United States black athletes hit out yesterday at what they considered racist abuse from Australian long jumper Jai Taurima.

Taurima said that "dark" athletes would not be competitive at the Sydney Olympics because of the cold conditions.

He also dismissed the US long jumpers - Melvin Lister, Savante Stringfellow and Dwight Phillips - as a "bunch of dribblers". Lister, winner of the US Olympic trials, and Stringfellow, the US indoor champion, who are both black, were offended by Taurima's comments.

"I would rank them the same as the John Rocker comments," Stringfellow said, referring to the Atlanta Braves' pitcher who last December made offensive remarks about foreigners and gays in a magazine article.

"I can understand him having the confidence to beat us, but to come at us racially," Lister said.

"I want him to know I wasn't satisfied with the comments he made. All that can do is cause animosity between the US and Australia."

Taurima later tried to defuse the situation.

The 28-year-old part-Maori said he was just having fun and his comments were not racially motivated, just aimed at stirring up media interest.

"I didn't mean to upset them at all," he said. However, Taurima, 1998 World Cup silver medallist, wasn't backing down in his Olympic predictions. "We both want a gold medal, nothing else," he said of the ambitions of Peter Burge, the other Australian long jumper, and himself.

Australian team captain Steve Moneghetti said he had no problems with Taurima's comments.