Saint Kitts and Nevis at the 2008 Summer Olympics | |
---|---|
IOC code | SKN |
NOC | Saint Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee |
Website | www |
in Beijing | |
Competitors | 4 in 1 sports |
Flag bearer | Virgil Hodge [1] |
Medals |
|
Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
The Saint Kitts and Nevis National Olympic Committee sent four athletes to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. All four participated in the track and field competitions across four different events. Three women (Tiandra Ponteen, Virgil Hodge, and Meritzer Williams) and one man (Kim Collins) comprised the Kittitian delegation. Williams and Ponteen did not advance past Qualifications in their events; Hodge reached quarterfinals in both the 100m and 200m sprints; and Collins, who participated in two events, reached the Semifinal round in the 100m sprint, and ranked sixth in the finals in the 200m sprint. Saint Kitts and Nevis did not win any medals during the Beijing Olympics. [2] The flag bearer for the team at the opening ceremony was first-time Olympian Virgil Hodge.
The appearance of Saint Kitts and Nevis at the Beijing Summer Olympics marked its fourth consecutive summer appearance since it first entered the Games during the 1996 Summer Olympics. [2] Saint Kitts' and Nevis' delegation to the 2008 Olympics included four athletes: Kim Collins, Virgil Hodge, Tiandra Ponteen, and Meritzer Williams. All four participated in track and field-related events. [3] Of the four, two (Ponteen and Collins) represented the country previously in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. [4] The 2008 Games marked Williams as the youngest Kittitian yet to participate on behalf of her country, and Collins the oldest. [2] Virgil Hodge was Saint Kitts' and Nevis' flagbearer. [1] As a result of Collins' achievements in his events, the Kim Collins Pavilion was christened for him in the then newly created Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium. [5]
Kim Collins was the only Kittitian participant in the men's 100m sprint, which began its Qualifications round on 14 August. Collins, who was placed in heat two, ranked second in the event with a time of 10.17 seconds. Collins was 0.01 seconds slower than Asafa Powell of Jamaica, who was the fastest in Collins' heat. Overall, Kim Collins ranked fourth out of 80 athletes and was 0.04 seconds slower than Tyrone Edgar of the United Kingdom, who ranked first in qualifications overall. [6]
In the 15 August Quarterfinals, Collins was placed in heat three and, with a time of 10.07, ranked second in his heat behind Marc Burns of Trinidad and Tobago. Burns was 0.02 seconds faster than Collins during Quarterfinals. Overall, Collins ranked 7th out of 40 athletes. His time was within 0.15 seconds of Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who held the fastest time during quarterfinals. Collins progressed to semifinals. [6]
Kim Collins ran the 100 meter sprint during Quarterfinals in 10.05 seconds. Participating in heat one, Collins ranked fifth. Overall, Collins tied American sprinter Tyson Gay for ninth place out of 16, and did not progress to finals. [6]
Kim Collins participated in the men's 200m dash. During the 17 August qualifications, Collins raced in heat three, placing second out of eight people. With a time of 20.55 seconds, Collins fell 0.06 seconds short of the United Kingdom's Marlon Devonish, who was the fastest in his heat; and was 0.3 seconds faster than Jamaica's Marvin Anderson, who took third place in the heat. [7] Overall, Collins ranked seventh out of 62 athletes during the qualification round, falling 0.11 seconds short of American finalist Wallace Spearmon, who ranked third overall, and 0.3 seconds short of Zimbabwean finalist Brian Dzingai, who ranked first overall. Collins continued to quarterfinals. [7]
During the 18 August quarterfinals, Collins raced American Shawn Crawford and Jamaican Usain Bolt, among others, in heat one. He placed third, after the two athletes, with a time of 20.43 seconds, tying with Devonish. Collins ranked 12th out of 31 athletes, ranking immediately behind Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles. Collins qualified for semifinals. [7]
During semifinals, Collins was placed in heat two. With a time of 20.25, he ranked fourth out of seven in his heat, defeating Devonish; Mauritius' Stephan Buckland; and Antigua and Barbuda's Brendan Christian. He was slower than Spearmon, Crawford, and Bolt. Collins ranked seventh overall, tying with Christian Malcolm of the United Kingdom, and moved on to finals. [7]
