SLU Cycling

Did you know…

The Central American country of El Salvador has never won an Olympic medal.

The Indian men’s national field hockey team was crowned as the Olympic champions for 1964. The winners were: Syed Ali, Charanjit Singh, Darshan Singh, Shankar Lakshman, Rajendran Christie, Prithipal Singh, Dharam Singh, Gurbux Singh, Udham Singh, Mohinder Lal, Jagjit Singh, Rajinder Singh, Joginder Singh, Haripal Kaushik, Harbinder Singh, Bandu Patil and Victor John Peter.

Said Ahmed Farouck was the best sprinter of Comoros Islands -an ex colony French in Africa- in the 1980s.

Cyprus -a small island in the Mediterranean Sea- has competed in the Winter Olympic Games 8 times ( Lake Placid-1980, Sarajevo-1984, Calgary-1988, Albertville-1992, Lillehammer-1994, Nagano-1998, Salt Lake City-2002 and Turin-2006).

New Zealand won two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne (Australia).

Letitia Vriesde was the flag bearer of the Surinamese team at the opening ceremony at the Olympics in 2004. Like Anthony Conrad Nesty (Olympic champion), she was one of the most popular sportspeople in Suriname and the Caribbean. She was born on October 5, 1964 in Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname,an ex Dutch colony in South America. From 1988 to 2004, she won several medals (Pan American Games, World Championships, Central American & Caribbean Games). Letitia won a silver medal in the 800m at the 1995 World Athletics Championship in Gothenburg (Sweden). Certainly, she is a heroine in her country.

Mathias Ntawulikura (Rwanda/ Africa) finished 8th in the 10,000m at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta,USA.

Armenia -former Soviet republic- has had great athletes in the past century: Grant Chaguinian (gymnastics/ Olympic gold medalist, 1952), Albert Azarian (gymnastics/ Olympic gold medalist, 1956, 1960 & 1964), Vladimir Enguibariun (boxing/ Olympic gold medalist, 1956), Armen Nazaryan (wrestling/ Olympic gold medalist, 1996) and Armen Mkchyan (wrestling/ Olympic silver medalist, 1996).

Saudi Arabia has never won a gold Olympic medal.

Angola -African country- sent 39 Olympic athletes to the 1992 Games in Barcelona (Spain). The Angolan contingent participated in seven disciplines: aquatics (3), athletics (6), boxing (1), judo (4), sailing (3), roller hockey (11) and basketball (11).The basketball national team finished 10th at the Barcelona Olympics. Angola -African champion- produced a major surprise in defeating China 79-69…

Austria has many Olympic champions: Herna Bauna (track & field), Gregor Hradetzky (kayak), Christopher Sieber (sailing), Hans Haas (weightlifting), Elisabeth Theurer (equestrian), Peter Seisanbacher (judo) and Franz Andrisek (weightlifting).

North Korea has not won an Olympic medal for volleyball since the 1972 Olympics.

Alleyne Francique finished 4th in the 400m (44.66s) at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. This sprinter is the best sportspeople of Grenada.

Lebanon competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,USA. Most Lebanese athletes qualified for the Games in athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, wrestling, shooting, swimming and weightlifting. This Arab country also competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Yugoslavia.

The Nigerian men’s national soccer team won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in 1996. Nigeria defeated Argentina 3-2 in the Olympic final. The Olympic champions were: TeslimFatusi, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, Tijani Babangida, Celestine Babayaro, Taribo West, Victor Ikpeda, Dosu Joseph, Nwankwo Kanu, Wilson Oruma, Mobi Oparaku, Sunday Oliseh, Jay-Jay Okocha, Garba Nawal, Uche Okechukwu, Kingsley Obiekwu and Abiodun Obafemi.

Bangladesh is an Olympic member since 1980. However, it did not go to the Olympic Games in the USSR.

In the 1990s, Croatia had famous basketball players: Stojan Vrunkovic, Toni Kukoc, Drazen Petrovic, Dino Rada and Franjo Arapovic.

Paraguay sent 10 sportspeople to the Olympic Games in the 1970s.

