RHC Olympics Update no.5 - 19 September 2000 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Olympics Update no.5 - 19 September 2000 . MANRIQUE'S HOMER PUTS THE VICTORY ON THE SCOREBOARD FOR CUBA Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- Catcher Juan Manrique's homer in the 8th inning gave Cuba the lead over South Korea, breaking a 5 run tie. The third game for Cuba as part of preliminaries at baseball competitions ended up with a smile after a few scares. The first surprise was the 4-0 lead that South Korea kept until the 5th inning when Cuba managed to score five runs and then begin to control actions in the 6th. But in the 7th inning, Seok-Jim Park tied the game to 5 with a homer. South Korean outfielder Byung-Kyu Lee commented that until the 5th inning they were sure of their victory because they were playing very well, but, he added Cuba again proved to be a great team. Cuba is now ready to face Holland on Wednesday. In other results, the United States defeated Holland 6-2. Japan won over Australia 7-3. . CUBAN BOXERS UNDEFEATED IN SEVEN PRESENTATIONS Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- Cuban boxers continue their victory parade in Sydney. With the victory of Juan Hernandez Sierra over Stephane Zue Mba of Gabon in the third round 17-2, Cuba accumulates seven victories so far. Hernandez Sierra, who now is fighting in the 71 kilo division, is two times Olympic silver medal winner in the 67 kilo division. Before Hernandez Sierra, world champion Manuel Mantilla in 51, climbed into the ring and defeated by points, 20-8, his South Korean rival. Manuel Mantilla proved why he is a serious Olympic gold medal contender by outclassing Tai-Kyu Kim from south Korea, in their preliminary Olympic flyweight (51kg) bout Tuesday. It was an even contest at the halfway mark, but Mantilla showed his class by scoring 14 points in the last two rounds. In the 81 kilo division, Isael Alvarez will be trying to keep alive The Cuban rythm in his first presentation today. His opponent, Italy's Giabobbe Fragomeni, has international experience and may not be a piece of cake. Cuban boxers are favorites to reach the finals in several divisions. Traditionally, boxing is the sport that contributes more medals to the delegation. . CUBA UPPED SPAIN IN MEN'S VOLLEYBALL Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- After a misshap in its first presentation, the Cuban men's volleyball team savoured the victory against Spain today three sets to one. After a slow start, Cuba proved too powerful for Spain, winning the Pool A preliminary match in four sets Tuesday 25-21, 25-12, 21-25, 25-20. Impressive blocks from Pavel Pimienta and the attacking duo of Osvaldo and Ihosvany Hernandez, took Cuba's play up a notch. Rafael Pascual was Spain's only consistent player throughout the match. A lapse in concentration on Cuba's behalf allowed Spain to win the third set, but the Spaniards could not stop the Cuban men's volleyball juggernaut. Fourteen spikes from Angel Denis and several ace serves from Ramon Gato ensured the predicted victory. Cuba fell to Holland in its debut three sets to nothing and will be clashing against Egypt next. This way, both Cuban teams accumulate one win and a setback. The women's team, after winning over Germany, suffered a defeat against Russia yesterday. The Cuban women's team takes on South Korea next. . CUBAN ROWERS REACH THE SEMIFINALS Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- Cuban rowers have reached the semifinals. In women's single and men's light double scull, Cuban rowers advanced To Olympic rowing semifinals in repechage. Mayra Gonzalez in women's single won the third heat with a time of 7 minutes 46.25 seconds. . CUBA SUFFERS SETBACKS IN SOME TEAM SPORTS Sydney, September 19 (RCH)-- For the second consecutive time, Cuba fell in men's handball, this time against Russia 31-26. Germany claimed the other victory over the island's players. In women's eppe by teams, Switzerland took its turn over the Cubans, eliminating the fencers in quarterfinals. Russia, Hungary and China got their tickets for semifinals along with the Swiss eppe team. In women's softball, the Cuban team slipped once again. Italy defeated the island one run to nothing, for the third straight setback for Cuban players in Sydney. The island's possibility to classify for the next round of competitions is very slim. Italian pitcher Susan Bugliarello wrote herself into the record books, equalling the most strike-outs in an Olympic match, sending 15 batters back to the bench in Italy's 1-0 win over Cuba, Tuesday. Bugliarello equalled the United States' Lisa Fernandez's record of 15 K2's from the Atlanta Olympics. Italy scored its only run in the top of the sixth inning when Sabrina Comberlato hit safely to leftfield, bringing in Clelia Ailara who had got on base with a hit to centrefield. But it was Bugliarello who starred, keeping Cuba to one hit and only giving away one walk in seven