IOC might leave Jones’ 100 gold in Sydney vacant

Future record books may show there was no winner of the women’s 100 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

International Olympic Committee officials said Thursday they are considering the unprecedented step of leaving the gold-medal spot vacant after Marion Jones’ confession that she used performance-enhancing drugs.

“That could be a solution,” said IOC board member Denis Oswald, part of the three-man disciplinary commission dealing with the Jones case.

Although the original second-place finisher normally would be upgraded to the gold, the IOC is reluctant to give the medal to Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou because she was caught up in a doping scandal at the 2004 Athens Games.

“In a way, it’s logical and consistent that we should just move her up, but there is another feeling,” Oswald said. “We’ll see how insistent she is. The best way would be not to do anything and just leave it as it is and there is no gold.”

IOC President Jacques Rogge told the Associated Press no final decision had been made but that “anything was possible,” including leaving the result blank.

Last week, Rogge said the IOC would upgrade only athletes who were determined to be “clean.”

Jones won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 and the 1,600-meter relay in Sydney, as well as bronzes in the 400 relay and long jump. After acknowledging last month that she started doping before those Olympics, Jones returned all five medals to the IOC.

Thanou and fellow Greek runner Kostas Kenteris set off a scandal at the Athens Games when they failed to show for drug tests on the eve of the opening ceremony. They eventually withdrew from the Games and later were suspended for two years.

GOLF

Sutherland takes lead at Pebble Beach

Kevin Sutherland shot a 10-under-par 62 to take a four-stroke lead over Rocco Mediate and Joel Kribel after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational at Pebble Beach.

Sutherland, the runner-up this year in the PGA Tour’s AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, had eight birdies and an eagle on the Del Monte Golf Course.

The 36th annual event features players from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Nationwide tours as well as mini-tour players and amateur foursomes.

Christina Kim and Mi Hyun Kim are co-leaders after both turned in bogey-free rounds of five-under 67 on a breezy day at Trump International at West Palm Beach, Fla., one shot ahead of Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer.

Lorena Ochoa finished with a 70 and was in seventh place, five shots ahead of the projected cut.

The cut will be made to 16 players after today and the slate will be wiped clean.

After Saturday, the cut will be made to eight players and their scores again erased, leading to an 18-hole shootout Sunday for $1 million.

SOCCER

Emilio is named MVP of the MLS

D.C. United forward Luciano Emilio was named most valuable player in Major League Soccer, completing a season in which he became the league’s first 20-goal scorer in five years.

The 28-year-old Brazilian finished ahead of Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls and Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire in voting by coaches, general managers, players and media.

Emilio helped lead United to the league’s best record in the regular season, but the club lost its first-round playoff series to Chicago.

TENNIS

Ferrer beats Gasquet in the Masters Cup

David Ferrer overwhelmed Richard Gasquet, 6-1, 6-1, to win the Gold Group and clinch a semifinal berth in the Masters Cup at Shanghai, China.

Gasquet was eliminated from the season-ending tournament, and the result allowed Rafael Nadal to advance as well.

Ferrer needed only 59 minutes to beat Gasquet, who never got his game going.

Earlier, Nadal defeated No. 3 Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4.

JURISPRUDENCE

Former Indy 500 driver is going to prison

Former Indianapolis 500 driver David D. “Salt” Walther was sentenced to three years in prison for leading police on a chase at speeds of up to 100 mph.

Judge Stephen Wolaver sentenced the 59-year-old Walther after a jury convicted him of failing to comply with an order or signal of a police officer after a two-day trial in Xenia, Ohio.

MISCELLANY

Nyingifa, Gardner sign with the Bruins

The UCLA women’s basketball team announced the signings of Atonye Nyingifa and Rebekah Gardner.

Nyingifa, a 5-foot-11 guard from Redondo Union High who averaged 16.8 points and 11 rebounds season, is ranked as the sixth-best guard in the nation by hoopgurlz.com.

Gardner, a 5-10 senior guard from Chino Hills Ayala, averaged 22.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.2 steals last season.

She was named Southern Section Division II-A player of the year.

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Longtime Roush Fenway Racing general manager Max Jones has moved to Yates Racing as a co-owner and general manager, with veteran crew chief Robbie Reiser stepping into his former job.

Jones, a former road racer, became general manager for Jack Roush’s team in 1992.

During his tenure the team has won the 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup title, as well as championships in the Craftsman Truck Series, road racing and, this year, the Busch Series title with Carl Edwards.

U.S. ice dancers Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov withdrew from Cup of Russia, saying they need more time to recuperate from injuries suffered in a fall earlier this month.

World figure skating champion Brian Joubert pulled out of the Trophee Bompard because of illness.