The Daily Herald from Arlington Heights, Illinois • Page 12

PAGE 2 SECTION 2 DAILY HERALD Sports digest SUNDAV, AUGUST 31, 2003 Double gold medalist White denies using drugs Associated Press SAINT-DENIS, France Kelli White provided some of the rare highlights for an underachieving U.S. team at the World Championships until she flunked a drug test, putting her two sprint gold medals at risk and depriving a favored American relay team of its anchor. Track's world governing body is investigating a sample from White, the only American woman to win an event at these World Championships and the only U.S. woman to win both the 100 and 200 meters at a world meet. Now, her sprint crowns are in jeopardy.

And, after White's withdrawal, the U.S. 400-meter relay team lost to France on Saturday night. It's just the latest controversy for the U.S. team at the World Championships. American sprinter Jon Drummond withdrew from the meet after a tantrum in the men's 100 quarterfinals.

Drummond threw a fit after being disqualified for a false start. Then the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency called for the U.S. relay team from the Sydney Olympics to return its medals after a report World Track Championship that Jerome Young, a surprise winner here in the 400 meters, failed a drug test in 1999 but was quietly cleared by U.S. officials and allowed to run in the 2000 Games. There have also been plenty of disappointments on the track including medal shutouts in events Americans usually rule, such as the men's 100 and the women's pole vault.

White said her positive drug test stemmed from prescription medicine for a sleep disorder, and she denied ever taking drugs to enhance her performance. "Because I know that I did nothing wrong and sought no advantage over my competitors, I am confident that things will work out in the end," she said. "The mere fact of this allegation is personally harmful and hurtful. I have never taken any substance to enhance my performance." White's positive test for the stimulant modafinil came after her win Monday in the 100. Ame Ljungqvist, vice president of the International Association of Ath- ASSOCIATED PRESS Kelli White reads a statement during a news conference Saturday.

letics Federations and head of that organization's anti-doping commission, said White's 200 medal is in jeopardy, too. Modafinil stimulates the central nervous system and is used to fight fatigue and sleepiness. Ljungqvist said at a news conference that the IAAF is aware of other cases in which modafinil has been used by athletes "for the purpose of performance enhancement." White responded at her own news conference Saturday night, saying thatshe was pre- scribed modafinil for narcolepsy earlier year, and that she and close members of her family have been diagnosed with the disorder. She said she went to her doctor after feeling tired all the time and having trouble with her memory. White, who was somber but during the news conference, is confident she will be able to keep her medals.

"Honestly, deep in my heart, I do believe so," she said. "I believe I'm innocent; I know I'm innocent. I've worked very hard for the medals I earned this week, and I'm going to work very hard to keep them." It's not the first time White has been involved in a disputed drug test in France. In July 2002, after running in a meet at Saint-Denis, White's sample turned up traces of a corticoid an anti-inflammatory steroid. She was suspended for six months by France's anti- doping agency because she lacked a medical-certificate, but the IAAF cleared her.

Ljungqvist said he did not think White's doping case would be resolved during the World Championships. "It is very clear that it is a stimulant, but whether it is a soft stimulant or a strong stimulant is not clear," IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai told The Associated Press. "If it ends as a doping case at the moment all indications are toward that direction then she will be deprived of the gold medal." Gyulai and Ljungqvist said if it is a "soft" stimulant, White would be disqualified from the 100 and stripped of her medal. If it is a stronger stimulant similar to an amphetamine, she also would face a two-year international ban. Athletes are required to declare the use of any drug for medical purposes and seek an exemption for its use, but White neither declared her use of modafinil nor sought such an exemption.

Since the drug is not on the lAAF's list of banned substances, White said she saw no need to make such a declaration. "The reason that I did not declare this on my doping control list is because I do not take it every day. It is on an as- needed basis," she said. "Because I took it so early in the day, I never thought to list it. After a competition, it's kind of hard to remember everything you take during the day." Gyulai said modafinil is not specifically listed as a banned drug, but is "covered by a clause on related compounds." "Of course, it is an embarrassing factor for her that she would neither declare nor get prior exemption," Ljungqvist said.

"She should have done it. Even more, she should have asked for a prior exemption to use it. That is, of course, a problem for her when her case will later be evaluated." White would have anchored the relay. Instead it was Torri Edwards who got the baton with a lead but was passed in the final few meters by France's Christine Arron. Also Saturday, Allen Johnson won his fourth world title in the 110-meter hurdles, edging U.S.

teammate Terrence Trammell by eight-hundredths of a second. LiuXiang of China took the bronze. Other winners were Mirela Manjani of Greece in the women's javelin, Jaouad Gharib of Morocco in the men's marathon, Eunice Barber won France in the women's long jump and 18-year-old Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia in the women's 5,000 meters. Ahead of the game Sun. Men.

