Sports Briefs February 4, 2013
Skiing
All through her career, Lindsey Vonn has been slowed by injuries at major championships - crashes and concussions; a sliced thumb and bruised shin.
This year, though, she feels as good as ever and the timing couldn't be better.
"I'm finally coming in healthy," Vonn said Sunday. "I'm definitely getting ready to get my game face on."
Next up are the world championships in Schladming, Austria. They begin Tuesday with the women's super-G, one of the races in which Vonn is the favorite.
This season, she took nearly a month off to fully recover from an intestinal illness that landed her in the hospital in November. She returned last month and won two races.
Vonn has been hit by injuries at her last five major championships.
With attention on her personal life intensifying, she will be surrounded by bodyguards at the Alpine skiing world championships.
An average of 30,000 fans per race are expected in this small Alpine village during the 13-day championships.
There has been online chatter about an alleged relationship between Vonn and Tiger Woods. She was asked by a local TV reporter whether the golfer would be coming to watch her ski.
"Oh, my god! I don't know," Vonn replied. "You should ask him."
The reporter then asked again, "in the name of Schladming."
"I have no idea. I have no idea," Vonn said, repeating herself with a big smile and giggles.
Her divorce from her husband of more than four years, Thomas, was completed last month.
Basketball
A North Dakota college men's basketball coach has notched his 400th career victory.
Valley City (N.D.) State University's Jeff Kaminsky reached that milestone Saturday when the visiting Vikings defeated Mayville State 68-49.
Kaminsky is in his eighth season at Valley City State, where he has compiled a record of 131-99. He previously coached at University of Wisconsin-Superior for 11 seasons.
Valley City is 19-5 this season.
Gus Kueber led the Vikings with 17 points in the win. Kueber transferred from Mayville to Valley City for his final season.
Tennis
Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci beat John Isner in five sets in Jacksonville, Fla., to force a fifth and deciding match against the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Bellucci beat his higher-ranked opponent 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3 to pull the Brazilians into a 2-2 tie with the Americans, leaving the second singles match later Sunday between Sam Querrey and Brazil's Thiago Alves to decide which team advances to the World Group quarterfinals against Serbia in April.
It was Brazil's second five-set victory in as many matches. After Isner and Querrey dominated the opening singles with straight-sets victories, Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares kept the Brazilians alive with a win over the world's No. 1 ranked doubles team of twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan on Saturday.
- Canada upset a short-handed Spain team in Vancouver, British Columbia, to reach the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup for the first time.
Fifteenth-ranked Milos Raonic defeated No. 82 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening reverse singles match to give Canada an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
Five-time champion Spain was missing Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro because of injuries and fatigue.
Canada will next play Italy in April.
Raonic and Frank Dancevic won their opening singles matches Friday to give Canada a 2-0 lead before Spain won the doubles Saturday.
Hockey
The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed defenseman Nikita Nikitin on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 29 and have recalled defenseman Nick Holden from their American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.
Nikitin, who has two assists and six penalty minutes in seven games this season, suffered an upper body injury at Minnesota on Jan. 29 and is expected to be sidelined up to a week.
- The Associated Press