WINNIPEG: Jamaican Janelle Atkinson waves the flag after receiving her silver medal for placing second in the women's 400m freestyle at the XIII Pan American Games last night. ­Reuters

YOUNG JAMAICAN swim sensation Janelle Atkinson went within a fingertip of giving the island its first Pan American Games gold medal in the pool last night in Winnipeg but again had to settle for silver.

Atkinson, who on Tuesday night claimed silver in the 200 metres freestyle, emulated that effort in the 400m free at the 13th Games.

MUNICH, GERMANY: Linford Christie of Great Britain concentrates as he pulls on his shirt before the start of a 100 metres sprint in Munich in this file photo from June 21, 1997.

LONDON, (Reuters) - FORMER OLYMPIC 100 metres champion Linford Christie has tested positive for a banned substance and has been suspended by the IAAF, the British governing body UK Athletics said yesterday.

The statement said Christie, 39, had tested positive for metabolites of the steroid nandrolone at an indoor meeting in Dortmund, Germany, on February 13.

BRIDGETOWN, CANA - DEFENDING champions Jamaica had an easy trip to the semi-finals of the NorTel Networks West Indies Under-19 one-day competition when they brushed aside Canada by nine wickets at the Barclays Sports Club yesterday.

After dismissing the Canadians for 176 in 44.4 overs, the Jamaicans, who won the inaugural tournament in Trinidad and Tobago last year, batted enterprisingly to reach 177 for one off 33.2 overs.

MONTE CARLO - OLYMPIC HEROES Deon Hemmings and James Beckford won their respective events at the Herculis track and field meet, the fourth of the International Amateur Athletic (IAAF) Golden League series, yesterday.

Hemmings, the Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion, clocked 53.74 to win her pet event ahead of the United States' Sandra Glover (53.96) and Tatyana Tereshchuk of Ukraine ended third in 54.42. Another Jamaican, Debbie Ann Parris, finished fifth in the event in 55.20, some way off fourth-placed Barbadian Andrea Blackett's 54.74.

OSLO - THE ESSEX Valley All Stars slipped into the round of 32 in the Under-14 section of the Norway Cup yesterday.

The success of the Jamaicans, however, was not due to the number of goals they scored but to the luck of the toss of a coin.

Jamaica's Asha Jaja was blitzed by Shenida Watkins. - Junior Dowie

JAMAICA'S TOP JUNIORS were fairly successful in boys' play, but the girls found the going difficult and most were eliminated in the round of 16 as action continued in the under-18 category of the Cable and Wireless/International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior tournament at Liguanea Club yesterday.

Kevron Bennett, who is seeded third in the competition, led the Jamaican advance to the quarter-finals in the boys section with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over German Josef Zarini.

Johnson

LONDON, (Reuters) - CANADIAN SPRINTER Ben Johnson has presented his case for reinstatement to the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in the hope he will be allowed to compete at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Johnson, who turns 38 in December, was stripped of his gold medal following a positive test for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after winning the 1988 Seoul Olympic 100 metres final in world record time.

NEW YORK, CANA - A SOLID half-century by former West Indies all-rounder Everton Mattis and a remarkable spell of medium pace by former Jamaica youth all-rounder Teddy Heirs steered Jamaica to a 49-run victory over defending New York Red Stripe champions Trinidad and Tobago at Brooklyn's Marine Park over the weekend.

Mattis, the Jamaica captain, batted resolutely for 51 in Jamaica's total of 177 all out in 39.2 overs.

THE JAMAICA VOLLEYBALL team is earnestly preparing for this year's Under-20 Caribbean Volleyball Championships which will be held at the National Arena from Saturday until August 15.

Guided by their four-man coaching staff of Phillip Greenland (head coach), Rupert McRae, Ortnel Findlay and Marcello Gooden, the Jamaican squad will hope to improve on the results achieved two year's ago when they finished second in the boys division and third among the girls.