Olympic Scene / Atlanta 1996 : Positive Drug Test for Top Swimmer Painful to Australia

No country has been as vocal about drug use in swimming as Australia. So the news that one of its own tested positive for a prescription painkiller stunned sports officials there.

Samantha Riley of Brisbane, expected to emerge as a star from the Atlanta Olympics, is facing a two-year suspension after the substance dextropropoxphene was found in her system during the short-course world championships in Rio de Janeiro in December.

A week before the meet, officials of FINA, the international swimming federation, adopted tougher sanctions for those who test positive for anabolic steroids and narcotic analgesics such as the one Riley took.

But Riley, the world-record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke, still might be allowed to compete in Atlanta. FINA has not banned Riley, 23, because International Olympic Committee officials have intervened, sources said.

The IOC is about to reclassify narcotic analgesics as a minor offense because the substances are not considered performance enhancing. First-time offenders would receive at most a three-month suspension.

“There can be no intent [with a painkiller] unless you intend to slow yourself down,” said Otto Sonnleitner, chairman of the Australian Swimming Coaches Assn.

An IOC subcommittee dealing with out-of-competition drug testing is meeting this weekend to consider recommending lighter sanctions for painkillers.

Riley’s problems began when she took a tablet for a headache that bothered her for almost a week before the Rio meet in which she won three gold medals.

Coach Scott Volkers, who was fined $2,500 by Australian sports officials, gave his swimmer the tablet without consulting a team physician.

FACTOID

More countries--197--will send athletes to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta than are represented in the United Nations--185.

NEWSMAKER

Gymnast Jaycie Phelps has consistently placed among the top six in the country the past couple of years. But last week she won her second national title at the American Classic in Tulsa, Okla., a meet that included most of the nation’s top female gymnasts.

Phelps, 16, who trains at Cincinnati Gymnastics with Coach Mary Lee Tracy, is nicknamed “the frog” because of her unique poses on the balance beam. But her precision and smooth style set her apart. In Tulsa, her scores ranged from 9.675 to 9.750, indicating a solid performance in each event.

“One of her strengths is consistency, but she also has a classy body line . . . an almost European look to her,” Tracy said.

Phelps was ready to quit gymnastics two years ago, but her parents asked her to give Tracy’s gym a try first. Cincinnati Gymnastics is about an hour from Phelps’ home in Greenfield, Ind. Phelps lives with her mother in Cincinnati and sees her father on the weekends.

“It was rough going the first couple of months with Jaycie because she didn’t really know if she wanted to stay in the sport,” Tracy said. “But then she had a complete turnaround. I think what makes a difference is that she has a great family support system, and those kids who are loved unconditionally are the strongest regardless of what happens.”

Phelps is the alternate for the Feb. 29-March 2 American Cup in Fort Worth, the most prestigious annual U.S. meet. She may take the place of Shannon Miller, who has a sore wrist, or Kerri Strug, who has a sore shoulder.

LAUREL WREATH

USA Gymnastics financed Scott Keswick’s trip to Seattle to see the same doctor who treated him after he suffered a serious back injury last March. As a result, Keswick, the former UCLA gymnast who is expected to make his second Olympic team, had back surgery. His recovery is ahead of schedule.

THORN WREATH

Thirty-five countries have entered no women athletes for Atlanta. Some had no women who qualified, but others, such as Afghanistan, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, do not allow women to compete.

THIS WEEK

A decade ago, there were three major indoor track and field meets in Southern California. Now there is one, and it has lost its major sponsor. But the L.A. Invitational, formerly known as the Sunkist, is hanging on, scheduled for its 37th consecutive appearance on the annual track and field calendar Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Olympic Scene Notes

After a two-year layoff, David St. Pierre, who trains at Broadway Gymnastics in Santa Monica, made the national team at the recent Winter Nationals in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will be among several national team members competing in the Peter Vidmar Men’s Invitational Gymnastics Meet on March 2-3 at the John Wooden Center at UCLA. If St. Pierre, 28, maintains his place on the team after the U.S. Nationals in June, he will qualify to try out for the Olympic team. . . . Gymnast Amanda Borden, a strong contender for the Olympic team, broke her hand three days before the American Classic on a routine move. She is expected to begin training again in a couple of weeks.

Under trying circumstances, Michael Gostigian of Newtown Square, Pa., was the second of three national qualifiers for the U.S. modern pentathlon team. Gostigian was close to slain wrestler Dave Schultz and his accused murderer, John E. du Pont. . . . The three-man and three-woman U.S. table tennis team will be selected during trials Wednesday through Friday in Flint, Mich.

Mary Slaney withdrew from an indoor track and field meet Friday in Idaho and announced she will not compete this winter. . . . After 71 years and one day, legendary distance runner Paavo Nurmi lost his last national record in Finland last week. Jukka Tammisuo ran the indoor 2,000 meters in 5:20.18 to beat the record of 5:22.4 set by Nurmi in 1925.

Times staff writers Maryann Hudson and Randy Harvey contributed to this story.