CALGARY -- Canadian Olympian Eric Lamaze says he is taking a break from show jumping. Lamaze, who won an equestrian gold medal in at the 2008 Beijing Games, plans to skip the remainder of the season with an eye on a return in 2013. The 44-year-old native of Schomberg, Ont., said in a statement Saturday he is looking forward to time away from the competition ring. "After many great years of contesting the sport at the top level for 12 months of the year, week in and week out, Im looking forward to taking a little break and enjoying myself by travelling and playing a little golf," said Lamaze. Hes currently competing at the Spruce Meadows "Masters" Tournament and will finish the year at Sundays international event. Lamazes Olympic hopes this summer were dealt a devastating blow in November 2011 when his longtime horse Hickstead collapsed and died at a World Cup qualifying event in Italy. Aboard Hicksteads replacement, Derly Chin de Muze, Lamaze missed the podium at the London Games in the individual competition. Canada finished fifth in the team competition. "The past 10 months have been an extremely difficult and emotional time for me," said Lamaze. "The London Olympics were supposed to be Hicksteads Games, and I never imagined that I would go without him. "It is hard to describe how difficult it was to lose Hickstead, and yet not want to let down my country, my teammates and everyone who has stood beside me." 17:04ET 08-09-12 cheap jerseys china . The 44-year-old Vancouver native has spent the past two seasons on D.C. Uniteds staff as an assistant coach. Onstad came out of retirement in 2011 to play in three matches for the club due to injuries at the goalkeeper position. cheap china jerseys nfl . Jack Nicklaus gave Palmer a hard handshake. Gary Player offered a pat on the back, a fitting end to a memorable day for the golf greats. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player made up a threesome in a nostalgic, 18-hole exhibition round Saturday in conjunction with the second round of the Champions Tours Insperity Championship. http://www.jerseyschinacheap.us.com/[/... . ANTON, Austria -- Lindsey Vonn is set to make her return at World Cup downhill training in Austria on Thursday after an absence of more than three weeks because of an intestinal illness. [url=http://www.jerseyschinacheap.us.com/]cheap jerseys china free shipping . Captain Tomas Rosicky has been declared fit and resumed training Monday at the Czech base in the Polish city of Wroclaw.LONDON -- Novak Djokovics ailing back didnt hold up Sunday, meaning Rafael Nadal wont have to face his main nemesis in this years Davis Cup final. Djokovic tried to help Serbia stage a comeback in their semifinal against Argentina despite a lingering back problem, but had to retire when trailing 7-6 (5), 3-0 against Juan Martin del Potro. That sent Argentina into the final against Spain, which advanced after Nadal routed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 on clay in Cordoba. "I feel disappointed to end this tie this way," Djokovic said. "My condition was 60 per cent of what I had expected." Argentina ended up winning 3-2 after Serbias Janko Tipsarevic took the final meaningless match when Juan Monaco retired after losing the first set 6-2. Spain completed a 4-1 win after Fernando Verdasco beat Richard Gasquet in the final match. Djokovic didnt play at all on Friday, pulling out of the opening singles because his back had not recovered sufficiently from the injury he sustained during Mondays U.S. Open final victory over Nadal. But with Serbia trailing 2-1 going into the final day, the top-ranked Serb decided to give it a try. It didnt work out, however, as he fell to the floor with back pains while trying to return a forehand during the final point of the third game in the second set, and couldnt continue after that. "Im sad for him and wish him fast recovery," Del Potro said. "He has everything to keep the No. 1 position." It seems injuries are about the only thing that can stop Djokovic this year. He entered the weekend with a 64-2 record this year, having won three majors. One of those two losses came when he had to retire with a sore shoulder against Andy Murray in the Cincinnati final last month. The only player to beat Djokovic when fit this year is Roger Federer, in the French Open semifinals. Nadal certainly hasnt been able to, losing all six of his matches against the Serb in 2011 -- all of them in finals. The Spaniard was unusually blunt when he said this week hed rather face Argentina than Serbia in the final. Nadal also complained of fatigue after the gruelling U.S. Open final, but unlike Djokovic he showed no symptoms of it this weekend. After a similarly impressive victory against Richard Gasquet oon Friday, Nadal dominated the 10th-ranked Tsonga at Cordobas bullring to give the hosts a chance at a third title in four years.dddddddddddd. Playing in temperatures hovering above 30 degrees Celsius all weekend, Nadal dropped just 10 games in two matches. "Simply put, Rafa was just too good this weekend," Tsonga said. "Hes the best player ever on clay court, I think, hes practically unbeatable on this surface and today we didnt create the exception." Nadal is now 14-0 on clay in Davis Cup and 18-1 overall, his only loss coming on his debut. Nadal has already won three Davis Cup titles and will lead Spain into its sixth final since 2000 and eighth overall. "You might think it gets easier to win but it doesnt," Nadal said. "Thanks to the excellent relations inside the team, the Spanish players have stayed united over the years to keep winning." In the World Group playoffs, Russia, Croatia, Austria and Japan all secured spots in next years elite competition. Russia rallied from 2-1 down against Brazil after Mikhail Youzhny defeated Thomaz Bellucci 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 14-12 in a five-hour marathon in the first reverse singles. Dmitry Tursunov then won the deciding match over Ricardo Mello 6-1, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3. Youzhny failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fifth, and then had to save two match points in the 18th game. At 12-all, Youzhny converted his second break point when the Brazilian netted a forehand, and the Russian served out the match at love. Roger Federers Switzerland clinched its spot in the World Group after Stanislas Wawrinka needed only four minutes Monday to complete a 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 win over Australias Lleyton Hewitt. Wawrinka led 5-3 in the fifth set Sunday when darkness suspended the 3-hour 58-minute match. On Monday, on a grass court at Royal Sydney Golf Club, Wawrinka broke Hewitts serve and the official match time became 4:02. On Sunday, Roger Federer defeated Bernard Tomic 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to pull Switzerland level at 2-2 after Australia won Saturdays doubles and the teams split the opening singles on Friday. Australia, which has won the Davis Cup 23 times, second only to the United States 32 titles, will spend a fifth year out of the top competition. ' ' '