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U.S. Sprinter Fails Pan Am Drug Test

Posted on: Tuesday, 12 August 2003, 06:00 CDT

For the second time in three days, a Pan American Games gold medalist failed a doping test. This time, it was American 100-meter champion Mickey Grimes.

Grimes, of Los Angeles, tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine and will be stripped of his gold medal.

The United States swept the 100 dashes for the first time since 1987 when Lauryn Williams won the women's event and then Grimes took his race. But Tuesday, the Pan American Sports Organization said the drug test conducted at a Montreal laboratory came up positive.

Grimes also ran the first leg of the victorious men's 400-meter relay on Saturday.

The U.S. Olympic Committee said it would comment later Tuesday.

It was the second positive doping test of the games, which began Aug. 1. On Sunday, Surinam's 800-meter winner Letitia Vriesde tested positive for excessive levels of caffeine and was stripped of her gold medal. Vriesde later admitted her guilt, games officials said.

Grimes won a world championships gold medal as part of the 2001 U.S. 400-meter relay team. He played wide receiver and ran track at Riverside Community College before transferring to Abilene Christian, where he lettered in football as a defensive back.

Monday night, even before a medal was awarded at the pool, the United States had set a Pan Ams record in swimming. After two events, the Americans had the maximum number of four medals and it looked like they might sweep all the events.

That didn't happen, but the U.S. team dominated the opening day of swimming at the Olympic Center.

In the first final, the women's 100-meter freestyle, Courtney Shealy of Columbia, S.C., won the gold in 55.61 seconds, while Christina Swindle of Miami and Florencia Szigetti of Argentina tied for the silver.

"It was really good to get the women's team started, finishing 1-2 with Christina," Shealy said.

While Shealy and Swindle won the first medals, Amanda Weir had started things for the U.S. women in the morning, setting a Pan Ams record in the preliminaries for the 100 freestyle.

Weir, from Lawrenceville, Ga., swam a 55.26, breaking the mark set by American Angel Martino in the 1995 Pan Ams. Weir, 16, was an exhibition entry in the event, and as such could not compete in the finals, despite her extraordinary time.

Each nation is allowed a maximum of four swimmers in the preliminaries, two of which much be declared as exhibition entries beforehand.

Mark Gangloff of Akron, Ohio, set a Pan Ams record in the first men's final, going wire-to-wire in the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.95. The old games record of 1:00.99 was set by Ed Moses in 1999. Jarrod Marrs, Baton Rouge, La., took the silver in 1:01.71.

"I was very happy with my time," Gangloff said. "To beat Ed Moses' record means a lot. He's been the top American for a long time."

The last U.S. record was set in the women's 800 freestyle relay. Dana Vollmer (Fort Worth, Texas) was in a close race with a Canadian swimmer off the start, but Elizabeth Hill (Atlanta) blew the race open in the second leg. Carley Piper (Grosse Point, Mich.) and Colleen Lanne (Tucson, Ariz.) extended the lead, and broke the record set in 1999 by Canada with a time of 8:05.47.

"My job was to take it away and hopefully have it come down to us and the clock at the end," Hill said.

In the women's 400 individual medley, Georgina Bardach of Argentina was an easy winner over silver medalist Kristen Caverly (San Clemente, Calif). George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago, who swam for Auburn in college, beat Dan Ketchum of Cincinnati in the men's 200 freestyle.

The American team handball squad won a bronze medal by beating Uruguay 25-23. Goalie Danny Hennessey swatted away five penalty shots in the Americans' big victory.

"Never would I imagine that I'd go 5-for-5 in any game, let alone the bronze medal game," the New York City police officer said. "I couldn't be more happy, and ultimately it was the deciding factor in the game."

Hennessey replaced starter Italo Zanzi with 12 minutes to go in the second half with the Americans ahead by three goals. He was supported offensively by the Fitzgerald brothers of North Babylon, N.Y. Joe Fitzgerald, a 1996 Olympian, had five goals, and Tom, also a 1996 Olympic veteran, scored four.

Brazil won the gold and a berth in the 2004 Olympics, by beating Argentina 31-30 in double overtime.

Anita Allen of Winimac, Ind., qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold in modern pentathlon. Mary Beth Iagorashvili (San Antonio) won the bronze.

American boxers finished 2-3 on the day. Jason Estrada of Providence, R.I., beat Dominican Arthur Otaney 20-2 in super heavyweight. Aaron Garcia defeated Carlos Velazquez of Puerto Rico 59-47 in a tiebreaker after a 10-10 score.

The United States finished first and third in cycling in the women's 30-kilometer time trial. Kim Bruckner of Boulder, Colo., took the gold, 38 seconds ahead of Clara Hughes of Canada. Kristin Armstrong of Boise, Idaho, got the bronze. Jose Serpa of Colombia edged Chris Baldwin of Boulder to win the men's 50-kilometer time trial.

Canada beat the U.S. men in softball 5-1, the first loss for the Americans in the preliminary round. At 4-1, the Americans will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, while Canada (5-0) will hold the No. 1 seed.

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