.png)
Auto Racing
Hamilton on pole; new qualifying system fails
MELBOURNE, Australia – Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg on Saturday, as Formula One’s new qualifying format proved to be anti-climactic.
Hamilton’s time of 1 minute, 23.837 at the Albert Park circuit was three-tenths of a second faster than Rosberg, with third and fourth place filled by the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
The new qualifying format of rolling eliminations every 90 seconds failed to produce an intended shake-up in the grid order, and in the third and final qualifying session, many drivers chose to save tires for the race rather than try to better the times of the cars ahead.
Cycling
USA announces first 6 Olympic track choices
COLORADO SPRINGS – Two-time Olympic silver medalist Sarah hammer will anchor the U.S. team in track cycling at the Rio Games, contesting the omnium before joining the gold medal-contending women’s pursuit squad.
USA Cycling announced the first six members of its roster.
Hammer recently won bronze in the omnium at the world championships, and joined with Kelly Catlin, Chloe Dygert, Jennifer Valente and Ruth Winder in winning team pursuit gold. That same quartet will try to replicate its efforts in Rio this August.
Golf
Day keeps the lead on a rainy day at Bay Hill
ORLANDO, Fla. – Jason Day survived bursts of rain and a few bogeys for a 2-under 70 to keep his two-shot lead Saturday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The starting times were moved forward to avoid a forecast of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Players still had to cope with occasionally heavy rain, though Bay Hill held up nicely and so did the 28-year-old Australian.
He was at 15-under 201 and had a two-shot lead over Henrik Stenson (70), Troy Merritt (67) and Kevin Chappell (67).
NBA
League reviewing Howard’s use of sticky substance
ATLANTA – Dwight Howard’s use of a sticky substance on his hands in Houston’s loss at the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night is under review.
Atlanta’s Paul Millsap complained about the ball while shooting two free throws with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter. Howard made a layup with 4:04 remaining.
“I’ve never felt the ball like that ever,” Millsap told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was sticky. It was like super glue or something was on there. I couldn’t get it off my hands. It was the weirdest thing ever.”
Referees gave warnings to each bench and then approached the scorer’s table, where they were directed to a can covered with white tape. The can was taken off the table and one of the officials told the scorer to alert him if it was seen again.
NFL
Welcome to mini Mile High, in a parking lot
DENVER – The Broncos are planning to build a miniature version of the old Mile High in the parking lot of Sports Authority Field to bolster the stadium’s special events program.
The Denver Post reports the 11-foot-tall Mile High Monument will be a one-eighth replica of Mile High Stadium, where the Broncos played from 1960 to 2000. The mini stadium will have 176 original seats surrounding a 1,250-square-foot padded AstroTurf field.
Planners say the venue could host up to 300 people.
The team hopes to begin construction in April, pending city approval. Planners hope to have the project completed by August.
Associated Press