innings. Cuba's only hit came from Vilma Alvarez with a double to centrefield in the fifth inning, but was left on base. Cuba's right handed pitcher Laritza Espinosa suffered the setback. Cuba had already lost to Japan 4-1 and then against the United States 3-0. In other results, Japan won over the United States 2 runs to one, making history un putting an end to the U.S.'s winning streak of 112 successful games in the international arena. Cuba will be competing in several team sports today, including women's basketball and volleyball, handball and baseball. Rowing, ping-pong and shooting will also keep Cubans busy, as well as Boxing and softball. In swimming, Atlanta bronze medal winner Neiser Bent debuts in men's 200 meter backstroke, while Imadai Nunez in women's 200 meter breastroke will follow suit. Indivual foil fencing competitions for men brings Elvis Gregory, Rolando Tucker and Omar Garcia into action. . GROWING INTERST IN TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY CUBAN SPORTS SPECIALISTS Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- The head of the Cuban Olympic delegation and president of the island's National Sports Institute, Humberto Rodriguez met in Sydney with high ranking sports officials from the Dominican Republic. The Cuban official met with the Dominican Republic's National Olympic Committee president Jose Joaquin Puello and the head of the organizing committee for the Pan-Amaerican Games of the year 2003, set for that Caribbean island. Talks centered on the possible support of Cuban sports specialists to local athletes in an attempt to increase the medal harvest of the host country. The Dominican Republic is requesting the presence of specialists in fencing, rowing, field hockey, wrestling, boxing, volleyball, weightlifting and track and field. The Cuban sports official said the island is willing to help them not only in the disciplines requested, but also offered support in sports medicine, informatics and other related fields. . TWO IMPORTANT CUBAN RUNNERS INJURED Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- Norberto Tellez, 800 meter specialist, and 110 meter hurdle runner Erick Battle have been reported as injured following a training session in Sydney. The head of the medical delegation, Dr. Rodrigo Alvarez Cambras, says he is optimistic about Battle, who he expects to recover for his debut, though the prognosis for Tellez is unfavorable. Tellez, one of the best in the delegation, will not be able to compete, according to Dr. Alvarez Cambras. . CUBAN SHOOTER LANDS IN PLACE 30 Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- Shooter Norbelis Barzaga landed in place 30 in men's air pistol competition with 547 points. Bulgarian Taniu Kiriakov was the winner, while Belarus and the Czech Republic grabbed silver and bronze. . GRABRIEL ARTEAGA WALKS AWAY MEDALLESS IN OLYMPIC JUDO Syndey, September 19 (RHC)-- Cuba's Pan American champion in men's judo in the 81 kilo division, Gabriel Arteaga, concluded his Sydney presentation medalless. Dutch Maarten Arens defeated the Cuban in repechage. After two successful bouts, Arteaga lost to French Djamel Bouras, 1996 gold medal winner. . CUBAN FOIL FENCERS GO FOR A MEDAL ON WEDNESDAY Sydney, September 19 (RHC) -- Foil fencers will make their olympic debut on Wednesday and several Latin American athletes will be looking for a medal. However, although Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil will be present in the individual event, Cuban representatives are more likely to get a medal. The island's team, that includes Rolando Tucker, Elvis Gregory and Oscar Garcia, will also participate in the competition by teams. In the 1992 Barcelona Games, they finished in third place and Elvis Gregory also walked away with the bronze in individuals. On this occasion, Gregory believes they can do better. "Well, the preparation has been very good. We finished it in Japan where we trained for a few weeks. I'm very optimistic and I hope to have a good result on Wednesday in individuals. I hope to reach the finals and there I will fight for a medal. As to the competition by teams, we have to wait and see who will be our rival to set the strategy." . COSTA RICA RECEIVES WITH JOY SECOND OLYMPIC MEDAL OF CLAUDIA POLL Sydney, September 19 (RHC) -- Although she was not able to repeat her gold medal of the 1996 Atlanta Games, Costa Rica woke up on Tuesday celebrating the second Olympic medal of star swimmer Claudia Poll in Sydney in a performance that has no precedents for the Central American nation. After finishing third in the 400 meter freestyle event on Sunday, 27-year-old Claudia Poll repeated her performance and walked away with the bronze during Tuesday's 200 meter freestyle competition with 1:58,24 minutes. Australian Susie O'neill claimed the gold with 1:58,24 minutes and Slovac Martina Moravcova took the silver. During her career, Poll has taken part in more than 150 tournaments and has set