figure skating
Japan's Asada wins women's title Mao Asada of Japan won the women's title at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday night at Göteborg, Sweden, overcoming a big fall going into a planned triple axel.
Italy's Carolina Kostner won the silver, despite putting her hands down twice on jumps. South Korea's Kim Yu-na, who missed a competition last month because of a hip injury, took the bronze.
All three American skaters fell at least once, and their stumbles will cost the United States at next year's world championships. Former world champion Kimmie Meissner was seventh, Bebe Liang was 10th and Ashley Wagner was 16th.
That means the United States will have only two spots at next year's championships, which determine how many slots a country gets at the Vancouver Olympics.
Earlier on Thursday, Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France widened their lead in the ice dancing competition.
COLLEGE
Illinois AD might get new deal University of Illinois trustees will consider giving athletic director Ron Guenther a $75,000-a-year raise and extending his contract by two years. Trustees will consider University president Joseph White's recommendation next Thursday. Guenther's salary would be $600,000 a year and his contract would run through 2010.
SOCCER
Report: Beckham has option to buy franchise David Beckham has an option to buy an MLS franchise when his five-year Los Angeles Galaxy contract expires after the 2011 season, according to a CBS "60 Minutes" profile scheduled to air Sunday. Simon Oliveira, Beckham's spokesman, said Beckham had no comment.
TENNIS
Serbians win Novak Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(5), 6-2 and fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic beat Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-4 to gain the Pacific Life Open semifinals at Indian Wells, Calif. Lindsay Davenport lost the first set 6-2 and retired from her match against Jelena Jankovic because of a back problem.
