Sports Briefs

GYMNASTICS

Americans Sloan, Bross take top two spots

LONDON - The Americans are making a habit of this 1-2 thing.

Bridget Sloan edged teammate Rebecca Bross for the title at the world gymnastics championships last night, just as Nastia Liukin beat Shawn Johnson for the Olympic gold medal last summer in Beijing. And it couldn't have been closer, with Bross' fall on her final tumbling pass on floor, the last event, the difference.

Sloan, the lone holdover from the U.S. team that won the silver medal in Beijing, finished with 57.825 points. Bross, competing at her first world championships, scored 57.775 points.

Koko Tsurimi gave Japan a rare medal in the women's all-around, winning the bronze.

GOLF

Campbell, Matteson share PGA lead

LAS VEGAS - Chad Campbell closed with an eagle on the par-5 ninth for a 9-under 62 and a share of the second-round lead with Troy Matteson in the PGA's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Campbell also had seven birdies in his bogey-free round in warm conditions at TPC Summerlin. Matteson followed his career-best 62 with a 67 to match Campbell at 13-under 129. In other golf:

• Dan Forsman had six consecutive birdies en route to an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Champions Tour's Administaff Small Business Classic at The Woodlands, Texas. John Cook was second after opening with a 65.

TENNIS

Nadal advances after Ljubicic retires

SHANGHAI - Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters, benefiting from yet another retirement when Ivan Ljubicic became the eighth player to quit while playing in the tournament this week.

Nadal and Ljubicic split the first two sets, with the top-seeded Nadal losing the first. The match ended 3-6, 6-3 when Ljubicic retired with a left hip injury.

In the semifinals, Nadal will face Feliciano Lopez, who eliminated ninth-seeded Robin Soderling 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Second-seeded Novak Djokovic rebounded to beat eighth-seeded Gilles Simon 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Djokovic will next play Nikolay Davydenko, who defeated Radek Stepanek 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. In other tennis:

• Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki defeated Aleksandra Wozniak 6-2, 6-7 (7-1), 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of the Japan Women's Open in Osaka. Wozniak will face Samantha Stosu, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Jill Craybas. The other semi will pit Sania Mirza against Francesca Schiavone.

• Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta beat Ioana Raluca Olaru 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies in Linz, Austria. Pennetta will face either No.3 Yanina Wickmayer or No.8 Sara Errani in the semifinals. Agnieskza Radwanska and Petra Kvitova also advanced.

NFL

Ex-L.A. Rams back Cullen Bryant dead

LOS ANGELES - Cullen Bryant, who spent 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and was a running back on their 1980 Super Bowl team, has died. He was 58.

Unknown to his family, Mr. Bryant had been under a doctor's care when he died Tuesday at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., said his sister-in-law. She did not supply other details.

Mr. Bryant was the Rams' second-round draft pick in 1973. He played with the team until 1982, was with the Seattle Seahawks in 1983 and 1984 and returned to the Rams for his last pro season in 1987. In 13 NFL seasons, Bryant scored 23 rushing and receiving touchdowns and ran back kickoffs for three others. He ran for 3,264 yards in 849 carries, and caught 148 passes for 1,176 yards.

NBA

Williams set to face 2nd manslaughter trial

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - A ruling by a New Jersey judge set the stage for a second manslaughter trial for former NBA star Jayson Williams, whose lawyers argued that a racial slur and other misconduct by the prosecutor's office should result in dismissal.

State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman upheld Williams' convictions for covering up the shooting death of a hired driver and rejected attempts to dismiss a retrial early next year on the manslaughter charge. Williams' retrial is scheduled to begin in January.

OLYMPICS

Only 3 cities interested in 2018 Winter Games

LONDON - Three cities - two from Europe and one from Asia - have applied to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, the smallest bidding field in three decades.

The German city of Munich, the French lakeside town of Annecy and the South Korean resort of Pyeongchang submitted their preliminary bids to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, by yesterday's deadline.

ELSEWHERE

• The United States remained at No.11 while Brazil again was on top of the latest world rankings published by FIFA. Spain is second, followed by The Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

• The Columbus Blue Jackets placed defenseman Jan Hejda (sprained right knee) on injured reserve. He's expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.

• The Dallas Stars placed center Steve Ott on injured reserve with a rib cage muscle injury.

AROUND THE STATE

Fargo-Moorhead outfielder Nic Jackson (Collegiate High, University of Richmond) was named the player of the year in the independent Northern League. Jackson, 30, hit .310 with 17 home runs and a league-leading 97 RBI. - From Staff and Wire Reports