EUGENE, Ore. -- Defending Olympic champion Aries Merritt rushed back from a kidney transplant to be ready for Rio. He wont let Zika stand in his way, no matter how much his doctors object.Qualifying in the 110-meter hurdles at Olympic track and field trials begins Friday. Should Merritt make the U.S. team, he said he wont think twice about racing in Rio even though the mosquito-borne virus could pose a greater risk to him than most because of the transplant.Theyre very, very concerned. Theyve asked me many, times: Have you considered not going? said Merritt, who holds the world record in the hurdles (12.80 seconds in September 2012). Im like, Well, thats not an option. If I make it, Im going.The reason is simple: At 30, he doesnt know if this sort of chance will come around again.Merritt won bronze at last years world championships in Beijing with his kidneys barely functioning because of a genetic disorder. He received the transplant from his sister less than a week later. He had another follow-up surgery in October because of complications.He is still healing.Doctors told me I was supposed to be running maybe next year, not this year, Merritt said. I really dont have that option to skip Olympic Games. Its not something I can skip. ... I dont have time to be skipping stuff.He got a late start on training because of the transplant, and other than a groin strain that cost him a few weeks, he says hes in competition shape.Its definitely been an uphill battle, Merritt said. There are minor setbacks that happen. Every athlete goes through [something]. It wouldnt be a journey if we didnt have something. It just cant be perfect all the time.Merritt didnt let anyone know until just before worlds last August, but he was suffering from a rare genetic disorder that was diagnosed in 2013. For years, it turns out, his kidneys have been faltering, to the point where he ran the final at worlds on Aug. 28 at about eight pounds under his normal weight and with his kidneys barely functioning.He finished 0.01 seconds behind Hansle Parchment of Jamaica for second. Sergey Shubenkov of Russia took gold.Competing at worlds last season with no kidney function was horrible, Merritt said. There was a 90 percent chance Id never run again. I just so happened to beat those odds. Kind of like the odds of going to the Olympic Games.Contrary to a handful of golfers and other athletes who are skipping the Olympics because of fears of the illness, Merritt says hell be there if he qualifies.Hell take plenty of precautions: wearing long sleeves, applying insect repellent and planning to stay indoors as much as possible.Other than that, theres not much he can do.We have Zika back in America, he said. I havent gotten it yet. I dont think its that big of deal. Adidas NHL Jerseys China . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Adidas Hockey Jerseys China .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. http://www.cheapnhljerseysfromchina.com/ . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. NHL Jerseys From China . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. ASHBURN, Va. -- A frustrating rookie season for Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson is showing no signs of letting up.Doctsons sore Achilles could sideline him for a couple of weeks, according to coach Jay Gruden, who said hes very concerned.The first-round pick has been bothered by the injury since May and didnt participate in training camp before being active for the first two regular-season games.Another flare-up led to him being a last-minute scratch Sunday against the Neww York Giants, and now Doctson isnt sure how much time hell miss.ddddddddddddI had a few doctors I flew to go see and they said the same thing, Doctson said Thursday. That it was definitely something that was going to be re-occurring and could happen throughout the year just through activity.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '