SAILING: Yachtsman loses limb

LARS GRAEL, who won bronze medals at the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Games, lost most of his right leg when his yacht was hit by another boat yesterday.

The 34-year-old Grael, a Brazilian yachting champion, was competing in the country's national championships in Vitoria, 250 miles north-east of Rio de Janeiro, when the collision occurred.

"He has lost most of his right leg from above the knee downwards and is undergoing surgery," a hospital spokesman said. "I'm afraid that there is little chance his leg can be sewn back."

Results, Digest, page 21