New HGH doping test is a step closer to final endorsement

A new test that can detect the use of human growth hormone for up to 21 days has been endorsed by international anti-doping officials, moving a step closer to a potential breakthrough against doping at next year’s London Olympics.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Chief Executive Travis Tygart told the Associated Press on Monday that the “biomarker” test for HGH won strong consensus among doping scientists and experts from around the world who attended a London symposium on detecting growth factors.

The test, which still needs final validation by the World Anti-Doping Agency, widely extends the detection window from the current “isoform” test, which can identify HGH use going back only 12 to 72 hours.

The new test, which also uses blood samples, can go back “anywhere from 10 days to 21 days” and could be a big deterrent against one of the most potent performance-enhancers in sports, Tygart said.

In addition to its possible use at the Olympics or in international sports, the test would also be valid for the NFL, whose players’ union has yet to agree to introduction of any HGH testing.

ETC.

Kemp, Trumbo up for awards

Matt Kemp of the Dodgers and Mark Trumbo of the Angels are the local nominees for the Hank Aaron Award, which honors the top offensive player in each league. Kemp led the National League with 39 home runs, 126 runs batted in and 115 runs. Trumbo, a rookie, led the Angels with 29 home runs and 87 RBIs.

The winner will be selected by fans, who can cast votes at mlb.com, as well as a panel of Hall of Fame members that includes Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Joe Morgan, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Robin Yount.

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UCLA teammates Reeves Nelson and Joshua Smith and UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson are among the 50 players on the John R. Wooden Award’s preseason list, announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

North Carolina leads the way with four players on the list, followed by Ohio State and Vanderbilt with three each. California, Connecticut, Memphis and Syracuse join the Bruins as teams with two players on the list.

The Wooden Award will be presented the weekend of April 6-8.

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Big 12 university leaders agreed to equally share the wealth from the conference’s most lucrative television deals if its members agree to lock those top-tier TV rights into the league for at least six years.

The league’s announcement was an encouraging sign for the long-term health of the conference, but it is no done deal. Missouri is considering leaving the Big 12, possibly for the Southeastern Conference, and the university’s board of curators is scheduled to meet Tuesday in St. Louis.

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Jason Line collected his sixth win of the season and second in NHRA’s playoffs during a rain-delayed final round in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.

Spencer Massey (top fuel), Robert Hight (funny car) and Hector Arana Jr. (pro stock motorcycle) also collected victories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Event.

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Andy Roddick lost to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, 6-4, 7-5, in the first round of the China Open at Beijing, a defeat the sixth-seeded American called “unacceptable.” Roddick then walked out of his news conference when asked about any retirement plans.