SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The United States lost two gold medals at the Pan American Games on Tuesday after sprinter Mickey Grimes failed a doping test.
Grimes was found to have excessive levels of ephedrine, a banned stimulant, and was stripped of his title in the 100-meter dash. He also led off the victorious 400-meter relay team that officials said will lose its gold. Brazil gets the relay gold and the 100 title goes to Jamaica's Michael Frater.
It was the second time in three days a gold medalist failed a doping test. On Sunday, Surinam's 800-meter winner Letitia Vriesde tested positive for excessive levels of caffeine. Grimes, of Los Angeles, had 13.7 micrograms per milliliter of ephedrine in his system; the legal limit is 10.
At the competition venues, Americans collected more gold. In swimming, the United States went 5-for-5. Robert Margalis of Clearwater won the 400-meter individual medley ahead of teammate Eric Donnelly of Gainesville. Then Ben Michaelson took the 100 butterfly, setting a Pan Ams record of 53.04 seconds. Americans also won the women's 200 freestyle and 200 breaststroke and set a games record 7:18.93 in the men's 800 freestyle relay.
Americans won gold in men's karate (80 kilogram), women's weightlifting (48 kilogram) and in-line skating (men's short- and long-distance races and women's combined long distance). The U.S. women lost 35-21 to Uruguay for the handball bronze medal. Cuba won its ninth baseball championship, beating the United States 3-1.
AUTOS: Childress to drive No.3
Car owner Richard Childress will drive the late Dale Earnhardt's No.3 Chevrolet in a prerace ceremony at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct.11. The car will be part of NASCAR's "Victory Lap" tribute to longtime series sponsor R.J. Reynolds. RJR is ending its sponsorship at the end of the year.
The car features Earnhardt's trademark black paint scheme along the bottom with silver serving as the predominate color on the hood, roof and rear deck lid. Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500, and his No.3 has not been used since. Childress retains the rights to it and has said he will not use it again.
SAFETY CHECK: Four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon asked NASCAR to improve its safety crews, joining a growing list of drivers unsatisfied with current rescue efforts. Gordon became angry after Sunday's race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., when rescue workers were slow to get to him after his wreck near the finish line. NASCAR uses local emergency medical technicians as safety workers instead of a full-time traveling crew. Full-time crews are familiar with drivers' medical histories and have thorough experience in responding to wrecks.
NASCAR defends its system and notes that it holds training seminars for the local crews. Part of the reason it takes crews so long to respond is because they have to wait for the cars to complete the lap and race back to the caution car before NASCAR officials dispatch them to the scene. Other series use advanced scoring systems that "freeze" the field when an accident happens, allowing rescue crews immediate access to the track.
FAN SENTENCED: An angry NASCAR fan who flooded Fox Entertainment with more than a half-million e-mails after a Boston Red Sox game pre-empted an auto race was sentenced to six months of home detention. Michael Melo, 45, paid $36,000 in restitution before his sentencing and will pay a $2,000 fine. He pleaded guilty in May to a federal misdemeanor charge of damage to a protected computer system.
TENNIS: Hewitt out in first round
Lleyton Hewitt lost his composure and his first-round match in the Cincinnati Masters, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Xavier Malisse. The fourth-seed swiped his racket in frustration as Malisse took control early in the third set and held on for his first victory over a top-10 player this year. Wimbledon champion Roger Federer avoided an upset, saving seven match points before beating qualifier Scott Draper 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10).
