Yao Ming will have surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, Houston Rockets officials said.
Dog sledding
In Anchorage, a record field of mushers drove dog teams through Alaska's largest city yesterday in the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The actual start of the 1,100-mile race begins today in Willow, about 50 miles to the north. That's when mushers start seriously chasing after this year's $875,000 purse, to be paid out among the top 30 finishers to cross the burled arch in Nome. There are 96 teams, including six past winners, in the race this year.
Figure skating
In Sofia, Bulgaria, Rachael Flatt won the title and led a U.S. sweep in the women's competition. Caroline Zhang, who'd won the title last year, was a close second, while new U.S. senior champion Mirai Nagasu took the bronze medal.
Gymnastics
Paul Hamm showed the world he's back while Nastia Liukin reminded everyone she's still very much here. Hamm and Liukin won the American Cup, a prestigious international meet that often serves as a preview for the Olympic all-around competition. And with the Beijing Games less than six months away, the Americans firmly established themselves as contenders for gold.
Skiing
In Kvitfjell, Norway, Bode Miller skied a nearly flawless run to capture a World Cup downhill on Kvitfjell's Olympic course. Miller finished 0.40 seconds ahead of Didier Cuche of Switzerland and increased his lead in the overall standings.
Tennis
In Zagreb, Croatia, Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine won his first ATP title, defeating top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, 7-5, 6-4.
• Robin Soderling advanced to his second consecutive ATP final, beating Radek Stepanek, 7-6 (2), 6-3, in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.Soderling will play Steve Darcis, who advanced to his second career ATP final by defeating Jonas Bjorkman, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
• In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, eighth-seeded Elena Dementieva won the Dubai Championships, beating second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in an all-Russian final.
Off the field
John Wooden remained hospitalized in good condition yesterday, having undergone blood transfusions after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke two bones when he fell at home.
