Sandeno Completes Difficult Double

Orange County’s Kaitlin Sandeno electrified the Pan American Games swimming competition Friday night, leading a parade of double gold medalists.

Sandeno, winner of the women’s 400-meter freestyle Wednesday, added the 800 title in a Pan Am record and personal-best 8 minutes 34.65 seconds.

She is the fourth swimmer, all Americans, to complete that difficult double at the Pan Am Games. The others were Debbie Meyer in 1967, Tiffany Cohen in 1983 and Jane Skillman in 1991.

Sandeno’s victory in the 800 extended the U.S. unbeaten streak to nine in the event at the games.

The Americans got a second gold Friday night when the women’s 400 medley relay team of Denali Knapp, 100 breaststroke champion Staciana Stitts, 100 butterfly gold medalist Karen Campbell and Tammie Spatz set a Pan Am record of 4:06.08.

Sandeno, who will be a junior this fall at El Toro High, was the star for the Americans, becoming the first U.S. swimmer to earn two golds at these games.

She was joined as a double individual gold medalist by Joanne Malar of Canada and Fernando Scherer of Brazil.

Malar, winner of the women’s 400 individual medley in Pan Am record time this week, took the 200 IM with another games record, 2:14.18. Malar, also winner of a relay gold and an individual bronze this year, has 15 medals in three Pan Am Games.

Scherer, the men’s 100 freestyle champion in Pan Am record time, won the 50 freestyle at 22.24 after setting the meet record of 22.22 in the prelims. Scherer’s victory gave the Brazilians a sweep of the four men’s freestyle races.

Friday’s other winners were Canada’s Shamek Pietucha in the men’s 200 butterfly at 1:59.10, and Rodolfo Cabrera in the men’s 100 backstroke for Cuba’s first gold medal in swimming.

Sandeno used to play soccer and was a member of the 1994 U.S. World Cup youth team. She gave up soccer for swimming because she liked the individuality of the sport.

“When you score a goal in soccer, it’s for the other players on the team,” she said. “I like swimming because it’s all up to yourself.”

Sandeno will get a quick chance to continue her surprising success.

Today, she leaves for the U.S. Swimming Championships in Minneapolis. Sandeno is uncertain which events she will take part in. She is entered in several, but prefers the 800 freestyle and 400 individual medley.

At the spring nationals this year, she won the 400 IM, was runner-up in the 800 and 1,500 freestyles and third in the 400 freestyle.

Winning Friday night was “an awesome feeling,” Sandeno said. “It was something I didn’t expect. I just wanted to have my best times here and represent my country well.”

In other events, Lea Foreman of Denmark, Wis., lifted 215 kilograms (474 pounds) and won the gold medal in the 69-kilogram (152-pound) weightlifting class. It was the second U.S. gold in the games for a woman weightlifter .

* Cara Heads-Lane of Costa Mesa won a silver medal in the 75-kilogram (165 pounds) class.

* Cincinnati’s Gerald Tucker scored a lopsided 15-3 victory over Venezuela’s Neouar Cermeno to win the bantamweight boxing crown.

* Denise Parker of Salt Lake City won her 11th Pan Am medal, a bronze in archery.

* Canada, only team to defeat the U.S. in the round-robin men’s softball tournament, did it again in the medal round, 2-1. If the Americans beat Cuba today, they get another chance at Canada for the gold.