DORTMUND, Germany - Russian Evgeni Plushenko won the men's title at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday, defeating French rival Brian Joubert with a technically daring program.
Joubert, who beat Plushenko at the European championships, was second after a strong program.
Johnny Weir was fifth and Michael Weiss sixth, the first time since 1994 that an American man failed to win a medal.
Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin continued a Russian tradition by capturing the pairs title Wednesday. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China, the two-time world champions, finished second despite winning the free skate with 12 6.0 scores.
COLLEGES: NCAA: Protect coaches
The NCAA has asked a court to rule coaches cannot be sued for defamation over information they give investigators. The NCAA and American Football Coaches Association asked a Tennessee court for the legal protection after a former Alabama recruit's family demanded Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer publicly retract statements he made about the player and his mother to NCAA investigators looking into alleged violations at Alabama. The NCAA claims Fulmer, the 2003 AFCA president, was abiding by its rules that coaches must cooperate with investigators. Also, the NCAA committee that put the Crimson Tide on probation for recruiting violations did not review any of the information Fulmer told investigators, an NCAA official said. Other SEC coaches also came forward to report problems they saw at Alabama, said Wally Renfro, spokesman for NCAA president Myles Brand.
SWIMMING: Auburn's Fred Bousquet broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle (21.10 seconds) at the NCAA Championships in East Meadow, N.Y. Teammate George Bovell shattered the world record in the 200 individual medley (1:53.93). The Tigers led the standings after the first day of the three-day meet with 211 points. Florida was fifth with 77. The Gators set school records in four of five events and earned 11 All-America honors.
GOLF: The Florida men are the top-ranked team in the GCAA/Precept coaches poll. The Gators, who have been No.1 the entire regular season, received 31 of 32 first-place votes and 799 points.
SOFTBALL: Natasha Jacob and Julie Tiggis each had home runs as host Florida State beat Florida International 5-1.
TENNIS: Williams to play Fed Cup
Serena and Venus Williams will play singles, and 47-year-old Martina Navratilova will play doubles with Lisa Raymond for the U.S. Fed Cup team, captain Zina Garrison said. The first-round best-of-five match is April 24-25 at Portoroz, Slovenia. Sidelined since left knee surgery Aug.1, Serena Williams plays Marta Marrero today at the Nasdaq-100 Open.
ET CETERA
BOXING: Charges were dropped against Samuel Velez and Nestor Alvarez-Ramos, who were accused of threatening Mike Tyson last year after he refused to give them his autograph. ... The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against promoter Cedric Kushner on charges he certified a false company financial statement.
HIGH SCHOOL: Former basketball player Jennifer Besler, who says she developed an eating disorder after her coach asked her to lose 10 pounds, won $1.5-million from a jury in Trenton, N.J. Jurors still must decide whether to award punitive damages.
HORSES: Djenius is the even-money morning-line favorite for the Grade II Diamond Derby for 4-year-old Arabians on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. ... Iceburg, with Alison Firestone aboard, won the $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series, Round VIII at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa.
