VAL D’ISERE, France — Two-time overall World Cup champion Bode Miller finished fifth Friday in a super combined in which Austrians Benjamin Raich and Marcel Hirscher went 1-2. Austria’s Romed Baumann nearly made it a sweep, sharing third place with Italy’s Manfred Moelgg.
“I didn’t feel very good,” Miller said. “But it was important that I get some points because I hadn’t scored a lot last year. We need to get our spots back and get back in the top 30.”
Teammate Ted Ligety, who won the Olympic combined at Turin, skidded off the course. He was leading by more than a second at the time. Ligety is seventh in the overall standings, the only American in the top 10.
Davis, Wolf improve records
KEARNS, Utah — American Shani Davis and Jenny Wolf of Germany lowered their world records in the final speedskating World Cup before the Vancouver Olympics.
Davis won the 1,500 meters in 1 minute, 41.04 seconds at the Utah Olympic Oval. The time bettered his old mark of 1:41.80 set March 6 at the same track. U.S. rival Chad Hedrick was second in 1:42.50.
Wolf skated 500 meters in 37 seconds, lowering her previous mark of 37.02 set Nov. 16, 2007, at Calgary.
Footnotes.
The Ice Edge Holdings investment group has signed a letter of intent to purchase the financially floundering Phoenix Coyotes from the NHL with a long-term commitment to keep the team in Arizona. The NHL board of governors could act on the ownership proposal at its meeting next week.
• The Carolina Hurricanes placed forwards Erik Cole and Chad LaRose on injured reserve. Cole is expected to miss up to three weeks because of an upper- body injury, and LaRose could be out up to four weeks with a lower- body injury.
• Athletic director Lew Perkins said he has not offered the vacant Kansas football coaching job amid reports the school is negotiating with Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh.
• Illinois fired almost half of Ron Zook‘s staff but said the fifth-year head football coach will keep his job in spite of a 3-9 season.
• In-Kyung Kim shot a 5-under-par 67 to take a three-stroke lead over Anna Nordqvist (65—205) after three rounds of the Dubai Ladies Masters in United Arab Emirates.
• Matthew Griffin shot a 3-under 68 for a 135 total and one-stroke lead over defending champion Geoff Ogilvy (66), Stuart Appleby (69) and Jason Norris (67) after the second round of the Australian PGA in Coolum.
• Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov increased his stake in Arsenal to more than 26 percent, keeping him in a battle with Stan Kroenke for control of the Premier League club. Kroenke, who owns the Avalanche, Nuggets and Colorado Rapids, remains the largest shareholder at 29.9 percent.
• Brian Ownby scored in the third minute of overtime to help Virginia defeat Wake Forest 2-1 in the NCAA men’s College Cup semifinals in Cary, N.C. The Cavaliers will play top-seeded Akron on Sunday for the championship, after the Zips beat North Carolina 5-4 on penalty kicks.
The Associated Press
