U.S. Women Swimmers Defeat China Handily

It was payback time--big time--for U.S. women swimmers.

On the first night of team dual meets at the Goodwill Games on Tuesday at Uniondale, N.Y., American women thrashed their Chinese counterparts, 88-34. Jenny Thompson and Cristina Teuscher each won two individual events, set a games record and swam on a winning relay.

China’s swim team has been tainted by drug scandals almost from the time its women started setting world records in 1994, and the United States complained bitterly about performance enhancers from the beginning. Even as recently as last week, four Chinese swimmers were suspended for two years for testing positive.

Boxing was a U.S. showcase, with three quarterfinal victories over fighters from Cuba--including a world champion.

Roberto Benitez, a 17-year-old from Marquette, Mich., outpointed flyweight champion Manuel Mantilla, 12-8.

Another Marquette boxer, 20-year-old Teaunce Shepherd, beat Rudinelson Hardy of Cuba, 16-3, in the opening featherweight bout at Madison Square Garden, before Ricardo Williams Jr. of Cincinnati beat Damian Austin, 6-2, at light-welterweight.

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A Cuban cyclist who came to New York for the Goodwill Games but failed to return to the Communist-ruled island with his teammates was missing Tuesday.

Ivan Dominguez, 22, left his hotel room Sunday evening and has not been seen since, according to Games officials.