Track and field
WORLDS OPEN: No more silver for Adam Nelson. At last, he has gold.
After second-place finishes in two Olympics, two outdoor world championships and one indoor world meet, Nelson won the shot put competition on Saturday night in Helsinki, Finland, with his best throw in three years — 71 feet, 3 1/2 inches.
Nelson's triumph in light rain capped the opening day at the world track and field championships. The night featured an Ethiopian sweep in the women's 10,000 meters and a breezy stroll through the first two rounds of the 100 by Olympic champion Justin Gatlin.
One of the sport's best showmen, Nelson had the Finnish crowd in cozy Olympic Stadium on his side all night with his usual routine. He paced like a mad bull, ripped off his T-shirt and flung it dramatically to the ground, then with a crazed stare, stepped into the ring for his throw.
With a strong wind in his face, Gatlin was the slowest of the heat winners in the quarterfinals at 10.27 seconds — only 10th-fastest among the 16 semifinal qualifiers.
"I'm a little bummed that we had a strong head wind like we did," Gatlin said. "I haven't run that slow in a long time."
Still, Gatlin was satisfied.
"I'm still dominant, and that's what matters," he said. "If the weather permits, it's going to be a very fast time. But rain, sleet, snow it doesn't matter. I'm going to go out and try to win a gold medal."
Hockey
AVS SIGN HEJDUK: The Colorado Avalanche signed two-time All-Star right winger Milan Hejduk to a five-year contract Saturday and signed former Minnesota left wing Andrew Brunette to a two-year deal.
Hejduk, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of the Czech Republic, was the Avalanche's sixth selection in the NHL entry draft in 1994, going 87th overall. Last season, he scored 25 goals and had 26 assists in 48 games with Pardubice HC in the Czech Elite League.
The 29-year-old Hejduk will have to help fill the role of superstar forward Peter Forsberg, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with Philadelphia earlier this week.
Tennis
RODDICK IN FINAL: Top-seeded Andy Roddick and unseeded James Blake won straight-set semifinal matches to advance to the final at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Saturday in Washington.
Roddick beat 13th-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan 7-6 (4), 6-2, advancing to a final for the 29th time in his career. Blake then beat 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal to reach his fourth career final.