BRIEFLY HAMMER THROWER WON'T RETURN GOLD.

Adrian Annus, the Hungarian hammer thrower who was stripped of his gold medal after refusing to take a follow-up drug test at the Athens Olympics, said Tuesday he still considers himself the champion and vowed to keep his medal.

``Hammer throwing was my life and this wasn't the way I planned to bid farewell to the sport,'' Annus told the state-run news wire MTI. ``I only want my family and I to be left alone.''

The International Olympic Committee said Annus passed two drug tests, but the analysis ``showed evidence of belonging to two different athletes, indicating possible tampering.'' Annus was ordered to take another drug test after he returned to Hungary, but failed to show up.

VOLLEYBALL: Jennifer Fopma, Cal State Northridge's All-American middle blocker, lost her appeal for a sixth year of eligibility.

Fopma started her volleyball career at Hawaii, then went to Pepperdine and transferred to CSUN. The NCAA denied the original appeal in early August and Fopma then lost another appeal. She'll be an undergrad assistant for the Matadors.

- Jill Painter

BASKETBALL: Chamique Holdsclaw, the WNBA's second-leading scorer, was placed on the injured list, meaning she'll miss at least three games for the WNBA's Washington Mystics. Holdsclaw has not disclosed the nature of her health problem.

--Nevada guard Marcelus Kemp will miss the 2004-2005 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

HOCKEY: Ron Francis turned down a front-office job with the Carolina Hurricanes and is still deciding whether he wants to continue his playing career.

--The NHL and players association met for 6 1/2 hours before a World Cup of Hockey tournament game between the United States and Canada in Montreal and are scheduled to conclude their two-day session today.

Both the league and the union declined comment until the conclusion of the meeting, just as they did after Day 1 of a two-day session last week in Ottawa.

SOCCER: Manchester United finalized the deal to acquire 18-year-old striker Wayne Rooney from Everton at the transfer deadline. The six-year deal is worth $48.3 million; with agent fees, the total soars to $54 million.

- Daily News Staff and Wire Services