THE 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES : Roundup : Tiny Countries Keep United States From Sweeping Day in Swimming

A pair of teen-agers from two of the smallest countries at the Pan American Games--Anthony Nesty of Suriname and Silvia Poll of Costa Rica--spoiled United States’ chances for a gold-medal sweep of Monday’s swimming competition.

Nesty, 19, who plans to attend the University of Florida this fall, charged ahead in the final 25 meters to win the men’s 100-meter butterfly. Poll, 16, scored an easy victory in the women’s 200-meter freestyle for her third medal and second gold of the Games.

“It (race) scared me at first,” Nesty said. “My coach told me they go out pretty fast. Coming back, I got more confidence in myself. In the back of my head, I knew Duffy (Dillon) was going to be tough to beat. I’m really proud of myself.”

Nesty, who left tiny war-ravaged Suriname to live in Florida, won his country’s first medal since it began competing in the Pan Am Games in 1971.

After setting a Games record of 54.06 in the morning preliminaries, she bettered that mark by 0.17 seconds in the final at the Indiana University Natatorium.

Nesty got off to a slow start and Wade King of the United States led at the halfway point. But Nesty turned it on for the final lap, passed King at about the 75-meter mark and held on to win. King took the silver in 54.33, and Duffy Dillon of the United States won the bronze in 54.45.

Poll continued to emerge as a rising star when she became the first double individual gold medal winner of this year’s swimming competition. She also won a gold in the 100-meter freestyle.

After a relatively slow showing in the heats, the 6-foot 2-inch Poll easily won the women’s 200-meter freestyle in 2:00.02. Whitney Hedgepeth of the United States took the silver in 2:02.06. Sara Linke’s time of 2:04.00 was good enough to give the U.S. a bronze.

“My coach (Francisco Rivas) told me I didn’t have to use so much energy to qualify,” said Poll, who swam a personal best by more than two seconds. “In the finals, I went very fast. I don’t think I could’ve had a better time.”

The United States won the other three golds--Dorsey Tierney in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke, Jerry Frentos the men’s 400-meter individual medley and the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay.

The U.S. team of Paul Robinson, Brian Jones, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mike O’Brien and John Witchell won going away in the 800 freestyle relay, shaving 0.34 seconds off the 1983 Pan Am record.

The United States, led by Emily MacGowan and Mike Huber, held the lead over Canada after the second round of the three-day dressage equestrian competition.

The U.S. team’s score of 138.4 penalty points was 17.4 fewer than Canada’s.

MacGowan, who was in first place, and Huber, who was second, both had clean rides. MacGowan, of Coopersburg, Pa., rode Jet Set, while Huber, of Norman, Okla., was on Quartermaster.

Peter Gray of Bermuda moved into third place aboard Amiego.

Chile’s team was third overall, heading into the show jumping portion of the event today.

Guatamela’s Victor Alonso, who originally was listed as having finished seventh in Monday’s 20-kilometer walk later was disqualified for improper technique.

John Chaplin, a technical adviser for the track and field competition, said walking officials took Alonso off the course one lap early.

Chaplin said the disqualification was taken after a protest by the Canadian team.

After Alonso’s disqualification, Canada’s Paul Turpin, who originally was listed as eighth, was moved up to seventh.

Mexico’s Carlos Mercernario won the 12.4-mile walk in 1 hour 24 minutes 50 seconds, a Pan Am record.

Jim Clark’s two-run homer in the first inning and the three-hit pitching of Peter Sandman led the United States to its second straight shutout victory in softball, 7-0 over Venezuela.

Clark, a first baseman from Redding, Calif., went 2 for 3, as did shortstop Tom Zappone of Ashland, Ohio. The U.S. team scored four runs in the second inning after Clark’s first-inning home run.

Sandman, of Cincinnati, struck out 13, walked one and gave up three singles--in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.

The U.S. women’s team routed Peru, 15-0, in five innings as Rhonda Wheatley of Inglewood allowed just one hit.

The American men’s field hockey team beat Jamaica, 6-1.

The U.S. earned two gold medals each in judo and shooting.

Lynn Roethke of New York won the women’s 61 kilograms (134 pounds), and Jason Morris of Scotia, N.Y., won the men’s 78 kilo (172 pounds).

In shooting, George Ross of Saugus, Calif., won the men’s 50-meter free pistol, and Ruby Fox, Parker, Ariz., took the women’s sport pistol.

Cubans Gabriel Ensenat and Julio Loscos set Pan American Games records in the featherweight class and allowed their country to extend its domination of weightlifting.

The Cubans tied in establishing records for all three phases of the 60-kilogram competition, with lifts of 120 kilograms in the snatch and 150 in the clean-and-jerk for a 270 total.

MEDAL STANDINGS

G S B Tot United States 34 23 15 72 Cuba 20 9 9 38 Canada 3 11 17 31 Argentina 2 2 9 13 Brazil 4 2 2 8 Venezuela 0 5 3 8 Colombia 0 2 4 6 Mexico 3 1 1 5 Dom. Republic 0 1 4 5 Costa Rica 2 2 0 4 Nicaragua 0 0 3 3 Puerto Rico 1 0 1 2 Bahamas 0 0 2 2 Ecuador 0 0 2 2 Suriname 1 0 0 1 Panama 0 1 0 1 Uruguay 0 1 0 1 Jamaica 0 1 0 1 Peru 0 1 0 1 Honduras 0 0 1 1