By TERRY TOMALIN and Times wires
Published June 22, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Despite objections from the Save the Manatee Club, the Offshore Super Series has received a permit from the United States Coast Guard to hold a powerboat race on the waters off the Pier on Sunday.
The powerboat organization, which held its inaugural race in Biloxi, Miss., in April, features canopied vee-bottom and catamaran boats capable of speeds well over 100 miles per hour.
Racers will compete for starting positions on Saturday, with two races Sunday. For more information, go to offshoresuperseries.com.
OLYMPICS: U.S. men pull upset
A newly assembled United States men's fours boat earned an upset victory in rowing's World Cup circuit and will enter the Athens Games as a medal contender. Bryan Volpenhein, Beau Hoopman, Dan Beery and Jason Read, racing together for the first time internationally, surged past favorites Canada and Britain over the final quarter of the 2,000-meter race at Lucerne, Switzerland. The U.S. women's eights also won, the men's lightweight pairs took second and the women's quadruple sculls third. The U.S. team will have boats in seven of eight men's events and five of six women's events in Athens.
EQUESTRIAN: Three-time Olympic medalist Robert Dover won the freestyle segment aboard FBW Kennedy to sweep the U.S. dressage trials in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Also earning spots on the U.S. team for Athens were Debbie McDonald, Guenter Seidel and Steffen Peters.
CYCLING: The Australian Olympic Committee banned Mark French, 19, a four-time junior world track champion, from competing in any future Olympics for drug offenses.
CYCLING: Armstrong loses in court
A Paris judge rejected Lance Armstrong's attempt to force publisher La Martiniere to insert his denial of doping allegations into copies of a new book, L.A. Confidential, the Secrets of Lance Armstrong. Judge Catherine Bezio called Armstrong's request an "abuse" of the legal system and ordered him to pay the authors and publisher a symbolic $1.20 fine. The French-language book was written by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester and relies in part on doping allegations by a former Armstrong assistant, Emma O'Reilly.
SOCCER: U.S.-Panama game set
The U.S. team's World Cup qualifier against Panama on Oct. 13 will be played at RFK Stadium, completing the itinerary for the next round of qualifying. The Americans, grouped with Jamaica, El Salvador and Panama, will play each team twice over a three-month period, starting Aug. 18 at Jamaica. The top two teams advance to the final round.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: Defending champion France and England reached the quarterfinals, joining Portugal, Greece and the Czech Republic. France defeated Switzerland 3-1 and England beat Croatia 4-2. Three other quarterfinalists will be determined today and Wednesday.
ET CETERA: BASKETBALL: Philadelphia Daily News writer Phil Jasner and University of Kansas announcer Max Falkenstien were chosen by the Basketball Hall of Fame to receive the Curt Gowdy Award given to media members.
