Sporting Digest: Athletics

BUTCH REYNOLDS, the American 400 metres runner, has had his appeal against a ruling that denied him dollars 27m ( pounds 17m) damages against the International Amateur Athletic Federation refused by the US Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. The decision means that Reynolds will have to take his case to the US Supreme Court if he wants to continue his fight with the sport's governing body. Reynolds, who set the world record for 400m in 1988, has been in dispute with the IAAF since 1990 when it banned him from competition for two years, saying he had tested positive for anabolic steroid use. Reynolds denied using performance-enhancing drugs and sued for damages.