NICE, France -- Alena Leonova of Russia set the pace in womens singles at the world figure skating championships, while Canadas Amelie Lacoste was left hoping shes just close enough to nab a spot in the top 10. Pablo Zabaleta Jersey . The 21-year-old Leonova, dressed in a pirates ruffled blouse and black pants and boots, scored 64.61 points for her whimsical skate to the soundtrack to "Pirates of the Caribbean" to take the lead heading into Saturdays free program. Kanako Murakami of Japan was second with 62.67 points, while Italys Carolina Kostner scored 61.00 to sit third. Lacoste, Canadas lone entry in the womens event, was 13th with a score of 49.37. A top-10 finish is key for Lacoste, because it would give Canada two womens entries in next years world championships in London, Ont. "I really tried to put that aside but of course its still a little bit in my head," said Lacoste, who was 4.8 points out of a top-10 result. "Its a game, so I need to deal with it. My goal is top-10 but I need to focus first on my performance to achieve that goal." The 2013 world championships, in turn, determines how many entries a country will have in each discipline at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The 23-year-old from Delson, Que., skating to Duke Ellingtons "Satin Doll," lost several points for stepping out of the first triple loop of a planned triple loop-triple loop combination, and so didnt receive marks for a combination. "It hurts a lot because usually I can get about 6.8, and I only got 3-point-something," said Lacoste, who was 16th last year in her world championship debut. "But the event is not done. Theres still space for the long program to be in the top-10 so Im very confident of that." Two-time world champion Mao Asada of Japan fell on her triple Axel -- she was the only woman in the field to attempt the jump -- and wound up fourth. American champion Ashley Wagner was eighth. Leonova was a big hit with the crowd at the Palais des Expositions in a womens field thats considered among the weakest in recent memory. Neither Olympic champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea nor last years champion Miki Ando of Japan are skating this season. Canadas Olympic bronze medallist Joannie Rochette is taking a break from the competitive ice, and hasnt announced whether shell return to skate in Sochi. This year marks the second time the world championships have been held in Nice, an unlikely spot for a winter sporting event in the city situated in the heart of the French Riviera. Several skating officials sported tans from soaking up the Mediterranean sunshine as temperatures climbed above 20 C Thursday. The arena, with the Pyrenees mountains as its backdrop, is just a few blocks walk along cobblestone streets lined with palm trees and orange trees from the beautiful Bay of Angels. Pablo Zabaleta Argentina . The pitchers agent, Bob Garber, confirmed the decision and said Oswalt would go to work for his agency, RMG Baseball. Oswalt will be vice-president of baseball operations. Ezequiel Lavezzi Argentina Jersey .com) - Top-seeded former winner Novak Djokovic, who survived an injury scare, and defending champion Andy Murray highlighted Fridays third-round winners at Wimbledon.OKLAHOMA CITY - Tony Parker is dinged up again, and his status is unclear heading into the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. The San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard did not play in the second half or overtime of the Western Conference finals-clinching win over Oklahoma City on Saturday because of a sore left ankle. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesnt know what shape Parker will be in for Game 1 on Thursday in San Antonio. "I have no idea," Popovich said Saturday night. "I dont know what the deal is." Popovich said Parker sprained the ankle in Game 4 and aggravated it in Game 5. Popovich considered starting Manu Ginobili at point guard in Game 6 against the Thunder because Parker was having trouble during pregame. At halftime, Popovich made the decision to hold him out. "He came to me about eight minutes on the clock (before the second half) and said he couldnt go," Popovich said. "He couldnt cut. He was limping on it. He couldnt cut sideways or forward really." Popovich said he thought playing Parker in the second half would have hurt the team in the long term. "I didnt want him to be a hero because he was 50 per cent or less, we thought," Popovich said. "Thats probably bad for the team if you think about it. It was a tough decision to try to figure out whether to play him, and if you lose the game and it affects him for Monday night, then youre going to feel like you made an unwise choice." Parker has been plagued by injuries this year. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field during the regular season, but he missed 22 games. He strained his left hamstring in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals aagainst Portland and did not return. Mariano Andujar Argentina. The Spurs won that game easily to clinch the series. Once again, his teammates bought him some rest. Had the Spurs lost Game 6, they would have faced an elimination game at home Monday against the Thunder. "We didnt know how much Tony was hurt in his ankle," forward Boris Diaw said. "But we didnt want to go to Game 7, and we didnt know if he would be ready to play if we did or if he would be 100 per cent, so we tried to get it over with tonight." Still, the Spurs have proven all season they can win without key players, posting the NBAs best record despite a series of injuries. "We have to continue to play basketball regardless of who is on the floor and our reserves did a great job - Cory (Joseph), Patty (Mills) - they stepped in and continued to run the offence and push the pace and playing good defence on their guards as well," guard Danny Green said. Joseph started the second half of Game 6 against Oklahoma City and helped engineer a 37-point third quarter. "Cory was very good," Ginobili said. "I mean, its hard to play when you dont have many opportunities to play in close games and stuff. But he did very well in Game 3 and 4 here. He always brings the juice, aggressiveness, competitiveness. He attacks the rim well. I think he made a few key plays." The Spurs said they excel without their stars because they are about a system, rather than individuals. "We have been doing what we did the whole year, which is passing the ball to each other, getting some movement, getting pace and getting into a good rhythm," Diaw said. 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