia Tong and Chen Ruolin earned the women’s gold by 37.32 points.

In the men’s competition, Troy Dumais and Mitchell Richeson of the United States fell short of the bronze medal by three-tenths of a point.

Jia and Chen had 361.32 points. Americans Mary Elizabeth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu, both 14, finished fifth.

Natalia Ischenko of Russia won the solo technical gold with a score of 99.000. American Christina Jones finished fourth with 95.500.

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WATER POLO

U.S. wins at women’s world championships

Heather Petrie and Natalie Golder scored two goals each and the U.S. defeated the Netherlands, 9-7, in a first-round game of the women’s world championships at Melbourne.

The U.S. took control in the third quarter after the teams were tied, 3-3, after the first half.

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MISCELLANY

Sparks sign Thomas to multiyear contract

Christi Thomas, a reserve forward and 2004 first-round draft pick who averaged 6.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Sparks last season, has been signed to a multiyear contract, the WNBA team announced.

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-- Jerry Crowe

The U.S. rallied from a five-point deficit today to defeat Germany, 8-7, and improve to 5-2 in the round-robin draw of the women’s world curling championship at Aomori, Japan.

The U.S. had defeated the Czech Republic, 7-4, and Russia, 9-3, on Monday.

Three-time Olympian Kirsten Clark, 29, the only skier to win four consecutive U.S. downhill titles, will retire after this month’s Alpine championships.

Fifth-ranked women’s tennis player Kim Clijsters of Belgium said she might not play in the U.S. Open in August so she can go on her honeymoon.

India beat Bermuda by 257 runs at Trinidad and Tobago, the biggest winning margin in cricket World Cup history, and Zimbabwe beat West Indies by 48 runs at Kingston, Jamaica.