IN BRIEF (Page 24)
SOCCER
Reyes leads Real into three-way tie in Spain
MADRID: A brilliant freekick from Jose Antonio Reyes pushed all talk of crisis into the background Sunday as Real Madrid joined Barcelona and Sevilla at the Spanish league summit following a 1-0 win at Real Mallorca.
The manner of the win was workmanlike at best, but Reyes' superb strike 13 minutes from time from a freekick awarded after Fernando Navarro had fouled the former Arsenal man, deserved to win any match.
The three points hauled Real onto 38 points from 19 games - the midway point of the season, although Barcelona have a game in hand and a superior goal difference having swamped Gimnastic Tarragona 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Inter stretch lead after 13th straight win
MILAN: Inter Milan stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to 11 points on Sunday after they beat Fiorentina 3-1 and second-placed Roma were held to a 1-1 draw at Livorno.
Inter's victory also extended their winning run to a record 13 league matches and leaves them firmly on course to retain the title.
Luca Toni headed Fiorentina into an early lead, but goals from Dejan Stankovic, Adriano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ensured another three points for the champions.
Inter's win at the San Siro left them on 54 points from their 20 matches played, followed by Roma on 43 points and Palermo - held to a goalless draw at Reggina on Saturday - on 39 points.
GOLF
Paraguay claim Women's World Cup victory
SUN CITY, South Africa: Paraguay surprised all with their seven-stroke victory on their debut in the Women's World Cup of Golf on Sunday, making a tremendous impact for a country with only six golf courses.
Julieta Granada and Celeste Troche sealed a wire-to-wire victory with a seven under par 65 in the final betterball matches for a total of nine under par.
The United States team of Juli Inkster and Pat Hurst finished second on two under with a closing 67. Korea's Kim Young and Shin Ji-Yai yook third place on one under, also with a 67.
ATHLETICS
Bekele sees off brother in Madrid
SEVILLE, Spain: Ethiopian star Kenenisa Bekele edged out brother Tariku in Sunday's IAAF Italica international cross country meeting over 10,800m in Seville, winning in 31min 05sec.
Only two seconds split the brothers with Abraham Chebii of Kenya taking third in 31:30 to prevent total Ethiopian domination as Abebe Dinkesa, last year's champion, and Maregu Tarefe placed fourth and fifth.
The win made it a happy return to southern Spain for five-time double world cross country champion Kenenisa Bekele as he also won in Seville in 2004 on his previous Spanish run-out. He also triumphed in 2003.
Alpine skiing
Italy's Putzer wins World Cup giant slalom
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy: Italy's Karen Putzer won the women's World Cup giant slalom here on Sunday ahead of American Julia Mancuso and Denise Karbon of Italy.
It was the 28-year-old Putzer's first win since 2003 and crowned her comeback from hip surgery she underwent last summer which has so far limited her to just four appearances in the World Cup.
"It's been difficult to come back after my operation," said Putzer. "It also hasn't been easy because of the climate (European slopes have been suffering a lack of snow). That's why this win makes me so happy."
(China Daily 01/23/2007 page24)
