Fri, Dec 15, 2006 page23

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ Chile
  Mexico's Pachuca take cup

  Two second-half goals propelled Pachuca of Mexico past Colo Colo of Chile 2-1 to win the Copa Sudamericana for the first time on Wednesday. The first leg of the finals ended 1-1 two weeks ago in the Mexican city of Pachuca.

  Humberto Suazo scored in the 34th minute for Colo Colo before Paraguayan striker Gabriel Caballero made it 1-1 in the 53rd. The winner came 20 minutes later, when Damian Alvarez's brilliant counterattack was capped by Christian Gimenez to the frustration of 60,000 fans at the National Stadium.

  ■ Wales

  Joint Euro bid considered

  Wales may stage a joint bid with Scotland to host the 2016 European Championship. Football Association of Wales Secretary David Collins said he decided to look at the possibility of a bid after talks with Welsh Sports Minister Alun Pugh. "It's worth investigating if Scotland and Wales could put a bid together," he said. The Scottish FA declined to comment on the suggestion, having already failed in a bid to stage Euro 2008 in conjunction with Ireland.

  ■ Paraguay

  `The Bull's' child kidnapped

  The baby daughter of veteran Paraguayan midfielder Roberto Acuna was kidnapped early on Wednesday and then abandoned on an Asuncion street, police reported. Kyara, who is just 45 days old, was taken by an unidentified man who entered the player's house and threatened Debora Torres, the girl's mother, with a knife, the woman said. Acuna, known as "The Bull," was born in Argentina but took Paraguayan citizenship. He was a member of the Paraguayan national team in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

  ■ Argentina

  Estudiantes grab title

  Estudiantes beat defending champions Boca Juniors 2-1 in a play-off match on Wednesday night to win the Argentine championship title for the first time in 23 years. Striker Mariano Pavone headed the winner nine minutes from time on front of 50,000 spectators at the neutral venue of Velez Sarsfield. It is the fourth national title for Estudiantes, whose team included Argentine international midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, following 1967, 1982 and 1983. The game went to a play-off after the two teams finished the campaign 44 points from 19 games.

  ■ China

  Bags of air plan goes flat

  A Chinese businessman has failed in a new venture -- peddling World Cup air from Germany, state press said yesterday. Li Jie was denied a permit by a Beijing commerce administration to sell air supposedly from World Cup stadiums for 50 yuan (US$6.4) a bag, the China Daily reported. Li said he had 25 bags of the "auspicious air" sent to him by a German businessman during world soccer's premier event this year, according to the report. Li filed a lawsuit to challenge the initial decision but lost the case on Wednesday.

  ■ Athletics
  JAAA honors Asafa Powell

  World 100m record-holder Asafa Powell was named male athlete of the year by the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) on Wednesday. Powell won the Commonwealth Games 100m in Melbourne, equaled his world record of 9.77 twice, and became the first man in history to run 12 sub-10-second times in a year. "Thanks to the JAAA for honoring us, we really, really appreciated it and I hope this will continue as next year will be better," he said. He was named world athlete of the year by the IAAF last month.

  ■ Tennis

  Lindsay Davenport pregnant

  Three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport is pregnant and will miss at least the start of the 2007 tennis season. Davenport and her husband, Jonathan Leach, are expecting their first child in early summer, according to a news release issued on Wednesday by her agent, Tony Godsick, in Laguna Beach, California. There was no indication in the release whether or not the 30-year-old Davenport plans to play professionally again. She won the US Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999 and the Australian Open in 2000, along with an Olympic gold medal in 1996. The American has won a total of 51 titles in singles, 36 in doubles, and finished four seasons ranked No. 1.

  ■ Basketball

  Dunleavy extends contract

  Coach Mike Dunleavy agreed to terms of a four-year, US$22 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, making him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Dunleavy, in the final year of a four-year, US$10 million contract, led the Clippers to a 47-35 record last season -- the second-best in franchise history. The team went on to beat the Denver Nuggets for its first playoff series victory in 30 years before losing to the Phoenix Suns in the second round.

  ■ Basketball

  `Pitchin' Paul' dies

  Paul Arizin, an early adopter of the jump shot who led the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1956 National Basketball Association championship and was chosen one of the 50 greatest NBA players, died on Tuesday night at his home in suburban Philadelphia. He was 78. Arizin, a Basketball Hall of Fame member who was cut from his high school team, died in his sleep, according to a statement from Villanova University, where Arizin had an outstanding college career. Despite losing two years in his prime to service in the US military during the Korean War, "Pitchin' Paul" forged a sensational pro career on the strength of his jump shot, a recent evolution of the game.
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