down. Canada was held scoreless on four chances

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The young athlete, now competing at the Rio Games, always considered herself to be a girl just like the others, a girl who loved to run. Then the governing body of track and field told her she was different, so different that her track career could be over.Marked confidential and signed best sporting regards, the letter outlined a choice for the athlete: Open herself up to a panel of medical experts who could recommend surgery or chemical treatment to reduce her testosterone levels, or stop competing.She had fallen foul of the International Association of Athletics Federations rules aimed at providing a fair playing field for women by keeping out athletes with high testosterone, a naturally occurring strength-building hormone.The IAAFs medical director at the time told track authorities in the athletes country that blood and urine tests detected testosterone levels that were abnormally high. The suspected cause, wrote Dr. Gabriel Dolle, wasnt doping but another hot-button issue likely to flare in the Rio Olympics final week: hyperandrogenism.Had the athlete not been a runner, she might never have known of her condition. It was flagged up by IAAF tests that look for banned drugs. The athlete was stunned when told that her testosterone pointed to hyperandrogenism, her then-coach told The Associated Press.She couldnt understand. It was shock, the coach said. I said, `Youre not alone. There are others.Thus started a months-long process of trips to foreign clinics for batteries of tests and potentially life-changing choices.Another athlete has become the unwilling face of this complex and sensitive issue. Caster Semenya, will race and likely win gold in the 800 meters. Believed to be hyperandrogenic, outed as physiologically different without her consent when she won the world title in 2009, the South Africans dominance has again pushed to the fore divisive questions about whether allowing women to compete with testosterone far above the female norm is fair and whether the hormones attributed performance-enhancing effects are significantly greater than other natural gifts, like height for basketball players.The AP will not name the athlete, her country or give details that could identify her. In message exchanges, the athlete told AP she is focusing on competition in Rio de Janeiro and that her story is personal and private.However, the IAAF letter and APs interview with the coach, who was intimately involved in her eventual decision to agree to testosterone-curbing treatment, shed unprecedented light on the inner workings of the process that at least 14 women have gone through since the federation introduced it in 2011.Having not withstood a legal challenge brought by another female athlete, Indias Dutee Chand, the IAAF regulations are now on hold, suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport since July 2015. That means hyperandrogenic women can compete in Rio without reining in their natural testosterone levels.During the IAAF process, the athlete could not compete; the coach covered her absence from races by lying that she was injured. The AP will not identify the coach to avoid identifying the athlete.The first IAAF-requested tests to determine her exact condition required a trip to another nations capital, where she was met by Dolle, and was followed by two trips to a clinic in Nice, France, the coach said.The first Nice trip was accompanied but the second, lasting over a week, was not because the IAAF did not want to pay for someone to go with her, said the coach.I didnt want her to go alone. She didnt speak French very well. I was afraid she wouldnt understand, the coach said. I said, `Before you take any medicine, call me. Dont take anything. The doctors say, `Its for her good. And I thought to myself, `Shes fine as she is.After the second Nice trip, subsequent correspondence from Dolle offered two choices: surgery or medicinal treatment, said the coach. The coach urged the athlete not to go under the surgeons knife, saying: We cant take this risk; cut things off that God gave you ... When things are cut off, its forever. You cant get those parts back.She said, `Since I love this sport, Ill take the medicine, the coach said.The treatment caused weight-gain and the unpleasant side-effect of making the athlete smell awful, sweaty and dirty, even though she stayed clean and wore deodorant and perfume, the coach said.When the IAAF eventually allowed the athlete to resume competing, she was delighted. But CAS only suspended the regulations, rather than overturn them entirely, giving the IAAF until July 2017 to produce evidence that high testosterone gives hyperandrogenic women a significant performance advantage.She is free but she is scared that from one day to the next they could stop her from running again, the coach said. Shes in limbo, waiting for something bad to happen. She asks, `Are they going to stop me again? Are they going to make me take more medicine?---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester. See his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-leicester---Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed. Jordan Lyles Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Francisco Cervelli Pirates Jersey . