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Thursday, August 31
Remarks still anger U.S. athletes
Associated Press
BRISBANE, Australia -- U.S. long jumpers Savante Stringfellow and Melvin Lister are still angry over racial slurs by an Australian jumper despite receiving a second-hand apology.
They're still waiting for a face-to-face meeting.
"I don't accept his apology," Stringfellow said Thursday. "I
can't accept what he said. If he didn't mean it, why did he say it?
We never cross the line and say anything personal."
At first, Lister said he would accept Taurima's apology, but
later added, "When a guy says something like that, 95 percent of
the time he means it. You can talk trash all you want, but racial
comments will never come out of my mouth."
Australian Jai Taurima, whose father is Maori, the indigenous
people of New Zealand, said earlier in the week that because of the
cool conditions expected for the Sydney Olympics, "you can pretty
much knock out all the dark guys."
"We jumped in Salamanca (Spain) a month ago, and those guys
just couldn't compete well in bad conditions," Taurima added. "It
was wet and cold."
Lister, winner of the U.S. Olympic trials, and Stringfellow, the
U.S. indoor champion and NCAA outdoor champion, both of whom are
black, were incensed over Taurima's statements.
Stringfellow compared Taurima's remarks to those by Atlanta
Braves pitcher John Rocker last year when he made disparaging
comments about foreigners, gays, minorities and New Yorkers.
"I would rank them the same as the John Rocker comments,"
Stringfellow said. "That was very unprofessional on his part.
Maybe he doesn't know any better."
"I can understand him having the confidence to beat us -- but to
come at us racially," Lister said. "I want him to know I wasn't
satisfied with the comments he made. All that can do is cause
animosity between the U.S. and Australia."
Taurima was apologetic Thursday.
"I'm quite sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to attack them personally. It was not intended as a racial slur. I didn't mean to upset them at all."
Taurima said he was just trying to create more attention for the long jump. His strategy backfired.
His comments were made to the Australian media, but not to the
U.S. athletes.
"We heard he apologized, but he hasn't said anything to us,"
Stringfellow said. "We haven't heard it from him."
Even if Taurima apologizes in person, there never will be a bond
between him and the Americans.
"We never could be friends," Lister said. "I've tried to get it out of my head, but I can't."
"I'll shake hands with him after the competition -- but only
after the competition -- and that's it," Stringfellow said. "He
can't hide what he said."
Lister said the Americans have been treated very well since
arriving in Australia on Aug. 21 to train for the Olympics and he
would not let one athlete spoil the situation.
"We haven't said anything to cross anybody," he said.
Taurima also dismissed any chance of U.S. long-jumpers winning a
medal in Sydney. Dwight Phillips, the third U.S. jumper, has not
yet arrived in Australia.
"Americans are Americans, aren't they?" he said. "They only
jump big in America. These three guys are a bunch of dribblers.
That's all I'm saying. I'm more scared of the two Ukraine and two
Russian guys."
Taurima, the Australian record-holder and fourth-place finisher
in the 1999 World Championships, could not name the Ukrainians and
Russians.
"What's a dribbler?" Stringfellow said. "This is my official
invitation to the Olympic Games. He's somebody who won't be able to
back up what he says. He just stuck his foot in his mouth.
"Rivals? We don't even count him."
"Who is he, anyhow?" Lister said. "He doesn't even know who I
am. He's never seen us. His teammates don't even have any respect
for him. It's also a proven fact that we Americans have come
overseas and jumped well."
Carl Lewis won the last four Olympic long jump gold medals, with
two of the games held overseas -- in Seoul and Barcelona. Mike
Powell set the world record of 29-4¼ in Tokyo in 1991.
"I've never heard of a good Australian long jumper," Lister
said. "The only long jumper you can talk to me about is Ivan
Pedroso (of Cuba, winner in the last four World Indoor
Championships and the last three World Outdoor Championships)."
Taurima's best jump is 27 feet, 4¾ inches. Lister, the NCAA
indoor and outdoor champion in 1999, has jumped 27-10¼ this year,
and Stringfellow's best is 27-2½.
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