BRIEFLY: CHINA PREPARED TO BID ON 2008.

After losing out to Sydney to host the 2000 summer games, Beijing is set to enter the race for the 2008 Olympics, a major Japanese daily said today.

Li Ruihuan, a high-ranking Chinese bureaucrat, has told Japanese officials in Beijing that China plans to make the bid its top priority during the Central Committee's assembly next spring, the Asahi Newspaper quoted Chinese and Japanese officials as saying.

The chairman of China's Olympic Committee, He Zenliang, also said Sunday in Lausanne, Switzerland, that China will start preparing the Beijing bid this fall, the Asahi reported.

Last month, Japan's Olympic officials selected Osaka as their official candidate for the 2008 games. Other possible contenders include London, Paris, Cairo, Prague and Pusan, in South Korea.

A bid by Beijing would be a major blow to 2008 hopefuls. Sydney beat out Beijing in a close vote in 1993, and some Olympic insiders say the Chinese capital would be the natural front-runner if it enters the race.

TRACK AND FIELD: Two-time Olympic champ Gail Devers won the women's 100 meters and Namibia's Frankie Fredericks completed a sweep in the men's 100 as the World University Games' ``Sprint Festival'' signaled the end of competition at the track in Sicily.

Devers won after Merlene Ottey of Jamaica, the 200 winner Saturday, was a late scratch because of a leg muscle injury.

Devers, whose season has been hampered by injuries, had a good start and was increasing her lead as she crossed the line in 11.03. Ukrainian Zhanna Pintussevich, the world champion at 200 meters and runner-up in the 100, was second in 11.23.

A sore right calf muscle has bothered Devers most of the year. She withdrew from the 100 hurdles, in which she was the defending champion, on the eve of the World Championships at Athens, Greece, last month. She did help the U.S. win the gold medal in the 400 relay.

Running into a slight wind, Fredericks led all the way, winning easily in 10.15 seconds, ahead of Dennis Mitchell and Jon Drummond. Fredericks also won the 200 Saturday.

The sprint exhibition was organized in an effort to boost interest in the University Games. The races drew the biggest crowds of the week to Cibali Stadium, including about 30,000 Sunday, the final day of the games.

The head of the university federation is Italy's Primo Nebiolo, the powerful president of the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

Meanwhile, Amy Acuff out of UCLA won the won the women's high jump, the U.S. won the men's and women's 400 relay titles and world champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba won a thrilling long jump duel with an event-record leap on his final attempt.

Pedroso soared 27 feet, 6-3/4 inches, beating the 27-4-3/4 that James Beckford of Jamaica was leading with during most of the competition, and bettering the games mark that had stood for 22 years.

``In the future, I'll try to get the world record, but the conditions were not right tonight,'' Pedroso said. ``The competition was tough, but the crowd was a help. In the beginning I had the wind against me, but in the end the wind stabilized and I was able to do well.''

Another games record fell in swimming, when the United States clocked 3 minutes, 41.95 seconds in the 400-meter individual medley relay.

The United States ended the games with an overwhelming lead in the final medal tally, with 61 total, including 20 golds.

ROWING: Britain's coxless foursome, led by one of the world's most successful pairs, Matt Pinsent and Steve Redgrave, won its heat to advance to the semifinals of the World Rowing Championships. Pinsent and Redgrave have been unbeatable as a pair, winning gold medals in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. They won 61 consecutive races during that time.

The pair helped the British win the 2,000-meter heat in 6 minutes, 0.55 seconds, the fastest heat of fours of the day, despite letting up considerably in the last 500 meters. The championships continue through the week in the 14 Olympic boat classes and 10 non-Olympic and lightweight divisions.

There are 14 men's events and 10 women's events from single sculls to eights.

HORSE RACING: Jose Santos took advantage of some late room on the rail and guided Rumpipumpy to a one-length victory over B.A. Valentine in the 59th running of the $200,000 Diana Stakes at Saratoga.

Antespend, ridden by Jerry Bailey, came off the rail deep into the stretch, letting Rumpipumpy the room she needed to win the race for fillies and mares 3 and up. Antespend was another head back in third.