Taiwan sent 22 sportspersons to the Summer Olympics in 1972. It participated in 10 sports. Archery: Meei-Shya Shue. Track & field: Chin-Lung Chen, Ming-Chih Chen, Chung-Ping Lee, Wen-Ho Soo, Cheng Chi, Chiu-Hsia Lee, Chun Yu Lin and Yu-Chih Wu. Boxing: Chee-Yen Wang. Wrestling: Jine-Shiong Sheu. Judo: Ping-Ho Chang, Chi Hsiang Cheng, Jen-Wuh Juang and Jong She Wang. Weightlifting: Kue Sen Chen. Cycling: Ming Fa Shue. Sailing: Shiu-Hsiung Chen. Shooting:Tao Yuan Wu. Swimming: Tung-Hsiung Hsu, Yue-Yun Hsu and Yue Hwan Lie.

Mauritania competed at the Summer Olympics for the first time at the 1984 Games. This African country sent 4 wrestlers to the Olympics in Los Angeles,USA.

The Kingdom of Bhutan sent 3 sportswomen to the Olympics Games in 1992. They were: Karma Tshomo, Pem Tshering and Namgyal Lhama (archery).

Georgia -ex Soviet republic- is the birthplace of Viktor Saneiev, who won three gold medals at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics. In 1980, he won the silver medal in the triple jump at the Moscow Olympics. Like Joao Carlos de Oliveira (Brazil), Jonathan Edwards (Great Britain) and Mike Conley (United States), Viktor was one of the best triple jumpers of the 20th century.

Belarus won two silver medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway in 1994.

Talata Embalo was the flag bearer of the Bissau Guinean national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the United States. Embalo is the best weightlifter of Guinea-Bissau, an ex Portuguese colony in Africa.

Mongolia sent 4 sportswomen to the Olympics in West Germany in 1972.

Obadele Thompson is the greatest Barbadian athlete of the 21st century. From 2000 to 2004, he was one of the best sprinters in the world.

Date of birth: 30/3/ 1976

Place of birth: Saint Michel, Barbados (Caribbean country)

Education: University of Texas

Top performances:

1991: Carifta Games-1st 100m, 3rd 200m

1992:Carifta Games-1st 100m, 2nd 200m

1993: Pan American Junior Championship-3rd 100m, 2nd 200m; Carifta Games-1st 100m, 2nd 200m; Central American & Caribbean Senior Championship-1st 100m

1994:Carifta Games-1st 100m, 1st 200m; World Athletics Cup- 4th 100m

1995: Central American & Caribbean Senior Championship-1st 200m

1996: Olympic Games-12th 100m, 4th 200m

1997: World Athletics Cup- 6th 100m

1998: Central American & Caribbean Games-1st 100m; Commonwealth Games-3rd 100m; World Athletics Cup-1st 100m

1999: World Athletics Championship- 4th 100m, 4th 200m

2000: Olympic Games-3rd 100m, 4th 200m

2004: Olympic Games-7th 100m

By: Alejandro Guevara Onofre

About the Author:

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Who was the first athlete elected president in the world?

Marcus Stephen is the first sportspeople elected head of state in the world. Nauru’s president since 2007, Stephen was one of the Third World’s most famous weightlifters in the 1990s. From 1990 to 1994, he won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. “I am proud of my achievements in weightlifting and what I have done for Nauru”, said Stephen. In 1999, he won a silver medal at the World Cup in Greece. He was elected Nauru’s sportspeople of the year many times. For this reason, he had many fans in his island, one of the smallest nations on Earth, with an area of 21 square km and a population of about 9,500. One of the most influential leaders in the history of Nauru, Stephen was elected congressman in 2003. Unlike George Weah ( the former footballer who lost the presidential election in Liberia), Stephen Marcus made his dream come true on December 19, 2007, when he was elected president by Parliament. “Marcus Stephen was sworn in as new president after a vote on Wednesday afternoon. It is official, Marcus Stephen is president. He holds the reins now and has appointed a new cabinet”, said Nauru’s consul to Australia Martin Hunt.

Who is the most famous sportsperson in Montenegro?

Alesandar Radovic, who is one of the greatest water polo players in the world. He work very hard every day. His efforts paid back during the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok (Thailand), when Montenegro won the men’s water polo gold medals for the first time. It won 11-8 over Italy in the final match. Radovic excelled in that historic game. Certainly, he can already be counted among the world best athletes of his generation. Currently, Radovic is a symbol of Montenegro, the newest country in the world.

