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The Gambia at the 2012 Summer Olympics

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Template:Infobox Olympics Gambia The Gambia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes, Suwaibou Sanneh and Saruba Colley, the former had qualified by setting a qualifying time that fell within the required standard and the latter entered via a wildcard. Sanneh was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Sanneh became the first Gambian athlete to advance into the semi-finals of the Men's 100 meters, while Colley was eliminated after the quarter-final stages of the Women's 100 meters.

Background

The Gambia participated in eight Summer Olympic games between its début in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.[1] The Gambia would participate in the Summer Olympics from 27 July to 12 August 2012.[2] The highest number of athletes sent by Gambia to a summer games is ten to the 1984 Summer Olympics.[1] No Gambian athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics.[1] The Gambia National Olympic Committee (NOC) selected two athletes via qualification standards. An NOC would be able to enter up to three qualified athletes in each individual event as long as each athlete met the "A" standard, or one athlete per event if they met the "B" standard.[3][4]

The two athletes that were selected to compete in the London games were Suwaibou Sanneh in the Men's 100 meters and Saruba Colley in the Women's 100 meters. Sanneh was the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies.[5][6] The athletes were due to train in York at various facilities in the city, including the Huntingdon athletics stadium and the University of York but withdrew due to financial issues.[7] Along with the two athletes, a delegation led by the Gambia National Olympic Committee president Momodou Demba attended the London Games. The delegation consisted of Beatrice Allen, the vice-president, secretary general Peter Prom and treasurer Ousman Wadda.[8]

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Suwaibou Sanneh was the only male athlete representing The Gambia at the London Olympics. He previously competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.[9] Sanneh qualified for the London Olympics by securing the required qualifying time in the 'B' standard.[10] He competed in the men's 100 meters race on 4 August in the third heat of the quarter-finals, finishing fifth out of eight athletes with a time of 10.21 seconds. Sanneh became the first Gambian athlete to qualify for the semi-finals of the event, and the second time a competitor from the country advanced into the semi-finals of any Olympic event.[11] He ranked ahead of Rytis Sakalauskas from Lithuania (10.29 seconds), Central Africa's Béranger-Aymard Bossé (10.55 seconds) and Bruno Rojas of Bolivia (10.65 seconds) in a heat led by American sprinter Ryan Bailey (9.88 seconds).[12] In the semi-finals on 5 August, Sanneh achieved a Gambian national record of 10.18 seconds, but did not advance into the final.[13]

The London Olympic Stadium, where Sanneh and Colley competed in track and field events

Competing at her first Summer Olympics, Saruba Colley qualified for the London Games as a wildcard, as she had set no time for her event, the 100 meters.[14] She competed in the preliminary round on 3 August and was drawn into the fourth heat. Colley finished second with a time of 12.21 seconds, behind heat winner Toea Wisil from Papua New Guinea (11.60 seconds). The result ensured she advanced into the quarter-finals of the event.[15] Colley was placed into heat three along with seven other athletes. She posted a time of 12.06 seconds, finishing eighth and setting a national record in the process. Colley ranked behind Colombian athlete Yomara Hinestroza (11.56 seconds) in a heat led by Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica (10.94 seconds) and Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova (11.06 seconds).[16] She finished 55th out of 56 athletes overall and did not advance to the later rounds.[16]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Men
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Suwaibou Sanneh 100 m Bye 10.21 5 q 10.18 NR 8 Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Saruba Colley 100 m 12.21 2 Q 12.06 8 Did not advance

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gambia". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Gambia at the 2012 London Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. ^ "London 2012 Olympics: Athletics qualification". The Daily Telegraph. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Games of the XXX Olympiad – London 2012 - Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF. April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  5. ^ "London 2012 Opening Ceremony - Flag Bearers" (PDF). Olympic.org. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. ^ "London 2012 Closing Ceremony - Flag Bearers" (PDF). Olympic.org. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  7. ^ Johnston, Neil (26 July 2012). "Olympic teams cancel York training base". Nouse. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  8. ^ Baboucarr, Camara (14 August 2012). "Gambia Delegation Reflects On London 2012 Olympics". The Daily Observer. Africa News Service. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via General OneFile. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Camara, Baboucarr (26 July 2012). "London 2012: Suwaibou Sanneh raring to go". The Point. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  10. ^ Camara, Baboucarr (6 December 2011). "Gambia: Suwaibou Sanneh Qualifies for London 2012 Olympics". The Daily Observer. AllAfrica. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  11. ^ Bah, Abdoulie (4 August 2012). "Gambian sprinter Suwaibou Sanneh makes Olympic history". AIPS Media. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  12. ^ ""IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Men – 100 meters – Heats – Results". IAAF. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Olympics-Men's athletics 100m semi-finals - results". Reuters. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  14. ^ Camara, Baboucarr (3 August 2012). "Gambia: Duo Set for Olympic Debut". The Daily Observer. AllAfrica. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  15. ^ "2012 Summer Olympics - Results - Women's 100". ESPN. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Track and Field / Womenʼs 100m". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
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