Canadian Sport Centre Calgary

CANADA FOURTH IN MEN'S TEAM EVENT AT PACIFIC ALLIANCE GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

VANCOUVER- Grant Golding of Calgary posted the best score of the day on vault to help Canada to a fourth place finish in the men's team event Friday at the 14-country Pacific Alliance gymnastics competition. The U.S., displayed its might in opening day action taking the team title with 164.575 points and placed 1-2 in the individual all around standings. Japan was second at 159.225 and Australia edged Canada for the bronze with 157.825 to 156.225 for the Canadians.

Grant Golding (Grace Chiu photo)

"We were hoping to make the top-three but we performed as expected," said Canadian national men's team head coach Edouard Iarov. "We need to show more stability and increase the difficulties of our routines."

In the all around standings, Paul Hamm, a member of the second place U.S., team at the world championships last year, took the gold with 56.235 points. He posted the best scores on floor, rings and high bar. His teammate Brett McClure was second at 54.475 and Yang Wei of China was third at 54.200.

David Kikuchi of Halifax was the top Canadian in ninth followed by Golding in 12th and Richard Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., 13th. All three were part of Canada's 12th place squad at the world championships last year, its best finish since 1985.

Golding uncorked a 9.475 to post the best score on vault and qualify for the event final on Sunday. Kikuchi made the rings final and Ikeda reached the high bar final.

TORONTO'S MARY SANDERS WINS GOLD AT PACIFIC ALLIANCE

BURNABY, B.C.- Mary Sanders of Toronto won the all around gold medal in senior rhythmic gymnastics competition Saturday at the 14-country Pacific Alliance Championships.

Sanders, 16, placed first on rope, hoop and ball and second on clubs to finish with 100.950 points. Jessica Howard of the U.S. was second at 98.925 and Alexandra Orland of Toronto was third at 95.000. Kristi Clark of Etobicoke, Ont., was ninth.

Mary Sanders (Grace Chiu photo)

"I was really pleased with my routines," said Sanders, the Four Continents champion last year and ranked 20th in the world.

"The ball went especially well. It's a lot more expressive than my other routines." In the team standings, the U.S. edged Canada by three points for the gold.

KAREN FURNEAUX STILL TOPS IN 200M

HAZEWINKEL, BELGIUM (CNW) - Karen Furneaux of Waverley, Nova Scotia World Champion in the Kayak K-1 200 meters continued her winning ways by topping the field at the first World Cup in Hazewinkel, Belgium, May 3-5.

Karen also finished 5th in the Kayak K-1 500 meters. Steve Giles also of Nova Scotia was just shy of a medal in the Men's C-1 500 meters. Steve also finished 5th in Canoe C-1 1000 meters and 8th in the Canoe C-1 200 meters.

Both Steve and Karen were pleased with their early season performances and commented on the excellent field. Thirty-seven countries competed in the competition.

CANADIANS WIN BRONZE AT DIVING GRAND PRIX

MONTREAL- Emilie Heymans and Alida Di Placido of Montreal won the bronze medal on women's synchronized three-metres Friday in opening day action at the 16-country FINA Grand Prix diving competition at the Claude-Robillard Centre in Montreal.

Wu Mingxia and Yang Yuting of China took the gold medal with 286.23 points while Maria Marconi and Tania Cagnotto of Italy were second at 284.34. Heymans and Di Placido, the Canadian champions last month, were third at 272.58.

Emilie Heymans and Alida Di Placido of Montreal

Heymans won the silver medal on 10-metre synchro with Anne Montminy at the 2000 Olympics. Mingxia took the world title on three-metre synchro with a different partner last year.

On men's three-metres, Robert Newberry of Australia, an Olympic bronze medallist on synchro three-metres in 2000, beat two Chinese divers to win the gold medal with 492.84 points. World champion Wang Feng of China settled for silver at 491.88 and his compatriot Wang Tianling was third at 474.93.

Alexandre Despatie of Laval, Que., placed fourth at 454.95 and Philippe Comtois of Montreal was fifth at 407.28.

Despatie, ranked second in the world on 10-metre tower, is climbing the international ranks in the springboard event.

Despatie and Comtois also make the Canadian team for the FINA World Cup this summer with their performances.

SILVER AND BRONZE FOR CANADA ON WOMEN'S TOWER AT GRAND PRIX

MONTREAL- Emilie Heymans of Montreal and Myriam Boileau of Pointe-Claire, Que., placed second and third respectively Saturday on women's 10-metres at the fifth stop on the FINA Grand Prix diving circuit being held at the Claude-Robillard Centre.

Lao Lishi of China won a very close battle on women's tower with 362 .58 points. Heymans, second at a Grand Prix earlier this year in Germany, was a mere 24/100ths of a point behind at 362.34. Boileau, who scored her first ever perfect 10 in international competition, snared the bronze at 344.27.

Emilie Heymans of Montreal and Myriam Boileau of Pointe-Claire, Que.

Heymans' first dive in the final likely cost her the gold. She scored only 4.5's and 5.0's on her opening reverse 31/2. After that she was near perfection.

"I guess I felt a lot of stress on the first dive," said Heymans - an Olympic silver medallist on 10-metre synchro with Anne Montminy in 2000 - "and I just opened up too early. It's a bit surprising because it's a dive that had been working well for me this year."

Boileau posted one perfect 10 on her fourth dive, a reverse 31/2.

"I've done that before at national championships but never internationally," said Boileau, the 1997 World Cup champion.

"It was interesting to get it from the Chinese judge as well. I was pretty happy with my performance but I made some little mistakes." Marie-Eve Marleau of Montreal also reached the final and placed sixth.

DESPATIE WINS GOLD ON 10-METRE TOWER AT FINA GRAND PRIX

MONTREAL- Teenage diving sensation Alexandre Despatie of Montreal won his second gold medal this season on the FINA Grand Prix circuit on Sunday placing first in the men's 10-metre tower event. Despatie, who won the 10-metre at the German Grand Prix in March, totalled 493.95 points for the victory.

Alexandre Despatie of Montreal.

Luo Yutong of China, the Grand Prix tower leader entering the meet, was second at 484.50 and his compatriot Xu Xiang third at 480.21.

"Everybody made errors today but I made the least amount," said Despatie, fifth on three-metres on Friday.

The sixth stop on the Grand Prix is next weekend at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

RUSSIAN SKIER TESTS POSITIVE - BECKIE SCOTT IN LINE FOR OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL

MONTREAL (CNW) - The International Ski Federation (FIS) has announced that Russian Cross Country skier Larissa Lazutina tested positive for blood doping as the result of tests conducted at World Cup races on December 8, and 22, 2001. Under FIS policies, the positive test makes Lazutina ineligible for all subsequent FIS competitions, including the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Beckie Scott (left) in action (Reuters - Kevin Lamarque)

If the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accepts the FIS ruling, Lazutina will be stripped of all results from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, including the silver medal won in the women's 5K pursuit race. The bronze medal winner in this race was Beckie Scott of Vermillion Alberta, who now stands to claim the silver medal.

"This announcement is a positive step towards revealing the current situation in cross-country skiing, and I hope that this will be a catalyst for reform", said Beckie Scott.

"The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) will request confirmation from the IOC that this positive test will result in Larissa Lazutina forfeiting the silver medal in the Women's 5km pursuit race in favour of Beckie Scott, and that she be disqualified in all other events at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games," said Michael Chambers, President of the COC.

"The COC will continue to pursue its appeal to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) in its effort to secure for Beckie Scott the gold medal she deserves and legitimately earned."