Australian Open Not for Graf’s Itinerary

Steffi Graf, four-time winner of the Australian Open, will miss next month’s tournament because she still has not recovered from knee surgery.

Her manager, Hans Engert, did not say Monday when the former No. 1 would return to action but indicated that a tournament in Tokyo Feb. 2-8 could be Graf’s comeback event.

Eggert said Graf still was not in the shape required to play a two-week Grand Slam tournament.

Graf has not played a tournament since knee surgery in May and did not enter any of the Australian Open warm-up events.

Winter Sports

After winning the 3,000 Monday at the Pettit National Ice Center in West Allis, Wis., Kirstin Holum said she probably will quit after this season to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

Holum, 17 of Waukesha, Wis., has broken her American record for 3,000 meters three times this year, made the U.S. Olympic team and is on the brink of international stardom.

Also Monday, David Tamburrino of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., won the men’s 5,000-meter race in 6:52.28. The 3,000 and 5,000 were held to select the U.S. allround world team and did not count toward Olympic qualification.

Skaters at those distances make the Olympics based on World Cup competition. Holum, Jennifer Rodriguez of Miami and Catherine Raney of Elm Grove, Wis., have qualified for the 3,000. KC Boutiette of Tacoma, Wash., who did not skate Monday, and Tamburrino have qualified for the 5,000.

Based on results of the two races and previous competition, the three women who made the allround team, which competes in World Cup events, were Chris Witty of West Allis, Becky Sundstrom of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Rodriguez. The men’s squad includes Boutiette, Tamburrino and Jondon Trevena of Fort Collins, Colo.

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Austrian skiers swept the top four places in a World Cup downhill in Bormio, Italy.

World Cup leader Hermann Maier edged Andreas Schifferer by .03 seconds to earn his third season victory. Werner Franz was third, followed by Stefan Eberharter. Three other Austrians finished in the top 10.

Lasse Kjus of Norway was the top non-Austrian, placing fifth, .42 seconds behind the winner.

The sensational day for the Austrians could have been even better without the spill that stopped Josef Strobl and a damaged ski that halted Fritz Strobl, both downhill specialists.

Strobl bruised his right knee when he fell after clocking one of the fastest split times.

AJ Kitt, the only U.S. starter, finished 32nd, 2.66 seconds slower than Maier.

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Japanese ski jumpers dominated the opening event of the Four Hills tour in Oberstdorf, Germany, with Kazuyoshi Funaki winning the 120-meter World Cup competition, beating countryman Hiroya Saitoh.

Third after an initial jump of 116 meters, Funaki completed the competition with a 117-meter leap for a total score of 240.9 points and his first win of the season.

Swimming

The United States swimming team was subjected to blanket drug-testing at its training camp in Sydney, Australia, shortly after arriving for next month’s World Championships in Perth.

At the request of Australian Swimming, the International Swimming Federation began pre-competition testing to cover most of the swimmers in the tournament, The Australian newspaper reported.

Up to 500 swimmers will be tested when they arrive in Australia, said Alan Melchert, chief executive of the Perth organizing committee.

Miscellany

Martina Hingis, 17, who won three Grand Slam tennis titles and earned $3.4 million in 1997, was voted The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.