Graham convicted in BALCO trial

The trial of track coach Trevor Graham netted steroids prosecutors another guilty verdict and a public admission of cheating from a gold medal-winning athlete. The jury in San Francisco yesterday convicted Graham of one count of lying to federal investigators about his relationship with an admitted steroids dealer, but deadlocked on the other two charges, when at least one juror had serious doubts about the credibility of the prosecution's star witness. Graham, who coached former star sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, is the second person from the BALCO scandal to be convicted at trial. Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty in April of lying to a federal grand jury when she denied taking steroids . . . After US Olympic gold medal sprinter Antonio Pettigrew admitted during Graham's trial he had doped more than 11 years ago, the IAAF is considering extending its limit on retroactive sanctions. "He has confessed he was doping since 1997. We have a rule saying that we cannot go over eight years," IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a conference call. "We have to look: Are we ready to have this rule changed?" Pettigrew was part of the winning 4 x 400-meter relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics . . . Justin Gatlin will find out next week if he can try to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it will release its verdict next Friday on the Olympic 100-meter champion's doping ban appeal.

Olympic gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm is already three days ahead of schedule in his recovery, his surgeon said. Hamm was able to make a fist when his bandages were removed, just two days after surgery to repair the broken bone in his right hand. "It was exciting from my standpoint. He had little to no swelling," said Dr. Lawrence Lubbers. "Our goal was to make a full fist within five days and he was pretty much making a full fist today." Hamm broke the bone below the base of the ring finger in his right hand one week ago in the final seconds of his parallel bars routine at the US championships.

Katie Douglas scored 25 points and Tan White added 20 as the host Indiana Fever fought to an 82-78 WNBA victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in double overtime . . . Seimone Augustus scored 17 points and tied a career high with nine rebounds to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Sky, 75-69, in Chicago . . . Louisville's Clarence Holloway has ended his career after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder marked by lengthened features and cardiovascular defects. The 7-foot-1-inch center had hoped to return in the fall after sitting out his freshman year following open-heart surgery to repair the wall of his aorta and the aortic valve.

Holly Tankersley hit a solo home run off NCAA wins leader Stacey Nelson in the eighth inning in Oklahoma City as Louisiana-Lafayette opened the Women's College World Series with a 3-2 upset of top-seeded Florida (67-4). Ashley Brignac struck out a career-high 15. The unseeded Ragin' Cajuns (52-13) advance to face fifth-seeded Texas A&M (55-7), which beat Virginia Tech, 1-0. UCLA (51-7) got an unearned run off Arizona ace Taryne Mowatt to beat the two-time defending champions, 1-0, and will face Arizona State, which defeated Alabama, 3-1 . . . Former University of Minnesota football player Dominic Jones was sentenced to a year in the county workhouse after being convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Luc Bourdon, a promising rookie defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, was killed when his motorcycle struck a tractor-trailer in a crash near his hometown of Shippagan, New Brunswick. He was 21. Bourdon was the first-round draft pick of the Canucks in 2005. He split time this season with the Canucks and the AHL's Manitoba Moose . . . Doug Armstrong, fired as the Dallas Stars' general manager in November, was hired by the St. Louis Blues as their GM-in-waiting. Armstrong was selected the vice president of player personnel and will become general manager in 2010. The Blues extended the contract of current GM Larry Pleau, whose wife is battling cancer, through 2009-10 . . . A doctor for pro wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife, their 7-year-old son, and himself faces 175 charges in a new indictment. Authorities in Atlanta have said Phil Astin prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks for a year leading up to the killings . . . Landon Donovan (sore groin) rejoined the Los Angeles Galaxy before this weekend's MLS match at Toronto and is questionable for the US exhibition game vs. Spain next week . . . Sven Davidson, 79, Sweden's first Grand Slam event winner (1957 French) and a member of the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., died of pneumonia in Arcadia, Calif.