How Africa Has Fared at Athens 2004
In Athens' Olympic Stadium, Cameroon's Francoise Mbango Etone became the first woman to ever win a medal for her nation - and it was a gold one at that. The triple jumper became only the second black African athlete to ever win an Olympic field event, following in the footsteps of Nigerian long jumper Chioma Ajunwa in the 1996 Olympics. Etone jumped 15.30 metres - a new African record - to beat local Greek hero Hrysopiyi Devetzi and hot favourite Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia. The gold medal is only Cameroon's second following their footballers' triumph in Sydney four years ago.
While Etone was celebrating her stunning performance, Maria Mutola of Mozambique was left to consider her demise as the undisputed queen of women's 800 metres running. Looking to become the first woman to ever successfully defend the 800 metres title, the Maputo Express could only finish fifth in her race - which was won by Britain's Kelly Holmes in an exciting finish. Mutola's pain was Morocco's gain as Hasna Benhassi finished strongly to take silver, although a photo finish was needed to judge she had crossed the line before Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak.
Better fortune for Africa came in the women's 5000 metres where Ethiopia's Meseret Defar led home an African 1-2-3. Defar timed her run to the finish perfectly, kicking decisively some 250 metres from home to beat Kenya's Isabella Ochichi, with another Ethiopian - Tirunesh Dibaba - taking bronze.
In hockey, Egypt once again failed to avoid defeat as the men's side lost 3-0 to Spain in their final Group A game. Having missed out on the semi-finals, the All Africa Games champions face South Africa, who were beaten 4-1 by New Zealand in Group B, in a classification match on Thursday. No matter what the outcome of Thursday's match, Egypt's coach Asem Gad has said he will step down after the Olympics.
In other team sports, Tunisia's men's volleyabllers finished their disappointing Olympic campaign in familiar style - as they lost their fifth and final game in Group A. The Tunisians were beaten 3-1 by France.
Angola's men's basketball team also lost on Monday, beaten 89-53 by the United States. There's no shame in losing to the Americans at basketball but the African champions will be disappointed to have lost all five of their Group B games.
In handball, Angola's women also suffered defeat, being beaten 38-22 by Denmark in their final Group B game.
Sunday 22 August Aziz Zakari of Ghana had a second Olympic men's 100 metres final to forget as, just as he did in Sydney four years ago, the African pulled up and failed to finish the race. Portugal's Nigerian-born Francis Obikwelu took silver in the race, behind winner Justin Gatlin of America, with the defending champion - America's Maurice Greene - finishing third.
Catherine Ndereba won Kenya's first medal of the 2004 Olympics when finishing second in the women's marathon. The race was won by Mizuki Noguchi of Japan, with America's Deena Kastor finishing in third.
It was a worse day for Kenya's women volleyballers who were beaten by three sets to love by Japan. The defeat was the Kenyans' fifth in as many games in Group A, where they finish bottom.
In basketball, Nigeria's women also lost their final group game. Their 93-58 defeat by Russia was the African's fifth defeat in five games and leaves the Africans at the bottom of Group A.
South African hockey player Ian Evans has been suspended for one match for the excessively physical play that earned him a red card in his team's 3-2 defeat by Australia on Saturday. Evans will now miss South Africa's last pool B match against New Zealand on Monday.
Friday 20 August Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele dethroned his elder compatriot Haile Gebrselassie as the king of the Olympic 10,000 metres when he took gold in the first track final, followed by Sileshi Sihine, also of Ethiopia, in second. Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea finished in third, so claiming his country's first ever Olmpic medal, while Gebrselassie, who was nursing an Achilles tendon injury coming into the race, finished in fifth.
Nigeria's Super Falcons are out of the women's football tournament. They lost 2-1 to Germany, despite leading 1-0 with 14 minutes left.
South African swimmer Roland Schoeman won Africa's fifth medal of the games - and it came in the men's 50 metre freestyle final. Schoeman took bronze to add to the gold he won as part of South Africa's 4x100 metre relay success last Sunday.
Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry continued her devastating form in Athens, when she collected a full set of medals in the final of the women's 200m backstroke final. Coventry took gold, to add to the silver she won in the 100m backstroke and the bronze in the 200m individual medley.