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4 5 Sat. Sun. Mon. 67 8 away San Fran 3:15 32 home Milwaukee 1:20 9 away Detroit 12:05 FSN home St. Louis 1:20 9 home St.

Louis (2) 12:05, 9 7:05, FSN home Boston 7:05 26 home St. Louis 1:20 9 home Boston 7:05 FSN home St. Louis 1:20 FSN away Milwaukee 7:05 26 home Cleveland 7:05 FSN away Milwaukee 6:05 9 home Cleveland 12:15 32 away Milwaukee 1:05 FSN home Cleveland 1:05 9 home Minnesota 7:05 FSN home Columbus 8:00 home home Wisconsin Wisconsin 6:00 2:00 home Joliet 1:20 Arlington 1:00 Arlington 1:00 away playoffs TBA away away Fargo Fargo playofts playoffs 7:05 7:05 Arlington 1:00 home home playoffs playotis 6:30 7:00 home home home Fargo Fargo Fargo playoffs playoffs playoffs 7:05 6:20, if nee. 12:05. il nee.

Arlington 1:00 Arlington 3:00 Arlington 1:00 Arlington 1:00 All times are game times. Channel surfing TELEVISION Baseball Basketball College football Golf Motor sports Sports talk Tennis Track and field Volleyball WHITE SOX at Detroit Atlanta at Pittsburgh Milwaukee at CUBS San Francisco at Arizona WNBA playoffs: Cleveland at Detroit, Game 2 WNBA playolfs: Sacramento at Houston, Game 2 Central Florida at Virginia Tech Louisville at Kentucky New Mexico St. at Texas European Tour: BMW International Open, final round LPGA Tour: State Farm Classic, final round PGA Tour: Deutsche Bank Championship, third round Champions Tour: Tradition, final round NHRA: Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, qualifying NASCAR Winston Cup Series: Southern 500 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship: Grand Prix of Denver NHRA: Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, qualifying CART: Grand Prix of Denver The Sports Reporters Sports Page U.S.

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7 p.m. 24 hours 24 hours Daylight hours (after Cubs) WMVP 1000-AM WGN 720-AM WONC89.1-FM WBIG 1280-AM WMVP 1000-AM WSCR 670-AM WMVP 1000-AM WCSN 820-AM WGN 720-AM Brown's hat trick lifts Revolution FOXBORO, Mass. Chris Brown scored 3 goals as the New England Revolution snapped a nine-game winless streak on Saturday with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. Brown had just 2 goals in 18 games with Kansas City before being traded to New England on Aug. 20.

He scored in the seventh, 63rfi and 66th minutes. The Revolution (6-8-8) 0-5- Revolution 5, Fire 1 '1 in its previous nine games since beating Colorado on June 28. Andy Williams scored his second goal of the season in the 14th minute to tie it for the Fire. The Fire (11-5-6) had a seven- game unbeaten streak snapped. Brian Karnler scored his sixth goal of the Season on a 22-yard shot in the 44th minute to give New England a 2-1 lead.

Kamler made a great run down the left wing to set up Brown's second goal in the 63rd minute. completed his hat trick with a left-footed shot from 12 yards out with an assist from rookie Pat Noonan. Jay Heaps closed out the Revolution's scoring in the 88th minute, heading an indirect kick. U.S. wins, qualifies for Athens SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico The United States qualified for the Olympics without throwing any punches, getting hit by any debris or blowing a huge lead but just barely in all three cases.

In a game marred by an altercation between Tracy McGrady and Eddie Casiano, the U.S. team defeated Puerto Rico 8771 Saturday night at the Tournament of the Americas. Also qualifying for the Athens Olympics was Argentina, which easily defeated Canada 88-72. The U.S. team's victory was fairly easy, too, but it almost got real ugly.

A pushing and shoving match broke out between McGrady and Casiano at the end of the first half. It was broken up by players and coaches from both teams as fans tossed drinks onto Basketball the court. Both teams left the court peacefully, and there were no further altercations in the second half. Puerto Rico had an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter and eventually pulled to 81-71 with just over four minutes remaining on a drive by Carlos Arroyo. But Puerto Rico did not score again.

The U.S. and Argentina will play in the gold-medal game tonight, while a third Olympic berth will go to the winner of the third-place game between Puerto Rico and Canada. The U.S. team look the lead for good less than four minutes into the first quarter and was ahead 26-17 entering the second quarter after McGrady beat the buzzer with a tip-in. Arroyo made it a 5-point game, 36-31, with 4:22 left, and Martin gave the Americans breathing room with a pair of dunks an aHey-oop off a pass from Duncan and a follow slam of Duncan's miss to restore a double-digit lead minutes before halftime.