Kim Collins finished eighth in the Finals, but his position was shifted up to sixth place after the disqualifications of Martina and Spearmon, who would have respectively taken the silver and bronze medals. Collins ranked immediately behind Christian Malcolm. [8]
Virgil Hodge was the only Kittitian to participate in the women's 100m sprint. She was placed in heat three during the qualification round on 15 August. Hodge was the fourth fastest person in her heat, completing the sprint in 11.48 seconds. She fell 0.04 seconds short of Uzbekistan's Guzel Khubbieva, who ranked third in the heat; and 0.15 seconds short of the United States' Muna Lee, who ranked first in her heat during the qualification round. Overall in the event, Virgil Hodge tied Jamaica's Sherone Simpson for 28th place out of 85 sprinters, and progressed to the next round. [9]
Hodge competed during quarterfinals, in which she was placed in Heat 1. Hodge, again, ranked fourth in her heat of eight people, completing the sprint in 11.45 seconds. Hodge was 0.13 seconds slower than Jeanette Kwakye of the United Kingdom, who ranked third place in the heat, and 0.39 seconds slower than Shelly-Ann Frazer of Jamaica, who was the fastest in the heat; she was also 0.23 seconds faster than Jade Latoya Bailey of Barbados, who was the slowest runner in her heat. Overall, Hodge tied Norwegian sprinter Ezinne Okparaebo for 23rd place out of 40 sprinters. She did not progress to semifinals. [9]
Meritzer Williams and Virgil Hodge participated in the women's 200 meters sprint. During the 18 August Qualifications, Hodge was placed in heat one, and Williams in heat three. Hodge ranked third in her heat, earning a time of 23.14 seconds, falling behind Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka and Allyson Felix of the United States. Felix, who ranked first and later became silver medalist, was 0.12 seconds faster than Hodge in this round. [10] Meritzer Williams earned a time of 23.83 seconds in her round, ranking seventh of eight in her heat, just ahead of eighth-place runner Benin's Fabienne Fereaz. American runner Marshevet Hooker, who ranked first in Williams' heat and later took fifth place in finals, was 0.76 seconds faster than Meritzer Williams. [10]
Overall in the first qualifying round, Virgil Hodge ranked 18th out of 46. Meritzer Williams ranked 38th. Meritzer Williams did not advance to quarterfinals, but Hodge did. [10]
Virgil Hodge was placed in heat four, competing against athletes like Jamaica's Sherone Simpson and the United States' Muna Lee. She ran her event in 23.17 seconds, earning fifth of eight in her heat and falling 0.02 seconds behind Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova. Overall, however, Hodge raked 19th out of 31. Hodge fell short of Simpson, who ranked first in quarterfinals, by 0.57 seconds. [10]
Tiandra "Angie [11] " Ponteen participated in the women's 400m sprint. She was the only Kittitian to participate in the event at the Beijing Olympics. Ponteen was placed in the first heat of her qualifying round, which took place on 16 August. She ran the 400 meters in 52.41 seconds, a full second behind American runner DeeDee Trotter, finishing fifth out of seven in her heat. [11] Overall, Tiandra Ponteen ranked 27th out of 50 runners. She did not progress to further rounds. Ponteen was 1.87 seconds slower than bronze medalist Sanya Richards of the United States, who ranked first in the 16 August Round 1 qualifying round. [11]
Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
Kim Collins | 100 m | 10.17 | 2 Q | 10.01 | 2 Q | 10.05 | 5 | Did not advance | |
200 m | 20.55 | 2 Q | 20.43 | 3 Q | 20.25 | 4 Q | 20.59 | 6 |
Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
Virgil Hodge | 100 m | 11.48 | 4 q | 11.45 | 4 | Did not advance | |||
200 m | 23.14 | 3 Q | 23.17 | 5 | Did not advance | ||||
Meritzer Williams | 200 m | 23.83 | 7 | Did not advance | |||||
Tiandra Ponteen | 400 m | 52.41 | 5 | — | Did not advance |
Kim Collins is a former Kittitian track and field sprinter. In 2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 metres. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics on five occasions, from 1996 to 2016, and was the country's first athlete to reach an Olympic final. He competed at ten editions of the World Championships in Athletics, from 1995 to 2015, winning five medals. He was a twice runner-up in the 60 metres at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. At regional level, he was a gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and a silver medallist at the Pan American Games. As of 2023, he is the only Individual World Championships Gold medallist from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Virgil Hodge is a sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis who specializes in the 200 metres. She was born in Basseterre.
