The Malaysian Insider

CHICAGO, March 20 — LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers became the youngest player to score 15,000 career points in the NBA yesterday, bettering Kobe Bryant’s record by more than two years.

The small forward accomplished the feat at 25 years, 79 days in his team’s 92-85 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Bryant was 27 years, 136 days old when he reached the mark with the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 29 points in yesterday’s game, James (picture) has now scored 15,026 points in his more than six years in the NBA.

He set the new record on the second of two free throws with 6:39 to play in the first quarter, helping Cleveland, the NBA’s top team, to a sixth consecutive victory. — Reuters

NEW YORK, March 20 — Ethiopia would soon challenge Kenya for supremacy in the men’s marathon, though it would take 25 years before someone broke two hours for the distance, world record holder Haile Gebrselassie said yesterday.

Gebrselassie, who has broken 26 world records in his running career and is the current marathon record holder on two hours, three minutes, 59 seconds, also smiled and replied “soon” when asked if someone would run 2:02 for the distance.

ZURICH, March 20 — World football governing body Fifa’s annual income passed the US$1 billion (RM3.4 billion) mark for the first time last year and president Sepp Blatter said the money would be used to develop the sport around the world.

“We don’t want to have the money here,” Blatter (picture) told reporters yesterday. “We do not give it back to the rich, we give it to those who don’t have it.

“We don’t make the rich richer; we help those who have less.”

INDIAN WELLS (California), March 20 — Sixth seed Robin Soderling delivered a tennis master class in the opening set before eliminating fourth seed Andy Murray 6-1 7-6 in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells ATP tournament yesterday.

After saving four break points in the first game, the Swede overwhelmed Murray with a dazzling array of deep top-spin forehands, flat backhands and power serving to race through the first set in just 36 minutes.

Although Soderling wobbled when serving for the match at 5-4 and 30-0 up to be broken for the only time, he recovered to clinch the tiebreak 7-4 when Murray netted a backhand.

LONDON, March 20 — New teams hoping to enter Formula One next year were told by the governing body yesterday to register their interest by April 15 and pay an administration fee of 1,000 euros (RM4,500).

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that it had decided to open a new selection process “to identify a candidate to fill any vacancy that may exist” at the start of 2011.

“The FIA may also identify one or more possible “reserve’ entrants to fill such vacancies,” it added, with a likely June deadline for applications and a final decision expected in July.