three world records. . TENNIS COMPETITIONS BEGIN WITH VICTORIES FOR LATIN AMERICAN ATHLETES Sydney, September 19 (RHC) -- The Olympic tennis event began Tuesday and Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten took his first win in only 38 minutes over Christopher Pognon, from Benin, in two consecutive sets 6-1 and 6-1. Meanwhile, in women's, Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga gave the first surprise and eliminated seed number 9 of the classification, French Amelie Mauresmo, in three sets 6-3, 3-6 and 6-2. In other results, Swedish Marcus Norman defeated Andrei Pavel from Romania 6-7, 6-3 and 10-8 while Australian Patrick Rafter was better than the U.S.'s Vince Spadea 6-4, 6-3. In another surprise, Todd Martin, also from the United States, had to pack home after his setback before German Rainer Schuttler 6-2, 6-0. In women's, Monica Selles took an easy win in 48 minutes over Hungarian Katalin Marosi 6-0, 6-1 and Venus Williams did the same with Henrieta Nagyova from Slovakia 6-2, 6-2. Also representing Latin America, Argentinian Juan Ignacio Chela defeated French Nicolas Escude in three sets, but his compatriot Florencia Labat lost to Deutch Miriam Oremans 6-2, 6-4. Chilean Nicolas Massu succeeded before Slava Dosedel from the Czech Republic while Costa Rican Juan Antonio Marin was overwhelmed by Russian Evgeny Kafelnikov 6-0, 6-1. Finally, Spanish Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who attends her fourth Olympics, took a victory over Chinese Li Na 6-1, 7-5. . CUBA AND THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE UNBEATABLE IN OLYMPIC BOXING Sydney, September 19 (RHC) -- The fourth day of olympic boxing competitions confirmed the quality of Cuba and the United States in this event with two victories for both cuntries while Latin America also managed to obtain some good results. Argentinian Omar Narvaez, in 51 kilos, gave his country its first triumph in boxing after three consecutive setbacks. He defeated Puerto Rican Carlos Valcarcel 12-6. Meanwhile, 71-kilo Jose Luis Zertuche gave Mexico its fifth victory in boxing after handing a technical KO to Sidy Sandy from Guinea. In other results, also Mexican Daniel Ponce de Leon lost to Ukranian Vladimir Sidorenko 16-8 in 51 kilos while Venezuelan Hely Yanes defeated Nurbek Kasenov from Kirgiztan 20-12. . GERMANY WINS 4 KILOMETER TEAM PURSUIT WITH WORLD RECORD Sydney, September 19(RHC)-- Germany won today the 4 kilometer team pursuit with a new world record of 3 minutes and 59.710 seconds and now commands cycling competitions along with France. Ucrania got silver while Britain, bronze. The German cyclists did away with the record which had been established that same day in preliminaries by the Ucranian team. A total of six world records and 8 new Olympic marks were established Tuesday, day four of competitions in Sydney. Besides cycling, weightlifting, archery and swimming provided the rest of the new supremacies. . AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED STATES FACE TO FACE IN SWIMMING Sydney, September 19 (RHC)-- The rivalry at the Sydney Aquatic Centre isn't between two swimmers, it's between two countries. After Tuesday's races the gold medal count is close: United States 6, Australia 4. On the fourth day in the pool, Ian Thorpe led the Aussie 4x200 freestyle relay team to a gold and another world record. The host country captured its first non-Thorpe gold when Susie O'Neill won the 200-meter freestyle. Tom Malchow made sure the American national anthem was played, winning the 200-meter freestyle. . U.S.'S CYCLIST ARMSTRONG READY TO PEDAL FOR A MEDAL Sydney, September 19(RHC)-- Two-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong said Tuesday he's ready to ride in the Olympics, declaring himself almost fully recovered from a broken neck vertebra in a collision last month during a training session. Although his neck remains stiff, the American cycling star said he'll be ready for the road race on Sept. 27 and the Sept. 30 time trial, an event where he's among the gold medal favorites and one he has tailored his training to fit. "The neck is a slight problem," Armstrong told a news conference filled with dozens of reporters. "It's probably about 90 percent right now. I can still ride. I can still train and I will be able to race. Sitting on a time trial bike is not a problem." Armstrong, 29, broke the bone when he collided with a car Aug. 28 while training on a remote road in southern France. A time trial victory last weekend at the Grand Prix des Nations in northern France convinced Armstrong he was fit for the Olympics. "There was only one reason to come and that's to win," he said. "I've never been to Australia, and while it looks like it would be a nice place for a vacation, that's not the reason I came." Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, is riding at the Olympics for the third time. He placed 14th in the road race at Barcelona. At the Atlanta Games, he was sixth in the time trial and 12th in the road race. However, when Armstrong competed in Atlanta, he still did not know that he had testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. His illness was diagnosed two months after he rode at the Games. "Barcelona feels like a really long time ago ... and in Atlanta, at the time, I was very sick but I still expected to ride well," he said. "To come back a third time is very special to me, mainly because of the illness in Atlanta that I didn't know about." Something about arriving in Sydney felt right to Armstrong. "I was telling my wife when we got here last night it feels better this time," he said. "I don't know why but I didn't feel at home in Barcelona and I didn't feel at home even in Atlanta. Last night, it was a good feeling when we landed." On Tuesday morning, Armstrong took a training ride to inspect the road course. He was concerned the injury could affect him more during the mass-start road race than in the time trial, where riders are timed individually over a 29-mile circuit. "Physically, I feel great. My conditioning is close to 100 percent," he said. "The scary part is trying o avoid another crash. But preparation-wise, conditioning-wise, everything's great." . IAAF UPHOLDS BAUMANN'S TWO-YEAR SUSPENSION Sydney, Setpember 19 (RHC)-- An arbitration panel of the track and field's international governing body has upheld the two-year suspension of former Olympic 5,000-meter champion Dieter Baumann of Germany. Baumann, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone last Oct. 19 and Nov. 12, had appealed the suspension. He contended he was the victim of a plot when traces of the drug were found in toothpaste he supposedly used. The arbitration panel of the International Amateur Athletic Federation conducted a hearing in Sydney on Saturday. Baumann, 35, attended the hearing to argue his case and hoped to be reinstated in time to compete in the Olympic 5,000 preliminaries Sept. 27. The German Athletic Federation reinstated Baumann on July 13. The federation's legal committee ruled that there had been irregularities in the collection and storage of his urine sample. However, in a brief news release Monday announcing its decision, the IAAF said the decision of the German federation was erroneous. Under revised IAAF rules, the suspension will be in effect for two years from the date of his hearing, meaning he will be eligible again on Sept. 16, 2002, according to IAAF spokesman Georgio Reineri. Since Baumann will be 37 by then, the IAAF ruling could effectively end his career. The IAAF is under pressure to be tough on drugs, especially after stinging criticism for reducing high jump world record-holder Javier Sotomayor's cocaine suspension. The IAAF banned Sotomayor for two years, but reduced his suspension to one year earlier this month, citing "exceptional circumstances" and an exemplary 15-year career. Cuba has presented ample evidence about irregularities in the custody chain during the Winnipeg Pan American Games and will continue fighting until Sotomayor's name is completely clear. Baumann won the 5,000 at the Barcelona Games and was the silver medalist in that event at the 1988 Seoul Games. He finished fourth in the 5,000 four years ago in Atlanta. In 1997, Baumann became the first European to break 13 minutes in the 5,000 meters. . MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE WIFE OF IOC PRESIDENT JUAN ANTONIO SAMARANCH Sydney, September 19(RHC)-- Hundreds of Olympic officials, dignitaries and friends attended a memorial service for the wife of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who died shortly after her husband presided over the opening of the Sydney Games. An overflow crowd of about 350 people packed St. Patrick's Catholic Church in downtown Sydney on Monday (Sunday night EDT) for the special Mass in the memory of Maria Teresa Samaranch, who passed away Saturday in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 67. Seated in the front row was Australian swimming icon Dawn Fraser, whom Samaranch had invited as his personal guest and stand-in as "Olympic first lady" for Friday's opening ceremony. Mrs. Samaranch was cremated Sunday in Barcelona, where the family received condolences from Spain's King Juan Carlos and President Jose Maria Aznar. Samaranch, attending his last Olympics as head of the IOC after 20 years in office, left Sydney the morning after the ceremony and flew home to be at his wife's bedside. But she died while Samaranch was still in the air, two hours before landing in Barcelona. Following Tuesday's service, IOC officials said Samaranch had reiterated that he plans to return to Sydney, probably by the weekend. 1)The United States 4 5 2 11 2) Australia 3 2 4 9 3) France 3 2 1 6 (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. Todos los derechos reservados. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= rhc-eng-30840 2000-Sep-20 00:34:24