Voice of America, 97-08-03

Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] ATHENS 97/DAY ONE WRAP (S) BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

[02] ATHENS 97 / DAY ONE WRAP (L) BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

[03] ATHENS 97: DAY 2 PREVIEW BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

[04] U-S/IRAN (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

[01] ATHENS 97/DAY ONE WRAP (S) BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

INTRO: THE FIRST DAY OF COMPETITION HAS ENDED AT THE INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ATHLETIC FEDERATION WORLD TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN GREECE. AS VOA'S STEVE SCHY REPORTS FROM OLYMPIC STADIUM IN ATHENS, THERE WERE SOME FAST TIMES IN THE QUALIFIERS AND TWO EVENTS HAVE BEEN DECIDED.

TEXT: ALEKSANDR BAJACH OF THE UKRAINE HAS WON THE GOLD MEDAL IN THE SHOT PUT WITH A THROW OF 21-POINT 47 METERS AFTER WORLD RECORD HOLDER RANDY BARNES OF THE UNITED STATES FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR THE FINALS. A DISAPPOINTED JOHN GODINA OF THE UNITED STATES WON THE SILVER MEDAL WHILE GERMAN OLIVER SVEN BUDER TOOK THE BRONZE.

THE OTHER GOLD MEDAL AWARDED SATURDAY NIGHT WENT TO MEXICAN DANIEL GARCIA IN THE MEN'S 20 KILOMETER WALK. HE FINISHED IN A TIME OF ONE HOUR, TWENTY-ONE MUNITES AND FIFTY-THREE SECONDS. MIKHAIL SHCHENNIKOV OF RUSSIA TOOK THE SILVER WITH MIKHAIL KHMELNITSKY OF BELARUS WINNING THE BRONZE. MEANWHILE, A LIGHTNING FAST TRACK HAS SET THE STAGE FOR THE SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS IN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 100 METERS ON SUNDAY. ATO BOLDIN OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RAN THE FASTEST TIME IN THE WORLD THIS YEAR -- NINE-POINT-EIGHT-SEVEN SECONDS IN THE MEN'S SECOND ROUND. AND UKRANIAN ZHANNA PINTUSEVICH SET A NATIONAL 100 METER RECORD OF TEN-POINT-NINE-ZERO SECONDS TO LEAD THE WOMEN QUALIFIERS. (SIGNED)
NEB/SD
02-Aug-97 8:26 PM EDT (0026 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

[02] ATHENS 97 / DAY ONE WRAP (L) BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

INTRO: THE FIRST DAY OF COMPETITION HAS ENDED AT THE INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ATHLETIC FEDERATION WORLD TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN GREECE. AS VOA'S STEVE SCHY REPORTS FROM OLYMPIC STADIUM IN ATHENS, THERE WERE SOME FAST TIMES IN THE QUALIFIERS AND TWO EVENTS HAVE BEEN DECIDED.

TEXT: ALEKSANDR BAJACH OF THE UKRAINE HAS WON THE GOLD MEDAL IN THE SHOT PUT WITH A THROW OF 21-POINT-FOUR-SEVEN METERS AFTER WORLD RECORD HOLDER RANDY BARNES OF THE UNITED STATES FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR THE FINALS. A DISAPPOINTED JOHN GODINA OF THE UNITED STATES WON THE SILVER MEDAL WITH A THROW OF 21-POINT-FOUR-FOUR METERS. GERMAN OLIVER SVEN BUDER TOOK THE BRONZE WITH A PERSONAL BEST THROW OF 21-POINT-TWO-FOUR METERS..

THE OTHER GOLD MEDAL AWARDED SATURDAY NIGHT WENT TO MEXICAN DANIEL GARCIA IN THE MEN'S 20 KILOMETER WALK. HE FINISHED IN A TIME OF ONE HOUR, TWENTY-ONE MINUTES AND FIFTY-THREE SECONDS AND AFTERWARDS SAID HE WAS VERY GLAD TO HAVE WON. MIKHAIL SHCHENNIKOV OF RUSSIA TOOK THE SILVER MEDAL TEN SECONDS BACK AND MIKHAIL KHMELNITSKY OF BELARUS WON THE BRONZE, EIGHTEEN SECONDS OFF THE WINNING PACE. MEANWHILE, A LIGHTNING FAST TRACK HAS SET THE STAGE FOR THE SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS IN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 100 METERS ON SUNDAY. ATO BOLDIN OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RAN THE FASTEST TIME IN THE WORLD THIS YEAR -- NINE-POINT-EIGHT-SEVEN SECONDS IN THE MEN'S SECOND ROUND QUALIFIER.

AMERICANS MAURICE GREEN, TIM MONTGOMERY AND MIKE MARSH AND FRAN FREDERICK OF NAMIBIA ALSO HAD FAST TIMES. WORLD RECORD HOLDER DONOVAN BAILEY OF CANADA RAN A TIME OF TEN-POINT-ONE-ZERO SECONDS BUT HE APPEARED TO CRAMP UP AT THE FINISH LINE.

