Radcliffe breezes to third New York marathon win

World record holder Paula Radcliffe was dominant in gusty conditions at the New York City Marathon and breezed to a comfortable victory Sunday, her second straight and third overall.

In the men’s race, Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil blew past Abderrahim Goumri with about a mile to go.

On a cool, sunny day, 38,377 runners started the race. Radcliffe became the second woman to win the event three times, pulling away from Ludmila Petrova in the 22nd mile. The Brit finished in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 56 seconds.

The 40-year-old Petrova was second in 2:25:43, eight years after she won the NYC Marathon. The Russian also set a Masters world record for runners 40 and over.

Kara Goucher took third in 2:25:53, making her the first American to reach the podium since Anne Marie Letko was third in 1994.

Goumri pulled away from Gomes in the 22nd mile and appeared headed to his elusive first major marathon title. Instead, the Moroccan was the runner-up for the second straight year.

Gomes won in 2:08:43. Goumri finished in 2:09:07, and Daniel Rono of Kenya was third in 2:11:22 in his NYC Marathon debut.

•Runner dies after finishing: A Brazilian runner collapsed and died after finishing the New York City Marathon.

Police said Sao Paulo resident Carlos Jose Gomes, 58, had just passed the finish line about 4:30 p.m. when he complained about feeling ill. He was taken by ambulance to a Manhattan hospital, where he died shortly after.

Golf

Palmer birdies 18 to win

Ryan Palmer made a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole to break out of a six-way tie for the lead and win the Ginn sur Mer Classic in Palm Coast, Fla., earning a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Palmer, who was at No. 143 on the money list with two tournaments remaining, had to call a penalty on himself and made bogey on the 10th hole, then took double bogey on the next hole with a tee shot into the water.

But he rebounded with a birdie he desperately needed on the final hole at Ginn Ocean Hammock Resort for his second career victory.

•Bean takes Schwab title: Andy Bean breezed through 32 holes of play to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif., pulling away from the Champions Tour’s best players for a nine-stroke victory over Gene Jones.

Jay Haas also had reason to celebrate after the Champions Tour’s final event of the year despite his 16th-place finish at 4-under 284. Haas claimed the Schwab Cup at Sonoma Golf Club for the second time in three years as the winner of the tour’s season-long points competition.

•Swede wins Vardon trophy: Robert Karlsson became the first Swede to win the Order of Merit title when closest challenger Lee Westwood couldn’t catch Soren Kjeldsen at the Volvo Masters in Sotogrande, Spain.

Karlsson lifted the Harry Vardon trophy despite finishing 32nd at Valderrama — 17 strokes behind Kjeldsen — after shooting a 75.

Tennis

Frenchman wins in Paris

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat defending champion David Nalbandian to win the Paris Masters.

The 23-year-old Tsonga’s second career title gave him the eighth and final spot in the ATP race and a spot in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai next week.

•Petrova takes Bell Challenge: Nadia Petrova defeated Bethanie Mattek in three sets to win the WTA’s Bell Challenge title in Quebec City.

In the doubles final, Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld and American Vania King topped Jill Craybas of the U.S. and Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Basketball

Marbury inactive again

Stephon Marbury was inactive again Sunday, and Knicks president Donnie Walsh plans to speak with coach Mike D’Antoni and his point guard this week in hopes of clearing up an uncomfortable roster situation.

Marbury might be New York’s most talented player. Yet D’Antoni doesn’t want to play him sporadically, preferring to give limited backcourt minutes to players who are part of the Knicks’ future.

Marbury is in the final year of a contract that will pay him more than $21 million this season, and the Knicks surely won’t re-sign him.

•Thunder get first win: Kevin Durant scored 18 points and first-round pick Russell Westbrook sparked a comeback as the Thunder beat the Minnesota 88-85 night for their first victory in their new home at Oklahoma City.

•Bucks win; Redd hurt: Richard Jefferson and Ramon Sessions each scored 18 points, and Milwaukee used a strong defensive effort to shake off Michael Redd’s injury and beat the Knicks 94-86 at New York.

Hockey

Oilers end Flyers’ streak

Ales Hemsky had two goals and an assist, and Edmonton held on to end the Flyers’ four-game winning streak with a 5-4 win at Philadelphia.

Sheldon Souray added a goal and an assist, Erik Cole and Dustin Penner also scored, and Tom Gilbert had three assists for the Oilers, who won their second straight after dropping five in a row.

•Ruutu leads Hurricanes: Tuomo Ruutu had a goal and an assist, and Carolina scored three times in less than four minutes during the second period of a 6-4 win over Toronto at Raleigh, N.C.

•Thrashers end skid: Ilya Kovalchuk scored two goals and added an assist, and Atlanta held off Florida 5-3 at home to end a six-game losing streak.

The defeat was the fourth straight for the Panthers.

Miscellany

Gagnon, Rodriguez win

Pierre-Luc Gagnon wrapped up his dominating, nearly perfect skateboarding season in the pipe, winning the Action Sports Championship vert title in Seattle, easily outdistancing Danny Mayer and Sandro Dias, the other two podium finishers.

Paul Rodriguez outlasted seven other skaters in a wild 10-minute jam session that was contested on and around a 12-step staircase with a 6-foot drop.

•U.S. ice dancers win: American ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White won gold at Skate Canada in Ottawa, cementing their victory with a first-place finish in the free dance.