Briefs | Liquigas rider Di Luca prevails in Giro d'Italia

Cycling

Di Luca takes 21-stage race: Italian cycling needed a new star after Ivan Basso, the 2006 Giro d'Italia champion, acknowledged his involvement in a blood-doping scandal.

It got one Sunday in Milan, Italy, when Danilo Di Luca, who rides for the Liquigas team, won the 90th edition of the prestigious event.

Di Luca completed the 2,166-mile, 21-stage Giro in 92 hours, 59 minutes, 39 seconds. Team CSC rider Andy Schleck was second, 1:55 behind.

"I'm not sure it's all down to me, but this Giro has certainly given a strong signal that cycling is still loved," the 31-year-old Di Luca said.

Basso acknowledged to Italian authorities that he had given blood samples to Eufemiano Fuentes, a doctor at the center of the scandal who has been accused of running a blood-doping clinic in Madrid, Spain.

Di Luca wore the leader's pink jersey for 12 legs.

Milram rider Alessandro Petacchi won the 115-mile final leg from Vestone in 5:18:54.

Landis competes: American Floyd Landis finished eighth in a time trial at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colo., where he raced for the first time since winning the Tour de France last year. Landis tested positive for synthetic testosterone at the Tour de France and might have the title taken away.

Soccer

Fans die as crowd rushes from stadium: At least 12 fans were crushed to death as a crowd rushed from the stadium Saturday in Chililabombwe, Zambia, after Zambia's victory in an African Cup qualifier.

Some fans were in a hurry to leave because the match against Republic of Congo, which Zambia won 3-0, started an hour late, the state-owned Sunday Times reported. The newspaper said three women and nine men died.

Dynamo wins in MLS: Joseph Ngwenya scored from 22 yards in the 66th minute to give the host Houston Dynamo a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in a Major League Soccer match.

In another MLS match, the Chicago Fire beat the visiting Columbus Crew 3-2.

Running

Yego rocks: Daniel Yego of Kenya won the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 4 seconds. Countryman Christopher Cheboiboch was second in 2:10:58. The top Washington finisher was DuPont's Shawn Dodge, 38th in the men's race.

Hellen Kimutai of Kenya won the women's race in 2:32:40.

Horse racing

Nashoba's Key beats filly co-owned by Todaro: Nashoba's Key beat Hystericalady by three-quarters of a length to win the Grade II Milady Breeders' Cup at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

Nashoba's Key, a 4-year-old filly trained by Carla Gaines and ridden by Joe Talamo, ran 1-1/16 miles in 1 minute, 42 seconds. She paid $12.80 to win in the $186,100 race. Hystericalady, sent off at 9-10 odds, is co-owned by George Todaro of Seattle.

Pletcher ponders Belmont options: Trainer Todd Pletcher said he will wait until at least today before deciding whether filly Rags to Riches will challenge males in Saturday's Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N.Y.

Another possible Belmont starter trained by Pletcher is Circular Quay, who was sixth in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Preakness.

Sailing

Emirates Team New Zealand goes ahead 3-0: Emirates Team New Zealand relied on superior speed to beat Luna Rossa of Italy and extend its lead to 3-0 in the best-of-nine Louis Vuitton Cup final in Valencia, Spain, after losing the start for the first time.

Emirates Team New Zealand used a strong right-hand wind shift to take the lead and increased it until winning by 1 minute, 38 seconds. The Louis Vuitton Cup winner faces defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland for the America's Cup in Valencia.

NFL Europa

Pickett on target: Ex-Washington Huskies quarterback Cody Pickett completed 28 of 38 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown to help the Rhein Fire beat Amsterdam 41-38 in Cologne, Germany. Andrew Pace and Carlos Hendricks returned interceptions for Fire TDs.

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