BRIEFLY : THOMPSON SETS RECORD, WINS 4TH GOLD.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Jenny Thompson won her fourth gold medal at the World Swimming Championships on Friday in Perth, Australia, with a record-breaking performance.

The team missed a world record, winning in 4:01.93, .26 seconds off the mark set by China's drug-tainted team at Rome in 1994. One member of that Chinese team, Lu Bin, tested positive for a banned substance shortly after the meet.

TENNIS: Venus Williams ran into the same indefatigable force in the Sydney International final that her sister Serena did in the semifinals - an inspired Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Sanchez Vicario, a former No. 1 who slipped to No. 9 after a 20-month drought, outserved, outslugged and outran 17-year-old Venus in a 6-1, 6-3 victory today in Australia.

In the men's final today, Karol Kucera spotted defending champion Tim Henman the first four games, then whittled away from the baseline to capture his first title in three years 7-5, 6-4.

NFL: Former Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown smiled and joked with nurses and attendants as he prepared to leave The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research in Houston following a remarkable recovery from a serious spinal injury in a game against the New York Jets on Dec. 21.

Brown, wearing a halo-type brace that secures his spine, finished his final physical therapy session and returned to his room to say good-bye to the staff. Quarterback Doug Flutie, a six-time MVP in the Canadian Football League, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.

NHL: The Florida Panthers acquired Dino Ciccarelli, the No. 9 scorer in NHL history, from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida sent disgruntled backup goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick and seldom-used winger Jody Hull to the Lightning, which gave the Panthers defenseman Jeff Norton.

BOXING: Mike Tyson will return to the ring in March as a referee in Wrestlemania XIV at Las Vegas, but he will not wrestle.

SKATING: Pasha Grishuk and Yevgeny Platov moved up from second place and won the European ice dancing title - their 21st straight victory - with a dramatic free skate that earned four perfect 6.0s in Milan, Italy.

SOCCER: Tony Meola might play his first game for the United States in more than 3-1/2 years when the United States meets Sweden in an exhibition game Jan. 24.

Meola became the only goalkeeper on the roster after Mark Dodd was cut Friday because of a strained quadriceps. U.S. coach Steve Sampson, said, however, that

he intends to add another goalkeeper.

Defenders Paul Caligiuri and Thomas Dooley and midfielder Martin Vazquez also were dropped from the U.S. roster because of injuries.

GOLF: Disabled golfer Casey Martin missed the cut at the Nike South Florida Classic in Pompano Beach after shooting a 1-over-par 71 for a two-round total of 147.

Jenny Lidback holed a 6-iron from 135 yards out on her way to a 3-under-par 69 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA's HealthSouth Inaugural in Orlando, Fla.

ALSO: Bob Starr, 64, has informed the Angels that he is retiring from his play-by-play duties with the club. . . . Lamar Odom, one of America's top high school basketball players last year, won't play for No. 20 Rhode Island this season because he failed to qualify to become a full-time student.