Briefs | Muslim runner barred over uniform

High schools

Track star disqualified because of her Muslim clothing: A Washington, D.C., track star has been disqualified from a meet because officials said the outfit she wears to conform to her Muslim faith violated competition rules.

Juashaunna Kelly, a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School, has the fastest mile and 2-mile times of any girl runner in the city this winter. She was disqualified from Saturday's Montgomery Invitational indoor meet.

Kelly was wearing the same uniform she has worn for three seasons while running for Theodore Roosevelt's cross-country and track teams. The custom-made, one-piece, blue and orange unitard covers her head, arms, torso and legs. Over the unitard, she wears the same orange and blue T-shirt and shorts as her teammates.

Meet director Tom Rogers said the uniform violated rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Uniforms are required to be "a single-solid color and unadorned, except for a single school name or insignia no more than 2 ¼ inches," he said.

Track and field

Marion Jones apologizes for mistakes: Marion Jones said seeing the pain her family and friends endured after she admitted using performance-enhancing drugs outweighed the impact of returning her Olympic medals.

The former gold medalist appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," her first television interview since being sentenced last week to six months in prison for lying to investigators about steroid use and a check-fraud scam.

"I want people to understand that, you know, everybody makes mistakes. ... I truly think that a person's character is determined by their admission of their mistakes and then beyond that, what do I do about it?" Jones said. "How can I change the lives of people? How can I use my story to change the life of a young person?"

Winfrey pressed Jones on the repeated, impassioned denials she made over the years. "You knew at that time, you knew were lying, right?" Winfrey said.

"I made a mistake. I made the choice, at that time, to protect myself, to protect my family," Jones said. "And now I've paid the consequences dearly."

Figure skating

Hamill returns to show: Former Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill, 51, returned to the national "Broadway on Ice" tour after taking time off for treatment for breast cancer.

Bowman to be buried today: The funeral for two-time U.S. champion Christopher Bowman, 40, will be today in Encino, Calif.

Hockey

Canadian female star retires: Danielle Goyette, who carried Canada's flag at the opening ceremony for 2006 Winter Games, announced her retirement. Goyette, 41, had 113 goals and 105 assists in 171 games with the national team. She won Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2006.

Boxing

Olympic future hinges on backup doping test: Former Golden Gloves lightweight champion Sadam Ali's Olympic future is in jeopardy while he awaits the backup "B" sample results from a doping test that came back positive for cathine, a banned stimulant found in some cold medicines.

Horse racing

Santa Anita to modify surface: Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., is changing its racing surface, hoping the additions will make the track easier on horses and hold up better in different weather.

The changes were prompted by the hardening and poor drainage of the synthetic surface.

Officials considered replacing the $11 million surface that was installed last fall with natural dirt. But president Ron Charles said a nationwide search failed to turn up the 20,000 tons of dirt needed in such a short time.

Charles said it will take up to 12 days to produce a stabilizing binder that will be mixed into the surface without having to remove or displace the track.

Arena football

San Jose signs former Linfield star: Former Linfield quarterback Brett Elliott has signed a free-agent contract to play for the Arena League's San Jose SaberCats. Elliott threw for 8,614 yards and 110 touchdowns in two seasons for Division III Linfield.

Seattle Times news services