Gill walks out of prison, wants to run in Olympics

After 70 months in prison, runner Jonathan Gill embarked on life as a free man with dreams of Olympic gold.

"For some guys, just getting out of prison is their goal. My goal is to make the Olympic team, my running goals and other goals after that," he said. "So I still have many more dragons to slay."

Gill, 34, was released from Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem, Ore., on Thursday after completing a nearly six-year sentence for robbery.

Once a promising track standout in Michigan, Gill first came to Oregon to train with coach Dick Brown, but he struggled with alcoholism. He was already on probation for an earlier robbery in Southern California when he robbed Track Town Pizza in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 4, 1997.

Gill, who expects to run the 1,500 meters, is trying to make the U.S. Olympic team that will travel to Athens, Greece, next year. He plans to live and train with Brown in Eugene. Gill is likely to run his first competitive race Sept. 23.

• Maria Mutola of Mozambique won her fifth straight 800-meter race in the Golden League series yesterday at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland.

Mutola, the only person in the hunt for the $1 million Golden League jackpot, finished in 1 minute, 59.93 seconds. She needs a sixth and final victory in Brussels, Belgium, on Sept. 5 to win the money.

• Britain's Paula Radcliffe, world-record holder in the women's marathon, pulled out of the world championships of track and field because of a shin injury and bronchitis. Radcliffe would have been favored in the 10,000 meters at the event, which starts next weekend in Paris.

College basketball

Before he resigned last week as Baylor coach, Dave Bliss directed players to provide investigators with false information indicating that slain teammate Patrick Dennehy had paid his tuition by dealing drugs, according to conversations secretly recorded by an assistant coach, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

"What we've got to create here is drugs," Bliss said in one of the conversations, which were taped by assistant coach Abar Rouse with a concealed microcassette recorder on July 30-31 and Aug. 1.

College football

Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald did not practice, one day after injuring his left hamstring.

Tennis

Andy Roddick advanced to the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters, defeating Mariano Zabaleta 6-1, 6-2 in Mason, Ohio. Roddick will play Max Mirnyi, who beat Guillermo Coria 6-2, 7-5.

In other quarterfinal matches, Rainer Schuettler knocked off Robby Ginepri 6-2, 6-3, and Mardy Fish beat David Nalbandian 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

• French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Elena Bovina 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the Rogers AT&T Cup in Toronto.

Henin-Hardenne will play Elena Dementieva, who defeated defending champion Amelie Mauresmo 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The other semifinal will be between Paola Suarez and Lina Krasnoroutskaya. Suarez upset Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, and Krasnoroutskaya eliminated Katarina Srebotnik 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

• Monica Seles pulled out of the U.S. Open with a left-foot injury that has sidelined her since May and could end her career. The tournament starts Aug. 25.

Soccer

Dallas Burn forward Jason Kreis is out for the season with a torn ligament in his left knee.

Horse racing

Trainer Barclay Tagg said Funny Cide, this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, is unlikely to race in next Saturday's $1 million Travers at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Funny Cide developed a fever earlier this month and hasn't been eating as he normally does.

Gymnastics

A stomach virus has sidelined American Ashley Postell for the world championships in Anaheim, Calif.

Postell, the reigning world champion on the balance beam, has been sick most of the week.

Team coordinator Martha Karolyi decided to replace Postell with alternate Chellsie Memmel, who won the all-around title at the Pan American Games this month.

Competition at worlds starts today. The opening ceremonies were last night.

Paragliding

Scotty Marion, a U.S. national champion in 2001, is missing in the Swiss Alps after taking part in a long-distance competition. The 38-year-old from Salt Lake City disappeared Aug. 8 after taking off for a flight that was supposed to last several hours.

College baseball

Mike Sheppard, who was 998-540-11 at Seton Hall and saw 30 of his players reach the major leagues, retired after 31 seasons as coach of the Pirates. He is 67.

— Seattle Times news services