Track and Field

Maria Mutola of Mozambique fought off an unexpected challenge from her cousin, Tina Paulino, to win the women’s 800 meters at the New York Games in 1 minute 56.56 seconds--the fastest time ever run by a woman in the United States.

Paulino, 19, racing against Mutola, 20, for the first time, was a close second in 1:56.62, also faster than the previous best in the U.S. of 1:57.0 by Tatyana Providokhina of the Soviet Union on Aug. 7, 1976.