Olympics Highlights: Day 7

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Czech cyclist Jan Hruska is out of the Olympics after testing positive for what a Czech officialidentified as nandralone.

The International Cycling Union confirmed his disqualification in a statement from its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In Prague, Jaroslav Nekola, the head of the Czech Anti-DopingCommittee, said the substance was nandrolone, an anabolic steroid.

Hruska was tested Sept. 13 during the Tour of Spain. A secondtest confirmed that “the anti-doping control … was indeedpositive,” the ICU said.

“The Czech Cycling Federation has started proceedings againstthis rider for breach of the UCI anti-doping regulations” and haswithdrawn him from the Olympics.

Hruska was to leave for Sydney on Wednesday, but his departurewas postponed until today pending results from a test on thesecond sample.

International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch has resumed his duties at the Sydney Games. He had returned to Spain as his wife was dying this past weekend.

Samaranch told reporters “These were not easy days.” He addedthat he is happy to be back and to be resuming his presidentialresponsibilities.

The 80-year-old Samaranch is attending his last games as head ofthe IOC.

French track star Marie-Jose Perec has left Sydney. French Olympic officials say the two-time defending 400-meter champion went to Singapore, where she and a companion were involved in ascrap that left a cameraman in a hospital. A sponsorshipspokeswoman says Perec left after being menaced in her hotel room.Both Sydney police and the hotel management say they’ve not beennotified of any such incident.

Archery

After sweeping the individual medals, three South Korean womenjoined to easily win the team title for the fourth consecutiveOlympics.

Basketball

In what was by far the closest basketball game a U.S. team (3-0) hasplayed using NBA players, the Americans led by only five points inthe final minute before defeating Lithuania (1-2) 85-76.

Michael Meeks was 8-for-8 from the field, including four3-pointers, and scored 24 points as Canada (3-0) clinched a berthin the quarterfinals by beating Spain (1-2) 91-77.

Italy downed New Zealand 78-66. Carlton Myers, a native of England, hit a 3-pointer with 12:55 to play that gave Italy (2-1) the lead for good at 48-47. His shot starteda 15-3 run that he capped with a 1-on-3 fast break where his layupwas goaltended.

France’s Antoine Rigaudeau had just two points at halftime on 1-for-7 shooting against China (1-2) but he found the range in the second half as France won 82-70. His 3-pointer with 5:38 to play gave France (2-1) the lead for good at 69-68 andstarted a game-closing 16-2 run.