THE 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES : Roundup : Mexican Woman Disqualified in 10K Walk, Blames Runner-Up’s Father

Maria Colin of Mexico was in tears following the women’s 10-kilometer walk in the Pan American Games, but they weren’t tears of joy after she was declared the winner.

Colin was upset because first-place finisher Graciela Mendoza, also of Mexico, was disqualified and blamed Colin’s father, one of the judges.

“They stole the medal from me,” the angry Mendoza said through an interpreter. “It is his daughter. He wants her to win always.”

Argentina’s Ruben Aguilera, one of the four judges during the 6.2-mile race walk, said Mendoza was guilty of rule infractions.

Three judges, acting independently, handed in disqualification cards on Mendoza.

“He doesn’t like to be a judge when I’m competing,” Colin said of her father through an interpreter. “He didn’t want to be here. He was invited by the organizing committee. When they ask you to come, you can’t refuse. We cannot do anything about it.

“He’s not the only one who can disqualify her. Graciela seemed like she wasn’t keeping her feet on the ground.”

Three judges have to be from different countries, according to the rules. Four judges officiated the event, but they were from three countries--two from the United States (Bob Hickey and Frank Alongi), Aguilera and Colin’s father, Pablo.

“If (Colin) had not judged the race, you could not have conducted the race,” U.S. Coach Gary Westerfield said.

Hickey, Colin and Aguilera flagged Mendoza for violations, in that order.

Mendoza was flagged for the final time with about 80 meters remaining, but she did not leave the course as rules dictate. Instead, she completed the race.

Colin’s winning time for the first women’s race walk in the Pan Am Games was 47 minutes 17.15 seconds. Ann Peel of Canada, who finished third in 47:17.97, was moved to second, and Maryanne Torrellas of the United States, the fourth-place finisher in 47:35.12, got the bronze medal.

Ella Vilche of Fresno pitched the second no-hitter by the U.S. women’s softball team in the Pan Am Games, beating Venezuela, 6-0.

Vilche, a powerful right-hander, struck out 15. The only runner was Zuleima Cirimele, who reached base on an error by second baseman Dot Richardson in the fourth.

Later, Canada’s Tracy Hucklak pitched a perfect game, striking out nine in beating Peru, 6-0.

The American men won their fourth straight game as Steve Padillo pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13 in a 4-0 victory over Cuba.

In track and field, Judi Brown-King broke the U.S. record for the women’s 400-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 54.23 seconds in a heat. Brown-King, whose uncle won a track gold medal in the first Pan Am Games, smashed her own Pan Am record. Her uncle, Bill Brown, was a gold medalist on the 1,600-meter relay in the 1951 Pan Am Games.

In a big surprsie, Ramona Pagel, the three-time U.S. champion, won the women’s shotput at 60 feet 10 3/4 inches, thwarting the bid of Cuba’s Maria Sarria to become the first four-time gold medalist in the same track and field event in Pan Am history. Sarria, the women’s shotput winner in 1975, 1979 and 1983, finished second at 59-5 1/2.

Cuba’s Luis Delis took his second straight men’s discus title, throwing 220-3, and countrywoman Ana Quirot set a Pan Am record of 50.12 in winning a heat of the women’s 400-meter semifinals.

Jamaica’s Winthrop Graham, a student at Texas, broke another Pan Am record, taking the 400 hurdles in 48.49.

Javier Sotomayor of Cuba won the high jump at 7-7, a Pan Am record.

Cuba swept the middle-heavyweight event, becoming the first nation in Pan Am Games history to win gold medals in every weightlifting class it entered.

The 10-member Cuban team participated in 7 weight classes, winning 30 medals with 25 golds, four silvers and a bronze while setting four Pan Am records.

Omar Semanat, who weighed in at 195 pounds, won the snatch Wednesday with a lift of 155 kilograms, or 341 1/2 pounds, on his second attempt. The 21-year-old Cuban raised 190 kilograms on his second attempt in the clean-and-jerk after failing the first time.

Teresa Edwards, Alisa Scott, Cynthia Cooper and Clarissa Davis each scored 14 points to lead the U.S. women to a 110-41 rout of Peru in their basketball opener.

The Americans made 69% of their shots and outrebounded Peru, 50-14. The defending Pan Am champions used a 26-4 run early in the game to build a 30-8 lead and was leading, 61-22, at halftime.

Rex Chapman scored 18 points as the U.S. men trounced Mexico, 105-73, for their third victory without a defeat.

Teresa Edwards, Alisa Scott, Cynthia Cooper and Clarissa Davis each scored 14 points to lead the U.S. women to a 110-41 rout of Peru in their basketball opener.

The Americans made 69% of their shots and outrebounded Peru, 50-14. The defending Pan Am champions used a 26-4 run early in the game to build a 30-8 lead and was leading, 61-22, at halftime.

Rex Chapman scored 18 points as the U.S. men trounced Mexico, 105-73, for their third victory without a defeat.

Led by Scott Johnson, the U.S. won the compulsory team competition in men’s gymnastics by edging Cuba, 289.90 to 288.05.

Johnson scored a 9.90 on parallel bars and vault, and led the individual standings, 58.75 to 58.25, over Casimiro Suarez of Cuba.

Curt Harnett of Canada won a cycling gold medal in the men’s one-kilometer time trial. Gene Samuel of Trinidad was second and Leonard Harvey Nitz of the United States was third.

Harnett, a silver medalist in the event at the 1984 Olympics, was timed in 1:05.839.