Briefly

Giorgio Rocca of Italy rallied from fourth place after the opening run to extend his perfect season record with a fifth straight World Cup slalom victory on Sunday in Wengen, Switzerland.

Rocca, who had 0.30 seconds to make up on the second run, won with a combined time of 1 minute, 42.28 seconds to join compatriot Alberto Tomba and Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark as the only men to have won five straight World Cup slalom races.

Overall leader Benjamin Raich, who was in front after the first run, straddled just three gates into the second leg. It was the fourth time this season that the Austrian led after the opening run of a slalom, only to have Rocca snatch victory after the final leg.

Overall World Cup champion Bode Miller was 20th after the opening run but climbed into eighth place in 1:43.67 after delivering the fastest second run.

•In Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Janica Kostelic won her first World Cup super-G and became the first woman to win six different disciplines on the skiing circuit.

•Hannu Manninen of Finland clinched his seventh World Cup victory of the season in Nordic combined, beating Austrians Mario Stecher and Felix Gottwald in the 7.5-kilometer event in Predazzo, Italy.

•Claudia Pechstein of Germany held off two Dutch skaters to win the women’s overall title at the European Speedskating Championships in Hamar, Norway.

•The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation announced its Olympic skeleton and women’s bobsled teams; the nine-member men’s bobsled team will be formally announced today.

Zach Lund, Eric Bernotas and Kevin Ellis were provisionally given Olympic skeleton spots. Katie Uhlaender secured the lone U.S. women’s skeleton spot. Vonetta Flowers, Jean Prahm, Shauna Rohbock and Valeria Fleming and Bethany Hart also earned Olympic nods.

•Pierre Lueders of Canada won his second straight World Cup bobsled event, setting a track record in the four-man race in Koenigsee, Germany.

•Philipp Schoch of Switzerland beat younger brother Simon in the final of the men’s parallel giant slalom in Plan de Corones, Italy, for his third World Cup snowboard win this season.

World Cup leader Daniela Meuli of Switzerland won the women’s parallel GS.

•Andre Florschuetz and Torsten Wustlich of Germany celebrated their first World Cup win this season, capturing a doubles race on the Olympic track in Igls, Austria. Silke Kraushaar of Germany won the women’s event.

•Christian Zorzi of Italy edged World Cup leader Tobias Angerer and Tore Ruud Hofstad in a dramatic sprint finish to win the men’s 40-kilometer relay race in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Finland took the women’s 20K relay ahead of Russia and Norway.

•Liv Grete Poiree of Norway beat Kati Wilhelm in a photo finish to win in a World Cup women’s 10-kilometer biathlon pursuit race in Ruhpolding, Germany.

BASEBALL

Statistics subject of suit

A company that runs sports fantasy leagues is asking a federal court to decide whether major leaguers’ batting averages and home run counts are historical facts that can be used freely or property that can be sold.

CBC Distribution and Marketing wants the judge to stop Major League Baseball from requiring a license to use the statistics.

The company claims baseball statistics become historical facts as soon as the game is over, so it shouldn’t have to pay for the right to use them.

Major League Baseball has claimed that intellectual property law makes it illegal for fantasy league operators to “commercially exploit the identities and statistical profiles” of big league players.

•The Reds and catcher Javier Valentin agreed to a one-year, $1.15 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

•Outfielder Juan Rivera and the Angels agreed on a two-year, $3,275,000 contract.

MISCELLANY

U.S. opens with Puerto Rico

The U.S. team will face Puerto Rico at the world basketball championships in August, providing a chance to avenge its lopsided loss at the Athens Olympics.

Sunday’s draw put the top-seeded U.S. team in Group D along with Slovenia, Italy, China and Senegal. The 24-team 2006 FIBA Men’s World Championship will be held Aug. 19-Sept. 3 in Japan

•French driver Luc Alphand won the Dakar Rally after finishing the final untimed leg of the race in Senegal. Marc Coma of Spain won the motorbike race.

•Florida State quarterback Wyatt Sexton has decided to quit football after sitting out the past season because of illness.