FO OF A B737 OVERTOOK A CESSNA AND PASSED IT ON FINAL TO AN ADJACENT PARALLEL RWY AFTER BEING INSTRUCTED BY APCH CTLR TO EXTEND BASE LEG SO THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN.

Narrative

WE WERE COMING INTO RNO AND WERE CLRED A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 16R WITH A CESSNA THAT WE HAD IN SIGHT ON FINAL TO RWY 16L. HE WAS 4-5 MI AHEAD OF US AND I PRESUME WAS AT FINAL APCH SPD. AS WE TURNED BASE; THE APCH CTLR TOLD US WE COULD EXTEND TO THE W TO AVOID PASSING THE CESSNA ON FINAL. WE OFFSET TO THE W A LITTLE AND THEN CAME BACK ON FINAL. WE WERE PRETTY CLOSE TO THE RWY SO WE COULD NOT OFFSET TOO MUCH TO THE W AND STILL LAND. I WAS AT FINAL APCH SPD SINCE COMPLETING MY BASE TURN. ON SHORT FINAL; WE SLOWLY PASSED THE CESSNA. I ANGLED IN ON FINAL TO STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE AND ALSO WE WERE WELL BELOW THE CESSNA. BUT; WE DID PASS THE CESSNA WHEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO. THE WINDS WERE CALM AND WE WERE BELOW THE CESSNA; SO I DO NOT THINK OUR JETWASH WAS A PROB FOR HIM. IF THERE HAD BEEN A R TO L XWIND; HE MAY HAVE GOTTEN IN OUR JETWASH. I PRESUME HE LANDED NORMALLY. LESSONS LEARNED: CESSNAS ON FINAL ARE REAL SLOW COMPARED TO OUR B737; SO I SHOULD HAVE DELAYED OUR BASE TURN FOR MORE SPACING. ONCE I SAW THAT WE WOULD PASS THE CESSNA; I ANGLED ON FINAL AND KEPT AS MUCH DISTANCE AS POSSIBLE; BUT HAD THERE BEEN A STRONG R TO L XWIND; HE MAY HAVE GOTTEN INTO OUR JETWASH.