In the Olympic stadium, Africans performed poorly in the women's 200m heats. Although Cameroon's Atangana Delphine Bertille, Ghana's Vida Anim, and Nigerian duo Mercy Nku and Endurance made it through the first round, not one of them made it through the second round into the semi-finals.
In boxing, two Africans made through to the quarter-finals. Nigerian featherweight Muideen Ganiyu beat fellow African, Khumiso Ikgopoleng of Botswana, in the second round.
In the lightweight division, Sam Rukundo of Uganda narrowly beat Alexander de Jesus of Puerto Rico in his second bout to reach the last eight as well. Rukundo faces Russia's Murat Khrachev for a place in the semi-finals and a potential medal bout.
The first athletics final took place early in the morning - the 20 kilometre walk. The race was won by Italy's Ivano Brugnetti, with Tunisia's Hatem Ghoula the highest-placed African - finishing in tenth place.
African involvement in the men's triple jump ended in the first qualifying round after all three entrants failed to finish in the top twelve. Ghana's Andrew Owusu performed best, with a leap of 16.64 metres - just 37 centimetres behind the last-placed qualifier - while South Africa's Khotso Godfrey Mokoena and Burkina Faso's Olivier Sanon also went out.
In the women's team epee round of 16, Greek fencers beat South Africa 34-15.
South Africa's female hockey players have won their first match of the games, beating Germany 3-0, but the victory was not enough to lift them off the bottom of Group B.
Thursday 19 August In basketball, Angola's men were beaten 83-80 by Puerto Rico, their third straight defeat in Group B. The African champions were leading 66-63 at the end of the third quarter, but are now bottom of their group. They next play hosts Greece on Saturday.
Angola's women handballers also suffered disappointment - losing their second Group B game 40-30 against South Korea.
In beach volleyball, South Africa's women ended bottom of their group after losing their final game in straight sets to Italy. Leigh Ann Naidoo and Julia Willand failed to win one of their three games in Athens. This is in direct contrast to South Africa's men's team, who made history on Wednesday when reaching the last 16, the first African team to ever get so far in the competition.
South Africa's men's hockey also lost, beaten 3-2 by Holland despite leading 2-0 in the first half. The result leaves South Africa fourth in the six-team Group A, and they must now win their final two games against New Zealand and Australia to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.
And in Group B of the hockey, Egypt were beaten 6-1 by Germany.
In volleyball, Tunisia's men stay bottom of Group A after losing in straight sets to Serbia and Montenegro. The Tunisians need to register their first victory on Poland on Saturday if they are to have any hopes of appearing in the quarter-finals.
In swimming, Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry has a chance for her third medal of the games on Friday, having qualified for the 200 metres backstroke final.
South Africa's Roland Schoeman qualified fastest for the men's 50 metre freestyle, and is joined in Friday's final by Algeria's Salim Iles, who qualified fifth fastest from Thursday's semi-finals.
In water polo, Egypt's men were thrashed 15-4 by Greece.
Wednesday 18 August Wednesday night was a miserable one for African sides in the men's Olympic football tournament.
Ghana were beaten 1-0 by Japan and went out of the competition because they finished third in Group B. The Black Meteors exited because they had scored one goal less than Italy, with whom they finished level on four points and goal difference in Group B. Had Ghana found an equaliser against Japan - or Paraguay scored more than the one in their 1-0 victory over Italy - the Black Meteors would still be in the competition.
In Group D, Morocco found themselves going out in similar fashion, finishing behind second-placed Costa Rica on goals scored.
Despite beating eventual group winners Iraq 2-1, thanks to goals from Bouabid Bouden and Salaheddine Aqqal, the north Africans were denied a place in the quarter-finals by an injury time strike for Costa Rica against Portugal. The goal, which gave the Central Americans a 4-2 win, meant they finished level on points and goal difference with Morocco, but ahead on goals scored.
Africa has won its fourth medal of the Olympics - and once again it came in the swimming pool. In the men's 100 metre freestyle final, South Africa's Roland Schoeman took silver behind Holland's Pieter vanden Hoogenbrand, but ahead of Australia's Ian Thorpe. Skoeman's medal is his second of the championship following his gold in South Africa's 4 by 100 metre freestyle relay victory on Sunday.
Yet it was a less productive day for South Africa's women's hockey team whose 3-0 loss to South Korea means they cannot advance from Group A. The defeat is their third in as many games.
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