IN BRIEF (Page 24)
Golf
US veteran Calcavecchia wins Pods Championship
PALM HARBOR, California: Former British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia won the $5.3 million Pods Championship on Sunday as Heath Slocum missed a short putt to force a playoff.
Calcavecchia had a one-shot lead on the 18th tee, but thought he was headed to a playoff when he missed a seven-footer for par at the final hole.
But Slocum missed a four-footer to give the 46-year-old Calcavecchia the triumph.
"I never expected him to miss that," said Calcavecchia, who carded a 1-under-par 70 for a 10-under total of 274.
He was one shot in front of Slocum, who carded a 71, and Australian John Senden, who had put himself in contention with a 66.
Speedskating
Netherlands set men's pursuit world record
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: The Dutch team of Sven Kramer, Carl Verheijen and Erben Wennemars capped the World Single Distances Speedskating Championships on Sunday with a world record in the team pursuit.
The trio clocked 3:37.80, eclipsing the previuos world record of 3:39.69 set by a Canadian squad in Calgary on November 12, 2005.
Canada were second on Sunday in 3:38.31, and Russia took bronze in 3:41.23.
Motor sport
Johnson hits jackpot in Las Vegas NASCAR
LOS ANGELES: Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson overcame a pit lane violation and a brush with the wall to capture the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and his third straight NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Johnson slipped back to 25th place after a late pit stop but battled through the field to push his Chevrolet across the finish line ahead of Hendrick Motorsports team mate Jeff Gordon.
"We overcame some adversity today, we had a couple of different things go wrong," Johnson told television reporters following his 24th career win. "I got into the wall and tore the right side of the race car up and thought it hurt the race car."
Soccer
Romario scores 13-minute hat-trick, takes tally to 995
RIO DE JANEIRO: Irrepressible striker Romario scored his second hat-trick of the year to propel Vasco da Gama to a 4-1 win over Madureira on Sunday and take his career tally, according to his own calculations, to 995 goals.
The 41-year-old former Brazil striker scored two typically opportunist goals and a penalty in a 13-minute spell during the second half of the Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state) championship match.
Muriqui gave Madureira a shock half-time lead and Leandro Amaral equalised for Vasco early in the second half before the 1994 World Cup winner sprang into action.
Cricket
Pakistan banned from using English at press conferences
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica: The Pakistan cricket team have been banned from speaking in English at World Cup news conferences to prevent players from being misquoted, according to a team spokesman.
Former player Pervez Mir, the team's press liaison officer during the World Cup, said at a captain's media day in Montego Bay on Sunday that Pakistan's players would speak only in Urdu, which would also help to promote tourism to Pakistan.
"This decision was taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board because it is our national language and because 2007 is our National Tourist Year so we are promoting Pakistan as well."
(China Daily 03/13/2007 page24)
