Blame Poppy-Seed Muffins For Cyclist's Fine, Suspension

Professional rider Alexi Grewal's taste for poppy-seed muffins has resulted in a $500 fine and a three-month suspension for the 1984 Olympic gold medalist.

Grewal tested positive for opiates last month at the Prologue Time Trial at the Tour of West Virginia and was punished by the U.S. Professional Racing Organization. Grewal said the positive test was the result of eating poppy-seed muffins before the event.

Dr. Prentice Steffan of the Tour DuPont medical staff said consumption of baked goods containing poppy seeds can result in a positive test for opiates. While opiates have no performance-enhancing qualities, they are banned to prevent their use in helping athletes compete while injured.

"I obviously won't be eating poppy-seed muffins in the near future," Grewal said.

-- Sean Kelly of Ireland won the seventh stage of the 1,116-mile Tour of Switzerland today in Chiasso, and Italian cyclist Giorgio Furlan remained the overall leader for the sixth day.

Kelly outsprinted Heinrich Trumheller of Germany on the mountainous 139 1/2-mile route.

-- SOCCER

Tournament substitute Denmark shocked the Netherlands with two early goals by Henryk Larsen and hung on to beat the defending champs in a shootout in the European Championship semifinals in Goteborg, Sweden.

The score was 2-2 after overtime when Kim Christofte scored the winner, giving Denmark a 5-4 shootout victory.

-- BOXING

Yuri Arbachakov became the first Russian to win a world boxing title as a pro, and actor Mickey Rourke won again, with both scoring knockouts on the same card today in Tokyo.

Arbachakov captured the World Boxing Council flyweight title by using an explosive right to put away Muangchai Kittikasem of Thailand in the eighth round.

Rourke (2-0-1) knocked out fellow American Darrell Miller in the first round of a scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

-- CLOAK & DAGGER

A Berlin lawyer for ice skating star Katarina Witt today denied stories that the two-time Olympic gold medalist was once an informant for the East German secret police.

Attorney Heinz Duex also threatened to sue news outlets that make such claims about the eastern German figure skater.

-- BASKETBALL

Keith Brown, former University of Washington assistant coach, has been named head coach at Colorado School of Mines.

Brown, 36, replaces Jim Darden, who retired this year after 38 seasons as basketball and baseball men's coach of the Orediggers.

Brown joined Washington after a year as assistant coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland and three years at Cal-Davis.

-- PREPS

Scott Bliss, 34, who has extensive experience coaching at the collegiate level, is Auburn High School's new wrestling coach.

He succeeds Kip Herren, who resigned after being selected as the school's new principal.

Bliss, a former two-time NCAA All-American, was head coach at the University of Montana for six years and at the University of Wyoming for two years.

Bliss was a national high-school freestyle and Greco Roman champion in 1975 and earned All-America honors at the University of Oregon from 1978-80.

-- AUTO RACING

The Automobile Club of the West, organizers of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race, announced in Paris today it is breaking away from the International Auto Sports Federation (FISA), culminating a long-running dispute.