IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Athletics

Liu Xiang among headliners

NEW YORK: Hurdler Liu Xiang and sprinters Veronica Campbell-Brown and Lauryn Williams will be among the headliners at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31 on Randall's Island.

Organizers said on Monday that 1,500 seats are being added to Icahn Stadium to meet the expected demand in this Olympic year. The event was sold out last year.

Liu is the reigning Olympic and world champion, and holds the world record in the 110m hurdles. He won his event at Icahn Stadium last year.

Campbell-Brown is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the 100m. Williams was the silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka after a virtual tie with Campbell-Brown, and was the 2005 world champion at 100m and a 2004 Olympic silver medalist.

Soccer

Inter short of strikers

ROME: Serie A leader Inter Milan is likely to be short of strikers for Wednesday's home Italian Cup semifinal first leg with Lazio because of injuries and suspensions.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not expected to return from a knee problem while Julio Cruz and 17-year-old Mario Balotelli, who formed Inter's strike partnership in Sunday's 2-0 win over Fiorentina, are suspended along with Portuguese midfielder Pele.

The loss of in-form Balotelli is a big blow even though coach Roberto Mancini still has two quality forwards to call on in Hernan Crespo and David Suazo.

The youth-team product has scored four goals in the Cup so far and his cool finish on Sunday helped Inter maintain its four-point advantage in the league over AS Roma, which entertains Catania in the other semifinal first leg on April 16.

Basketball

Anthony charged with DUI

DENVER: NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony was arrested on Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence, hours after his worst game of the season.

Police said the Denver Nuggets forward was arrested on Interstate 25. He was pulled over for weaving and failing to dim his lights.

Detective Sharon Hahn said Anthony failed a series of sobriety tests. He was charged with DUI, then taken to police headquarters before being released to a "sober responsible party", Hahn said. Anthony is due in court on May 14.

Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets' vice-president of basketball operations, said the team was aware of the situation but declined comment.

Anthony apologized through his attorney, Dan Recht.

"Carmelo apologizes to his fans, the Denver community, his teammates and the Nuggets organization for the distraction this is causing them," Recht said.

Olympics

Robbins completes trial

SYDNEY: Controversial Australian rower Sally Robbins completed her final time trial for this year's Beijing Olympics in a double scull yesterday, Australian Associated Press reported.

Robbins was dubbed "Lay Down Sally" when she stopped rowing toward the end of the women's eights final at the 2004 Athens Games.

She was partnered by Catriona Sens, who was also in the women's eight four years ago, in windy conditions at the Sydney International Regatta Center.

Robbins has struggled this season and could miss out on selection for the Australian Olympic team, due to be named next Tuesday.

(China Daily 04/16/2008 page24)