Francis wins 400; Felix third
Phyllis Francis of the United States upset the favorites to win the 400 meters at the world track and field championships on a cold and wet Wednesday in London.
Olympic champion Shaunae MillerUibo of the Bahamas looked poised to win gold until she appeared to be injured in the final meters. Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain swept past Allyson Felix in the final meter to lunge at the line for silver, ahead of the American veteran.
Francis finished in 49.92 seconds, .14 seconds ahead of Naser. Felix took third in 50.08 and Miller-Uibo was fourth.
“At the finish line I was surprised. I thought I was second or third,” Francis said. “But then they told me, ‘You are first.’ That is crazy.”
Earlier, Isaac Makwala made the most of a belated chance to compete in the 200 and qualified for the final after being quarantined for a stomach virus that caused him to miss the 400. The Botswanan was first allowed to race alone on the track ahead of the evening session, two days after the other sprinters did so. He finished in 20.20 seconds, .33 seconds under the qualifying mark, then qualified second in his heat in 20.14.
The biggest surprise of the night came in the 400 hurdles, when 21-year-old Karsten Warholm of Norway held off Yasmani Copello of Turkey and Kerron Clement of the U.S. for gold in 48.35 seconds.
The Lakers signed center Stephen Zimmerman and guard Briante Weber to partially guaranteed contracts. The 7-foot Zimmerman, 20, played in 19 games last season with the Orlando Magic. Weber, 24, a 6-2 point guard, played in 13 games with Charlotte.
The wife of Clippers center Willie Reed issued a statement in which she requested that the alleged domestic violence charge against her husband be dropped. Reed was arrested Sunday morning on suspen- sion of misdemeanor battery, according to Miami-Dade jail records, against his wife, Jasmine Reed, at the couple’s condominium in Miami.
“This incident has been totally blown out of proportion,” she said in a statement released by her attorney. — Broderick Turner
The Brooklyn Nets will travel to Mexico City in December for two regular-season games as part of the 25th anniversary of the first NBA game in Mexico. The Nets will play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7 and the Miami Heat on Dec. 9.
Former Mississippi football coach Houston Nutt’s civil lawsuit against the school and its athletics foundation was dismissed by a federal judge. The onepage filing said the federal court “lacks jurisdiction under the pleadings as presented” and the suit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers.
Top-seeded Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer cruised to easy victories in their opening matches at the Rogers Cup in Montreal . ... Andy Murray has pulled out of next week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati because of an ongoing hip injury. The top-ranked Murray hopes to be ready for the U.S. Open.
Qatar is scrapping visa requirements for visitors from 80 countries as it weathers a boycott by four Arab states and gears up to host the World Cup in 2022.