The men's 100 metres sprint event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 15 and 16 August at the Beijing National Stadium. 80 athletes from 64 nations competed. Each nation was limited to 3 athletes per rules in force since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The final was won by Jamaican Usain Bolt in a world record time of 9.69 seconds. It was Jamaica's first title in the event, and first medal in the event since 1976. Jamaica became the first country to join the men's 100 metre winners since Trinidad and Tobago, also in 1976; Richard Thompson won the country's fourth overall medal in the event with his silver.
Saint Kitts and Nevis first participated at the Olympic Games in 1996, and have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since then. The country has never won an Olympic medal and has not competed at the Winter Olympic Games.
Vanuatu competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. A total of three Vanuatuan athletes competed in two sports. Moses Kamut and Elis Lapenmal competed in, respectively, the men's and women's 100m sprints, and Priscilla Tommy competed in women's singles table tennis after being selected by the IOC's Tripartite Commission. Tommy's appearance in particular was Vanuatu's debut into table tennis. Tommy was also the country's flagbearer during the opening ceremony. The Vanuatuan delegation to Beijing included the country's head of state and prime minister, but only included Elis Lapenmal; the other two athletes did not accompany the delegation and arrived in China at different times.
The Bahamas sent a delegation of athletes to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from 8 to 24 August 2008. Its Beijing appearance marked its fourteenth time at the Olympics since its début at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. The delegation included 25 athletes across four sports and nineteen distinct events. Its athletes advanced to semifinals in eight events and finals in five events, medaling in two of them. The Bahamian delegation was one of the largest sent between its début and 2008. The country's flag bearer was Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie.
Grenada competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from 8 to 24 August 2008. Nine athletes represented the country, eight track and field athletes and one boxer. Of the eight track and field competitors, five were women, and three were men. Although none of the athletes would win a medal, runners Allison George and Neisha Bernard-Thomas progressed past the qualification rounds, and participated on behalf of Grenada in the quarterfinals of their events. Grenada's Beijing delegation was their biggest at nine athletes, and marked the seventh consecutive appearance of Grenada at the Olympics.
The United States Virgin Islands competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Beijing, the People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The appearance of its 23-person delegation marked its fifteenth appearance at the Olympic games, and its tenth appearance at the Summer Olympic games. In total, seven athletes participated on behalf of the Virgin Islands in Beijing. Of those, John Jackson and Tabarie Henry progressed to a post-preliminary event, and Henry reached semifinals in his own. There were no Virgin Islander medalists at the Beijing Olympics.
Jamaica sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. This was, by far, Jamaica's best showing at the Summer Olympics; it was the nation's largest delegation yet, and its athletes nearly doubled its total gold medal count in addition to breaking the nation's record for number of medals earned in a single games. Jamaica's appearance at Beijing was its fifteenth consecutive appearance and appearance as an independent nation, although it had previously participated in four other games as a British colony and as part of the West Indies Federation. In the 29 events that included Jamaican athletes, there were 26 cases in which a Jamaican athlete or relay progressed to a final round. Usain Bolt won three of Jamaica's six gold medals at Beijing, breaking an Olympic and world record in all three of the events in which he participated. Shelly-Ann Fraser led an unprecedented Jamaican sweep of the medals in the Women's 100 m. Female sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown carried Jamaica's flag at the ceremonies.
The British Virgin Islands took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics which were held in Beijing, China from 8 to 24 August 2008. The dependency's participation at Beijing marked its seventh consecutive appearance in the summer Olympics since its debut in 1984, and its eighth Olympic appearance ever. The British Virgin Islander delegation included two athletes in 2008 participating in two distinct events in one sport: discus thrower Eric Matthias and sprinter Tahesia Harrigan. Of the athletes, Harrigan was the flagbearer and the first female Olympian to participate on behalf of the British Virgin Islands in its entire history. Overall, Harrigan advanced to quarterfinals in her event, although neither athlete medaled.
Belize competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from 8 to 24 August 2008. Its participation in Beijing marked its eighth Olympic appearance under the name "Belize" and its tenth overall, as its first two appearances were under the name "British Honduras". The Belizean delegation in 2008 included four athletes: three participated in track and field events and one in taekwondo. Belize did not medal in Beijing, and had not medaled before Beijing, but Jonathan Williams became the first Belizean athlete to advance past the first round of any Olympic event.
