IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Swimming

Tancock sets backstroke world record in LZR suit

SHEFFIELD, England: Liam Tancock set a world record in the 50m backstroke on Wednesday at the British swimming championships while wearing Speedo's LZR Racer swimsuit.

Tancock finished the race in 24.47 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 24.80 set by Thomas Rupprath of Germany in July 2003.

"I felt good, smooth and on top of the water," said Tancock, who added he had been planning to go for the record. "I just felt I had a good time in me. I was feeling fast in training so thought, why not?"

The record - the 19th to be set in the pool this year - is the first to be held by a British swimmer since Adrian Moorhouse set the 100 breaststroke mark in 1990.

Baseball

Yankees fans barred for trying to take souvenirs

NEW YORK: Two New York Yankees fans accused of trying to steal souvenirs on the opening night of the last season at historic Yankee Stadium were arrested and had their season tickets canceled, the Yankees said on Wednesday.

The team said two fans were arrested during Tuesday's baseball game for trying to steal bunting - the flag-like adornment brought out for big games - and causing damage to the bunting and facade.

They could face up to a year in prison if convicted on charges of attempted larceny and criminal mischief, the team said.

Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said there would be no leniency for fans trying to take a piece of history.

"This type of destructive behavior will not be tolerated from the first game of the season through the last," he said.

Soccer

United's Ferguson and Queiroz charged by FA

LONDON: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Queiroz have been charged with improper conduct, the Football Association said on Wednesday.

The charges relate to comments they made to the media following United's shock 1-0 home defeat by Portsmouth in the FA Cup quarterfinal in March.

Ferguson said in a television interview that referee Martin Atkinson had been "on Portsmouth's side" and accused English referees chief Keith Hackett of "not doing his job properly".

He was annoyed by Atkinson's failure to award a penalty against Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo, adding that Ronaldo had been continually fouled.

In a newspaper report Queiroz was quoted as saying Atkinson was "a robber".

Motorcycling

Schumacher rules out MotoGP challenge

BRUSSELS: Retired Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher has no plans to try and repeat his success on a motorbike despite finishing fourth in his first competitive race on two wheels.

The 39-year-old, whose seven titles and 91 Grand Prix wins make him Formula One's most successful driver, recorded the second fastest lap in the KTM minor series race at the Misano circuit on Italy's Adriatic coast last Sunday.

"I am not intending to be the new Casey Stoner or Valentino Rossi," Schumacher told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday referring to two of MotoGP's top riders.

"I am not intending to take it up as a secondary career. If so, I should have taken it up 20 years before."

Schumacher, who has tested a Ducati MotoGP bike since retiring from Formula One at the end of 2006, rode a 990cc KTM Super Duke in the 10-lap KTM Trophy race. He finished third in Saturday's qualifying.

(China Daily 04/04/2008 page24)