On this date: 2001 — Arnold Palmer, then 71, shoots his age Bob Hope Classic
Associated Press
Feb. 17
1941 — Joe Louis knocks out Gus Dorazio in the second round at the Convention Hall in Philadelphia to defend his world heavyweight title.
1967 — Philadelphia's Wilt Chamberlain hits the first of what would become an NBA record 35 consecutive field goals without a miss.
1991 — Ernie Irvan, helped by Dale Earnhardt's continuing misfortune in NASCAR's top stock car race, wins the Daytona 500 under a caution flag.
1992 — Raisa Smetanina wins a gold medal with the Unified Team in the 20-kilometer cross-country relay to set the career Winter Olympic Games medal record with 10. Smetanina, 39, also becomes the oldest champion and the first to win a medal in five straight Winter Games.
1998 — The U.S. women's hockey team wins the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal. Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with 8 seconds left in the United States' 3-1 victory over Canada.
1999 — Australia's Susie O'Neill shatters swimming's oldest record, breaking the 200-meter butterfly world mark with a time of 2 minutes, 5.37 seconds in a World Cup short-course meet at Malmo, Sweden. O'Neill broke the record of 2:05.65 set by Mary T. Meagher of the United States in 1981.
2001 — Arnold Palmer, 71, becomes the first player to shoot his age in a PGA Tour event since Sam Snead did 22 years ago. Palmer finishes the fourth round of the Bob Hope Classic with a 1-under 71. Joe Durant sets a 72-hole record of 29 under for a five-shot lead. Durant, with rounds of 65-61-67-66, breaks the 72-hole record for relation to par set by John Huston in the 1998 Hawaiian Open.
2007 — Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia sets a world record for the indoor 2,000 meters with a time of 4:49.99 at the Norwich Union Grand Prix. Haile Gebrselassie set the previous mark of 4:52.86 in February 1998 at the same National Indoor Arena.
2007 — Miami's Jason Kapono ties a record with 24 points to beat stars Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki in the 3-Point Shootout. Boston's Gerald Green caps All-Star Saturday with an acrobatic leap over a table to win the Slam Dunk contest.
2008 — Ryan Newman snaps an 81-race winless streak, using a huge push from teammate Kurt Busch to give car owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory.
2008 — Ray Allen scores 28 points, making three straight 3-pointers in the final 3:15, and LeBron James adds 27 as the East, widely considered the NBA's weaker half, beats the Western Conference 134-128 in the All-Star Game.
