African Cup holders

WYDAD Casablanca are the new holders of the African Winners' Cup. The Moroccans came to Ghana protecting a narrow one-nil lead from the first leg, and though they lost two-one to Asante Kotoko, their away goal was enough to hand them the trophy.

A header on 76 minutes from Moustapha Talha was the crucial strike for the North Africans.

The huge crowd in Kumasi, estimated at 80,000, went home disappointed despite an engrossing encounter. Kotoko had the better of the first half, but found it difficult to carve out chances against a determined Wydad defence.

It took Kotoko until the second half to take the lead, levelling the tie on aggregate. Aziz Ansah scored with a messy shot that the Wydad captain, Lahcen Abrami, almost managed to clear.

Instead, it was Wydad who struck next, with the goal that won the cup. Talha climbed highest to head home from a corner, and suddenly Kotoko needed to score twice more to win the Final.

Michael Osei did score a late goal that won Kotoko the match -- but it was Wydad who triumphed over the two legs.

Wydad become the first Moroccan team to win the trophy. This is also a significant triumph for Wydad's Argentinean coach Oscar Fullone, who has won three continental cups in four years.

Fullone made his name in Africa with back-to- back Champions' League trophies with Asec of Ivory Coast and Raja of Morocco.

Honda Title

PETR Korda defeated Michael Stich 6-1, 6-4 to take the Honda Challenge title at the Royal Albert Hall.

Last year's finalist went one better this time round by winning with an impressive all-round display.

Former Wimbledon champion Stich lost his first service game and looked off the pace until he raised his game in the second set. But Korda never looked in danger of spoiling his record of not dropping a set all week.

"This is the one I wanted to win most," Korda said. "But the most important thing is that I play good tennis and people go home happy."

Stich was magnanimous in defeat and was happy to have reached the final at his first attempt. "Petr played tremendous tennis and he is very fit," he said. "He played great tennis all through the week and he deserved to win. Petr didn't understand the idea of senior tennis -- playing a bit slower, having mercy on your opponent and not hitting winners from every corner of the court!"

Retirement retraction

YEVGENY Kafelnikov has scrapped plans to retire from tennis and says he will try to regain the form that took him to the top of the world rankings.

Kafelnikov, 28, had repeatedly stated his intention to retire if Russia won the Davis Cup this year. They did so by beating France in last week's dramatic final, but Kafelnikov has decided to continue playing.

"Hopefully, my physical conditioning will allow me to regain my top form to be the player that I was not so long ago," he said. "I've been a professional tennis player for over a decade and it's a great honour for me to be part of the ATP Tour."

Kafelnikov denied it was his disappointing form in the Davis Cup final which prompted him to reconsider his decision.

BBC award

PROFESSIONAL runner Paula Radcliffe has rounded off a remarkable 2002 by winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The runner triumphed in a public phone poll vote, with England football star David Beckham the runner-up and record-breaking jockey Tony McCoy in third.

Radcliffe was a clear winner with a total of 619,577 votes. Beckham polled 113,539 and McCoy 87,972. Earlier, a frail-looking George Best collected a special Lifetime Achievement Award.

Radcliffe was presented with the famous trophy at the end of a star-studded event held at Television Centre in London.

English bronze medal

COMMONWEALTH 1500m silver medallist Hayley Tullett led the British women's team to bronze medal at the European Cross Country Championships in Croatia. But the men's team narrowly missed out on a medal as they finished fourth.

Tullett, the 29-year-old from Wales, finished fifth in 20 minutes 25 seconds, with Sloveni's Helena Javornik claiming victory in the 6,170 metres race.

Galina Bogomolva finished two seconds behind Javornik to help Russia claim the team gold medal, with last year's junior champion Elvan Abeylegesse third in 20.19.

Tullett's fifth-place finish, plus Hayley Yelling in 14th place, Liz Yelling in 20th and Sharon Morris in 41st, was enough to secure a medal for Britain.

In the men's event, Jon Brown's gamble to help Britain to a medal despite not being fully fit failed when the men's team finished fourth in a wind- ravaged 9,830-metre race. It was nonetheless their highest placing since winning the 1999 team title.

African Footballer 2002

BY 25 December 2002, the members of the Technical and Media committees of CAF will be sending in their votes of the best African footballer of 2002.

Upon full receipt, the first three 'best nominees' will be announced, and the winner of the 2002 African best footballer award will receive the trophy on the occasion of the African Soccer Awards ceremony which will be held in South Africa in April 2003.

The nominees of this year's best African footballer award are: Burkina Faso: Moumouni Dagano (Genk-BEL)

Cameroon: Geremi (Middlesbrough ENG) Lauren (Arsenal-ENG) Samuel Eto (Real Mallorca SPA)

Congo DR: Lua Lua Lomana (Newcastle ENG)

Egypt: Ahmed Hossam Mido (Ajax-HOL) Ahmed Hassan (Genclerbiligi-TUR)

Mali: Seydou Keita (Lens-FRA)

Nigeria: Julius Aghahowa (Shakhtar UKR) John Utaka (Lens FRA)

Senegal: Al Hadji Diouf (Liverpool ENG) Salif Diao (Liverpool ENG) Pape Bouba Diop (Lens- FRA) Fadiga (Auxerre FRA) Henri Camara (Sedan-FRA)

Ghana: Brahim Abdulrazak (Saint Etienne- FRA)

Sierra Leone: Paul Kapaka (Germinal B-BEL)

South Africa: Sibusiso Zuma (FC Copenhagen- DEN) Benni McCarthy (Celta Vigo SPA)

Tunisia: Selim Ben Achour (PSG FRA) Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax Amsterdam HOL)