Drugs scandal now mar Paralympics

Drugs scandal now mar Paralympics
Agence France Presse

Sydney, October 20: Blind Briton Bob Matthews stole the Paralympic spotlight on Friday, winning the first track medal in Sydney as a drug scandal threatened to overshadow the Games.

The 39-year-old took the first step to rewrite history by winning the 10,000m For the visually impaired and now turns his attention to the 5,000m and the marathon a triple not achieved since able-bodied athlete Emil Zatpoek in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Running with a guide, the veteran, in his sixth Paralympics, ran a perfect tactical race to outsprint Spaniard Carlos Ferreira in the home straight with a time of 35.23.07. In the high-profile amputee 100m, the outsider of three Americans, Marlon Ray Shirley, broke the World record in the semi-finals, clocking 11.32 seconds to shave one hundredth of a second off the mark held by compatriot Brian Frasure. Frasure, who trains with US sprint queen Marion Jones, won his race in 11.53 while the third American, Tony Volpentest, won the other semi in 11.83.

At the pool, the French dominated the first day of swimming and reinforced the Sydney International Acquatic Centre's reputation as one of the best around.

Paraplegic Eric Lindmann, who took four golds in Atlanta, won his first in Sydney by snaring the 200m individual medley while countrywoman Beatrice Hess, 39, who won six golds in Atlanta, triumphed in the individual medley for women suffering cerebral palsy.

But the day was marred when four powerlifters were suspended after testing positive to performance enhancing drugs in a pre-competition doping blitz.The lifters, each from different countries, were expected to be named on Saturday.