Antigua and Barbuda competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, submitting a delegation that included athletes Daniel Bailey, Brendan Christian, James Grayman, and Sonia Williams in track and field events, and Kareem Valentine in swimming. Antigua and Barbuda's appearance in Beijing marked its eighth appearance at the Summer Olympics since the nation's debut at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal, Canada. There were no medalists from Antigua and Barbuda in 2008, although Bailey reached the quarterfinals and Christian the semifinals of their respective events.
Barbados sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The island nation made its tenth appearance as an independent nation upon its arrival in Beijing. Eight athletes across three sports and ten events represented Barbados, marking the smallest delegation in its history up to the Beijing Games. Its runners and swimmers advanced past the first rounds in their events in four of their nine events, although none advanced to their events' final rounds or medaled. The nation's flagbearer during the Beijing Games was swimmer Bradley Ally.
The Cayman Islands sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The delegation included fifteen people; of the delegation, four athletes participated under the Caymanian flag. In the track and field events was Ronald Forbes, who also served as the Cayman Islands' flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony and reached quarterfinals in the 110m hurdles, and Cydonie Mothersille, who reached finals and ranked eighth in the 200m dash. Brothers Shaune and Brett Fraser, both swimmers, participated in the 100 and 200m freestyle and in the 200m backstroke, respectively. The Cayman Islands' appearance at the Beijing Olympics marked its ninth appearance since its debut at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. The Cayman Islands, up to and including Beijing, have yet to medal.
Dominica sent a delegation of eight people, including two athletes, to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Its appearance in Beijing marked the fourth time a delegation from Dominica participated in an Olympic games since its debut at the 1996 Olympic games, one of its smallest delegations in its history and the first Dominican delegation that did not include female athletes. Chris Lloyd ran for Dominica in the men's 200 meters and Erison Hurtault participated in the men's 400 meters. Neither advanced past the qualification rounds. Lloyd was also supposed to compete in the men's 400 meters, but did not participate in it. Track coach Jérôme Romain was the country's flag bearer at the Olympics.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The year's team included two athletes engaged in track and field events, and was accompanied by the team coach, manager, and chaperone. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' appearance in Beijing marked its sixth consecutive Olympic appearance since its 1988 debut in Seoul, South Korea, and its smallest delegation to date. Alexander bore the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the opening ceremony and neither athlete medaled in their events or advanced to later rounds.
Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Its participation in the Beijing games marked its eighteenth Olympic appearance and fifteenth Summer Olympic appearance since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, excluding its joint participation with Jamaica and Barbados in 1960 as the West Indies Federation. With 28 athletes, more Trinidadians had competed at the Olympics than in any other single Olympic Games in its history before Beijing. Athletes representing Trinidad and Tobago advanced past the preliminary or qualification rounds in twelve events and reached the final rounds in four of those events. Of those four events, silver medals were won in the men's 100 meters and in the men's 4x100 meters relay. The latter was upgraded to gold due to one member of the quartet that crossed the line first, Nesta Carter, testing positive for a banned substance, resulting in their disqualification. The nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony that year was swimmer and Athens medalist George Bovell.
The Central African Republic sent three competitors to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Béranger Bosse and Mireille Derebona represented the nation in track events, while Bruno Bongongo participated on the Central African Republic's behalf in boxing. Of those athletes, none progressed past the first rounds of their events. The appearance of the Central African delegation at the Beijing Olympics marked its eighth appearance since the nation's debut at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and its seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. At the ceremonies, Derebona was the nation's flag bearer.
Saint Kitts and Nevis competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's fifth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.
Saint Kitts and Nevis competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the event was postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the nation's seventh appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut in 1996. The delegation consisted of two athletes, competing in athletic events; Jason Rogers and Amya Clarke. For the first time, in an effort to promote gender equality, two flagbearers, one male and one female were allowed at the Olympics. Both athletes from Saint Kitts and Nevis bore the national flag at the opening ceremony. Saint Kitts and Nevis did not win any medals during the Tokyo Olympics. Rogers ranked third in the first round of the men's 100 metres and advanced to the semifinals where he was eliminated. Clarke also ranked third in her preliminary round of the women's 100 metres and advanced to round 1 where she ranked 7th and was eliminated.