Skier Maier Returns to Racing

Hermann Maier skied his first race since nearly losing a leg in a motorcycle crash 18 months ago, and just failed to qualify for the second run of a World Cup giant slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland, won by Austrian teammate Hans Knauss.

Knauss won for the first time this season and was followed by world giant slalom champion Michael von Gruenigen of Switzerland and Kjetil-Andre Aamodt of Norway. Daron Rahlves was the top U.S. skier in 22nd place.

Maier, 30, silenced the Swiss crowd in the first run, making his long-anticipated comeback. He was looking only to qualify and finished 31st, one spot and 0.05 seconds from advancing to the second run.

Maier, who broke his right leg in August 2001, was clearly rusty, making uncharacteristic errors at nearly every gate.

“It’s a bit disappointing. I have to admit I was expecting to do a bit better,” he said. “But in reality, it’s a victory for me just to be back racing.”

The two-time Olympic champion had won the previous three times he competed on this difficult course.

Maier had been expected to make a comeback in October but re-injured his leg in August in Chile while gate skiing for the first time since the crash.

His previous race was a victory in a giant slalom March 10, 2001, at Are, Sweden.

“I wasn’t too nervous but I didn’t know how to run the course,” Maier said. “It’s a great course but it was tough for me, icy and hard. Last time, I attacked on the flat but this time I only skied it. I need to find my timing again.”

Jurisprudence

Tauleah Kelly, the girlfriend of former New York Giant player Jeremiah Parker, pleaded guilty in Paterson, N.J., in the beating death of her 4-year-old son and will testify against Parker.

Kelly, 21, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and child endangerment in the May 14, 2001 death of Elijah Kelly. Under a plea agreement, she will be sentenced in April to seven years in prison.

Elijah died two days after Parker found him motionless on the floor at the condominium the couple shared. Parker was not the boy’s father.

An autopsy revealed Elijah died of blunt force injuries to the head suffered over time, and prosecutors have said Kelly and Parker played a role in the death.

Parker, 25, who lives in California, was arrested shortly after the boy died and has been free on $300,000 bail. He is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 27 on charges of aggravated manslaughter, child endangerment, child cruelty and neglect. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Prosecutors say Parker hid signs that he abused the boy, contending that he tried to cover marks on the walls caused by belts or electrical cords used to hit Elijah.

Miscellany

Distance runner Bernard Lagat of Kenya has signed to compete in the 43rd Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet Feb. 15 at the Sports Arena.

Lagat has a best time of 3 minutes 26.34 seconds in the 1,500 meters -- the second fastest in history and equivalent to a 3:43.5 mile. He is rated second in the world behind Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, the world record-holder.

Lagat will be trying to become the first miler in the meet’s history to win the event five consecutive times.

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Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said he believes innocent athletes might be implicated because of a ruling that allows USA Track and Field to withhold the names of 13 people who failed drug tests from 1996-00.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland on Friday decided that rules by the International Assn. of Athletics Federations require members to provide the names of athletes who test positive for banned drugs.

But it said IAAF officials had refused or neglected to specify the rule to USATF, which stuck to its confidentiality policy.

The ruling means the names of the 13 athletes will remain confidential.

The case centered on an unidentified U.S. athlete who tested positive for steroids but was cleared on appeal and competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.