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Not too pretty

U.S. swimmers have worst showing in Pan Am history

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Posted: Sunday August 08, 1999 09:13 AM

It was an emotional victory for American Tammie Spatz in the women's 50-meter freestyle. AP

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- A ninth Cuban left the team's delegation at the Pan American Games, saying Saturday he planned to seek asylum in the United States.

Basketball player Juan Leopoldo Vazquez defected before a morning game. He turned up elsewhere in Winnipeg accompanied by Ninoska Perez, director of the Cuban American National Foundation.

Vazquez would be the ninth member of the Cuban delegation to leave, and the seventh athlete. Last month, five members of Cuba's national basketball team defected while in Puerto Rico for the Olympic qualifying tournament.

American swimmers finished strongly, getting golds from Denali Knapp in the women's 200-meter backstroke, from Timothy Siciliano in the men's 1,500 freestyle, and from Tammie Spatz in the women's 50 freestyle. It was not enough, however, to avoid the worst showing in Pan Ams history.

In 32 events, the Americans won only 10 gold medals, seven by the women. Not since 1963, when there were only eight events for men and eight for women, had either of the U.S. teams won fewer than 10 golds.

Canada won nine women's events. Jessica Daglau became the first Canadian to win four golds, taking the women's 200 butterfly.

Teammate Curtis Myden, the 1996 Olympic bronze medalist in the 200 individual medley, won his specialty. Earlier, he won the 400 IM.

Brazil capped the meet by winning the men's 400 medley relay.

Cuba beat Canada 72-63 for women's basketball gold. Cuba's Licet Castillo, who played the entire tournament on a bad left knee, led all scorers with 20 points. Kelly Boucher had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Canada.

With a history of medals staring at them, the U.S. women came through in basketball. They won the bronze with an impressive 85-59 victory over Brazil, which defeated the Americans in preliminary play. The United States continued its streak of earning a medal in women's basketball in every Pan Ams since the sport was added in 1955.

"I told them about that before the game," coach Nell Fortner said. "I said if we don't win, we're the only USA team that goes home without a medal in the Pan Am Games. They need to know things like that. I think that served as extra motivation and they came out and played hard."

Amy Herrig, making some slick moves inside, scored 16 of her 18 points in the first half. Edwina Brown took it from there, scoring 13 of her 19 in the second half.

"Every game that we've had a lead, whether it be two points, three points, 15 or 16 points, we kind of lost it in the first five minutes," Brown said. "So we wanted to target the first five minutes of the second half and just give it everything we had. We weren't going to let them on a run and we weren't going to be beat."

Neither was Janette Piesczynski, who won the women's bowling gold medal by a mere one pin, giving the United States its third title in the sport. Piesczynski, of Cheektowaga, N.Y., beat Alicia Marcano of Venezuela 216-205 in the 16th and last match. That was enough -- barely -- to beat Marcano 3,328 to 3,327 for the gold.

"I checked the scores after every match today," she said. "I said I wouldn't, but I wanted to know where I stood."

After Piesczynski got two strikes in the final frame, Marcano needed to strike out in the 10th for a tie. She got the first two, but left the 7 pin standing on her last shot.

Both the U.S. men and women won the team events earlier.

In two tight softball games against Canada, the American women won the gold 1-0 in eight innings, and the men lost a controversial 4-3 decision.

Lisa Fernandez singled in Dot Richardson in the eighth and Michele Smith pitched a two-hitter as the U.S. women finished 12-0. They oustscored opponents 83-1.

The American men weren't so fortunate, as Canada won its sixth straight Pan Ams gold. Kevin Bobroske's infield single off pitcher Michael White's glove with the bases loaded and two out won it. But the inning was extended when U.S. first baseman Shawn Rychcik was ruled off the bag on a routine groundout; replays clearly showed he was touching the base, and the Americans argued to no avail.

"You'd rather see a base hit straight off the bat or a home run," Rychcik said. "Lose that way and you always have doubt."

In the medals race, the United States is far ahead with 285, 102 gold. Canada is at 187, 59 gold. Cuba has 153, 71 gold.

Wes Barnett, chosen by Team USA captains to carry the flag for Sunday's closing ceremony, won a bronze in the 105-kilogram weightlifting class. It was not what Barnett, of St. Joseph, Mo., had in mind.

"I'm very disappointed," he said after Ecuador's Boris Burov won the gold and Cuba's Michel Batista De Moya took the silver. "I certainly didn't come here for a bronze medal. I really came in looking to do some big things, but I was sluggish."

Omar Narvaez of Argentina beat Jose Navarro of Los Angeles 10-1 for the flyweight gold medal in boxing. Later, super heavyweight Davin King of Temple Hills, Md., forfeited his fight because he had two stitches in his upper lip, which he received in the semifinals. He got a silver medal.

The hosts surprised the highly ranked United States synchronized swimming team for the gold.

"Canada sold their routine a little bit better than we did," coach Chris Carver said. "Our execution was better. Our routine is better. Canada had a little more soul, a little more energy than us today. That will be corrected."

 

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