Oliver strikes hurdles gold in Moscow

Track and Field: Over 10 hurdles, David Oliver had no trouble.

Stepping past a tiny steel beam jutting from the floor inside Luzhniki Stadium soon after winning a gold medal? Now that proved more difficult.

His trouble began after his nearly flawless 110-meter hurdles Monday night at the world championships in Moscow. Oliver tripped and tumbled to the ground but quickly picked himself up and rubbed his stinging knee. His comic touch, however, was still intact: At least, he said, his misstep happened after the race.

For years, injuries have halted Oliver in the hurdles. For years, he’s struggled to find his rhythm. It all came together when he finished just ahead of teammate Ryan Wilson.

Had it not been for a trip over the final hurdle, defending champion Jason Richardson could have grabbed the last spot on the podium. But his stumble opened the door for Sergey Shubenkov of Russia to slip into the third spot – much to the delight of the Moscow crowd.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce cruised to the women’s 100-meter title. The two-time Olympic champion is just as dominant these days as Jamaican teammate Usain Bolt.

Fraser-Pryce took off out of the blocks and there was simply no catching her. She finished in a world-leading time of 10.71 seconds to beat Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast. Defending champion Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. finished with the bronze.

With three more medals Monday, the Americans increased their overall lead to six for the championships.

• Walker places fourth: Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany won the men’s pole vault at the world championships, beating Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France.

Both Holzdeppe and Lavillenie jumped 19 feet, 3 3/4 inches, but the German won because of fewer misses.

Bjoern Otto of Germany, the silver medalist at the London Olympics, was third after clearing 19-1. University High graduate and 2007 world champion Brad Walker placed fourth with a similar mark. Walker currently holds the American outdoor record in the pole vault, which he set in 2008 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic with his clearance of 19 feet, 9 3/4 inches.

Dillon takes Stewart’s place in SHR Chevy

Auto racing: Stewart-Haas Racing has tabbed Austin Dillon to drive Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet this week at Michigan International Speedway.

Stewart continues to recover from a broken right leg suffered in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) continues to field his No. 14 Chevrolet SS in the Sprint Cup Series. It will be Dillon’s 10th Sprint Cup start.

Brown tabbed as new 76ers head coach

Basketball: Four months later, the Philadelphia 76ers have a new coach.

The Sixers have hired San Antonio assistant Brett Brown to replace Doug Collins, who resigned in April.

New general manager Sam Hinkie took quite a while looking for a replacement before choosing Brown, who was part of three NBA title teams with San Antonio. The 52-year-old Brown was an assistant under Gregg Popovich since 2002. He also coached the Australian men’s national team from 2009-12, and played a key role in helping Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker develop into All-Stars with the Spurs.

Brown is the franchise’s 24th coach and eighth since Larry Brown resigned in 2003.

Hurricanes, Cardinals change signing rules

College football: The fallout from the Johnny Manziel autograph allegations prompted Louisville and Miami to announce changes to their signing policies Monday.

At Miami’s annual CanesFest on Saturday, the Hurricanes will be signing only school-issued posters and nothing else. And when Louisville has its Fan Day on Sunday, players won’t be permitted to sign anything in response to what Cardinals coach Charlie Strong called “a national problem.”

Both schools said the moves are being made because of ongoing concerns about college athletes and autograph sales, and neither mentioned Manziel by name. ESPN reported earlier this month that Manziel, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is being investigated by the NCAA amid allegations that he took money in exchange for signing memorabilia.

If true, Manziel’s eligibility and Heisman standing would both be jeopardized.

• Cal player hospitalized: California safety Avery Sebastian has movement in all his extremities after being taken to the hospital following a hard collision during a scrimmage at Memorial Stadium that appeared to leave him immobilized.

The school released a statement saying Sebastian was resting at Highland General Hospital in Oakland and was expected to be released soon.

Hockey prospect dies after collapsing

Miscellany: A 16-year-old prospect for a junior hockey team died while skating during practice in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

The team, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, said in a statement that Jordan Boyd collapsed on the ice and was taken to the hospital. The team’s medical staff tried to revive him several times while he was on the ice. An autopsy has been ordered.

The club added that Boyd had a medical evaluation before training camp and didn’t appear to have health issues that prevented him from playing.

• Judge upholds verdict: A federal judge in Louisville, Ky., upheld a $338,000 verdict against the website thedirty.com, saying the operator of the site “played a significant role” in developing the content that libeled a former Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleader.

U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman concluded in a 12-page ruling that under the federal Communications Decency Act, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based gossip website and its founder, Hooman Karamian, are not exempt from responsibility for what is posted. Passed in 1995 by Congress, the law was designed in part to provide immunity to website publishers from liability for content that comes from third parties.