U.S. speedskater suspended
Simon Cho is suspended for 2 years by the International Skating Union after he admitted tampering with a rivals skates.
AMERICAN OLYMPIC short-track medalist Simon Cho received a 2-year suspension from the International Skating Union yesterday after admitting he tampered with the skates of a Canadian rival.
U.S. Speedskating announced the suspension, which runs through Oct. 4, 2014. That means Cho would not be eligible to compete for the American short-track team at the Sochi Olympics.
Cho confessed on Oct. 5, 2012, that he sabotaged the skates of Canada's Olivier Jean during the 2011 World Team Championship but claimed he did it at the direction of former short-track national coach Jae Su Chun.
Chun has always denied that he had any role in the tampering. But the ISU suspended him for 2 years through Aug. 25, 2015, saying he also violated the code of ethics.
After the retirement of Apolo Anton Ohno, Cho appeared to be one of the rising stars in the U.S. program. He won a relay bronze medal at the Vancouver Games and an individual world championship in 2011.
Then came what he called the "biggest mistake of my life." Cho claimed the tampering occurred because Chun was angry at the Canadians and convinced they had aided another team to eliminate the Americans.
Cho said he was pressured by the coach to alter Jean's skate, using a blade bender normally used to ensure a skater's blade follows the proper radius in short track.
"I always knew it was wrong that day," Cho said last October. "I hope that I can make up for my mistake and continue to skate in the future."
In other speedskating news:
* J.R. Celski and Jessica Smith finished first in their overall classifications at the U.S. Short Track Single Distance Championships in Kearns, Utah, earning spots on the fall World Cup speedskating team.
Cycling
* American Tejay van Garderen won the USA Pro Challenge in Denver to complete a sweep of the two biggest races in the United States. Van Garderen, 25, of Bozeman, Mont., also won the Tour of California in May.
* The Sunday Times of Britain reached a settlement with Lance Armstrong after suing him to recover damages from a libel settlement.
Auto Racing
* Sebastian Vettel won the Belgian Grand Prix and extended his overall championship lead.
* Will Power won at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway for his first victory of the IndyCar season.
Sport Stops
* Emirates Team New Zealand beat Italy's Luna Rossa to win the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series in San Francisco and advance to the America's Cup against defending champion and bitter rival Oracle Team USA. The best-of-17 America's Cup starts Sept. 7.
* Game On Dude cruised to an 8 1/2-length victory in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.