UKRANIAN ZHANNA PINTUSEVICH SET A NATIONAL 100 METER RECORD OF TEN-POINT-NINE-ZERO SECONDS TO LEAD THE WOMEN QUALIFIERS IN THE SECOND ROUND. SHE WAS FOLLOWED BY AMERICAN MARIAN JONES AND MERLENE OTTEY OF JAMAICA. (SIGNED)
NEB/SD
02-Aug-97 9:05 PM EDT (0105 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

[03] ATHENS 97: DAY 2 PREVIEW BY STEVE SCHY (ATHENS)

INTRO: QUALIFYING ACTION IN A NUMBER OF EVENTS FILLED THE MORNING SESSION ON THE SECOND DAY OF COMPETITION AT THE WORLD TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN GREECE. AS V-O-A'S STEVE SCHY REPORTS FROM OLYMPIC STADIUM IN ATHENS THE FINALS IN THREE EVENTS WILL BE HELD SUNDAY NIGHT.

TEXT: EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FINALS IN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 100 METERS ARE SKY HIGH AFTER THE ATHLETES TURNED IN EXTREMELY FAST TIMES IN THE QUALIFIERS. (IN THE MEN'S RACES) ATO BOLDEN OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RAN THE FASTEST TIME IN THE WORLD THIS YEAR 9.87 SECONDS, WHILE AMERICANS MAURICE GREEN AND TIM MONTGOMERY AND FRANK FREDERICKS OF NAMIBIA ALSO BROKE THE TEN SECOND MARK.

UKRAINIAN ZHANNA PINTUSEVICH LED THE WOMEN IN 10.90 SECONDS WITH AMERICAN MARION JONES AND MERLENE OTTEY OF JAMAICA CLOSE BEHIND. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS SUNDAY NIGHT INCLUDE THE MEN'S HAMMER THROW FINAL AND FIRST ROUND QUALIFYING FOR THE MEN'S 1500 METERS AND 10,000 METERS.

HAILE GEBRESELASSIE OF ETHIOPIA THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER IN THE 10,000 SAYS SETTING A NEW RECORD IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

MAYBE WE CAN BREAK THE WORLD RECORD, BUT SPECIALLY WE RUN FOR A MEDAL BECAUSE THIS IS A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. ALWAYS ATHLETES CONCENTRATE ONLY ON GETTING THE MEDAL. IT'S THE SAME WAY IF WE GET THE WORLD RECORD, WE'LL BE VERY HAPPY.

GEBRESELASSIE IS ATTEMPTING TO WIN HIS THIRD GOLD MEDAL IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. (SIGNED)
NEB/SS/GKT-T
03-Aug-97 2:03 PM EDT (1803 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

[04] U-S/IRAN (S ONLY) BY VICTOR BEATTIE (WASHINGTON)

INTRO: THE UNITED STATES SAYS IT WILL WAIT TO SEE IF THE NEW PRESIDENT OF IRAN, MOHAMMAD KHATAMI, BRINGS CHANGES TO WHAT ONE SPOKESMAN CALLS THE REGIME'S "HIGHLY OBJECTIONABLE" PAST BEHAVIOR. VICTOR BEATTIE REPORTS PRESIDENT KHATAMI, WHO WILL BE SWORN INTO OFFICE BY PARLIAMENT LATER TODAY (MONDAY), HAS EXPRESSED HIS DESIRE FOR PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE WITH THE WORLD:

TEXT: WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN MIKE MCCURRY SAYS PRESIDENT CLINTON CONSIDERS THE ELECTION LAST MAY OF MR. KHATAMI, CONSIDERED A MODERATE, INTRIGUING. HOWEVER, MR. MCCURRY SAYS THE PRESIDENT IS SEEKING CHANGES IN THE BEHAVIOR OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN.

WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SANDY BERGER SAYS WASHINGTON HAS A NUMBER OF CONCERNS ABOUT IRANIAN POLICY:

WE HAVE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS WITH IRAN'S BEHAVIOR -- ITS SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM, ITS DEVELOPMENT OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, ITS EFFORTS TO SUBVERT THE PEACE PROCESS.

THE UNITED STATES SEVERED RELATIONS WITH TEHRAN SOON AFTER THE 1979 ISLAMIC REVOLUTION. HOWEVER, THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION LAST WEEK ANNOUNCED IT WOULD NOT OPPOSE THE CONSTRUCTION THROUGH IRAN OF A NATURAL GAS PIPELINE FROM TURKMENISTAN TO TURKEY.

ANALYST MICHAEL EISENSTADT OF THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY SAYS THE FIRST TEST OF A POSSIBLE RAPPROCHEMENT WILL BE THE APPOINTMENT OF A GOVERNMENT. MR. EISENSTADT SAYS THE CRUCIAL PORTFOLIOS WILL BE FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENSE AND INTELLIGENCE. (SIGNED)
NEB/VB/LWM
03-Aug-97 5:46 PM EDT (2146 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article