Amputee's quest may be 'impossible'

MILAN, Italy -- Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius slowed on the final straight yesterday in his first able-bodied race in nearly a year, finishing fourth and well outside the Olympic qualifying time.

The South African finished with a time of 47.78 seconds in the 400 meter B race at the Milan Notturna meet. The time he needs to qualify for the Olympics is 45.55.

"I'm disappointed with my time," Pistorius said. "I've only had a month and a half to train, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I let myself down. I've got to be realistic. I'm chasing something that may be unattainable. It's starting to look impossible."

Pistorius' lifetime best is 46.36. He resumed training only six weeks ago when a sports arbitration court ruled that he was eligible to run in Beijing.

IOC says testing will be vigilant

GENEVA -- The IOC said yesterday its drug-testing program at the Beijing Olympics will be the most rigorous anti-doping effort in sports history.

The International Olympic Committee plans to conduct 4,500 tests in Beijing, up from 3,600 in Athens four years ago and 90 per cent more than in Sydney in 2000.

The IOC will also ask Chinese police and security officers to act against suspected doping suppliers before and during the Aug. 8-24 Games.

Said Prof. Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC medical commission: "The quality of tests are better than ever," he added. "No test is 100 percent, but we are certainly up to date and state of the art, absolutely."

Boxer will appeal U.S. team's decision

Light flyweight Luis Yanez will fight his removal from the U.S. Olympic team after requesting a hearing next week to appeal USA Boxing's decision.

Yanez, a 106-pound fighter from the Dallas area, was kicked off the team Monday after he skipped three weeks of workouts in Colorado Springs during June without telling the coaching staff where he was, coach Dan Campbell said.

Yanez, who also missed a training trip to Argentina during his absence, later said he was in Texas to support his sister while she underwent medical treatment. Campbell said the U.S. coaching staff couldn't reach Yanez despite repeatedly demanding his return to training camp.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Campbell accused Yanez of misleading the U.S. coaches during his absence, calling Yanez "one of the biggest liars I've ever met."

Eager to attend? Try Ming's raffle

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is raffling a trip to the Beijing Olympics to raise money for his personal foundation, which he launched to help victims of the May 12 earthquake in China.

Tickets for the raffle are $2 and can be purchased via credit card on a Web site, http://www.netraffle.org.

The winner, to be announced July 21, will receive round-trip airfare from a U.S. city to Beijing, a seven-day stay at a hotel in Beijing from Aug. 7-14, two tickets to the China-USA basketball game at the Olympics, a $1,500 cash stipend, a guided tour of the Great Wall of China, two Houston Rockets jerseys autographed by Yao, two tickets to a Rockets game and a chance to meet Yao after a Rockets game.

"I'm so proud that my country is hosting the 2008 Olympics and I am thrilled that I can help fans visit China, experience the Games and, at the same time, help raise money for the Yao Ming Foundation as we begin our campaign to rebuild schools in the earthquake-damaged provinces," Yao said. -- From Wire Reports