Sprinter Jenkins wins her appeal

Sprinter LaTasha Jenkins, a medalist at two track world championships, has become the first U.S. athlete to win an arbitration appeal of a doping charge brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

A three-member arbitration panel ruled the testing of her sample, given at a meet in Belgium, was not done in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency rules. She had tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in July 2006.

Jenkins, 29, provisionally suspended since October 2006, intends to resume her career and try to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, according to a release issued by the Valparaiso School of Law’s Sports Law Clinic, which defended her at an Oct. 29-30 hearing.

“It is a good day for athletes,” said Michael Straubel, director of the Sports Law Clinic.

Attempts to reach Jenkins were unsuccessful.

Straubel and four third-year Valparaiso law students argued that Jenkins’ test results were compromised because both labs analyzing her sample, in Ghent, Belgium, and Cologne, Germany, violated an international standard requiring tests be run by two different technicians.

According to the best available statistics, USADA had a 35-0 record in front of arbitration panels.

Although he declined to comment specifically on the Jenkins case, USADA Chief Executive Travis Tygart noted the result was the work of an independent panel.

“Our mission in every case has been a search for the truth, and as long as we have done our job to fulfill our mission we are satisfied with the outcome, whether it is a win or a loss,” Tygart said.

Jenkins won a silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2001 world indoor championships. She inherited the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the 2001 world outdoor championships when third finisher Kelli White of the United States was disqualified after admissions of doping.

-- Philip Hersh

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WINTER SPORTS

Miller returns to World Cup podium

Bode Miller was back on a World Cup podium Friday at Val Gardena, Italy, for the first time since breaking away from the U.S. Ski Team.

Miller was second in a super-G and just missed a successful title defense, finishing 0.02 of a second behind winner Didier Cuche. Miller’s previous best finish in 11 races this season was fourth in a super-combi last month in Beaver Creek, Colo.

Miller, of Bretton Woods, N.H., left the U.S. team before this season to train and race on his own. He now has to hire his own coaches and coordinate his own training and travel.

Cuche covered the Saslong course in 1 minute 36.62 seconds for his first victory of the season. Marco Buechel was third, 0.04 behind.

Benjamin Raich finished seventh and leads the overall standings with 441 points, followed by Cuche (373) and Daniel Albrecht (332), who fell but was not injured.

Miller jumped up from seventh to fourth overall with 274 points. Cuche took over the lead in the super-G standings from Raich, 184-161.

Michael Walchhofer, one of the pre-race favorites, finished 14th after making a big mistake on the top section. Walchhofer, the first skier on the course, said he couldn’t receive any course reports.

Thomas Morgenstern became the first ski jumper to post five consecutive World Cup victories at the start of a season. The Olympic champion overtook Austria’s Andreas Felder, who started the 1984 season with four victories, and Finland’s Janne Ahonen, who also had four wins at the start of 2004.

Morgenstern won the event at Villach, Austria, with two 95-meter efforts for a total of 249.5 points. Fellow Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer finished second, six points behind. Ahonen was third with 238.5 points.

Eric Bernotas of Avondale, Pa., and Katie Uhlaender of Breckenridge, Colo., won World Cup skeleton races at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y., with Bernotas setting track records in both of his heats.

Bernotas totaled 1 minute 48.98 seconds for two runs to earn his fourth World Cup victory and third on the one-mile, 20-turn course. Jon Montgomery finished second, 0.73 of a second behind Bernotas.

Uhlaender, second after the first run, had the fastest time of the second heat to win the women’s race in 1:52.60. The defending World Cup champion finished 0.37 of a second ahead of Michelle Kelly.

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COLLEGE SOCCER

Wake Forest to play Ohio State for title

Marcus Tracy led Wake Forest to the championship game in the NCAA Division I men’s tournament, scoring twice in the second half in the Demon Deacons’ 2-0 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech (14-4-5) at Cary, N.C.

The Demon Deacons (21-2-2) will play for the national title on Sunday against Ohio State, a 1-0 winner over Massachusetts.

Eric Edwards scored off a rebound in the 53rd minute to lead the Buckeyes (16-3-5) past the Minutemen (17-7-1).

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JURISPRUDENCE

Last of three Vick co-defendants sentenced

A fourth defendant was sentenced to two months in prison for his role in the dogfighting conspiracy that led to the downfall of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Tony Taylor of Hampton, Va., was the first man to plead guilty in the case and the last to be sentenced. Vick, who financed the “Bad Newz Kennels” operation, was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison. Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach and Quanis Phillips of Atlanta previously were sentenced to 18 months and 21 months, respectively.

Prosecutor Michael Gill asked U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson to sentence Taylor only to probation because of his cooperation with the government.

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MOTOR RACING

Kovalainen replaces Alonso at McLaren

Heikki Kovalainen replaced Fernando Alonso on the McLaren team for the upcoming Formula One season. He switches places with Alonso, who has moved to Renault. Kovalainen will team up with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

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BASEBALL

Dodgers’ Martin wins Canada’s O’Neill award

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award.

The honor is presented annually to the Canadian player who has excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.

Martin edged Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and pitchers Jeff Francis of the Colorado Rockies and Erik Bedard of the Baltimore Orioles.