Canadian Team Loses Medal After Goalie Fails Drug Test

Canadian roller hockey goalie Steve Vezina failed a doping test at the Pan American Games and his team was stripped of its gold medal Sunday at Winnipeg, Canada.

Vezina, who plays ice hockey for the Utah Grizzlies of the IHL, tested positive for two stimulants and “an enormously high level” of an anabolic steroid. It was the first doping incident at these games.

The United States, which lost, 7-6, to Canada in the gold medal game, was awarded the championship.

The drug test showed three banned substances: ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine and Nandrolone. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are stimulants used to avoid fatigue. Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that increases muscle mass.

Also Sunday, the U.S. baseball team defeated Mexico, 2-1, in 10 innings to earn a spot in the 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney. The victory also assured the Americans a spot in the gold medal game today against world champion Cuba. Cuba beat Canada, 3-2.

Also, the U.S. women’s basketball team beat the Dominican Republic, 92-80, to clinch a berth in the medal round.

Auto Racing

On a day when most of the other serious contenders wound up in crashes, Greg Ray parlayed two courageous moves at Dover, Del., into the second victory of his Indy Racing League career.

“We were never the quickest car, but we made the decisive moves at the right time,” Ray said after winning the MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200.

None was better than the three-wide pass he pulled on polesitter Mark Dismore, who had slowed in traffic on the 163rd of 200 laps. Ray dived beneath him to the bottom of the narrow concrete surface, passing within inches of Dismore, who led 91 laps before joining the other crash victims.

Nine laps after getting by Dismore for second, Ray bolted by Stephan Gregoire for the lead and began to pull away.

Eddie Irvine won the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Germany, for his second consecutive victory and moved into first place in the Formula One drivers’ standings.

Irvine leads Mika Hakkinen by eight points in the standings. Hakkinen, the defending champion, crashed out of the race on the 26th lap.

Top-fuel dragster Joe Amato won his second NHRA national event in a row at the 12th annual Prolong Super Lubricants Northwest Nationals at Kent, Wash.

Amato sped down the track in 4.704 seconds at 306.95 mph, enough to hold off Doug Kalitta, who ran a 4.697 at 307.58.

Anthony Lazzaro gave up the lead twice, then stormed back to earn his third KOOL/Toyota Atlantic Championship victory of the season at Trois-Rivieres, Canada. . . . Dennis Setzer recovered from a mid-race spin to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Pennzoil 200 race at Loudon, N.H.

Pro Football

Wide receiver Robert Brooks was missing from practice again at the Green Bay Packers training camp amid speculation that he could be considering retirement.

“My understanding is he’s got a couple days to sit back and think about it and let [Packer Coach Ray Rhodes] know what he’s going to do,” offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis said.

The New York Jets, surprised when veteran offensive lineman Erik Norgard walked out of camp Saturday, filled that roster spot with free-agent guard Ian Beckles. Beckles, a former Philadelphia Eagles starter, was given a one-year contract.

Tennis

Sweden’s Magnus Norman beat American Jeff Tarango, 6-2, 6-4, to win the Croatian Open at Umag. Norman is the first ATP Tour player to win three titles this year.

Albert Costa defeated fellow Spaniard Fernando Vicente, 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), in the $535,000 Generali Open at Kitzbuehel, Austria, for his 11th career title.

The USTA has selected Stanford University’s Taube Family Tennis Stadium for the Fed Cup final, which will feature the U.S. against Russia, on Sept. 18-19. The U.S. team will be announced later by captain Billie Jean King.

Miscellany

Injured Olympic champion Michael Johnson will not know for several days when he will be able to compete again, his coach said. “We are always hopeful that things will get well quickly,” Clyde Hart said. Johnson pulled up lame in a race in Stockholm on Friday, raising concerns about his participation in the world championships in three weeks. . . . Germany’s Sandra Volker broke her own world record in the 50-meter backstroke at the 24th European Swimming Championships at Istanbul, Turkey. Volker finished in 28.71, breaking her previous record of 28.78.