Austrian Knaus Wins Super-G Race in France

Austrian skier Hans Knaus registered his first World Cup super-G victory Tuesday, beating Norway’s Atle Skaardal in windy and snowy conditions at Valloire, France.

Knaus was timed in 1 minute 1.29 seconds over a shortened course. Skaardal, who won a super-G at Val d’Isere last month, was second at 1:01.55. Third was Sweden’s Frederik Nyberg.

Skaardal held his lead in the World Cup super-G standings with 200 points. Norwegian Lasse Kjus, still recovering from injuries suffered nearly two weeks ago, did not race but maintained the overall World Cup lead with 956 points.

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Olympic and world ice dance figure skating champions, Oksana Gritschuk and Yevgeny Platov of Russia, began their quest for their first European title by taking the lead after the dance compulsories at Sofia, Bulgaria.

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Former figure skating champions who turned pro will not be able to return to the amateur ranks as they did in 1994. International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta said that the deadline had passed for ineligible skaters to apply for reinstatement, and that there would be no second chances.

Football

Florida State’s football program got a clean bill from the NCAA, which found no major violations or lack of institutional control after a year-long investigation into a 1993 incident in which several football players accepted free merchandise from a sporting goods store.

However, school officials will meet next month to discuss a secondary violation that concerned the school’s monitoring of sports agents’ activities around Florida State athletes between the fall of 1992 and January, 1994.

Backup quarterback Scott Covington of the Miami Hurricanes says he’s leaving for another school, even though his request for a release has been denied by the university.

Baseball

Jim Abbott of the Angels was presented the 1995 Hutch Award in Seattle. The award, named after former major league pitcher and manager Fred Hutchinson, is given to the player who best exemplifies his character, competitive desire and fighting spirit.

The Angels signed Mark Williamson, a right-handed reliever, to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Williamson, 36, hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 1994, when he had a 3-1 record with a 4.01 earned-run average in 28 games for the Baltimore Orioles.

Lou Gorman, who as general manager of the Boston Red Sox for 10 years helped the team win three division titles, retired but will remain a part-time consultant to the club. . . . The St. Louis Cardinals signed pitcher Gregg Olson to a $600,000 minor league contract. Olson, 28, had 160 saves from 1989-93, before suffering a partially torn tendon in his right elbow. . . . Mel Rojas and the Montreal Expos settled on a $2.025-million contract to avoid arbitration.

Miscellany

Mancel Johnson, a star receiver for the University of Maryland, was arrested and charged with stealing from two dormitory rooms last month. He was suspended from the football team by coach Mark Duffner for “violating team standards.” Johnson will miss spring practice and the first two games next season but will be eligible to practice in August.

Olympic tickets will go back on sale Feb. 10 by telephone only, and a Visa credit card is required for payment. Organizers added two volleyball sessions to the schedule. Earlier, volleyball had been one of the sold-out programs. Most of the 3.7 million seats left are for baseball, soccer and field hockey.

Finland’s Jani Sievinen equaled his world short-course record in the 100-meter medley at a swimming meet in Sheffield, England. He was timed in 53.78 seconds.

A girlfriend of the man on trial in Lumberton, N.C., for killing basketball star Michael Jordan’s father, testified he picked her up for a date on the night of the murder driving the elder Jordan’s luxury car. Melinda Moore told jurors that she rode around in the $40,000 red Lexus belonging to James Jordan, 56.

On trial for Jordan’s shooting death is Lord Danielle As-Saddiz Al-Amin Sallam U’allah.