Boldon Used Ephedrine at Relays

Ato Boldon, an Olympic silver medalist, tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine.

Testing positive for ephedrine carries a maximum penalty of disqualification from the meet and a public warning.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation said Saturday that Boldon, of Trinidad and Tobago, failed the drug test at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut in April.

Boldon was a late withdrawal Thursday from the 200 meters at the Goodwill Games at Brisbane, Australia, after finishing fifth in Wednesday’s 100-meter final.

He reportedly left Australia for a vacation.

Boldon won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics last year in the 100 meters.

Ephedrine, which can increase performances during bursts of powerful effort, has been linked to potentially fatal heart problems.

Goodwill Games

The U.S. men’s basketball team took an early lead in the semifinals against Brazil, blew it, then wound up winning in overtime, 106-98.

Andre Miller of the Cleveland Cavaliers made a layup with 25 seconds to play in overtime, sealing the victory and setting up today’s final against Argentina.

Jermaine O’Neal of the Indiana Pacers scored 22 points, and Miller finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

World champion Michelle Kwan lost to her biggest rival, Russia’s Irina Slutskaya, for the gold medal as both figure skaters debuted new long programs leading to the Winter Olympics.

Kwan, a four-time world champion, missed two jumps, ending any chance of catching Slutskaya. Kwan won silver, Japan’s Fumie Suguri took bronze and Sasha Cohen of Laguna Nigel was fourth.

Angela Nikodinov of Harbor City, seventh after the short program, withdrew because of an eye infection. Russians Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh won the ice dance, with Israeli national champions Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky taking silver ahead of Russia’s Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomorov.

China swept five diving events and Cuba took four of six boxing titles. Ronald Siler of the U.S. won the 106-pound division.

Kimiko Hirai-Soldati of U.S. was third in the women’s three-meter springboard diving, won by world champion Guo Jingjing.

Golf

Scott Verplank, the first Ryder Cup rookie to make the U.S. team as a wild card, emerged from a pack of players who battled hot swirling winds to post a four-under 66 for a one-stroke lead at the Canadian Open at Montreal.

Verplank was at 11-under 199, the lowest 54-hole score ever at Royal Montreal.

Dicky Pride bounced his approach off the bleachers on the 18th and made bogey for a 69. He was one stroke behind, along with Paul Gow, who shot a 66.

Tiger Woods finished with a 69 and was eight strokes off the lead. Bob Estes had his seventh consecutive round in the 60s, a three-under 67 and was at 201.

*

Jim Thorpe, coming off his first victory of the season, capped a six-under 65 with an 18-foot birdie putt and held a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Allianz Championship at West Des Moines, Iowa.

*

European Ryder Cup player Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, who injured a shoulder Friday, withdrew from the European Masters at Crans-Sur-Sierre, Switzerland. Bjorn said he did not want to take risks before the Ryder Cup.

*

Donna Andrews set a course record with a career-best eight-under 62 and took a four-stroke lead after two rounds at the LPGA’s Williams Championship at Tulsa, Okla.

Andrews, whose previous best round was a 64, has held a lead going into the final round of an LPGA event eight times, but she hasn’t won since 1998.

Rachel Teske, Rosie Jones and Wendy Ward were tied at second at 136.

Miscellany

The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Mike Johnson, 26, to a two-year contract. The terms were not disclosed. The Coyotes acquired Johnson on March 5 from Tampa Bay in a multiplayer trade that sent holdout goalie Nikolai Khabibulin to the Lightning....

Defenseman Michal Rozsival became the last of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ restricted free agents to sign a contract, agreeing to a $600,000, one-year deal ....

Marian Gaborik of the Minnesota Wild will miss at least the first three exhibition games while recovering from hernia surgery ....

The NHL Officials’ Assn. has approved the terms of a four-year collective bargaining agreement with the league. Financial terms of the agreement with the league’s 84 officials weren’t disclosed. The NHL’s Board of Governors had approved the contract Thursday.

*

Ohio State senior guard Doylan Robinson will sit out the first 12 games of the basketball season after failing to regain academic eligibility. He missed most of last season because of a car accident.