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Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on January 20, 1998
US create golden splash
PERTH, January 19: The United States and Australia counted their gold medals at the end of the World Swimming Championships today while the ...
PERTH, January 19: The United States and Australia counted their gold medals at the end of the World Swimming Championships today while the Chinese were left to ponder figures of another kind.
The Americans 8212; led by Jenny Thompson8217;s four gold medals 8212; took 14 golds in the pool, their best effort in 20 years. Australia, the second-best swim nation in the world behind the US, scored seven 8212; three of them on the final night 8212; and watched as the Polish-born Michael Klim equaled Thompson8217;s total of four gold.
Klim and Thompson were honoured as performers of the meet for their exploits while China took all the dishonour for drug controversies.
In 1994 in Rome, Chinese women scooped the pool with 12 medals. This time around, it was three golds, four swimmers suspended, one competitor banned for four years and one coach thrown out for 15. Thirteen was also a noteworthy figure 8212; the number of vials of human growth hormone seized by Australian customs agents at Sydney airport on Jan 8 that resulted in swimmer Yuan Yuan getting a 4-year ban and her coach Zhou Zhewen not being allowed to return until 2013.
The Americans stepped out in different fashion, matching the East German team8217;s total of 14 golds from Madrid in 1986, still six behind the American8217;s stellar total of 20 in West Berlin in 1978. The next World Championships are scheduled for Fukuoka, Japan in 2001.
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