Guam at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Guam at the
2012 Summer Olympics
IOC code GUM
NOC Guam National Olympic Committee
Website www.oceaniasport.com/guam/
in London
Competitors 8 in 5 sports
Flag bearer Maria Dunn (opening)
Ricardo Blas, Jr. (closing)
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

The United States' unincorporated territory of Guam competed at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, from July 27 to August 12, 2012. This was the territory's seventh consecutive appearance at the Olympics.

Guam National Olympic Committee sent a total of 8 athletes to the Games, five men and three women, to compete in five sports. Half of these athletes had competed in Beijing, including judoka Ricardo Blas Jr. and wrestler Maria Dunn, who was Guam's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Mountain biker Derek Mandell competed at the Olympics for the second time, after his 12-year absence. Swimmers Pilar Shimizu and Benjamin Schulte, on the other hand, were the youngest athletes of the team, at age 16. Guam, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal.

Background

Guam was officially recognized as a National Olympic Committee on November 25, 1987, which they had worked on for six years. Guam's first Olympic appearance was the 1988 Winter Olympics, with their first Summer Olympics appearance the same year. They sent their largest delegation to the 1992 Summer Olympics, with 22 athletes.[1] As of these Olympics, Guam has not won an Olympic medal.[2]

Athletics

Derek Mandell was given a universality placement to these Games, which he also received in the 2008 Games.[3] Earlier in 2012, Mandell quit his job so he could train full-time in Australia. He trained under Mark Ladbrook, an Australian former national champion.[4] Mandell competed in the 800 meter. He started the race well, finishing the first lap in 54 seconds, although he was well behind the pack. Halfway through the second lap, he was on pace to beat his personal record of 1:56.10, but his last 200 meters were slow. He finished with a time of 1:58.94, behind the winner's time in his heat of 1:45.90.[5]

Amy Atkinson was given the other universality allotment, competing in the 800 meter.[3] There were five competitors in Atkinson's heat. She kept near the lead pack, and moved into second place after the first lap. She fell behind and into last place, where she finished the race. Atkinson broke a Guamanian national record which stood for over 22 years, with a time of 2:18.53 in the 800 meter. Although she was last in her heat, she was excited about setting the national record.[6]

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
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Derek Mandell 800 m 1:58.94 7 Did not advance

Women

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Amy Atkinson 800 m 2:18.53 NR[1] 5 Did not advance

Cycling

Derek Horton in men's cross country race

Derek Horton qualified for the Olympic Games because of his performance at the Oceania Mountain Bike Championships.[3] This was his second Olympic appearance, his first was in the men's cross country bike in the 2000 Olympic Games.[7] Horton was 39 years old at the time of competition.[8]

Horton used a Canondale Flash 29er Carbon bicycle for the event. At the start of the race, riders were released in waves of eight, according to their world ranking. Horton, ranked 424 in the world, was in the sixth wave. Horton described the course as "crazy" and "intimidating".[9] Horton was eliminated after completing two of the six laps. He fell too far behind the leader, and was eliminated per the event rules.[7]

Mountain biking
Athlete Event Time Rank
Derek Horton Men's cross-country LAP (1 lap) 42

Judo

Ricardo Blas Jr. was the first Guamanian to qualify for the 2012 Games.[10][11] Blas—nicknamed 'the little mountain from Guam'—competed in the +100 kg category, weighing in at 481 pounds (218 kg).[7]

Blas defeated Facinet Keita from Equatorial Guinea. He won by ippon after sweeping Keita's leg. Blas was the first Guamanian athlete in any sport to advance to the second round of competition through a victory. In the Round of 16, Blas lost to Óscar Brayson of Cuba.[7]

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Rank
Ricardo Blas Jr. Men's +100 kg  Keita (GUI)
W 0101–0002		  Brayson (CUB)
L 0001–0100		 Did not advance

