By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer 
7/8/00

Shannon Miller 
"This is a very minor injury 

Injury called minor, but it will keep Olympic star out of the U.S. Classic tonight.

An MRI late Thursday revealed a hairline crack in Shannon Miller's right tibia that will force the Olympic gold medalist to miss the U.S. Classic Saturday night.

 Miller suffered the injury on a vault earlier Thursday at the Mabee Center.

 "I'm OK," Miller said in a phone interview from Edmond. "It's unfortunate that I won't be able to compete. This shouldn't be a huge setback. I'm doing fine."

 Steve Nunno, Miller's coach at Dynamo Gymnastics, said, "This is a very minor injury. With Shannon's determi nation, she will be fully ready by the (National) Championships.

 "Our team physician, Dr. David Holden, told me Shannon will need about 10 days of recovery. This week we will start with light tumbling and no hard landings and we will re-evaluate in about a week."

 The 23-year-old Miller is America's most decorated gymnast with two golds among the seven medals she has won in the Olympics.