IN BRIEF : Soviet Speedskater Fails Drug Test

BERLIN — Soviet speedskater Ludmila Filimonova has been banned for 15 months after failing a drug test taken at the European Championships in January, an International Skating Union official said today. Beat Haesler, secretary-general of the union, said Filimonova failed a drug test during the all-around European Championships in Berlin in mid-January. A second test also produced a positive result. The official did not specify what performance-enhancing drugs the 26-year-old speedskater used. Filimonova finished 13th in the all-around standings, the worst of any Soviet competitor.