Pileup Ends With 1 in Hospital, 2 Arrested

The U.S. track and field governing body joined the four members of the 400-meter relay team Friday in apologizing for the sprinters’ “disgraceful” display during the Olympics.

The runners on the gold-medal team--Maurice Greene, Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams and Brian Lewis--preened and flexed their muscles while posing during and at the end of their victory lap. Williams and Lewis wrapped the American flag around their heads and two of them posed bare chested.

When they were presented their medals by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the four continued clowning, with Greene sticking out his tongue at the cameras.

“Their actions following their victory were not what USATF and America’s Olympic fans have come to expect from their champions,” USATF Chief Executive Craig Masback said during a conference call.

“I would like to apologize for our actions during the postrace victory lap and during the awards ceremony,” Drummond said. “We meant no disrespect or offense with our actions, and we understand that our behavior caused pain and anger for many Americans. . . .

“Sadly, our gold medal has become a symbol not of hard work and victory, but a reminder of disgrace. We are deeply sorry for any shame we brought to the USOC [U.S. Olympic Committee], USATF and the entire nation.

“We hope through our words and actions in coming months we will convince everyone of our character, our respect for the flag, and our pride in being Americans. We guarantee that what happened in Sydney will not be repeated.”

Drummond added that he was “bewildered” by the reaction to the team’s display. He said one of his main goals in track is to entertain the crowd, and that’s what he thought the team was doing.

He said the spectators at Olympic Stadium not only cheered and encouraged them, but asked the runners to give them parts of their uniforms.

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Organizers of a post-Olympic tour featuring U.S. and Russian gymnasts canceled today’s event at Pauley Pavilion and pared the schedule from 40 dates to 31, citing an overambitious itinerary that would have been too taxing on the performers.

In addition, the scheduled Dec. 14 show at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was moved to Dec. 4. The tour, known as the T.J. Maxx 2000 Tour of World Gymnastics Champions, began Thursday in Reno and will run through Dec. 6.

A similar tour after the 1996 Olympics drew large crowds to see the “Magnificent Seven,” the U.S. women who won a team gymnastics gold medal at Atlanta. However, no U.S. man or woman won a gymnastics medal at Sydney or became a singular attraction, no doubt reducing demand for tickets.

“I can’t answer specifically, but I know that, perhaps, ticket sales were not where we would have liked them to have been,” said Michael Sterling, the tour’s national public relations representative. “It’s tough with this coming so quickly after the Olympics. Sales have been reasonable.”

U.S. gymnasts Elise Ray and Kristen Maloney dropped out, as did the Romanian women’s team. But Russians Alexei Nemov, who won two golds, a silver and three bronzes; Svetlana Khorkina, winner of a gold and two silvers, and Elena Prodounova, who won a silver, are participating. So are 1996 U.S. gold medalists Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller. The tour includes exhibitions of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, as well as trampoline.

Tickets for the Pauley Pavilion event can be exchanged for a comparable location in Anaheim or refunded at the point of purchase. Ticket-holders who exchange tickets at the Anaheim box office will get special food vouchers for the Dec. 4 date. Those who bought tickets through Ticketmaster should contact Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232.

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More than three weeks after suffering serious injuries in a car accident while attending the Sydney Olympics, John Dantzscher, the father of U.S. Olympic gymnast Jamie Dantzscher, has been upgraded to fair condition at a Sydney hospital. A spokeswoman for USA Gymnastics said Dantzscher’s wife, Joyce, is with him and is helping arrange his return home to San Dimas.

John Dantzscher and another daughter, Jennifer, were passengers in a taxi that was broadsided by a bus Sept. 22. He underwent brain surgery after suffering a broken skull and bruised brain. He also suffered two collapsed lungs, a broken left wrist, a bruised vertebra and a tracheal injury. Jennifer Dantzscher suffered a minor back injury.

Jamie Dantzscher, who postponed her freshman year at UCLA for a semester, is participating in the post-Olympic gymnastics tour.

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Greco-Roman wrestler Alexander Karelin won’t try for a fourth Olympic gold medal, but he claims his stunning loss in Sydney to American Rulon Gardner isn’t the reason.

“Already before departing for Sydney, I decided that the performance at these games would be my last one,” Karelin told the Sports Express newspaper. “I don’t think the defeat is a reason to change my life plans.”

The loss to Gardner--one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history--was the first for Karelin in international competition.

Karelin, 33, said he would focus on his work in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, the State Duma. He is a deputy with the pro-government Unity party.

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Times Staff Writer Helene Elliott contributed to this story.