21.   Home run leader Sammy Sosa should get his cuts in the six games left against the St. Louis Cardinals and his closest challenger, Mark McGwire.

22.   Japan and the United States were considered the two closest challengers.

23.   Kwan had the luck of the draw, with her closest challengers, Maria Butyrskaya of Russia and Tatyana Malinina of Uzbekistan, in the other qualifying group.

24.   Linwood Fiedler seized a substantial lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, arriving in Rohn nearly three hours ahead of his closest challenger.

25.   On the Republican side, Texas Gov. George W. Bush has spent more than Sen. John McCain, his closest challenger.

26.   The closest challengers were independent economist Andrzej Olechowski and current Solidarity bloc leader Marian Krzaklewski.

27.   Tomba will stay in the lead in the World Cup standings until the end of the year as his two closest challengers will be out the rest of December.

28.   With five victories and two other podium finishes, Meissnitzer has rocketed to the top of the overall standings, rapidly pulling away from her closest challengers.

29.   While Parma hosts surprising sixth-place Foggia, its closest challengers get to play downtrodden clubs.

30.   His closest challenger to the throne is American Tyler Hamilton, who leapfrogged Italian Pietro Caucchioli into second overall, after claiming fourth spot on Saturday.