Four Chinese Swimmers Suspended
A Chinese drug scandal again rocked the world swimming championships in Perth, Australia, overshadowing Russian star Alex Popov's victory in the 100-meter freestyle.
As today's finals ended, swimming's governing body announced that four Chinese swimmers - male Wang Wei and females Wang Luna, Cai Huijue and Zhang Yi - were immediately suspended after testing positive for the banned substance Triamterene, a diuretic.
FINA said the samples were collected on Jan. 8, and that the four are suspended, without a hearing, until the "B" samples taken at the same time are analyzed.
Diuretics are sometimes used by athletes to reduce weight, but medical officials say they also are used to reduce the concentration of drugs in urine in an attempt to flush drugs from the system.
FINA also announced that Chinese swimmer Yuan Yuan, caught by Australia Customs on Jan. 8 with banned human growth hormones in her suitcase, has been banned from competition for four years.
A Chinese coach, Zhou Zhewen, who said he placed the drugs in Yuan's suitcase, was banned for 15 years. FINA said it would review Zhou's case after 10 years and possibly place him on probation for the final five years.
Popov, 26, who swept the 50 and 100 freestyles in the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, is attempting to become the first man to win both events in consecutive world meets.
TENNIS
Pete Sampras, playing his first match since suffering a calf injury early last month in the Davis Cup final, dropped his opening-round robin-match today at the Colonial Classic in Melbourne, Australia, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil.
A slight stomach-muscle strain prompted defending champion Michael Chang to withdraw.
-- It took five rain delays and 5 1/2 hours, but Lindsay Davenport beat Anna Kournikova 6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3 in the Sydney International.
Horse racing
The Washington Horse Racing Commission, upholding a protest of the results of the Gottstein Futurity on Sept. 28 at Emerald Downs, has reversed the position of the first two horses. The commission yesterday declared I.M. BZY, which had finished second, the Futurity winner and dropped My Constant Star from first to second. The decision does not affect the mutuel payoffs.
A.J. Segale, owner of I.M. BZY, had protested that My Constant Star, ridden by Danny Sorenson, had drifted out in the stretch run and interfered with I.M. BZY, ridden by Chelsea Zupan.
Sorenson said he had straightened his horse out when he saw the other horse. But the WHRC, after extensive viewing of videotapes, disagreed, ruling that My Constant Star "did not straighten its path after moving out to the middle of the racetrack but instead initiated the contact and was the sole aggresor in the incident."
BOXING
Lou Duva, 75, who has spent six decades in boxing as a fighter, trainer, manager and promoter, is among 13 honorees selected for the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.
Former champions selected include light-heavyweight Matthew Saad Muhammad, flyweight Miguel Canto and welterweight Antonio Cervantes.
-- Joe Bugner, 47, regained the Australian heavyweight title from Colin Wilson, 25, scoring a unanimous decision in a bout in Gold Coast, Australia.
SLED-DOG RACING
Jamie Nelson won the John Beargrease marathon, becoming the only four-time winner in the race's 15-year history.
She made the 262-mile trek, which finished in Grand Portage, Minn., in 45 hours, 25 minutes.
SOCCER
ABC agreed to broadcast the 1999 women's World Cup, the first time a major U.S. television network will air the event.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Freshman Davy Ford, who gained 258 yards as Florida State's top reserve tailback last season, might miss the 1998 season because of torn ligaments in his right knee.