Monday, March 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Mary Slaney proved she's not too old at 38 to win world championship medals. She also proved she's not too old to finish second to someone even older.
Slaney, making an amazing comeback this year, won a silver medal in the 1,500 meters Sunday at Paris. Even more amazing was that she was beaten by an athlete six years older.
Yekaterina Podkopayeva, 44, an old Russian adversary who Slaney beat in 1983, won the event in 4 minutes, 5.19 seconds, just .03 ahead of Slaney.
"I didn't feel her coming," Slaney said of the Russian's late charge. "I didn't feel her until right when she got there. I didn't have another gear to go to.
"For a change I wasn't the oldest competitor in the race. That was cool. But for me to win a medal after 14 years ..."
Meanwhile, Wilson Kipketer smashed the 800-meter world record owned by Kenya's Paul Ereng in Friday's heats and then broke his own mark two days later in the final. Kipketer was timed in 1:42.67 to beat Moroccan Mahjoub Haida by more than three seconds and collect $100,000 in prize money.
Buser leads Iditarod
Two-time winner Martin Buser made it across frozen Norton Bay today and into the Alaskan coastal community of Koyuk more than two hours ahead of his nearest competitor in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Buser, from Big Lake, arrived at the rec center checkpoint at 5:01 a.m. Alaska time, with 11 dogs in his team. Doug Swingley, the 1995 winner from Lincoln, Mont., was running No. 2 -- leaving Shaktoolik at 1 a.m. for the 58-mile run across the bumpy Bering Sea ice. Defending champion Jeff King of Denali Park was running a distant third, reporting into Shaktoolik at 10:50 p.m.
Philippoussis prevails
Australia's Mark Philippoussis beat Richey Reneberg 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) on Sunday in the final of the Franklin Templeton Classic at Scottsdale, Ariz. Philippoussis had 13 aces for a tournament total of 68.
In other tennis tournaments:
* Second-seeded Dutch star Richard Krajicek won the ABN AMRO indoor at Rotterdam, Netherlands, defeating Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5). Krajicek is No. 6 in the ATP Tour rankings.
* Second-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain downed Germany's Petra Begerow 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday in the second round of the Evert Cup at Indian Wells, Calif. No. 3 Anke Huber of Germany beat Russia's Anna Kournikova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
West Virginia player killed
West Virginia University freshman lineman Daniel Paul VanEtten was killed early Sunday when the sports utility he was driving went out of control after its tire went flat. Teammates Carlos Osegueda, Matt Wilson and Donnell Khori Ivey, and another passenger, Dina Karwoski, were treated for minor injuries at Camden Medical Center in Morgantown.
archive
