World-Record Run Continues for Dutch Swimmer De Bruijn

Dutch swimmer Inge de Bruijn broke the women’s 50-meter freestyle record on Saturday with a time of 24.39 seconds in the Brazilian swimming championships at Rio de Janeiro, continuing her phenomenal world record-breaking spree.

De Bruijn shaved 0.09 seconds from the record of 24.48 that she set in the Dutch national championships at Amsterdam last Sunday.

“I’m living a dream,” said the 26-year-old Dutchwoman, who is based in the United States.

De Bruijn started her world-record spree May 27-28 in Sheffield, England, setting records in the women’s 100-meter freestyle and the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly and matched the then-world record of 24.51 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle.

In the last two months she has twice set world records in the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle, and set the top world time in the 100-meter freestyle.

Of her string of world records, she said: “I have attained so many good times is such a short time. I have been swimming well. . . . I imagined I might set some records, but not seven! I am so happy!”

Motor Racing

Elliott Sadler walked away without injury from a crash that cut short the final practice session for today’s Kmart 400 at Brooklyn, Mich.

Sadler, in his second year driving for the Wood Brothers team, cart-wheeled on the two-mile oval at Michigan Speedway. It took the track’s safety crew nearly 10 minutes to cut Sadler out of the battered No. 21 Ford Taurus, but he was released and cleared to drive in today’s race.

Bobby Labonte will start on the pole after setting a qualifying record Friday.

Eddie Cheever, representing the Indy Racing League, pulled away over the final laps at Michigan Speedway to earn his first victory in the True Value International Race of Champions series.

The IRL Casino Magic 500, its lineup already set by season points after qualifying was rained out, was postponed after more heavy rains drenched the Texas Motor Speedway at Fort Worth.

The decision to postpone was made about an hour before the race was scheduled to begin, even as the sun was peeking through the clouds and a full rainbow could be seen above the 1 1/2-mile oval.

IRL officials said more rain was in the forecast, and there was not enough time to dry to track and get the race completed.

The race was rescheduled for today, with still a 50% chance of rain.

Nicky Hayden, 18, riding a factory Honda RC51, won his first Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike National at Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Miscellany

In a move that gives them depth and flexibility in planning for the expansion draft, the Mighty Ducks acquired goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere from the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in the entry draft.

Giguere, 23, was chosen 13th overall by Hartford in 1995 and later traded to Calgary. He was 1-3-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in nine games with the Flames last season.

Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier also confirmed that the team has interviewed former Pittsburgh Penguin and San Jose Shark coach Kevin Constantine for an assistant’s job on Coach Craig Hartsburg’s staff but wouldn’t comment further. A job opened when George Burnett left to coach a junior team.

Defenseman Greg Hawgood and center Darby Hendrickson have agreed to terms with the Vancouver Canucks.

A Big Sky Conference investigation has determined that Northern Arizona University’s football team used an ineligible player during the 1999 season, which will force the team to forfeit six games and a star receiver to sit out four.

While the university and the conference did not identify the player, the Arizona Daily Sun reported him to be star wideout Francis St. Paul.

One of the games the Lumberjacks will have to forfeit is a victory over Cal State Northridge.

Deji Aliu of Nigeria beat Dennis Mitchell of the United States in the 100 meters and long-jump world champion Ivan Pedroso captured his second victory in 24 hours at a rain-delayed track meet in Turin, Italy.

The Cuban jumper, who traveled to Turin after competing in Seville on Friday, made a successful leap of 27 feet 6 1/2 inches on his sixth try to beat James Beckford of Jamaica by 7 1/2 inches.

Aliu won the 100 in 10.17 seconds. Mitchell, winner at the Milan meet Wednesday, was second in 10.26.

The Detroit Lions, looking for a replacement for injured quarterback Charlie Batch, have agreed to sign Stoney Case.

Necrology

Rufus Leach, who led Appalachian State’s basketball team in scoring last season and helped the Mountaineers reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979, drowned while boating with friends in Tennessee, university officials said. He was 22.

Romulo Duncan Arantes Filho, an Olympic swimmer turned actor, died when the single-engine plane in which he was taking flying lessons crashed about 120 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. He was 42.

The Brazilian swimming champion competed in three Olympics from 1972 to 1980 before turning to acting, appearing in several highly popular films.

Shay Brennan, former Irish national soccer captain and Manchester United player, has died. He was 63.

Brennan played 19 times for Ireland and was the first English-born player to be picked for the republic’s national team.

Brennan died Friday while playing golf at Tramore in the south of Ireland in County Waterford.

Funeral services for Don Klosterman, the former Los Angeles Ram general manager and Loyola Marymount quarterback, will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in the Sacred Heart Chapel on the Loyola Marymount campus, 7100 W. 80th St., Westchester. Klosterman died Wednesday of heart failure. He was 70.