Briefs | Ex-Husky Walker pole vaults to victory in Germany

Track and field

Walker prevails in pole vault: Brad Walker, a former Washington Huskies standout who lives in Mountlake Terrace, won the pole vault at 19 feet, 4 ¾ inches at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

Walker, 26, attempted to surpass the world record of 20-2 ¼ held by Sergey Bubka of Ukraine. Walker, the reigning world champion, didn't come close with the bar at 20-2 ½.

Sanya Richards, a 400-meter runner who lives in Austin, Texas, won in 49.27 seconds, matching her fastest time in the world for this season.

A week earlier, Richards posted the same time in Berlin to improve to 6 for 6 in IAAF Golden League races — and earn half of a $1 million jackpot. She split the $1 million prize with Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.

Cycling

Russian Menchov posts second victory in three years: Rabobank rider Denis Menchov of Russia won the Spanish Vuelta for the second time in three years, and Daniele Bennati captured the final stage in Madrid.

Menchov, who led since the ninth leg of the 21-stage event, finished in 80 hours, 59 minutes, 7 seconds, 3:31 better than runner-up Carlos Sastre of Team CSC.

Bennati competes for the Lampre-Fondital team.

Menchov was handed the 2005 Vuelta title after apparent winner Roberto Heras was stripped of it for testing positive for banned blood-booster EPO.

Rugby

Australia, New Zealand reach quarterfinals of Rugby World Cup: It was the day the Rugby World Cup masqueraded as two training matches.

Australia cruised to a 55-12 victory over Fiji in Montpellier, France. Tournament favorite New Zealand strolled to a 40-0 triumph over Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland.

There were plenty of tries and kicking practice for the powerhouse teams, but hardly any rugged tackles.

Australia and New Zealand joined South Africa in the quarterfinals.

Horse racing

Raise the Bluff finishes third: Raise the Bluff, runner-up to The Great Face in the Aug. 19 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in Auburn, finished third at 9-10 odds in the $121,250 Ralph M. Hinds Invitational Handicap at Fairplex Park in Pomona, Calif. Plug Me In ($9.60 to win) beat Courtly Jazz by a length in the race of about 1-1/8 miles.

Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett owns Raise the Bluff and The Great Face.

Celtic Dreamin dominates: Celtic Dreamin ($8.50 to win) took the $263,570 B.C. Breeders' Cup Derby at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, B.C., beating 26-1 runner-up Gandolf by 5-½ lengths.

Wrestling

Icho adds to gold collection: Athens Olympics champion Kaori Icho of Japan won her fifth straight gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships, defeating Yelena Shalygina of Ukraine 3-0 at 138.5 pounds in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Skateboarding

White triumphs: Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White, 21, clinched his first Dew Cup season title, finishing third in the Skateboard Vert in the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City.

NHL

Ducks blank Canucks: Stanley Cup champion Anaheim ended its exhibition season with a 5-0 victory over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.

Steroids

124 arrested: Federal agents raided more than four dozen underground drug labs and arrested 124 people in 27 states during an 18-month crackdown on Chinese steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs that reached its culmination in the last four days, Drug Enforcement Administration officials said.

Officials from major sport anti-doping bodies assisted throughout.

Seattle Times news services