Irish swim pair cut back

Ireland's two swimmers at the Olympics, Michael Williamson (Lisburn) and Emma Robinson (Bangor), have decided to confine their challenges to a single event each, reports Pat Roche.

Williamson (23), a bronze medallist at this summer's World Student Games, has withdrawn from the 100 metres breaststroke to focus entirely on his best event, the 200 metres breaststroke.

Likewise, Robinson (26) will not be competing in the 200 metres freestyle as originally planned and will concentrate solely on the 100 metres freestyle.

The Bangor girl is confident she can progress to the semi-finals from heat two on Sunday.

"My time (1: 09.15) puts me in the top 20 in the world and should be good enough to make the semi-finals" said Robinson.

"I have knocked more than a second off my time so far this year and hopefully another second will come for me to make the final," she concluded.

Both swimmers depart their training base this morning and move to the Olympic village accompanied by national coach Ger Doyle.

Williamson has been gaining in confidence because of the inroads he has been making in his best long-course time over the past two months. His 2:14.16 is a world top 16 performance.

"I would be disappointed if I didn't make the semi-finals and if I can build further I would hope to make the final," he said.

National coach Doyle supports the moves by both swimmers to focus on one event and adds "the heat will be a major factor".

"Realistically," said Wexford-man Doyle, "both Michael and Emma are set to reach the semi-finals should they go close to their best times."

The semi-finals will follow heats on the same day. Williamson will open his bid for 200 metres breaststroke glory on Tuesday.

Greek tragedy unfolds

Greece's Olympic judo squad has been rocked by tragedy after a lovers' quarrel apparently prompted a team member and her boyfriend to try to commit suicide within three days of each other from the same balcony.

Michalis Chrisostomidis (24) is suspected of leaping on Monday from the same balcony that his girlfriend Eleni Ioannou, a member of the Greek team, jumped from after a row on Saturday.

He was rushed to hospital and was in critical condition, officials said.

"This is a case of passion," a police official said. "They had been arguing before the girl fell. Now the boy seems to have jumped after the tragic result of their row. Police are treating both cases as attempted suicides."

Relatives said Ioannou, who is in intensive care, had tried to kill herself by jumping from the third-floor apartment after the couple argued about their relationship.

Her fall shocked Greece's small judo community and her replacement, Eleni Patsiou, said: "Such a proposition, under the circumstances, doesn't make me happy.

"Under different conditions I would be full of joy, but not at the moment, because Eleni is my friend and I know that her condition is critical."

Greece's Olympic team chief was stunned by the latest news.

"This is turning into the big tragedy," said Yiannis Papadoyiannakis, who had visited Ioannou in hospital and given blood for her surgery.

The accident happened as government officials visited the hospital to be briefed on Ioannou's condition.

"The sports minister was here to inquire about the girl and then we heard that the boy had also jumped. This is just so sad," a hospital official said.

Turks get heavy-handed

Yucel Kop, the coach and husband of Turkey's European 1,500 metres champion Sureyya Ayhan, has admitted acting "aggressively" towards sampling officers from the World Anti-Doping Agency in the wake of allegations that Ayhan manipulated a drugs test by providing a urine sample from another woman.

Kop said he pulled a male sampling officer out of the toilet in Turkey where his wife was providing a recent sample and locked a female official inside the testing room.

The officials had allegedly seen Ayhan holding two samples during one test and asked her to hand them both over. She reportedly refused and poured one of the samples down a toilet.

It has been claimed Ayhan, who will miss the Games because of injury, may have tried to pass off another woman as herself and that signatures on testing documents did not match.

Kop has denied in a written defence that the runner had cheated.

No one was available at the Turkish Athletics Federation for comment.

Arthurs replaces Verkerk

Australian Wayne Arthurs is to replace Martin Verkerk in the men's singles at the Olympics after the Dutchman was injured, organisers said yesterday.

Verkerk, who reached the final of the French Open last year, was forced to withdraw because of a chest muscle injury.

Meanwhile, Argentinian Mariano Zabaleta is to replace world number three Guillermo Coria as the partner of the former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian in the men's doubles competition .

Zabaleta had already replaced Coria in the men's singles after he was ruled out with a shoulder injury.