Equatorial Guinea at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Equatorial Guinea at the
2008 Summer Olympics
IOC code GEQ
NOC Equatoguinean Olympic Committee
in Beijing
Competitors 3 in 2 sports
Flag bearer Emilia Mikue Ondo
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Equatorial Guinea competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, which was held from 8 to 24 August 2008. The country's participation at London marked its seventh appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation included the sprinter Reginaldo Ndong, middle-distance runner Emilia Mikue Ondo and half-middleweight judoka José Mba Nchama. Ndong and Mikue Ondo qualified for the Games through wildcard places and Mba Nchama entered through his ranking at the 2007 African Judo Championships. Mikue Ondo was chosen as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Ndong and Mikue Ondo progressed no farther than the first round of their respective events and Mba Nchama was eliminated from contention in the second round of the contest.

Background

Equatorial Guinea participated in seven Summer Games between its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[1] The highest number of athletes sent by Equatorial Guinea to a Summer Games is seven to the 1992 Olympics.[1] No Equatoguinean athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympic Games.[1] Equatorial Guinea participated in the Beijing Summer Games from 8 to 24 August 2008.[2] The three athletes that were chosen to represent Equatorial Guinea at the Beijing Games were Reginaldo Ndong in the men's 100 metres, Emilia Mikue Ondo in the women's 800 metres and José Mba Nchama in the men's half-middleweight (81 kg) judo competition.[2] The short distance swimmer Eric Moussambani did not compete at the Games as it was reported he had taken up a coaching role.[3] Mikue Ondo was selected to be the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies.[4]

Athletics

Qualification

The Equatoguinean National Olympic Committee (NOC) selected two athletics competitors through wildcards. Usually, 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. However, since Equatorial Guinea had no athletes that met either standard, they were allowed to select two athletes, one of each gender, as wildcards.[5]

Events

The Beijing National Stadium, where Ndong and Mikue Ondo competed in athletics events.

At the age of 21, Reginaldo Ndong was the youngest athlete to represent Equatorial Guinea at the Beijing Summer Games.[2] He had not entered any previous Olympic Games.[6] Ndong qualified for the Games by using a wildcard since his fastest time during the qualification period of 11.53 seconds, set at the 2007 All-Africa Games, was 1.25 seconds slower than the "B" standard entry time for the men's 100 metres.[5][7] He was drawn in the seventh heat on 15 August, finishing eighth (and last) out of all competitors, with a time of 11.61 seconds. Ndong ranked behind Jesse Tamangrow of Palau (11.38 seconds) in a heat led by Portugal's Francis Obikwelu (10.25 seconds).[8] Overall he placed 79th out of 80 runners and did not progress into the semi-finals as he was 1.15 seconds slower than the slowest three participants who made the later stages.[9]

Competing at her second Olympic Games,[10] Emilia Mikue Ondo was the sole female athlete for Equatorial Guinea at these Games and was 23 at the time of the quadrennial event.[1] She qualified for the Games through a wildcard place because her quickest time during the qualification period of two minutes and 15.72 seconds, recorded at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, was 14.42 seconds slower than the "B" qualifying standard for her event, the women's 800 metres.[5][11] Mikue Ondo was drawn in heat four on 15 August, and finished sixth (and last) of all the runners who completed the event, with a time of two minutes and 20.69 seconds.[12] She ranked behind Neisha Bernard-Thomas of Grenada (two minutes and 0.67 seconds) in a heat led by Mozambique's Maria Mutola (one minute and 58.91 seconds). Mikue Ondo finished 39th out of 40 athletes overall,[lower-alpha 1] and did not advance into the semi-finals after being 12.84 seconds slower than the slowest competitor who progressed to the later stages.[12]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Men
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Reginaldo Ndong 100 m 11.61 8 Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Emilia Mikue Ondo 800 m 2:20.69 6 Did not advance

Judo

The Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium, where Mba Nchama took part in an Judo competition.

José Mba Nchama represented Equatorial Guinea in men's judo.[1] At the time of the Games, he was 42 years old and was the oldest person to represent his country at the Beijing Summer Olympics.[13] Mba Nchama gained qualification for the men's half-middleweight (81 kg) judo competition through his ranking in the 2007 African Judo Championships.[14] He spent time with the Spanish team to prepare himself for the Games.[14] Mba Nchama received a bye for the second preliminary match, before losing out by an automatic ippon and a kata-gatame (seven mat holds) to Srđan Mrvaljević of Montenegro, and therefore that was the end of his competition.[15] After his match, he stated that while he would have preferred to have advanced further in the competition, he did not rule out competing in the 2012 Summer Games in London, "The work, the result and the spirit of the Beijing Games have been amazing, unrepeatable, from the most important to the last detail, although I would have liked to go further in sports."[14]

Athlete Event Preliminary Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Repechage 3 Final / BM
Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Rank
José Mba Nchama Men's −81 kg Bye  Mrvaljević (MNE)
L 0000–1011		 Did not advance

Notes

  1. ↑ Three other athletes were disqualified, and one did not finish.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Countries – Equatorial Guinea". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Equatorial Guinea at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. ↑ Colman, Mike (25 July 2008). "The A-Z of watching Olympics". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "List of Flagbearers Beijing 2008"" (PDF). Olympic.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Mallon, Bill; Hymans, Richard; Johnson, Dave. "Olympic Games Qualifying Standards" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Reginaldo Ndong". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Reginaldo Micha Ndong - Athlete Profile - Progression". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "2008 Summer Olympics Results - Track and Field - Men's 100 metres". ESPN. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Reuters Staff (15 August 2008). "Olympics-Athletics-Men's 100m heats qualifiers". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Emilia Mikue Ondo". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Emilia Mikue Ondo - Athlete Profile - Progression". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "Beijing 2008 - Athletics - 800m women". Olympics.org. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "José Mba Nchama". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Fernández, Javier (26 August 2008). "De Torrevieja a Pekín". Diairio Informacion (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  15. ↑ "Men's Half Middleweight (81kg/178 lbs) Preliminaries". NBC Sports. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
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