An uncertain bolt

BEIJING – Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt says he’s been training all year to do the double at the Beijing Olympics. Though his training routine is clearcut, whether he’ll run both the 100- and 200-meter events is not. At a news conference Tuesday, Bolt said he’s 80 percent sure he’ll be doubling. That might be news to his agent, who sent a text message to The Associated Press last Saturday confirming Bolt would run both events. Bolt broke the world record in the 100 by finishing in 9.72 seconds May 31. He said once again that he would let his coach, Glen Mills, decide whether it made sense to compete in that event in addition to the 200, considered Bolt’s specialty. In the 100, Bolt will face fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell, the previous world-record holder at 9.74 seconds. NBA’s only Jewish player goes back to his roots JERUSALEM – Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, the NBA’s only Jewish player, showed his dribbling, shooting and slam-dunking skills at a clinic in southern Israel on Tuesday for Jewish and Arab kids. The 21-year-old Farmar is the guest of the Peres Center for Peace, founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, now Israel’s president, to encourage cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. One of the ways the center tries to improve relationships is through children playing sports together. Farmar is the first Jewish player in the NBA since Danny Schayes—son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes—retired in 1999. “I’ve gotten a warm welcome from the whole country," he told the Associated Press in a telephone interview during the clinic in Kiryat Gat, a desert town. “People seem to recognize me everywhere, and it’s been great." Farmar was a key member of a Lakers team that reached the NBA Finals in June, losing to the Boston Celtics. In only his second pro season, the Los Angeles native and UCLA standout backed up veteran point guard Derek Fisher. Farmar’s parents divorced when he was a child. His mother is Jewish, and his stepfather is Israeli. He has visited here twice before with his family, but said this time has been different. He said his heritage helped him relate to the Jewish and Arab basketball hopefuls he met in Israel. His father, former baseball player Damon Farmar, is black. “When I go to the black neighborhoods, people relate to me, and when I go the Jewish neighborhood they relate to me, too," he said. Farmar is in Israel for an eight-day visit accompanied by his relative—former star Israeli women’s basketball player Limor Mizrahi. Man U star Ronaldo not going anywhere MANCHESTER, England – Manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Cristiano Ronaldo is certain to play for Manchester United this season. Ronaldo has been linked with a move to Real Madrid since the end of last season, when he scored 42 goals to lead United to the Champions League and Premier League titles. But Ferguson said Tuesday that Madrid’s public courtship of the Portugal international was in vain. Ferguson says, “The matter is closed now. He is a Manchester United player. It’s finished. He’ll be playing here next season, believe me. It’s finished." Madrid was rumored to be offering a world record transfer fee for the 23-year-old Ronaldo, but has now signed Netherlands playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, possibly signaling the end of its interest for now. – AP