Then the ugly stuff began. With Casiano dribbling on the perimeter as Puerto Rico was holding the ball for a last shot, McGrady defended him physically repeatedly bumping Casiano and swatting at him as he tried to steal the ball. Casiano eventually lost the ball and fell to the floor, with the ball rolling downcourt toward the American basket. McGrady picked the ball up as the other nine players stayed at the other end of the door. Before dunking it, McGrady turned and stared at Casiano.

Sports in 60 seconds Former Cub Passeau dies: Claude Passeau, who. pitched a 1 -hitter for the Cubs in the 19-15 World Series, died Saturday in Lucedale, Miss. He was 94. Passeau grandson Casey said his grandfather never fully recovered after breaking his hip about six weeks ago. Passeau pitched a I-hit shutout against Delroit in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series, a game the Cubs won 3-0.

Detroit won the series in seven games, and the Cubs have not reached the Fall Classic since. Vickers wins Busch race: Teenage teammates Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch finished 1 -2 in the Busch Series Winn-Dixie 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday. The 19-year-old Vickers was trailing veteran Winston Cup driver Michael Waltrip late in die race when Scott Wimmer's crash brought out the fifth caution flag of the race. All the leaders pitted, and Vickers' Henclrick Motorsports crew got him back onto the track just ahead of Waltrip. Green-flag racing resumed with 16 laps to go and Vickers pulled steadily away, moving out to a lead of more than two seconds before the 18-year-old Busch brother of Winston Cup star Kurt Busch passed Waltrip for second.

That's the way it finished, with Vickcrs' Chevrolet crossing the line 1.977-seconds about 10 car lengths ahead of Busch's Monfe Carlo. Silver Wagon wins Hopeful: I Silver Wagon outran heavily favored Chapel Royal down the stretch to win the Hopeful Stakes for 2-ycar-olds by 4 lengths at Saratoga on Saturday. Silver Wagon, ridden by jerry i Bailey, covered the 7 furlongs in i 1:23.47 on a fast track. Woman kicker sets mark: Katie Hnida became the first woman to score in a Division I game when she kicked 2 extra I points for New Mexico in a 72-8 i win over Texas I Marcos on Saturday night in NBC 5 nugget of the day On this date in 1934, the Bears and the College All-Stars played to a 0-0 tie at Soldier Reid before 79,432 in the first game of this series. Watch NBC 5 Sports at 4:30 p.m., 5p.m., 6p.m.

antf 10 p.m. Links Just whet your appetite? Bookmark our Web page at dallyherald.com/ez to find fuller accounts in Sports. Dashes mean there is no full account of the story. Albuquerque, N.M. Ilnicia, senior, made her first kick with 5:05 left following Hank Baskett's touchdown catch.

Sun completes playoff sweep: Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 1G points and Katie Douglas added 13 as the Connecticut Sun beat the Charlotte Sting 6862 Saturday, completing sweep of the bcst-of-three Eastern Conference semifinal scries in Charlotte, N.C. Shannon Johnson finished with 8 assists as Connecticut, formerly the Orlando Miracle, advanced to the conference finals against either Detroit or Cleveland. Lisa Ixjsliehad 20 points and 9 rebounds as the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks staved off elimination in the first round of the playoffs with an 80-69 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Former Irish player guilty: A former Notre Dame football player accused of taking pan in a rape with three teammates was found guilty of sexual battery Saturday night but was acquitted of the two most serious charges against him. After hours of deliberations, a jury nilcd that Abrarn Klarn was not guilty of conspiracy to commit rape, and criminal deviate conduct.

Ham, 21, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 7 and faces up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was the only one of the four players not. charged with rape. Elam was accused of holding the then-20-ycar-old woman down during the attack by three other former Notre Dame players.

Elam, of Riviera Beach, testified Friday that he was embarrassed by what he did that night hut said nothing the men did was against the woman's will. U.S. rowers win at worlds: The United States won gold medals Saturday in the women's coxless four and men's coxed pairs, both non-Olympic events, at the World Rowing Championships in Milan, Italy. The women's team of Lianc Malcos, Whitney Webber, Caryn Davics and Wendy Wilbur took the lead from Canada by mid- race. The Netherlands won the silver and Germany the bronze.

In the men's coxed pair, Matthew Rich, Daniel Beny and coxswain Andrew Kelly led throughout in the U.S.'boat to finish three seconds ahead of Australia and 10 seconds ahead of third-place Canada. Tverdovsky returns to Russia: Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky is returning to Russia after playing last season for the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. Mike Imrem taking some time off..