Somalia sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The country's participation at Beijing marked its seventh in the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972 Games. The delegation included two track and field athletes: sprinter Samiya Yuusf Omar and long-distance runner Abdinasir Said Ibrahim. Neither athlete progressed past the first round of their respective competitions. Omar's story, having trained in Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War, was covered by the media at the time, and later featured in a graphic novel following her death.
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.
Elena Romagnolo is an Italian steeplechaser, middle and long-distance runner. She is the national record holder in the 3000 metres steeplechase, but now competes mainly in the 5000 metres.
Dolores Checa is a Spanish middle-distance and long-distance runner. She represented her country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.
The Marshall Islands marked its second consecutive Olympiad, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from July 27 to August 12, 2012. The Olympian delegation included two men and two women, one male and one female athlete in athletics and one male and one female athlete in swimming. Middle-distance runner Haley Nemra was honored as the national flag bearer at the opening ceremony. The Marshall Islands continued their streak of bringing home no medals.
Nina Kathy Rillstone is a New Zealand long-distance and marathon runner. She is a national champion in both middle and long-distance running, and a national record holder for the half-marathon.
Felix Kikwai Kibore is a Qatari long-distance runner of Kenyan origin. Kibore represented Qatar at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for the men's 10,000 metres, along with his compatriots Essa Ismail Rashed and Ahmad Hassan Abdullah. He finished the race in twenty-second place by nearly two seconds ahead of Spanish long-distance runners Carles Castillejo and Ayad Lamdassen, with a time of 28:11.92.
Celma da Graça Soares Bonfim is a Santomean long-distance runner. Da Graça represented São Tomé and Príncipe at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she carried the nation's flag for her team during the opening ceremony. She ran in the first heat of the women's 5000 metres, against fifteen other athletes, including Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, who eventually won the gold medal in this event. She finished the race in last place by more than forty seconds behind Malawi's Lucia Chandamale, with her personal best and national record-breaking time of 17:25.99. Da Graça, however, failed to advance into the semi-finals, as she placed thirtieth overall, and was ranked farther below six mandatory slots for the next round. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, da Graça competed in the Women's 1500 metres, but finished 14th, last in her heat, with a time of 4:38.86, failing to advance to the semifinals.
Yesenia Centeno Sousa is a Spanish marathon runner. In 2003, she adopted Spanish nationality in order to compete internationally for the marathon. Five years later, she achieved a top-ten finish at the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon, and also, set her personal best time of 2:31:16 by finishing fourth at the Hamburg Marathon.
Konstadina Efedaki is a Greek middle-distance runner. She is a two-time national champion (2003–2004) for the 1500 metres.
Josiane da Silva Tito is a Brazilian sprinter and middle-distance runner.
Sandrine Carmen Genevieve Thiébaud-Kangni is a French-Togolese Athlete 1990 tp 2000. 400 metres French Junior Record older since 1995. 53sec73 .4×400 meters 3.32.79 transfere allégeance 2001 to Togolese sprinter and heptathlete. She is a two-time Olympian and a multiple-time national record holder for the 400m and heptathlon. She is also the daughter of middle-distance runner Roger Kangni, who competed in the 800 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
Emilia Mikue Ondo is an Equatoguinean middle distance runner. She set a personal best time of 2:15.72 for the 800 metres at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. She is also a two-time flag bearer for Equatorial Guinea at the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Mihaela Silvia Neacşu is a Romanian middle distance runner. She is a national indoor champion for the 800 metres, and outdoor for the 1500 metres. She set a personal best time of 1:59.78 by winning the gold medal for the 800 metres at the second meet of IAAF Golden Grand Prix in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Élodie Guégan is a French middle distance runner, who specialized in the 800 metres. She won two medals, silver and bronze, for the 800 metres at the 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships in Erfurt, Germany, and at the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. She also set a personal best time of 1:58.93 by finishing fifth at the 2008 ÅF Golden League in Saint-Denis, Paris.
Anna Rostkowska is a Polish middle-distance runner, who specialized in the 800 metres. She won a gold medal for the 800 metres at the 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and silver at the 2003 Summer Universiade in Jeju City, South Korea. She also set a personal best time of 1:58.72 by finishing fourth at the 2008 ÅF Golden League in Saint-Denis, Paris.
Nicole Teter is an American middle distance runner, who specialized in the 800 metres. She is a three-time U.S. indoor champion, and a two-time Olympian. She also won a gold medal in the same category at the 2002 U.S. Outdoor Championships.
Ana Maria Guerreiro Dias is a Portuguese long-distance and marathon runner. She is a four-time Olympian, and a multiple-time national record holder for the long-distance running. She also set a personal best time of 2:28:49, by finishing fourth in the women's race at the 2003 Berlin Marathon.
Sílvia Isabel Cruz is a Portuguese javelin thrower. She set both a national record and a personal best throw of 59.76 metres at the first league of the European Athletics Cup in Leiria.
María Abel Diéguez is a Spanish long-distance runner. She competed in the women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in which she came 26th out of 82 runners with a time of 2:40:13.
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