RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The United States upset five-time defending champion Brazil, 25-23, 25-22, 27-25, yesterday to reach a World League volleyball final against Serbia.

Honolulu's Clay Stanley had three aces and led the U.S. with 16 points, while Brazil's Dante Guimaraes Amaral picked up 17.

Stanley is a Kaiser High and University of Hawai'i alum.

Serbia advanced by beating Russia, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23, behind 22 points from Ivan Miljkovic.

The last time Brazil failed to win the World League title was in 2002, when it finished second.

"We made several of the same mistakes we have made in the past and in a match like this one they can make all the difference," Brazil's Andre Heller said. "There is no denying it, they were much better than us."

DIVING

BOUDIA, FINCHUM EARN WIN AT U.S. NATIONALS

PASADENA, Calif. — David Boudia and Thomas Finchum scored a career-high 464.04 points to win the 10-meter synchronized platform title at the U.S. national diving championships yesterday in their final meet before the Beijing Olympics.

Boudia and Finchum earned three 10s and received at least one 9.0 on all six of their dives as temperatures hit the 90s at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. The duo from the Indianapolis area are contenders to win a synchro medal in China.

Andrew Brown of Centennial, Colo., and Cole Young of Overland Park, Kan., were second with 339.93.

With Boudia and Finchum opting to compete only in synchro, Nick McCrory won his first national title with a career-high 521.70 points on individual 10-meter.

McCrory, of Chapel Hill, N.C., finished nearly 100 points ahead of David Colturi of Sylvania, Ohio, who had 426.15.

McCrory earned three 10s in the contest, including two on his reverse 3 1/2 tuck and one on his back 2 1/2 with 1 1/2 twists. He is not on the Olympic team.

Nancilea Foster won the women's 3-meter springboard title with 349.35, edging Olympic teammate Christina Loukas, who had 340.95.

They were the only two divers to score more than 60 points on all five of their dives. Foster, of Conroe, Texas, earned 76.50 points on her back 2 1/2 pike and her reverse 2 1/2 pike. Loukas, of Riverwoods, Ill., also scored 76.50 on her reverse 2 1/2.

Olympians Kelci Bryant and Ariel Rittenhouse won their second straight synchronized 3-meter title with 308.10.

Loukas and Amanda Miller were second at 298.20.

WILKINSON, LIVINGSTON LOSE IN ARBITRATION

PASADENA, Calif. — Laura Wilkinson is headed to Beijing without her diving partner after they lost out to a pair of 15-year-olds for the synchronized platform spot.

Wilkinson and Jessica Livingston were so convinced they deserved to be on the team after not being picked at a post-trials selection camp that they took their case to arbitration. The duo lost, leaving 10-meter platform as Wilkinson's only event in Beijing.

"I'm very sad," she said. "I would have loved to have Jessica on the team."

Livingston skipped this week's U.S. national championships in Pasadena to take the rest of the summer off.

Now, Wilkinson finds herself in close quarters with Haley Ishimatsu and Mary Beth Dunnichay, the two teenagers who were chosen by USA Diving to compete on synchro platform.

"We haven't gotten to talk too much since we've been here, but we told each other congratulations, and I'm sure we'll work it out," Wilkinson said. "We were friends before and I'm sure we'll be friends through it."

TRACK AND FIELD

BOLT SHINES IN 200 AT LONDON GRAND PRIX

LONDON — Usain Bolt pulled away from the pack and never looked back yesterday at the London Grand Prix, winning the 200 meters in 19.76 seconds.

The 100 world record holder from Jamaica got a fast start at Crystal Palace and led for about the final 100 meters, winning by a half-second despite easing up at the end.

"I came out here with a plan and I did execute that well," Bolt said. "My coach, no doubt, will tell me what I did wrong. I just came here to work on my 200 and I did just that today."

Wallace Spearmon of the United States was second in 20.27 and Paul Hession of Ireland was third in 20.37.

Bolt is one of the favorites for both the 100 and 200 at the Beijing Olympics, even though he has not yet decided to run in both races next month.

"I'm still not sure about Beijing. I'm still waiting to see what's going on," Bolt said. "I'd definitely like to double. I think I could do well in both."

Bolt set the 100 world record of 9.72 seconds in May, breaking the 9.74 mark of Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell.

GYMNASTICS

NO DECISION YET ON HAMM'S DOPING CASE

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Gymnastics Federation made no decision yesterday on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's punishment concerning gymnast Morgan Hamm.

USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny said he expected an announcement tomorrow.

USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee had already said that the warning would not affect Hamm's spot on the team for the Beijing Games.

USADA announced July 3 that Hamm had been warned for a May 24 positive test for glucocorticosteroid, a cortisone-like anti-inflammatory. The drug is allowed if an athlete gets a therapeutic use exemption, but Hamm had failed to do that.