Tergat edges Ramaala in closest finish in N.Y.
New York – Paul Tergat surged one last time, breaking the tape a heartbeat before defending champion Hendrick Ramaala fell across the finish line.
After more than two hours of running Sunday, the New York City Marathon came down to a final sprint and a third of a second – the closest finish in race history.
Tergat and Ramaala were side by side all morning, trading the lead for 26.2 grueling miles through New York’s five boroughs and across fog-shrouded bridges and leaf-strewn roads.
Tergat, a Kenyan who holds the world marathon record, and South Africa’s Ramaala jockeyed for the lead in Central Park. Tergat surged, then Ramaala, then Tergat again. Tergat’s official time was 2 hours, 9 minutes, 30 seconds, but the exact clocking was 2:09:29.90. Ramaala’s time was 2:09:30.22.
It was reminiscent of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where Tergat and Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie sprinted to the finish in the 10,000 meters. Gebrselassie managed one last dash in the final 30 meters, leaning to edge Tergat by nine-hundredths of a second.
This time, Tergat crossed the line first on a warm, sticky day. He was one of 37,516 competitors to start the race, a record for any marathon. Meb Keflezighi finished third, the best finish by an American.
Latvia’s Jelena Prokopcuka won the women’s race and Kenya’s Susan Chepkemei finished second.
MLS
Revolution advances to MLS Cup
Clint Dempsey scored four minutes into the game to lift New England over the visiting Chicago Fire 1-0 and help the Revolution advance to the MLS final.
The Revolution will take on the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup on Sunday in Frisco, Texas.
Matt Reis made seven saves to record his 11th shutout of the season in the Eastern Conference finals. The Revolution allowed 13 goals in 16 regular-season games.
Chicago had an apparent goal in stoppage time by Gonzalo Segares nullified by an offsides call.
TENNIS
Mauresmo captures Advanta title
Amelie Mauresmo rallied to win her third straight Advanta Championships in Villanova, Pa., defeating Elena Dementieva 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.
Mauresmo, ranked fourth in the world, won her third title this year and 18th overall. She came off consecutive opening-round losses at Moscow and Zurich.
Two points from losing the match, Mauresmo took control when Dementieva’s serve broke down. Dementieva double-faulted twice in the 10th game, including the decisive point that allowed Mauresmo to even the third set at 5-all. Mauresmo used a strong forehand to hold serve in the next game and finished off the match by forcing errant shots from Dementieva.
Unseeded Tomas Berdych upset sixth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia in five sets to win the Paris Masters.
Ljubicic saved three match points, but Berdych held on for a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4 victory. Berdych’s forehand winner clinched his second career title.
Amy Frazier beat Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson 6-1, 7-5 to win the Bell Challenge in Quebec.
HORSE RACING
McMann’s Mojave wins Cal Cup
McCann’s Mojave ($8.60) stretched out from sprints to 1 1/8 miles on one of his favorite tracks and won the $250,000 California Cup Classic by a length at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Replacing the injured Alex Solis, Jose Valdivia Jr. had McCann’s Mojave in the lead nearly all the way. They fought off a stiff challenge in the stretch from wagering favorite Desert Boom.
A deadly tornado that ripped through the Midwest early Sunday hit Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., killing three horses and hurting others, injuring track workers and destroying large sections of the grandstand.
The twister tore across southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky just after 1 a.m., killing at least 21 people in nearby southern Indiana, wrecking homes and knocking out power to thousands. Ellis Park’s 2005 racing season ended Sept. 5, but about 150 horses were in training on the track’s grounds.
Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex hasn’t fully recovered from an ankle injury, and won’t race until next year.
FOOTNOTES
McBride earns $1 million bonus
Justin McBride won the season title and a $1 million bonus in the Professional Bull Riders’ World Finals in Las Vegas. McBride, from Elk City, Okla., finished the season with earnings of $479,230.99.
Russian Albert Demtschenko won the men’s World Cup luge event in Sigulda, Latvia, with a second-heat time of 50.683 seconds, after judges canceled the first-heat results because of bad weather. American Tony Benshoof was second in 50.759.
Chicago Blackhawks center Tuomo Ruutu is expected to miss three to 12 weeks because of a back injury. The Blackhawks acquired forward Andy Hilbert from the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round choice in the 2006 draft.
REGION REPORT
Texas A&M edges CU for Big 12 soccer title
The Texas A&M women’s soccer team won its second consecutive Big 12 championship Sunday by beating Colorado 2-1 in double overtime in San Antonio.
Texas A&M junior Suzzette Devloo scored the winning goal 38 seconds into the second overtime. CU’s goal came from Alexis Cousins, the first of her freshman season.
The 10th-ranked Aggies (16-3-2) earned the Big 12’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, while the 23rd- ranked Buffaloes (12-7-3) find out today if they’re in the tournament as an at-large team.
Roby’s 15 points pace CU basketball team
The Colorado men’s basketball team opened its season Sunday by defeating the University of Victoria 75-51 in an exhibition game at the Coors Events Center.
Richard Roby hit four 3-pointers and led the Buffs with a game-high 15 points. Chris Copeland added 14 points for CU, which also received double-figure scoring from Andy Osborn (11 points) and Dominique Coleman (10). CU’s Marcus King-Stockton grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
