Dope Raids Come Up Empty
Italian authorities searching for banned substances found no evidence of doping in overnight raids on the residences of Austrian biathlon and cross-country staff at the Turin Games.
While Italian police were searching the residences early Sunday morning, the IOC also conducted unannounced, out-of-competition drug tests on 10 Austrian athletes, six cross-country skiers and four biathletes.
The investigation began when the World Anti-Doping Agency discovered blood-doping equipment in Austria connected to Walter Mayer, a former Nordic team coach banned from the Olympics for suspicion of performing blood transfusions on athletes at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Mayer and Volker Mueller, the German chiropractor who prescribed blood treatments, were banned by the International Olympic Committee from the Turin Games and the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
Pound told the AP that doping control officers went to Austria to test athletes there and could not find them. Instead, he said, they found blood-doping equipment linked to Mayer and were told he was with the Austrian team in Italy.
"We were concerned something might be going on in Italy," Pound said.
Roberto Cicatelli, a spokesman for Carabinieri paramilitary police in Turin, said later Sunday morning that "at the moment, nothing of significance has emerged," and that no one had been placed under investigation.
However, Cicatelli said he did not know what materials had been seized and stressed that the investigation was now in the hands of Turin magistrates.
Police searched and interviewed athletes for four hours Saturday night, said Alfred Eder, a trainer for the Austrian biathlon team.
"We are very angry," Eder said. "It is not very gentlemanly."
The Turin Olympics feature the most rigorous drug testing in Winter Games history. Earlier in the week, a Russian biathlete was stripped of her silver medal and expelled from the Olympics after testing positive for an illegal stimulant.
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"I'm one of a kind," Davis said, fully aware of how much he stands out in the mostly all-white sport.
Davis was No. 1 on this day, vindicating his decision to skip a new team event so he could focus on his individual races—even if it drew racially charged messages to his personal Web site, "people saying they hoped I would fall, break my leg, using the n-word."
After crossing the line and spotting his time, the first guy to break 1:09 on the slow Turin ice, Davis thrust his right fist in the air. As he coasted along the back straightaway, he raised both arms toward the roof of the Olympic oval, then put his hands on his head in obvious relief.
Vonetta Flowers became the first black to win Winter Olympics gold at the Salt Lake City Games four years ago. She was a pusher on the two-woman bobsled team, someone who helps get the machine going and hops along for the ride.
Figure skater Debi Thomas won the bronze in the 1988 Games.
Atlanta Thrashers teammates Marian Hossa and Peter Bondra sandwiched goals around one by Brian Rolston to give Slovakia a 2-1 victory over the United States on Saturday night.
Slovakia (3-0) strengthened its first-place hold in the Olympics Group B, moving two points ahead of Russia and Sweden and three in front of the Americans (1-1-1). The top four in the six-team group move on to the quarterfinals. Each team, including Latvia and Kazakhstan at the bottom, has two preliminary games remaining.
While the United States held a 30-21 shots advantage, the Americans were hurt by many shots that either sailed off the mark or were blocked before reaching goalie Peter Budaj.
Bondra snapped a 1-1 tie and handed further disappointment to the U.S. women's hockey team that watched from the stands one night after their upset loss to Sweden in the semifinals.
After defenseman Chris Chelios fell down behind the U.S. goal, Miroslav Satan took the puck and quickly passed out front to Bondra, who was surrounded by four American players. No matter, as he quickly found a spot between Rick DiPietro's pads to make it 2-1 just 1:48 into the third period.
The United States nearly got even while short-handed around the 7-minute mark. Jason Blake skated in alone but struck the crossbar, and Erik Cole was denied by Budaj's stick on a 3-on-2 rush.
The 34-year-old veteran, who was unable to defend his Olympic combined title after hurting his knee in the downhill, won in 1 minute, 30.65 seconds, 0.13 ahead of Hermann Maier.
Ambrosi Hoffmann of Switzerland took the bronze, 0.33 back.
Croatia's Janica Kostelic also defended her Olympic title, winning the women's super-G title.
It was Aamodt's third Olympic super-G title. He also won at the 1992 Albertville Games. He already held the record for Olympic Alpine medals, but increased his tally to eight, four of them gold. He is also the first man to win Olympic gold in the same discipline three times.
There were nine medals on the line Saturday.
Russia or the Soviet Union have won five of the last six Olympic women's relay events.
Wilhelm's dominant victory came in the first race since Olga Pyleva of Russia was tossed out of the Turin Games and banned from competition for two years for doping.
Pyleva, who also was stripped of the silver she won in the 15K, was the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the pursuit, having edged Wilhelm at the Salt Lake City Games.
"I must say when I was watching the first and second legs I thought in the very best case we could hope for third place," Medvedeva-Abruzova said. "At the handover, I realized she was already in third place. We made eye contact and she gave me all her force, and then I gave all my force."