Arum, 6 others escape injury in plane crash

A small jet carrying boxing promoter Bob Arum and six others overshot a mountain-airport runway yesterday and crash-landed as its wings caught fire. No one was seriously injured.

"The plane bounced, and the wings caught fire," said Arum, head of Top Rank, Inc.

"The cabin filled up with smoke, and the co-pilot opened the door and we exited the plane one-by-one. By the time I got out, there was a wall of fire surrounding the door. It was amazing my clothing didn't catch fire. Maybe it was because I was moving so fast. I'm fine."

The 70-year-old Arum had flown from Las Vegas to Big Bear Airport, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, to attend a media day for Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya is scheduled to defend his WBC super-welterweight title against Fernando Vargas on Sept. 14.

The Cessna Citation 550 twin-engine jet was landing at the small airport about 11:15 a.m., said Jerry Johnston, Federal Aviation Administration operations officer. The plane skidded off the end of the 5,850-foot runway, burst through a chain-link fence, crossed a road and skidded to a halt.

"It's a miracle everybody got out alive," Arum said.

Others on the plane were pilot Joseph Tophan; co-pilot Craig Terry; Scott Voeller, the marketing director at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas; H.C. Rowe, the director of events and entertainment for the resort; and sportswriters Royce Feour and Kevin Iole of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Feour blacked out and was taken to Bear Valley Community Hospital as a precaution, Arum said. Hospital spokeswoman Ann Haggard said the lone victim brought in from the crash was treated and released.

Tennis

Top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew from the Rogers AT&T Cup in Montreal, citing acute tendinitis in her left knee. She first injured her knee during practice Monday and aggravated the injury during practice yesterday.

Martina Hingis was victorious in her return from ankle surgery, beating Magui Serna 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. Hingis had an operation May 20 to repair ligament damage in her left ankle. She had surgery to repair three torn ligaments in her right ankle in October.

"It was a great first match, and I'm happy to go through," Hingis said.

• Arnaud Clement beat Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 7-5 to reach the second round of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis.

• Andre Agassi cruised into the third round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Noam Okun.

Agassi, a five-time champion of the event, set the tone early as he broke serve in the first game when Okun made a forehand error.

Todd Martin advanced to the second round by beating Stefano Galvani 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

NHL

The Dallas Stars signed free-agent forward Ulf Dahlen, 35, to a one-year contract. He had 23 goals and 29 assists in 69 games with the Washington Capitals last season.

• Toronto left wing Gary Roberts will miss the first four months of the season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders.

Roberts, 36, had 21 goals and 27 assists last season.

• The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed Sami Kapanen to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration with the All-Star forward.

Kapanen, 29, had career highs in goals (27), assists (42) and points (69) last season.

• Defenseman Bryan Berard, 25, signed with the Boston Bruins.

Berard had two goals and 21 assists while playing in all 82 games for the New York Rangers last season after missing more than a year with a serious eye injury. He was hurt March 11, 2000, playing for Toronto against Ottawa.

• Alexander Daigle, a former No. 1 draft pick who walked away from the sport two years ago, signed a tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins will pay Daigle, 27, a per-diem allowance and cover his living expenses at training camp. If Daigle makes the team, the Penguins will negotiate a contract with him.

College athletics

An Atlanta company, Baker-Parker, has interviewed more than 80 candidates to replace NCAA President Cedric Dempsey, who has said he will retire at the end of the year.

The search committee has not yet received the names, but expects the field to be narrowed later this month, said Tulsa President Bob Lawless, chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, which must approve the new president.

Figure skating

The International Skating Union has asked its 73 member federations to investigate whether any officials or athletes had links to a conspiracy to fix the results at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Track and field

Americans Kevin Toth and Adam Nelson swept the top spots in the shot put at the Helsinki Grand Prix in Finland.

Toth won with a throw of 69 feet, 4-3/4 inches. Nelson finished second at 69-0.

• The IAAF, international ruling body for the sport, has confirmed the three-year suspension of Belgian runner Mohammed Mourhit for failing a doping test. The 31-year-old Mourhit, holder of three European records, underwent an out-of-competition test on May 3 that showed the use of EPO, or erythropoietin, an illegal endurance-boosting substance.

Cycling

A French judge rejected a request to release the wife of Lithuanian Raimondas Rumsas from jail.

Edita Rumsas was jailed last month for allegedly transporting illegal doping products. Raimondas Rumsas finished third in the Tour de France.

Soccer

Portugal, which failed to advance past the first round of the World Cup this year, appointed Agostinho Oliveira as temporary coach of the national team.

— Seattle Times news services