Gay runs 100 at nationals in 9.75 In the lead with 61

Tyson Gay has run the preliminary round of the 100-meter dash at the U.S. championships in a wind-aided time of 9.75 seconds at Eugene, Ore.

Gay, planning to run only one heat, got a slow start out of the blocks in Thursday’s race but accelerated past the finish line to win the heat by 0.23 of a second.

The time was .02 of a second faster than the American record he set at Hayward Field in Eugene last year, but because Gay had strong wind behind him, the time will not go down as a record.

Gay, who automatically qualifies for the world championships because of the title he won there in 2007, has said he did not plan on running in today’s semifinals, or in the 200, where he also has an automatic bid.

Earlier, Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay withdrew from the meet because of an injured left hamstring, a decision that could force him to shut down his 2009 season.

GOLF

Perry shoots 61 to tie course record

Kenny Perry shot a 61 to tie the course record and take a two-shot lead after the first round of the PGA’s Travelers Championship at Cromwell, Conn.

Perry, who has finished in the top 10 seven times at this tournament, shot a 29 on the front nine, and had no bogeys. He flirted with a 59, before making par on the final two holes.

Charles Warren and Paul Goydos each shot seven-under par 63s to tie for second place. --

Germany’s Sandra Gal kept loose over a game of chess during a rain delay and shot an eight-under 64 to lead Jiyai Shin by one stroke before darkness suspended first-round play at the Wegmans LPGA at Rochester, N.Y.

PRO FOOTBALL

Chiefs add depth with Brown

The Kansas City Chiefs added depth to the defensive backfield, signing former Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown.

Brown played nine seasons with the Chicago Bears, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2005.

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The Detroit Lions signed center Dominic Raiola to a four-year contract extension, putting the 6-foot-1, 295-pound starter under contract through the 2013 season.

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Seahawks fullback Owen Schmitt has apologized for “poor judgment” after being arrested Saturday in a Seattle suburb on suspicion of drunk driving.

HOCKEY

Fedorov leaving to play in Russia

Nineteen years after defecting from the Soviet Union, Sergei Fedorov is leaving the NHL to play in his homeland.

The 1994 league most valuable player and three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings has signed a two-year contract with Russian club Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. Fedorov played for Washington last season.

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As expected, Canada hired Mike Babcock to coach its hockey team in the 2010 Olympics. His staff includes Ken Hitchcock, Lindy Ruff and Jacques Lemaire.

ETC.

Mayfield denies ever taking drugs

Jeremy Mayfield denied ever taking methamphetamine, doesn’t know how he failed a random drug test and said his indefinite suspension from NASCAR has ruined his driving career.

Mayfield’s denial comes in an affidavit that was among several hundred pages of documents filed by his attorneys in U.S. District Court. He has been suspended since May 9 for failing a random drug test.

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Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto will not be suspended by Major League Baseball or his team after testing positive for marijuana at this year’s World Baseball Classic. . . . The University of Alabama said it has taken the first step toward appealing a ruling by the NCAA that forced the Crimson Tide football program to vacate 21 wins. . . . Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will return to the Tour de France in the unfamiliar role of support rider after his Astana team chose 2007 winner Alberto Contador as its leader for the race. . . . German swimmer Britta Steffen set a world record of 52.85 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle at a meet in Berlin.