Leading off today: Although this is a huge weekend for spring-sports championships across New York, there is no bigger high school sports news in New York -- or nationally -- than Friday afternoon's report of Arielle Newman's autopsy.
The sudden death of the Staten Island Notre Dame Academy distance runner in early April was caused by the accidental overuse of over-the-counter remedies routinely used by many people to treat muscle soreness, New York City's medical examiner ruled.
That has caught the attention of many athletes, coaches and other observers as multiple U.S. and international media sources picked up The Associated Press version of the report. As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, it was the second-most e-mailed story and third-most read story on the Yahoo! site.
Newman, 17, died April 3 after her body absorbed lethal levels of methyl salicylate, an ingredient found in sore muscle treatments like BenGay, Icy Hot and Tiger Balm. Newman was using a cream, adhesive pads containing the anti-inflammatory and another product with the chemical, said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
The methyl salicylate likely caused a seizure after the teen returned home following an April party near her home.
Posthumous honor: The Advance's Staten Island girls track all-star team announced today includes Newman's name. In an editor's note, the paper said that selections were made last week prior to the final report by the medical examiner. The selectors determined that her
