ATLANTA — LaShawn Merritt was pessimistic about the chances of defending his Olympic title in London. The 400-meter champion figured it would be difficult to overturn a doping rule that banned him from the next Summer Games. When his agent called Thursday morning, he expected the worst.
“I knew the ruling was coming out soon,” Merritt said. “I didn’t want to pick up.”
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport threw out the IOC rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Summer or Winter Games. The court said the rule is “invalid and unenforceable” because it amounts to a second penalty, clearing the way for Merritt and dozens of other athletes around the world — as many as 50 in track and field — to compete in London.
Merritt completed his 21-month suspension in July after testing positive for a banned substance found in a male-enhancement product. In August, he finished second at the world championships in South Korea, but the IOC rule would have prevented him from running at the Olympics.
“Today is a good day for me,” Merritt said. “To be able to go back and defend my title at the Olympic Games, there’s nothing better than that.”
Ex-landlord sues Lincecum for $350,000 in damages
SAN FRANCISCO — The former landlord for San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum filed a lawsuit against the pitcher seeking $350,000 in damages, claiming the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner stole and destroyed items in the apartment he rented.
Mindy Freile alleges that after Lincecum’s lease expired Feb. 28, he returned to living in the unit and “broke, stained, defaced, tore, injured or destroyed” her property. The lawsuit alleges Lincecum occupied the unit without permission through May 13.
Freile, who said she had been trying to evict Lincecum, later entered the unit and found the damages. She said Lincecum failed to pay rent on time and stole and destroyed household properties such as “bedding, doors, carpet, pillows, kitchenware, linens, furniture, household appliances, art work, decorations, patio furniture, lights, lamps and mirrors.”
A case management conference is scheduled for March 9.
Footnotes.
Prosecutors dropped a marijuana possession charge against NBA center Marcus Camby after his arrest during a traffic stop last month in Texas.
• Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly will begin treatment for what the university says is an invasive cancerous lesion on his vocal cords.
• University at Buffalo men’s basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon signed a two-year contract extension through the 2015-16 season.
• Beijing Olympic captain Alicia Sacramone was not included in the U.S. women’s lineup for qualifying at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo after injuring her right Achilles tendon during training.
• Wladimir Klitschko (56-3) will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against French challenger Jean-Marc Mormeck (36-4) in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Dec. 10. The Associated Press
