pecially with a person like me whos not. Its a nice balanc

SEATTLE -- The maker of a popular line of minimalist running shoes doesnt have to pay damages for naming some of its models after Abebe Bikila, the legendary Ethiopian runner who won the 1960 Olympics marathon barefoot, a federal judge has ruled.Bikilas family sued Vibram, which makes foot-glove-style shoes, in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, early last year, seeking $15 million in damages. The family said the company didnt have permission to trademark or use the Bikila name.Judge Ronald Leighton dismissed the case on Monday. He found that the family knew by 2011 that Vibram was using the name, yet didnt file suit until 2015. The judge said it would have been unfair to Vibram to allow the lawsuit to go forward after such a delay, when Vibram had been investing in and marketing the products for years.The Bikilas unreasonably delayed in seeking to enforce their rights, and this unreasonable delay prejudiced Vibram, Leighton wrote.In a statement provided by its lawyers, Vibram, which is headquartered in Italy and bases its U.S. operations in Concord, Massachusetts, said it was pleased with the ruling.Bikila was a last-minute addition to the 1960 Ethiopian team when another runner fell ill. He got blisters from the running shoes he was issued and decided to run barefoot -- the way he had trained -- over Romes cobbled streets, along a course that passed the Obelisk of Axum, a granite monument the Italian fascists plundered from Ethiopia in 1937.He finished in just over 2 hours, 15 minutes, winning the gold and shattering what was then the Olympic record by about eight minutes.Bikila also went on to win the 1964 Olympic marathon in Tokyo -- just 40 days after having his appendix out. He wore shoes for that race.In 1969, a car crash left him paralyzed, and he died of complications a few years later. An annual marathon in his home country is held in his honor, and the New York Road Runners, the organization behind the New York City Marathon, has given its Abebe Bikila Award every year since 1978 to honor an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport.Vibram named some models of its Five Fingers running shoes after Bikila and trademarked the name in 2010 as barefoot or nearly barefoot running became more popular in the United States. It renamed the shoes V-Run in 2015 as part of the normal course of refreshing its product line, according to a declaration filed in court by a company vice president.Alex Trauman, a lawyer for the Bikilas, said Tuesday the family is disappointed and considering an appeal. Their complaint alleged violations of federal law as well as Washingtons Personality Rights Act, which is considered one of the most progressive such laws in the nation because it specifies that the heirs of a deceased person can continue to assert personality rights.The fact remains that Vibram has never asked the Bikila Family for permission, nor compensated them for using Abebe Bikilas personality, Trauman wrote in an email. We hope that the parties can ultimately resolve their differences and the Bikila family can continue to promote the legacy of Abebe Bikila.---Follow Johnson at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle Clearance New Balance Shoes . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Discount New Balance . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.wholesalenewbalance.com/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Cheap New Balance 574 . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. New Balance Shoes Outlet . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. This story appears in ESPN The Magazines November 28 Tall Ball Issue. Subscribe today!POINT GUARDS, BASKETBALLS vertically challenged demographic, tend to view post players with a mix of exasperation and admiration. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a former point herself, is no different when she looks at 6-foot-4 senior center Alaina Coates.It seems like for bigs, theres no middle ground, the 5-5 Staley says. Theyre either soft or theyre physical, its not like theres an in-between.Soft is a bit harsh -- even bigs who drift to the perimeter still end up taking some punishment inside. But Staley sees the womens game changing, with fewer pure centers who play with their backs to the basket and dont act like 3-point shooters.Of course, part of her perspective comes from having such a valuable commodity in Coates. And with junior Aja Wilson, a 6-5 forward who prefers to face the basket, she has two very different types of dominant bigs. The Gamecocks relied on the inside-outside strength of the duo to go 33-2 and win the SEC title last season.While Wilson is a superstar -- she was a consensus All-American and national player of the year candidate last season -- and the face of one of the countrys best teams, Coates is also an elite professional prospect, one who will be in the mix to become the WNBAs No. 1 draft pick in April.Because of her willingness to play a style that few are willing to play, shell find her way into a positive role with a WNBA team, says Cori Close, coach of Pac-12 preseason favorite UCLA, which will face South Carolina on Dec. 18. You cant put a price tag on it.In the WNBA, big players with guard skills abound: Los Angeles 6-4 forward-center Candace Parker, Chicagos 6-5 forward-guard Elena Delle Donne and Seattles 6-4 forward Breanna Stewart are all among the two tallest players on their teams, but only Parker is designated as a center. No matter how theyre listed, they have similar styles: Stewart made 45 3s this past season, Delle Donne 43 and Parker 42.In contrast, Minnesotas 6-6 Sylvia Fowles has attempted just one 3-pointer in nine WNBA seasons. Phoenixs 6-9 star Brittney Griner has taken none. Fowles says its simple: Players such as Coates should perfect what they do best.Staley, who played alongside 6-5 Lisa Leslie in the Olympics -- Leslie was a four-time Olympian and three-time MVP with Los Angeles -- has the same vision for Coatess.dddddddddddd Lisa was really smart in that she knew where she was going to make the most money, Staley says. Which was: Ive got to get down there and score in the paint. She worked at it.Staley says Coates, while still a work in progress, can be the most dominant player in the country just being a back-to-the-basket player. Shes embraced that.That allows Staley a luxury that few other college coaches have. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Gamecocks posted up 64 percent more than the national average last season.Coates considers Wilson the perfect high-low partner -- I trust Aja -- and they share the joy of being local stars who have helped South Carolina become the nations attendance leader (14,978 per home game last season) in womens basketball. Coates is from Irmo, just northwest of Columbia, and Wilson is from Hopkins, to the southeast. Their towns are 35 minutes apart, with the university downtown right between them.Alaina and I have been playing together since we were 12 or 13 years old, with AAU, Wilson says. Its fun to have a true back-to-the-basket player, especially with a person like me whos not. Its a nice balance.Coates, who posted up 33.3 percent more than the average player last season, was the only center among the SECs top 20 scorers (12.1 points per game). Just 15 percent of the SECs top 41 rebounders were centers, with Coates leading at 10.3 rpg.She was mentored from an early age by her father, Gary Coates, a command sergeant major in the Army National Guard and active-duty military for 33 years. Playing the post makes you mature, says Gary, whose brother, Ben Coates, was an NFL tight end for 10 seasons.Alaina has taken her dads lessons to heart.I enjoy being a 5, she says. Being a center means youre going to war down there on the block. I like the feeling that Im going to bully my way around out there.The kindhearted Coates says this with a laugh. But Staley prefers Coates to have a bit of an edge. That may be the difference in the Gamecocks run at the 2017 national title.I dont like when she plays passive or when she makes herself blend in, Staley says. Shes physical, shes imposing, shes mobile, shes quick. Shes all of those things.And if shes anything less than that, then she might as well be 5-11. ' ' '