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Sports briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 20, 2000

11 skaters fail EPO drug tests

Eleven world-class speed skaters tested positive for a banned growth hormone last year in tests done at the request of the International Skating Union, which is trying to combat the use of endurance-boosting EPO.

The blood tests, devised by U.S. doctors Jim Stray Gundersen and Joel Shobe, were done at championships in Milwaukee and Nagano, Japan. None of the skaters was identified because the International Olympic Committee has not approved the test.

Gundersen, who works for Norway's Olympic committee, said about 15 percent of the speed skaters showed the use of EPO, or erythropoetin. The drug enhances endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

Gerd Zimmermann, vice president of the ISU, said the new controls could be in place at the World Championships in Salt Lake City and Budapest, Hungary.

MORE SPEED SKATING: Germany's Anni Friesinger won the women's 1,500 meters in 1 minute, 57.71 seconds at the World Cup in Berlin. She edged Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann. Gianni Romme led a Dutch sweep of the men's 5,000 in 6:25.53, with Rintje Ritsma and Carl Verheijen.

BASEBALL: Free-agent outfielder Ellis Burks and Cleveland agreed on a three-year deal worth nearly $21-million, a sign the Indians may go into the future minus Manny Ramirez. Burks, 36, hit .344 with 24 home runs and 96 RBI in 393 at-bats last season for the Giants. ... The Giants acquired pitcher Tim Worrell from the Cubs for third baseman Bill Mueller. The Giants also reached a one-year agreement with third baseman Russ Davis, who batted .261 with nine home runs in 80 games last season. Worrell, 33, a right-hander, was 3-4 with three saves and 2.47 ERA in 54 appearances.

BOWLING: Nine-time PBA champion Steve Hoskins of Tarpon Springs kept the lead after the first round of match play at the Lone Star Open in Pasadena, Texas. Hoskins averaged 238 and had a 26-game pinfall of 6,351. Doug Kent moved from 10th to second with high games of 279, 266 and 256 and trailed Hoskins by 316 pins. Ryan Shafer moved into third place.

FIGURE SKATING: Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio won the ice dance, preventing a Russian sweep at the Cup of Russia in Moscow. Fusar-Poli and Margaglio, second in the world last year, took all three dance sections of the International Skating Union competition. Russians Irina Lobocheva and Ilia Averbukh were second, followed by Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky of Israel. On Saturday, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the pairs title, and Russians Irina Slutskaya and Yevgeny Plushchenko won the women's and men's titles.

HORSES: Bettor's Delight beat Real Desire by a half-length in the $545,300 Governor's Cup Pace during the richest night of harness racing in the 14-year history of New Jersey's Garden State Park. Electrical Art rallied to beat stablemate Gothic Lady by 21/2 lengths in the $456,100 Three Diamonds Pace for juvenile fillies; Magical Dreamer was third. Syrinx Hanover won the $401,200 Goldsmith Maid Trot by 31/4 lengths. Chasing Tall won the $464,100 Valley Victory Trot. ... Arch Kingsley rode Romantic to a 11/4-length victory over Campanile in the $100,000 Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup Steeplechase run at the Springdale Race Course in Camden, S.C. ... Pat Day rode Dif A Dot to victory at Churchill Downs in the $55,800 allowance for fillies and mares 3 years old and up. Dif A Dot earned $36,675 to boost her career earnings to $228,824. Arctic Quest, a 31-1 shot, finished second and West's Secret was third. ... Proud Tower beat Chinook Cat in the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes at Hollywood Park, Calif., raising his earnings to $190,660.

OLYMPICS: Greek Premier Costas Simitis fired the government minister in charge of preparations for the Athens Games, three days before IOC officials arrive for an inspection. Theodoros Pangalos had criticized government labor reforms and Cabinet members. He will be replaced by Evangelos Venizelos, who has held several Cabinet positions.

RUNNING: Brian Clas won the Philadelphia Marathon in a course-record 2 hours, 18 minutes, 3 seconds. Runner-up Andrey Shalagin finished more than five minutes back in 2:23:30. In the women's race, Elvira Kolpakova and Kim Saddic dueled for about 20 miles, then Kolpakova pulled away and won in 2:41:56.

SKIING: Heinz Schilchegger beat Austrian teammate and first-run leader Mario Matt in the World Cup slalom on the Park City, Utah, course where Olympians will race. Schilchegger had a combined time of 1 minute, 46.88 seconds, nearly a half-second ahead of Matt. Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt, winner of last season's World Cup slalom crown, took third.

SNOWBOARDING: Italy swept the giant slalom at the World Cup in Tignes, France, with Walter Feichter and Carmen Ranigler winning the men's and women's divisions. Stefan Kaltschuetz of Austria was second and Daniel Biveson of Sweden finished third. Marlon Posch of Italy came in second and Heidi Renoth of Germany was third in the women's race. Stine Kjeldaas of Norway won the women's half-pipe event, with Gian Simmen of Switzerland the men's champion. Joni Vastamaki of Finland won the men's cross event. Olympic champion Karine Ruby of France was the top woman.

SOCCER: The U.S. team opens the final round of regional qualifying for the 2002 World Cup at home in February against Mexico and finishes in November at Trinidad and Tobago. FIFA, the sport's governing body, conducted a draw giving the United States a home-and-home series with the other finalists, which include Honduras, Jamaica, and either Guatemala or Costa Rica.

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