Olympics Highlights: Day 12
— -- The women’s all-around gymnastic champion has had her gold medal taken away. Sixteen-year old Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan took a banned stimulant contained in two cold medicine pills the team doctor gave her. An IOC official says it was a common,over-the-counter drug.
But Raducan’s been stripped of her all-around gymnastics goldmedal. She’s being allowed to keep her team and vault medals.
The team doctor has been banned from the next two Olympics, 2002in Salt Lake City and 2004 in Athens, Greece.
Raducan is the first gymnast to be stripped of a medal becauseof failed drug test. Hers is the sixth positive drug test of theSydney Games.
That same IOC official says U.S. shot putter C.J. Hunter failed four separate tests for steroids this summer. Hunter, the coach and husband of runner Marion Jones, denied the allegations at a newsconference today and said he’d never do anything to jeopardize hisfamily’s opinion of him.
Jones attended a news conference with Hunter, and askedreporters to leave them alone so she can concentrate on her goal ofwinning five gold medals.
A Ugandan swimmer charged with raping a 17-year-old girl near the main Olympic venue had been granted bail.
Joe Atuhaire, 22, appeared in court Monday night after beingextradited from Adelaide in southern Australia, where he wasarrested Saturday.
Atuhaire was ordered to appear in court Oct. 19 to enter a plea.He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison if convicted.
He was released on $10,940 bail and had his passportconfiscated. His Olympic credential, which acts as an entry visafor Australia during the Sydney Games, has been canceled.
Atuhaire was expected to be released from custody later Tuesdayafter a Ugandan official agreed to post the bail.
Atuhaire has been ordered to stay at an accommodation providedby the Salvation Army until authorities issue him a new visa.
Atuhaire, from the Ugandan capital of Kampala, was eliminatedfrom competition on the first morning of the games on Sept. 16. Herecorded 1 minute, 22.35 seconds in the first heat of the 100-meterbreaststroke, the slowest of 65 competitors.
Baseball
Orestes Kindelan, the cleanup hitter on Cuba’s two gold medalteams, drove in three runs with a pair of singles for a 3-0 victoryover Japan in the semifinals. The Cubans will play either theUnited States or South Korea, who met in the other semifinal.
Beach Volleyball
Americans Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana refused to wiltbeneath unrelenting Brazilian pressure, defeating favored Ze Marcode Melo and Ricardo Santos 12-11, 12-9 in the final.
It was a bitter defeat for the Brazilians, who won three medals— the silver and bronze in women’s and the men’s silver — but failed to grab the top prize in a sport they have dominated inrecent years.
Boxing
Felix Savon had just too much experience and size for MichaelBennett and the vaunted Cuban heavyweight took another step towarda record-equaling third Olympic boxing gold medal.
Bennett, who first boxed in an Illinois prison and has had fewerthan 50 fights in open competition, was stopped on the 15-pointrule (23-8) in the third round by the 6-foot-6 Savon. The put Savoninto the semifinals.
