Fast Break
Cycling
Landis appeals doping case
Floyd Landis will appeal his doping case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, his last chance to retain his 2006 Tour de France title.
Emily Carhart, a spokeswoman for the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, said Wednesday that Landis had decided to appeal.
An arbitration panel ruled against Landis last month, upholding the results of a test that showed the American cyclist used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback Tour victory. That decision meant Landis must forfeit his title and is subject to a two-year ban.
In a news release on the Floyd Fairness Fund Web site, Landis said, “Knowing that the accusations against me are simply wrong, and having risked all my energy and resources – including those of my family, friends and supporters – to show clearly that I won the 2006 Tour de France fair and square, I will continue to fight for what I know is right.”
Track and field
Jones’ teammate lobbies for medal
One of Marion Jones’ relay teammates wants to keep the bronze medal she earned with the disgraced sprinter at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“I competed fairly, and I should not have to suffer the consequences for someone else’s bad decisions and choices,” Passion Richardson said on the CBS “Early Show.”
Jones returned her five Sydney Olympic medals Monday after admitting she took steroids. Now the International Olympic Committee must consider whether Jones’ relay teammates should lose their medals, too. The IOC executive board next meets in December.
“I’m not happy with the fact that my character is going to now come into question as to whether or not I was using steroids because I wasn’t,” Richardson said.
Richardson, Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards and Nanceen Perry competed with Jones on the 400-meter relay team. Both Edwards and Gaines have served doping bans since the 2000 Olympics.
College basketball
GU picked first; UI tabbed last
Gonzaga is picked to win its eight consecutive regular-season West Coast Conference men’s title by a narrow margin over Saint Mary’s in the coaches’ preseason poll. The Bulldogs received 61 points with five first-place votes, with the Gaels getting 59 points and the other three first-place votes. Following Saint Mary’s are San Diego, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pepperdine, Portland and Loyola Marymount.
The Idaho men were picked for ninth and last in the both the coaches’ and media polls. Utah State gets the nod in the coaches’ poll to take the title while New Mexico State is the media favorite.
In women’s preseason polls, coaches picked Gonzaga second behind San Diego, while the Idaho women were chosen ninth in the coaches’ poll and eighth by the media.