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Sunday's sports briefs

Last update: October 12, 2009 - 1:01 AM

Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya won the Chicago Marathon in the fastest time ever run on U.S. soil, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 41 seconds.

With temperatures in the low- to mid-30s, Wanjiru beat by one second the mark set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999. He got $75,000 for winning and $100,000 for the course record, although he nearly cost himself that bonus by waving to the crowd near the finish.

Had he finished a second later and not broken the record, he would have received an extra $75,000 instead for posting one of the three fastest finishes in the race's history.

Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco made a late push to finish second in 2:06:04, with Kenya's Vincent Kipruto third (2:06:08).

The women's winner was Russia's Liliya Shobukhova, clocking 2:25:56 in only her second marathon. She placed third in the London Marathon earlier this year.

London winner Irina Mikitenko of Germany (2:26:31) finished second and clinched the 2008-09 World Marathon Majors championship. American Deena Kastor placed sixth in 2:28:50, in her first marathon since breaking her right foot in the Beijing Olympics.

SOCCER

Ronaldo hurt, will miss qualifier

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo will be sidelined for up to four weeks because of an ankle injury, club officials said.

The Spanish club said scans confirmed Ronaldo had severely sprained his right ankle Saturday while playing for Portugal in World Cup qualifying. Portugal has a qualifying match Wednesday against Malta.

Ronaldo, 24, was the world player of the year last year.

TENNIS

Djokovic, Kuznetsova win

Novak Djokovic won the China Open in Beijing with a 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic. Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-4 in the women's final.

The third-ranked Djokovic's path to the title was eased by Cilic's upset of top-seeded Rafael Nadal in Saturday's semifinal.

"My patience and the choice of certain shots and a little more experience than he has decided the winner today," said the second-seeded Djokovic, who has won all four encounters between the two, all on hard courts.

• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the Japan Open in Tokyo for his third title of the year, overpowering Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3 in 69 minutes.

GYMNASTICS

German star injured in practice

Germany's Fabian Hambuechen, a favorite for the men's all-around title at the world championships, injured his left ankle during training Sunday and was taken to a London hospital.

Hambuechen won the bronze medal on high bar at the Beijing Games and won an all-around silver medal at the 2007 worlds. The men's competition starts Tuesday in London.

AROUND THE HORN

Basketball: Angel McCoughtry scored 20 points in leading the U.S. women's team past UMMC Ekaterinburg 78-63 Sunday in the Ekaterinburg tournament final in Russia. Swin Cash added 13 points, Sue Bird had 11 and Tina Charles 10 for the U.S. (3-0), which swept through the tournament after a six-day training camp in Washington D.C. Sandrine Gruda of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun scored 15 points for UMMC Ekaterinburg (2-1).

Hockey: Zac MacVoy and Chad Nehring had a goal and assist each for Lake Superior State in a 3-1 victory over Michigan Tech in the season-opening Superior Showcase in Houghton, Mich. Milos Gordic scored a late shorthanded goal for the Huskies (1-1-0), and Kevin Genoe stopped 29 shots. Brian Mahoney-Wilson had 28 saves for the Lakers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Recent Sports stories

College basketball roundup - October 12, 2009
College basketball roundup - • NO. 4 VILLANOVA 82, NO. 5 WEST VIRGINIA 75: Scottie Reynolds scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13 minutes and the Wildcats (21-2, 10-1) held off the Mountaineers (19-4, 8-3) in Morgantown, W.Va., on Monday night. The Wildcats rebounded from a blowout loss at No. 7 Georgetown on Saturday to pull into a first-place tie with No. 2 Syracuse in the Big East. West Virginia led only in the game's opening minutes, couldn't overcome an 11-point halftime deficit and saw its six-game winning streak stopped. The Mountaineers will have to wait until Friday night at No. 25 Pittsburgh to try for their sixth consecutive 20-victory season. More

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