Olympics
Germany’s Ogunleye wins women’s shot put gold on final throw
Team Nigeria may not have won any medal as Paris 2024 enters its last competition day. However, there had been athletes of Nigerian ancestry who have won medals, but for other countries.
One of such is Yemisi Ogunleye who won gold medal for Germany which currently places ninth on the medals table having grossed 12 gold, nine silver and eight bronze to make a total of 29.
She won the gold medal with her final throw of 20.00 metres in the Olympic women’s shot put on Friday, edging a thrilling duel with New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche.
Wesche looked as though she had the podium wrapped up with a terrific personal best 19.86 on her fifth throw but had to settle for the second spot on the podium as China’s Song Jiayuan (19.32) claimed bronze.
Ogunleye has a German mother and a Yoruba Nigerian father. Her victory was the first for Germany in Shot Put since the era of Astrid Kumbernuss at the 1996 Olympics in Montreal which Nigeria boycotted.
Ogunleye, according to a reuters report, strode around the Stade de France with the German flag draped around her shoulders after ringing the victory bell.
“In that moment, I was just saying a prayer,” Ogunleye told reporters. “It was the moment when I knew that if I have the faith, I am capable to do more than I can think or ask for. In that moment, I just took all the energy that I had left and just put it out there.”
The podium was made a bit more accessible when double world champion and hot favourite Chase Jackson crashed out in the heats but Ogunleye still had a decorated field to overcome in order to overcome to add to her world indoor silver title.
Early rain turned to clear skies as Ogunleye took the lead with her second attempt of 19.55 but Wesche overtook her immediately with 19.58 before upping her level on the penultimate try.
With only one more chance to take gold, Ogunleye got the crowd on her side, leading them in a slow clap before steeling herself in the circle for several seconds.
The crowd gasped as she launched the put and she held her hands to her face in a quiet prayer waiting for the results to post. Wesche tried to catch her on her final throw but could only get to 19.68.
Song confirmed her place on the podium on her fourth attempt as her compatriot, the Tokyo champion Gong Lijiao, finished in fifth place.
Canadian world silver medallist Sarah Mitton (17.48) was one of the hot favourites to watch but had a disastrous night, finishing last, while the Tokyo silver medallist Raven Saunders (17.79) of the United States was 11th out of 12.
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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