Tomita, Mizutori take gold, silver
Forget Russia and China, the United States has a new rival in men’s gymnastics – Japan.
Hiroyuki Tomita became the first Japanese in 31 years to win an all-around title at the world championships Thursday in Melbourne, Australia. Hisashi Mizutori of Japan took the silver and Denis Savenkov of Belarus was the surprising bronze medalist.
“I’m really, really happy,” Tomita said. “My target was gold and I reached it.”
The top American was U.S. national champion Todd Thornton in 20th place.
“It’s a learning process,” Thornton said. “I’ve just got to get back to the gym and get better.”
Tomita and Mizutori were part of the team that won Japan’s first team gold since 1976 at last year’s Olympics, and look set to return Japan to its former dominance.
Tomita finished with 56.698 points while Mizutori was at 55.349 and Savenkov at 55.112.
Women’s basketball
Tennessee victorious
Shanna Zolman scored 19 points and Candice Parker added 14 to lead No. 2 Tennessee to a 93-55 victory over ninth-ranked Michigan State in at the Paradise Jam tournament in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Lady Vols (3-0) will play Gonzaga today.
Olympics
IOC urges London
Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics were urged to avoid the mistakes and chronic delays of Greece in the years leading to the Athens Games.
Denis Oswald, head of the IOC commission overseeing London’s preparations, said both organizations want to learn from the 2004 Olympics.
“They were waiting too much until they really started to work,” Oswald said at a news conference in connection with a two-day planning seminar. “Athens was a city that needed much more work than a modern city like Atlanta (in 1996), so you had more work to do and less time to do it.”
“London also has a lot to do. … Seven years to organize a games is not too much.”
soccer
Best’s health failing
Soccer great George Best’s condition has deteriorated and he is unlikely to survive another 24 hours, his doctor said.
“I have to tell you that his hours are numbered now,” Dr. Roger Williams said outside Cromwell Hospital in London. “It is just not possible to recover.”
Miscellany
Alfredsson is captain
Helen Alfredsson will captain Europe in the 2007 Solheim Cup against the defending champion United States, the Ladies European Tour announced.
“President Fidel Castro criticized Cuban baseball players who have left the country for multimillion-dollar contracts in the major leagues, saying the island always finds better players to replace them.
“Japan, already hosting the 2006 men’s and women’s worlds, will host the women’s volleyball world championship in 2010.
“New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson admitted his claim to have been a pick of the Kansas City A’s in 1966 was untrue.
Richardson says he made the claim because he believed it to be accurate.