Malibu, Calif. – The lawyers bickered. The translator translated. The arbitrators tried to make peace. And no one stuck to the schedule on another painstaking day in Floyd Landis’ arbitration hearing.
A long argument about access to certain documents clogged up most of Wednesday afternoon. When the day was over, only three witnesses on a list of dozens had completed their testimony in the case that could decide the Tour de France champion’s fate.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency plans to bring three-
time Tour winner Greg LeMond to the stand today – an appearance that figures to offer a much-anticipated break from the dry science and procedural bickering that has filled the first three days.
All of Wednesday belonged to Cynthia Mongongu, an analytical chemist at the Chatenay-Malabry lab outside Paris that tested Landis’ urine.
Her most interesting moment came when she testified that she taped a do-not-cross line across the floor of her workspace to keep Landis’ observers from interfering last month with tests of his backup “B” urine samples.
She was responding to questions about a written statement she signed last month in which she stated she was “accosted” by one of Landis’ experts. She testified it was not a physical confrontation.
“I needed to be able to concentrate on my work,” she said in French, her testimony relayed by a translator.
Landis is accused of using banned synthetic testosterone during his 2006 Tour victory.
Much of the testimony Wednesday was about the backup “B” samples of Landis’ seven negative tests that were, at USADA’s request, subjected to carbon-isotope ratio testing last month to look for synthetic testosterone. Four of those seven returned “abnormal testosterone profiles,” and the Landis camp is trying to prove that’s a result of mishandled tests.
A three-man arbitration panel hearing nine days of testimony will decide whether to uphold his positive doping test after Stage 17 of last year’s Tour. If it does, Landis could face a two-year ban from cycling and become the first person in the 104-year history of the Tour to have his title stripped.
SOCCER
Welsh leads FC Toronto past Houston
Andy Welsh scored in the 25th minute and Toronto FC held on to defeat the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo 1-0 in Toronto.
The victory was the second straight for the expansion franchise after four losses to open the season. Houston slipped to 2-3-1.
Italy consolidated its place as the world’s top-ranked team and Brazil moved up to second in the FIFA rankings.
The world champions have 1,606 points, and Brazil was followed by Argentina. Brazil has 1,539 points and Argentina 1,520. The United States remained in 29th place with 785 points.
GOLF
Norman to miss Senior PGA tourney
Former British Open champion Greg Norman has withdrawn from next week’s Senior PGA championship for personal reasons. The tournament will take place from May 24-27 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.
Michelle Wie will celebrate her 18th birthday this fall by playing in the Samsung World Championship for the fourth straight year, joining the 20-player field at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif., where she made her professional debut.
FOOTNOTES
Italians take 2-1 lead over U.S. sailors
Italy’s Luna Rossa pinned BMW Oracle Racing to the left from the start, then went on to take a 2-1 lead over the Americans in the best-of-nine Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals off the coast of Valencia, Spain. Desafio Español won the prestart for the first time in three races against Emirates Team New Zealand and held on to win its first race. The Kiwis, who were penalized for jibing too closely before the boats started on a split, lead the series 2-1.
Glen Johnson stopped Montell Griffin in the 11th round of a title-fight eliminator between former light-heavyweight champions in Hollywood, Fla. The victory made Johnson (45-11-2, 30 KOs) the mandatory challenger to the International Boxing Federation title held by Clinton Woods.
Top-20 player Mario Ancic pulled out of the French Open because he’s still recovering from a case of mononucleosis that has sidelined him for more than two months.
Lino Urdaneta, a pitching prospect for the New York Mets, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
