Athletes

15

AUG
The sporting jewel of Botswana: A. Montsho is on the tracks! PDF Print E-mail

Amantle Montsho will participate to 800m semi-finals in few hours. Clocking the best performance of the year, she is a medal hope for her country. It would be the first time Botswana gets an Olympic Medal in the history.

Montsho scored her first significant international success when taking the All Africa Games 400m title, in Algiers last year. In 2007, she went also on to break the national record for the fourth time and she narrowly failed to reach the final of the World Championships in Osaka (Japan). At the 16th African Athletics Championships in April, Montsho recorded an outstanding performance clocking the first sub 50 sec run in the history of the championships. Supplanting Sanya Richards (USA) as the fastest woman in the world this year, Montsho consolidated her status as the first Botswana woman to reach world elite level.
Few weeks before coming in Beijing, Amantle Montsho shared with us her feelings about the Olympic competition.

You were crowned 400m African champion a few months ago in Addis Ababa by producing the world best performance of the year. You are now more expected at Beijing. How do you approach these Olympic Games ?
For the Olympics, there is a little more pressure because I know that all eyes will be on me so I have to work harder to be ready for the Games. My aim is to go in final. If I go in final, I will surely do something big…

You are an intern at the High Performance Training Centre in Dakar. What does your training and your preparation for Beijing look like?
My preparation is going well. I am still working on a few things but I still have time to focus on it. I think everything will be ok for Beijing.

According to you, who will be your more dangerous opponents in Beijing?
Sanya Richard from USA. However I know all the athletes. We are the same, we all train hard, we are all strong… Medal is for anybody who really want it…

Do you believe that you can offer Botswana its first Olympic medal in Beijing?
Thanks to God, nothing is impossible !

 
 

14

AUG
Scoop : interview of the 2 Algerian medalists! PDF Print E-mail
Soraya Haddad (-52kg) and Amar Benikhlef (-90kg), the 2 Algerian judokas medalists, answer to our questions in exclusivity for ANOCA website.

Soraya, what does this Olympic Medal means for you? 
I am such proud of this medal for Algeria and all Africa because I am the first African judoka in Olympics ti place in the top 3. I hope this medal will encourage all the african athletes to go on!
 
How did you feel being on the podium?
So happy! Many people cried for my victory, it was very emotional.  This medal is also the results of many years of work.

Did you celebrate this medal here in Beijing? 
For the moment only with the Algerian delegation but we have to remain concentrate for my other judokas colleagues who are stll in the competition. I know the Algerian people is proud of my medal and of the silver one of Amar Benikhlef and I think we will celebrate our victories when we will be back in our country. 

Did you think to win this medal when you arrived in Beijing? 
I have been training for 6 or 7 years in the national team. I won my first medal in 2005 when I was in the -48kg category.  At the last Olympic Games, I finished 9th. This year, I start in a very good shape the season with a silver medal in the tournament of Paris and a top 3 position in the german tournament.  I thought I could make a performance for the Games if I worked a lot to be ready the D Day. 

Do you think your medal could participate to the development of your discipline in Africa?
I hope so. I think that Amar Benikhlef, Hesham Mesbah and myself have show the way for the other africains judokas and that we can hope more resources for our discipline. 

What is your goal from now? 
First of all take holidays! After the vacation, I want to continue and I hope I can still do good performances or even better ones!
 
 
Amar, what does it mean to be a Vice Olympic champion?
I am very happy because I work so much for this result. I did many training sessions in Asia and in Europe to make a performance for these Games. 
I have the feeling to have celebrate Algeria and Africa winning this medal. I hope to do better in the future especially for the World Championships. 

Can you see your medal as an incentive for the development of judo in Africa? 
I hope so. Africans have taken 3 medals in this Olympic tournament (with the medal of the Egypt's 'Hesham Mesba) and I think we have show to everybody that our discipline is at a very high level.  Our performances was a first ever success for the history of African judo and I think we can make things bigger. That's why I hope we can get more resources. 

A last word : what do you think of these Olympics ? 
We are very well welcomed here in Beijing. The organization is perfect and the opening ceremony was so great! I feel well here and I think it's the same for all the athletes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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08/24/2008
*Athletics (Men), marathon : 3 medals for Africa! The Kenyan Samuel Kamau Wansiru wins in 2:06:32. Morocco's Jaouad Gharib takes the silver medal in 2:07:16 and Ethiopia'sTsegay Kebede the bronze in 2:10:00.

 

08/23/2008
*Synchronized swimming (women) : The Egyptian team is ranked 7th in the final of team event free routine.
*Athletics (Men), 5000m, final : Bekele wins a new Gold medal! Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) wins the race in 12:57.82, it's a new Olympic Record. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) is 2nd and Cheruiyot Edwin Soi (KEN) is 3rd. The first 6 of the race are African.
*Athletics (Women), 1500m, final : One more medal for Kenya! Jebet Nancy Langat (KEN) wins the race in a great sprint (4:00.23).
*Athletics (Men), 800m, final : 3 medals for Africa! Wilfred Bungei (KEN) wins gold medal (1:44.55), Ismail Ahmed Ismail (SUD) gets silver (1:44.70) and Alfred Kirwa Yeg (KEN) wins bronze (1:44.82). It's the first medal for Sudan!
*Football (Men), final : The Nigeria lost in the final against Argentina 1-0. Nigeria wins the silver medal !
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