Who is the best volleyball player in the world?

Hector Soto. Birthplace: Puerto Rico. Volleyball champion Soto is an iconic figure in Puerto Rican sporting history. He is creative and efficient. Under his brilliant direction, Puerto Rico finished sixth at the 2007 FIVB World Cup . It defeated teams such as Japan (3-0), USA (3-1), Egypt (3-0), Tunisia (3-0) and Spain (3-0). Soto was top scorer of the FIVB World Championships for two years consecutivly. At the 2007 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship, the Puerto Rican national team won the silver medal. Led by Hector Soto, Puerto Rico defeated Cuba 3-2 (26-24, 11-25, 22-25, 26-24, 15-11). “I think the first set took a lot out of us mentally. We came back too relaxed. “, said Soto. He also gave Puerto Rico its first international title: the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena (Colombia). In the match for the 1st place Puerto Rico won their first ever gold medal after a 3-0 victory over the Cuban team. Cuba had won 9 of 15 Central American and Caribbean Championships.

Who is the best basketball team in Africa?

During the FIBA African Championship for Men in 2007, the Angolan team placed first. Antonio Carvalho, Olimpio Cipriano, Miguel Lutonda and Emanuel Neto are the best-known names on the team.

Who is Guennadi Touretski?

This man is the coach of greatest swimmers in the world. “Swimmers must be strong as weightlifters and have the lightness and the flexibility of Bolshoi dancer at the same time”, Guennadi said in an interview with sportswriter Camillo Cametti.

Who is the best athlete in South Korea?

In 2006, a new star emerged to the world: the swimmer Tae Hwan Park, who won three gold medals at the Asiad. After South Korea’s Tae Hwan Park won the gold medal in the 400m free at the FINA World Cup in Australia.

Who is the best handball team in the world?

For many reasons, Germany. It is currently world champion. “We were simply the best team” said Christian Schwarzer, one of the stars of the German team.

Who are the most popular sprinters in Tuvalu?

They are Kasifa Galuega, Puaita Ketepu, Mileneta Lepeni, Manos Lito, Faiva Namoliki, Malietasi Tulaga, Penani Tumau, Fuliga Vaega (100m, 200m, 4x 100m relay).

Who is the best basketball player in Asia?

Yao Ming (China). Why ? For many reasons. Yao Ming is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A national hero in China after leading them to the Olympics in Sydney (Australia). In 2006, he became top scorer of the World Cup in Tokyo (Japan). As a member of the Chinese men’s basketball team, Yao Ming won the silver at the 2002 Asiad. ” I love the atmosphere of the Asian Games. It is also a place where China’s rivalry in basketball with Korea and Japan is renewed every four years. I went through a lot to play in the NBA, but if I had to choose between playing in the NBA and playing for the Chinese national team, I would choose the national team”.

Who is the best runner in the United States?

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat. Born in Kenya (Africa) but moved to the United States at the age of 22 and took up citizenship in 2004. Last year he won two gold medals at the IAAF World Cup.

Who is Iraki Tsirekidze?

He is a judoka from Georgia (European country). This sportsperson is currently world champion.

Who is the most famous table tennis player in the United States?

Gao Jun. She played many times China, where she was born. In 1994, she became an American citizen. During an interview, she said: “There is a big difference in table tennis between China and the United States. In the U. S. , a lot of people play for fun, more like a basement sport. After I retired from the Chinese national team I thought my career was done. I am grateful for the opportunity to play for the United States and I hope I can win a medal for the U. S. ” Gao Jun is champion of the Americas (singles).

Who is Irving Saladino?

Panama’s Irving Saladino caused a sensation when he won the gold medal in the long jump at the 2007 World Championships in Japan and was named Panamanian Sportspeople of the Year. This was the best performance by a Panamanian male athlete since 1948. He became the first sportsman from Central American to win a gold medal. Under the leadership of Saladino, Panama has always been on the medal table at each international competition since 2006.

Who is the most famous wrestler in Mongolia?

Naranbaatar Bayaraa Mongolia’s Bayaraa won silver in the freestyle 55kg class at the World Cup in Baku (Azerbaijan).

Who is Julio Velasco?

