European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday july 25, 1994 sports the stars and stripes Page 27 . Cagers win meet Goodwill games by Stephen Wilson St Petersburg Russia a after several Days of embarrassing logistical and organizational snafus the Goodwill games got off to a smooth Start saturday with russian president Boris Yeltsin kicking off the show. The opening ceremony even started on time. On the first full Day of Competition in the 16-Day event the . Basketball team cruised past Argentina 83-71, two russian weightlifters combined for five world records and . Volley Allers were Kings of the Beach. Crowds were scarce at All events except for saturday nights opening ceremony at kirov stadium where a near capacity 70,000 people watched an extravaganza rivalling the dazzling shows put on at the olympics. Two fireballs sped toward each other along an invisible wire colliding Over a cauldron to Light the flame for the biggest sports event in Russia since the collapse of the soviet Union. The two hour ceremony held on a Sun lit summer evening was an Eclectic mix of russian poems by Alexander Pushkin classical music by Tchaikovsky Rock tunes circus acrobats martial arts experts Ballet dancers jump rope champions and fireworks. Among those enjoying the festivities were Yeltsin Goodwill games founder ted Turner and International olympic committee president Juan Antonio Sam ranch. Yeltsin officially opened the games declaring a a in a sure four years from now our hearts will be moved when we recall these sports events. This is a joyous meeting of old earlier Yeltsin said he was proud that Russia was staging such a Large event a with More than 2,000 athletes from around the world. The first two Goodwill games were held in Moscow in 1986, and Seattle in 1990. Yeltsin a presence probably had a lot to do with the smooth punctual and highly professional running of the ceremony. A Day earlier organizers had been forced to postpone the swimming Competition because the water in the indoor Pool was a swampy Green due to a faulty filtration system. The water was still a Light Green saturday. But after an inspection officials declared it Safe and gave the go ahead for All 20 swim races to be held sunday. While dream team ii prepares for the world championships in Toronto next month a team of lesser known . Collegians got off to a Good Start saturday with a convincing win Over Argentina. The americans never were seriously threatened in the second half leading 8160 with about three minutes left before Argentina scored 11 of the final.13 Points. Michael Finley of Wisconsin came off the Bench to Lead the team with 16 Points. Lou Roe of Massachusetts contributed13 Points Damon Stoudamire of Arizona had 12 arid Shawn Respert of Michigan state 10. Head coach George Raveling Wasny to completely satisfied with the performance. A we played Well offensively in spots a he said. A we played Well defensively in spots. But we re not going to win the Gold medal with a spotty the americans held Argentina Stop player Marcclo Milanesio scoreless before he was benched in the second half after missing All five of his shots. A this is the most talented american team in be seen in Many years a said Carlos Morales coach of the puerto rican team expected to give the United states its toughest Battle for the Gold medal. A they Are very aggressive. But they do Lack experience.�?�. The most aggressive american was Stoudamire Captain of the Gold medal winning . Team at the 1993 world University games. He also had five assists two steals arid hounded Milanesio on defense. A on sunday night the americans were to face Russia. �?o1 think there will be a More enthusiasm Shawn re sport of Michigan state drives by Argentina a a Lector Campana in . Opener. Tic crowd when we play the russians a Stoudamire said. A they will have a lot of crowd support. It will he a big game for us. We re in their country. We re playing in front of their in other games in the eight team round Robin event Russia edged China 95-93, Italy Defeated Brazil 72-67 and puerto Rico beat Croatia 93-74. World records fell fast in weightlifting. Sergei syr Tusov broke three of his own world records in the 218-Pound class. He lifted 421 pounds in the snatch and 501,5 pounds in the Elean and Jerk and and had a total of 920.4 pounds. Andrei chem skin a 325-Pound giant known As the worlds strongest Man broke two world records and equated another in the Over-23s-Pound class. Che Merkin lifted 443.12 in the snatch and 552.2 pounds in the clean and Jerk. His total of 992.06 pounds matched his previous record. The flurry of records was not surprising because the International weightlifting federation established new weight classes at the end of 1992. In Beach volleyball played along the Banks of the Neva River . Pairs won All five matches a three by the women two by the men. The women a winners were Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan considered the Best team in the world and barbra Fontana and Lori Forsythe. The menus teams were Beach volleyball Ace Sinjin Smith and Bruk Vandeweghe and Carlos Brick no and Jeff Williams. . Juniors capture 2 golds by Tony Smith Lisbon Portugal a russian women captured three Gold medals and american men won two saturday at the fifth annual Isaaf world Junior athletics championships while Kenya clinched an impressive one two in the menus 3,000 steeplechase. Russians Irina Stankina broke the course record at Lisbon a University stadium to capture the 5,000 me tors walk while her compatriots Olga Kaliterna and Yelena Lysak won the High jump and triple jump re a actively. Americans Anthony Wheeler won the 200 meters an Adam Nelson heaved a personal Best of 60 feet a. Inc i is to win the shot put. Stankina finished her walk in 21 minutes 5.41_sec-onds, followed by Portugal a Susana i Cit or and us Siam a Natalia Trofimova. Lysak who two Days ago won the triple jump leaped 22-6 to Edge Finland Shelt and Norway s ing Vild Larsen in the . In the High jump Kal Turina cleared 6-2 to Edge Sweden a Kajsa Bergqvist. Slovak Lenka Ribakova and american Amy Acuff shared the Bronze Nelson the . Junior Champion from Atlanta was More than a foot ahead of the Field in the track and Field in the menus 200, Wheeler 19, of Hampton va., was slow out of the blocks but powered his Way to finish in 20.62 seconds. Nigerian Dejl Aliu finished second with Britain Sian Mackie taking the Bronze. Minutes earlier America just missed capturing the Gold in the women a 200 meters when South africans Heide seyerling nipped Lakeisha Backus 17, of Slevc land at the wire after China a Mei Huang faded. The 17-year-old seyerling was clocked in 22.80. Bastia Walker of Jamaica finished third in 23.19, but was later disqualified for running out of her Lane and the Bronze went to Ukraine a Tatiana Tkalitch. Paul Chc Mase and Julius Chc Lule produced a kenyan one two in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Chemise won in 8 31.51 after battling most of the race with Morocco Sirba lakh Al the african Junior Champion and fastest qualifier who lives in the Southern moroccan desert. Lakh Al 19, who lost his left Eye in an Accident when lie was five had dominated throughout the heats. But he ran out of steam in the final and finished third. A record 1,236 athletes a All under 21 years a from 148 countries competed. Italian team claims it h As signed la Las London apr newly promoted italian club Padova claimed saturday it had signed United states defender Alexi Lalas on a one season loan. Padova made the announcement shortly after English club Coventry City introduced Lalas to a news conference to confirm it had held talks with him about joining the club this season. The sought after Lalas one of the stars of the . Drive into the second phase of the world cup was also due to have talks with German crud bochum in the next few Days. The Padova Deal is said to be Worth s195,00q to the . Soccer federation which owns the players contract if he becomes the first american to play in Italy a serie a Competition. Padova wanted to sign swedish defender Joachim Bjorklund but said it went for the Goatee and w ild haired 24-year-old from Detroit because he was just As Good As the scandinavian who w Ould not have been available until november. If he does t go to Coventry Lalas could still make an appearance at England a famed Wembley stadium As it was confirmed Friday that England will play the . There on september 7
