ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993                   TAG: 9310020261
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


CANADA TRYING TO GET MEDAL FOR SWIMMER

Synchronized swimmer Sylvie Frechette, denied a 1992 Olympic gold medal because of a judge's mistake, will have the backing of swimming's world governing in getting one now.

Canadian Olympic officials said in Montreal that they were informed by FINA that the organization will recommend to the IOC that Frechette get a gold medal for the solo synchronized swimming competition at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

American Kristen Babb-Sprague won the gold, with Frechette settling for silver. A Brazilian judge admitted after the figures competition she had erred in punching in a score for Frechette in the computerized scoring system. Had the Brazilian judge been able to alter her score, Frechette would have been the winner. A FINA appeals jury in Barcelona denied a request at the Olympics for the scoring change.



 by CNB