Bannister: Black Sprinters Have Anatomical Edge

Roger Bannister, saying he was “prepared to risk political incorrectness,” said Wednesday that black sprinters have “certain natural anatomical advantages” over their white rivals.

Bannister, who in 1954 became the first person to break the four-minute mile, said it was possible that black athletes’ muscles were better adapted to hot climates and therefore better at providing energy quickly.

He also suggested they could have better power-to-weight ratio because they have less fatty tissue under the skin. Bannister, a 66-year-old retired neurologist, gave no evidence to back up his position.

Bannister, speaking at the British Assn. for the Advancement of Science conference at Newcastle, England, said the vast number of all-black sprint finals and a high proportion of black athletes in other events at the recent track and field World Championships lead to interesting speculations.

“As a scientist rather than a sociologist, I am prepared to risk political incorrectness by drawing attention to the seemingly obvious but under-stressed fact that black sprinters and black athletes in general all seem to have certain natural anatomical advantages,” he said.

Hockey

Right-winger Teemu Selanne signed a new one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets, the NHL club announced. Selanne said Monday that he and the Jets had agreed in general on the deal, reportedly worth about $3 million a year, but there was a problem over the length of the contract.

All-star goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, who has had salary problems with the Florida Panthers, said he wouldn’t be surprised if he is traded within two weeks.

Stefan Bergkvist, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first pick in the 1993 entry draft, signed with the NHL team. Terms were not released.

Tennis

Defending champion Wayne Ferreira of South Africa was eliminated from the $400,000 Passing Shot tournament at Bordeaux, France, losing to Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, in the second round.

In other second-round matches, eighth-seeded Lionel Roux of France defeated Johan Van Herck of Belgium, 6-3, 6-2, and Yaya Doumbia of Senegal upset fifth-seeded David Prinosil of Germany, 6-3, 6-2.

Another Frenchman, Guillaume Raoux, advanced when he beat fourth-seeded Greg Rusedski of Britain, ranked 48th in the world, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

Top-seeded Sabine Hack defeated Gala Leon of Spain, 6-2, 6-3, in the opening round of the Warsaw Cup tournament in Poland.

Miscellany

After considering several other options, promoters for Oscar De La Hoya have completed a deal to fight former junior-lightweight champion Jesse James Leija, Dec. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York, in De La Hoya’s next bout.

Peter McNeeley will fight for the first time since his controversial loss to Mike Tyson when he opposes Mike Dixon Oct. 27 at the new Fleet Center in Boston.

The Little League organization in Tampa, Fla., that produced major leaguers Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield and made three appearances in the Little League World Series has lost its charter because of allegations of financial mismanagement.

NBA players Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw were kicked out of a 24-hour restaurant in Orlando after waitresses accused them of being threatening and shouting obscenities.

Shaw, a guard for the Orlando Magic, denied the allegations, which resulted in a call to police early Sunday but no charges being filed.

One-on-one matches between the Lakers’ Nick Van Exel and the New Jersey Nets’ Kenny Anderson and top draft choices Joe Smith and Kevin Garnett have been added to the Sept. 30 pay-per-view Taco Bell One-On-One Championships at Atlantic City, N.J., featuring the Shaquille O’Neal-Hakeem Olajuwon duel.

Names in the News

Robert L. Beck has been named as the first executive director of the U.S. Soccer Federation. . . . Virgil Watson, an assistant men’s basketball coach at UC Santa Barbara, has been named head coach at Ventura College.