Canadian Rower Gives Up One Medal, Keeps Other

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina —  Rower Silken Laumann of Canada was stripped of one Pan American Games gold medal Thursday and allowed to keep another after testing positive for a stimulant that was in a cold medicine.

Mario Vasquez Rana, president of the Pan American Sports Organization, said the executive committee voted to withdraw the gold medal for the quadruple sculls, but would recommend Laumann receive the minimum sanctions from FISA, the international rowing federation. That could mean merely a warning.

Marnie McBean, Diane O’Grady and Wendy Wiebe joined Laumann and easily won the quadruple sculls final. The gold will go to Cuba, the silver to the United States.

Laumann will be allowed to keep her single sculls gold, won Saturday, because she did not test positive for ephedrine after that race.

Americans won two more bouts Thursday night, giving the United States three boxers in the weekend gold medal finals, with two more fighting in today’s semifinals.

Light-heavyweight Antonio Tarver stopped Gabriel Hernandez of the Dominican Republic with one second left in the first round.

Also winning was David Reid, who forced Canada’s Hercules Kyvelos to take a standing eight-count in the second round, then stopped him on cuts at 1:38 of the round. Two more Cubans also won, with five in the finals and five fighting today.

Through Thursday, the United States had set a games record for silver medals with 126. It has 143 gold and 89 bronze for 358, 11 short of the record set in Indianapolis in 1987. Cuba has 176 medals, 80 gold.

The Americans played their final round-robin basketball game, beating Mexico, 104-80, as Coach Mike Thibault rested his most productive players. The United States (3-2) plays Brazil (4-1) in the semifinals tonight. Argentina defeated Brazil, 95-75, to gain the No. 1 seeding in the semifinals.