Thu, Apr 28, 2005 page19

• Sport Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ Sailing
  Yachtsman goes it alone

  New Zealand yachtsman Graeme Kendall embarked Tuesday from Auckland on a lone, nonstop voyage around the world through the famous Northwest Passage in the icy waters of northern Canada. Kendall, 58, said he expected the 40,000km solo voyage to take about six months. He planned to sail the 12.5m cruising yacht Astral Express to the North Atlantic via Cape Horn, to navigate the treacherous Northwest Passage and to return to New Zealand through the Pacific. European navigators and adventurers were tantalized for centuries by reports of a sea passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in icy wastes north of Canada. The discovery of such a passage promised to take months off a voyage from Europe to the rich trading posts of Asia and the East Indies. Many expeditions were mounted and hundreds of lives were lost in the search for the northern trade route before Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first navigated the route early in the 20th century.

  ■ Soccer

  Beckham sues former nanny

  David Beckham and his wife Victoria are suing their former nanny for leaking allegations about the state of their marriage to a tabloid newspaper, a spokeswoman for the couple said Tuesday. In a story published in Britain's tabloid News of the World on Sunday, former nanny Abbie Gibson claimed the couple's marriage was on the rocks. Spokeswoman Jo Milloy said the Beckhams were suing Gibson, who quit her job this month after working for the couple since October 2003, for breach of confidence. Milloy said the Beckhams would also launch legal action against News of the World. The celebrity couple are already suing the newspaper over the publication last year of details of an alleged affair between David Beckham and his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. Beckham, captain of England, plays for Real Madrid. His wife is a former pop star and member of the Spice Girls.

  ■ Golf

  Nick Price gets exemption

  Three-time major champion Nick Price accepted a special exemption on Tuesday into the US Open and won't have to worry about qualifying. The US Open will be played on June 16-19 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Without the exemption, Price would have had to finish in the top 50 rankings after the US PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament from June 2-5 to avoid qualifying. He currently is No. 72. Price earlier this year was presented the Bob Jones Award by the US Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The 48-year-old Zimbabwean has won a British Open and two PGA Championships in his 22-year pro career.

  ■ Soccer

  Ronaldo's fiance miscarries

  Daniella Cicarelli, the fiance of Real Madrid striker Ronaldo, had a miscarriage on Tuesday in a Sao Paulo hospital, MTV Brasil said. Cicarelli, who hosts a show on MTV Brasil, was rushed to Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital on Monday afternoon after feeling sick while taping a dating game show. She had the miscarriage early Tuesday morning. Ronaldo and Cicarelli announced on April 1 she was four weeks pregnant. Cicarelli was released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and was resting in her home where she was being cared for by members of her family, a statement released by her press agent said. Ronaldo and Cicarelli formally will marry later this year.
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