Ottey Has Drug Ban Lifted, Hopes to Compete at Sydney

Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey had her two-year ban for steroid use lifted Monday after an international track panel said the lab improperly tested her urine sample.

The former world champion and Olympic silver medalist is immediately eligible to compete.

Ottey, winner of 34 individual medals in major international championships, hopes to compete in the Sydney Olympics at 40.

Ottey tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at a meet in Switzerland a year ago. She denied taking the drug and was cleared by the Jamaican federation, but the IAAF refused to accept the ruling and sent her case to its arbitration panel.

Nandrolone is a steroid that is easily detectable in standard drug tests.

Nandrolone produced 343 positive tests around the world last year, prompting speculation that the drug is contained in nutritional supplements. Among the athletes embroiled in nandrolone cases is British sprinter Linford Christie.

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Reigning Olympic champion Allen Johnson set a season’s best time of 13.10 seconds in winning the 110-meter hurdles at the IAAF Grand Prix II track meet in Zagreb, Croatia.

Two-time Olympic champion Gail Devers finished second in both the 100 and 100 hurdles. “I made some mistakes and just didn’t have the pace,” she said, adding she is still confident heading into the U.S. Olympic trials.

Eric Thomas won the 400 in 48.60.

Golf

Dawn Coe-Jones led Canada to a 2-0 lead over the United States in a rain-shortened first day of the Nations’ Cup tournament at Stouffville, Canada. Coe-Jones and partner Gail Graham combined for eight birdies to defeat the U.S. team of Brandie Burton and Nancy Scranton, 4 and 3, in four-ball. In the other match, Canadians Lorie Kane and A.J. Eathorne defeated Sherri Steinhauer and Wendy Ward, 3 and 2.

Because of rain, the 18-hole, alternate-ball portion was reduced to nine holes that will be played today, followed by singles.

With opposite opinions from two federal appeals courts on whether walking is an integral part of championship golf, the PGA Tour said it would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision that allows Casey Martin to ride in a cart.

The tour said it would file its motion Wednesday, the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court. The court probably will not decide until late October whether to take up the case.

Tiger Woods stayed atop the world golf rankings for the 45th consecutive week, and his former Stanford teammate, Notah Begay III, climbed 11 places to No. 24 after winning his second consecutive PGA Tour title Sunday.

Hockey

Defenseman Garry Galley, the Kings’ only Group 3 unrestricted free agent, has not received an offer from the club and will begin listening to offers from other teams, according to his agent, Ron Salcer.

Galley, 37, began his career with the Kings and returned as a free agent in 1997. He had nine goals and 30 points and was a plus-nine in 70 games last season.

The Kings previously lost defenseman Sean O’Donnell in the expansion draft.

The Mighty Ducks lost free-agent defenseman Kevin Haller, who signed with the New York Islanders. Haller had three goals and five assists in 67 games last season. The rebuilding Islanders also signed free-agent center Mike Stapleton, who had 10 goals and 12 assists in 62 games for the Atlanta Thrashers. . . . Sean Hill, coming off a career-best 13 goals and 31 assists in his third season with the Carolina Hurricanes, has signed a four-year, $9-million contract with the St. Louis Blues. . . . The Chicago Blackhawks named hall of fame center Denis Savard as an assistant under new Coach Alpo Suhonen.

Miscellany

Mary-Beth Miller, 24, a member of the Canadian biathlon team, was killed by a bear as she was training in the woods on the Canadian military base Valcartier, not far from Quebec City. Police who found her body said there was a bear bite on her neck as well as bear footprints near the body. A search for the bear was launched in the area.

Utah Jazz high school draft pick DeShawn Stevenson hasn’t cooperated in the investigation of a brawl he was involved in last week in Clovis, Calif. Greg Bass, director of police services for the Clovis Unified School District, said Stevenson hasn’t returned repeated telephone calls left by investigators.

Stevenson, 19, got into the fight late Wednesday, the night the Jazz chose him with the 23rd pick in the NBA draft.

As many as 20 people were involved, with two men arrested and cited.

Bass said he just wants to talk to Stevenson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Washington Union High just south of Fresno.

Navy football players Cordrea Brittingham and Arion Keith Williams were charged with second-degree rape of a female midshipman at an off-campus party. The felony is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Williams was also charged with third-degree sex offense.

Brittingham, a running back, and Williams, a cornerback, were sophomores last season.

The victim said she had become intoxicated at the party and passed out in one of the bedrooms. When she awoke, she found herself being assaulted, police said in a statement. She pushed the two men away and they left.

A New South Wales state parliament committee will open an inquiry today into the latest government funding boost for Sydney 2000 Olympic organizers. To be interviewed are Michael Knight, the Olympics minister and president of the organizing committee, plus other key organizing committee staff and treasury department officers during two days of investigations.

The New South Wales government, underwriters of the Games, was accused of rushing the $84-million funding grant through parliament last month. The committee is expected to report its findings to parliament by Aug. 29.

Willette White, a UCLA Women’s basketball assistant coach under Kathy Oliver for seven years, has resigned. . . . Eddie Payne, fired as Oregon State men’s basketball coach in March, was hired as coach and assistant athletic director at Greensboro (N.C.) College.