Swimming

Benjamin Schulte competed in a qualifying event in 2011, but failed to qualify. He learned a month prior to the Olympics a New Zealand swimmer declined a spot reserved for Oceania, and was able to use that to qualify. He was the youngest Guamanian athlete for the 2012 Olympics. He trained by swimming nine kilometres (5.6 mi), ten times per week, going to the gym, and attending yoga classes. He finished last in the 10 km race, with a time of 2:03:35, 14 minutes behind the winner. Due to his determination to finish the race, he was nominated for the Swimming Man of the Year award.[1][12]

Christopher Duenas qualified for the Games with a universality placement.[3] Duenas swam the 100 meter freestyle and finished the race with a time of 53.37. After the race, Duenas said he was "disappointed", and that he thinks with additional training in Guam he can get his time back in the 51s. Duenas went from being ranked top three in the world for his age group to a poor showing at the Games. He planned to continue training for the Olympics to compete in Rio in 2016.[13]

Pilar Shimizu qualified for the Games with a universality placement and competed in the 100 meter breaststroke.[3] She entered the Games with the goal of breaking her own Guamanian national record.[14] Shimizu finished the race with a time of 1:15.76, finishing 42nd overall and not advancing to the next round.[15] She did not set the national record, but she did set a new personal best for the year.[7]

Men

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Christopher Duenas 100 m freestyle 53.37 44 Did not advance
Benjamin Schulte 10 km open water N/A 2:03:35.1 25

Women

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Pilar Shimizu 100 m breaststroke 1:15.76 42 Did not advance

Wrestling

Maria Dunn required a tripartite invitation to qualify for the Olympics. If the qualification were the same as the 2008 Olympics, Dunn would have qualified after she won the 2012 Oceanic Championships. Since the rules changed, she did not automatically qualify.[10] Dunn trained in England, in the city of Wigan, with coach Roy Wood.[16]

Dunn was the flagbearer for the Opening Ceremonies.[17] She drew Lubov Volosova in her first match and lost to Volosova by pin. Dunn believed only one of her shoulders was down, and the official called the pin because it was near the end of the period.[18] She hoped that Volosova would make it to the final match because that would advance Dunn into the loser's bracket. Volosova failed to do so, which eliminated Dunn from contention.[7]

Key:

  • VT - Victory by Fall.
  • PP - Decision by Points - the loser with technical points.
  • PO - Decision by Points - the loser without technical points.

;Women's freestyle

Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Final / BM
Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Opposition
Result		 Rank
Maria Dunn −63 kg  Volosova (RUS)
L 0–5 VT		 Did not advance 18

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sablan, Jerick (July 9, 2016). "Guam's history at the Olympics". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Guam at the Olympics". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Tomas, Jojo Santo (June 23, 2012). "Final Guam Olympians Announced". Pacific Daily News. p. A28 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (August 2, 2012). "Mandell Remains Focused". Pacific Daily News. p. A48 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (August 7, 2012). "Mandell fades down stretch". Pacific Daily News. p. A31 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Ige, Ron (August 9, 2012). "Atkinson delivers record performance". Pacific Daily News. p. A40 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tomas, Jojo Santo (January 1, 2013). "Olympics Topped All Else". Pacific Daily News. p. A36 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (July 29, 2012). "Family Commitment was Key". Pacific Daily News. p. A30 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (August 13, 2012). "Horton Wraps up Guam's Efforts". Pacific Daily News. p. A32 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "Guam Olympic Team Taking Shape". Pacific Daily News. June 1, 2012. p. A48 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Judo Qualification" (PDF). IJF. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Liden, Julian (August 10, 2012). "Teenager puts tiny Guam on swimming map". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  13. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (August 1, 2012). "Duenas remains motivated". Pacific Daily News. p. A36 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Sablan, Jerick (August 7, 2016). "Shimizu hopes to break personal best, record". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  15. ↑ "100m Breaststroke Women". Olympic. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ "London 2012: Olympic wrestler trains in Wigan". BBC. November 8, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  17. ↑ "London Welcomes World". Pacific Daily News. July 29, 2012. p. A32 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Tomas, Jojo Santo (August 9, 2012). "Russian pins Dunn early in match". Pacific Daily News.
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