He was one of the most successful coaches in Italy. A native of La Plata (Argentina), Julio Velasco was born on February 9, 1952 to Julio Raoul Velasco Fernandez and Edith Blake Schiaffino. He admires Mario Vargas Llosa, the famous writer from Peru. In the early 1980s, he was assistant coach of the Argentinean men’s national team. Of Peruvian, British and Italian origin, Velasco went to Italy in 1983, where he coached the Tre Valli Jesi Club. From 1985 to 1989, he won many Italian crowns. Under his direction, Italy won the FIVB World Champions (1990) and other international tournaments. Velasco was coach of the best volleyball country’s best volleyball players:Andrea Lucchetta, Andrea Zorzi, Paolo Tofoli and Lorenzo Bernardi. He believes that Italy’s volleyball league is a model for the world. “It’s not right to give too much space to the national team and too little to the clubs. Without the club coach, there would be no volleyball. It is he who brings in young athletes, even keeping them from opting for basketball or an engineering degree. We have to give space to all of them and avoid what happened in the United States, where, with no national championship tournament, new blood was lacking and once the superstar cycle was over, the national team plunged from its once top ranking. This doesn’t happen in Brazil and Italy, where the resources are inexhaustible precisely because there are big national championships”.

Who is Laure Manaudou?

She is the best French swimmer of all times. Olympic gold medalist Laure Manaudou won three gold medals at the 2006 European Cup in Helsinki (Finland).

Who is Thiago Pereira?

He has won more American gold medals than any other swimmer. This sportsman has won an unprecedented six gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games. He won the gold medal in the 200m medley, the 400m medley, the 200m backstroke, the 200m breaststroke, the 4×100m frestyle and the 4×200m freestyle. Pereira was born on January 26, 1986 in Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Who are the greatest field hockey teams in the world?

Hockey women: Holland, China, South Africa, Japan, Argentina, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

Hockey men: Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Canada, China, South Korea, Argentina, USA, India, South Africa and Pakistan.

Who is Churandy Martina?

Like Marc Burns (Trinidad & Tobago), Dudley Dorival (Haiti), Kim Collins (St. Kitts and Nevis) and Asafa Powell (Jamaica), Churandy is one of the best sprinters of the Caribbean. He came 5th in the 100m and 200m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka (Japan). He is an athlete from the Netherlands Antilles.

Who is Yukio Peter?

Peter was born and grew up in the Federation States of Micronesia, a nation made up 607 islands and cays in the Western Pacific Ocean. He is one of the best weightlifters in the Third World. Under the direction of Paul Coffa (weightlifting coach), he won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships in Doha, the capital city of Qatar. Peter’s sports career began in 1998 when he was just 13 years old. His dream is to become an Olympic champion. Currently, he works very, very hard. In nearly all of his interviews, he has been described as very friendly and modest. He once said: “For one year or so I used to watch the lifters training under Paul Coffa through the window and every time I was asked to join. I used to run away as I was a very shy boy. One day I was taken into room and I watched the lifting from the inside. From that day I joined the weightlifting group and have never looked back. ” For many reasons, he is a model and an ambassador of sport.

Who is Mfon Udoka ?

She is one of the greatest female basketball players of the world. Udoka was elected to the 2004 All-Star Team. She was born in Nigeria.

Who is Rafd Zyad Almasri?

He is perhaps the best swimmer in the Middle East. Rafd is from the Arab nation of Syria. He won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle at the Asiad held in Qatar in 2006.

Who is Franciela Chana Masson?

She is one of the greatest female handball players of the world. Chana has been playing since 2002 in Europe (Germany and Denmark). Like Sandra Pires (beach volleyball), Roerio Sampaio (martial arts) and Robert Scheidt (sailing), she was born in Brazil.

Who is the best water polo team in the world?

Croatia. It won the gold medal at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne (Australia). The Croatian water polo team defeated Hungary 9-8 in the final. The winners were: Zdeslav Vrdoljak, Sanir Barac, Miho Boskovic, Damir Buric, Frano Vican, Andro Buslje, Mile Smodlaka, Teo Dogas, Igor Hinic, Maro Jokovic, Aljosa Kunac, Pavo Markovic and Josip Pavic.

Who are the best female basketball players in Mali?

Certainly, Hamch