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Felipe-Vazquez-pirates-jersey/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Willie Stargell Pirates Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Felipe Vazquez Pirates Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A lapse of concentration in their most recent game aside, the Canadians have melded into a contending team at the IIHF World Championship on little preparation. Canada heads into Thursdays quarter-final game with firepower on offence, an improving blue-line and goaltending capable of getting wins. The quarter-final has been Canadas stumbling block in this tournament with losses in the last three consecutive years. "We realize that," forward Steven Stamkos said. "The last three years, I think, have been early exits and its not going to get any easier." Canada awaits the conclusion of the preliminary round Tuesday to confirm its quarter-final opponent. Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban was added to the team Monday and will play in the quarter-final. A 4-3 overtime win over relegated Slovenia on Monday gave Canada 18 points from five wins, an overtime win and a shootout loss in the round robin. Unbeaten Switzerland was one point back with a game in hand. The Swiss need just a point Tuesday against Belarus to secure first place. The top four countries in each group advance to the quarter-finals with one playing four and two facing three. Host Sweden (4-2) will finish third in Canadas pool. Tuesdays game between the Czech Republic and Norway will determine the fourth quarter-finalist in Stockholm. The United States, Finland and Russia will finish top four in Helsinki, but Tuesday will determine their seedings. The fourth and final playoff berth in that pool was still up for grabs between Slovakia, Germany, France and Latvia. Because the NHLs lockout-shortened regular season ended three weeks later than usual, this Canadian team had no training camp or exhibition games. After three practices, and one of them the night they stepped off the plane, Canada was forced to become a team on the fly. They played seven games in 10 days during the round robin, including back-to-backs three times. Canadas team game improved each of the first five games. The sixth, Sundays 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, lacked the offensive fireworks of the previous games. Canada would finish no worse than second in their pool Monday regardless of the outcome against Slovenia, ranked No. 18 in the world and already relegated to the second-tier world championship next year. The Canadians sleepwalked through the first period and trailed by two goals against the Slovenians who came ready to compete. Canadas forwards are the strength of this team. Stamkos, twice the winner of the NHLs goalscoring trophy, is a threat every time he steps on the ice. His overtime goal was his second of the game and sixth of the tournament. "Obviously you dont want to start a game like that," Stamkos said. "If you do against the next opponent, youre probably going to be going home." Matt Duchene and Brenden Dillon scored Canadas other goals. Deevan Dubynk, who rotated with Mike Smith in Canadas net, made 17 saves for his fourth win of the tournament.dddddddddddd Smith faced the tougher opponents in the round robin with wins against the Czechs and Swedes and a shootout loss to Switzerland. Canadas blue-line is a work in progress and was lacking the international experience of the forwards. Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis joined the team Saturday and has played the most minutes in his two games so far. His stretch pass up to Stamkos on Monday gave the forward an easy breakaway on 19-year-old Slovenian goaltender Luka Gracnar, whose 35 saves was almost enough for a historic upset. Subban, a Norris Trophy finalist as the NHLs top defenceman this season, will add more big-game experience to the blue-line. "How physically strong he is, the fact that hes a right-handed shot and should be able to help our power play shooting from the off-side, hes a tremendous weapon skating on the big ice and being a veteran player is going to help our team," Canadian head coach Lindy Ruff said. The defencemen, three of whom made their international debuts for Canada here, were a concern in Ruffs mind when the tournament began. Despite Canadas defensive gaffes in Mondays first period, Ruff is comfortable Canadas capabilities on the back end. "We wanted to be a solid defending team," he said. "That was a question mark, as young as we were on the back end, whether we could defend throughout the tournament? I think that questioned got answered. "We did a nice job eliminating situations that would have been goals against and some of those young defencemen stepped up for us." Canada ranks first in the tournament in penalty killing, but the power play has been up and down. Canada was held scoreless on four chances Monday, including three consecutive in the second period, after scoring three power-play goals against Belarus last Friday. "With the exception of that first period today, weve grown as a team," Stamkos said. "When we play well defensively we know we have the offensive talent on this team that can go down and control the puck in the offensive end and get some shots. "Wed still like to get to the net a little more, get pucks to the net. Its a bigger zone to play in and cycle, but sometimes youre in there for a minute, minute 20, we dont generate any shots." Notes: Canadian defenceman Luke Schenn served his automatic game suspension from the match penalty he took against the Czech Republic . . . The addition of Subban gives Canada nine defencemen . . . Subban won gold at the world junior hockey championships in 2008 and 2009, but this will be his first world championship . . . Slovenia is qualified for next years Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia . . . Slovenias coach is Matjaz Kopitar, the father of Los Angeles Kings centre Anze Kopitar. ' ' '