Saint Lucia at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Saint Lucia
sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, China
. The 2008 Saint Lucian team included four athletes that competed in two sports: swimming and athletics. Of these four athletes, Danielle Beaubrun
, at age 18, was the youngest of the competitors. Dominic Johnson
, at age 32, was the oldest, and was the only man sent as part of the 2008 delegation; additionally, Johnson was the only Saint Lucian athlete in the 2008 delegation who had previously participated in the Olympics.
None of the four athletes advanced past the qualifying stages, and thus did not win any medals. Evans ranked thirtieth overall in the qualifying round for javelin; Johnson also ranked thirtieth overall in the pole vault qualifying round; and Spencer ranked twenty-seventh in the qualifying round for high jump. Additionally, Beaubrun ranked forty-second in the swimming qualifying stages.
, in which high jumper Levern Spencer was the flagbearer. Saint Lucians were unable to view the 7:00 am opening ceremony because of issues with the local cable provider.
, Lavern Spencer, and Erma-Gene Evans
. Johnson, at age 32, was the oldest of Saint Lucia's athletes to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Erma-Gene Evans participated in athletics as a javelin thrower. The 2008 Summer Olympics was her Olympic debut. Evans moved forward through two rounds after qualifying under the B standard during her event on August 18, 2008, but did not rank in the third qualifying round. With a best mark distance of 56.27, Evans ranked thirtieth overall. She did not advance.
Dominic Johnson participated in athletics as a pole vaulter, returning to the Olympics for his third time; Johnson had previously participated as a pole vaulter (and, at one time, a relay runner) on behalf of Saint Lucia in the 2000 Summer Olympics
and 1996 Summer Olympics
. Johnson flew to San Diego days before the competition cutoff and made the qualifying preliminary height for the Olympics shortly after winning a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean Championships
in Cali, Columbia. Johnson's event took place on August 20, 2008. With a height of 5.30 metres, Johnson did not qualify, although he tied for seventeenth place in his qualifying group. As such, he did not advance. Johnson tied with the Czech pole vaulter
Štěpán Janáček
for thirtieth place overall.
Levern Spencer participated in athletics as a high jumper, making her first appearance in the Olympics. Spencer trained with Coach Wayne Norton of the University of Georgia
to hone her skills in the time preceding her performance in the Olympics. Levern Spencer's personal best time has been compared to medal winners in the event from the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Spencer's best height cleared was 1.85, placing fourteenth in Qualifying Group B. However, during her event on August 20, 2008, Spencer placed twenty-seventh overall, and did not advance.
to send two swimmers to the Olympics, granted the swimmer had participated in the 2007 World Championships. Beaubrun met this criterion, and was selected for this reason. At the time, Beaubrun was enrolled at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida and trained with coach Sergio Lopez.
The event in which Beaubrun participated was the 100 meter breaststroke
. This event took place on August 10, 2008. In the second heat of the qualifying round, Beaubrun scored third, with a time of 1:12.85. However, overall, Danielle Beaubrun ranked forty-second, and, as a result, did not advance.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The 2008 Saint Lucian team included four athletes that competed in two sports: swimming and athletics. Of these four athletes, Danielle Beaubrun
Danielle Beaubrun
Danielle Beaubrun is an Olympic and National Record holding swimmer from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia...
, at age 18, was the youngest of the competitors. Dominic Johnson
Dominic Johnson
Dominic Laurence Johnson is a retired St Lucian athlete competing in the pole vault. He is a former decathlete.His personal best result is 5.70 metres, achieved in 2000. This is the current St Lucian record. He also holds the St Lucian records in decathlon, 110 metres hurdles and 4 x 100 metres...
, at age 32, was the oldest, and was the only man sent as part of the 2008 delegation; additionally, Johnson was the only Saint Lucian athlete in the 2008 delegation who had previously participated in the Olympics.
None of the four athletes advanced past the qualifying stages, and thus did not win any medals. Evans ranked thirtieth overall in the qualifying round for javelin; Johnson also ranked thirtieth overall in the pole vault qualifying round; and Spencer ranked twenty-seventh in the qualifying round for high jump. Additionally, Beaubrun ranked forty-second in the swimming qualifying stages.
Background
The Saint Lucia Olympic Committee sent President Richard Peterkin, Minister of Youth and Sports Lenard Montoute, Chief de Mission Alfred Emmanuel, Coach Henry Bailey, and Coach Karen Beaubrun to Beijing alongside the four-person athletic delegation. Saint Lucia was the 67th nation in line at the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture...
, in which high jumper Levern Spencer was the flagbearer. Saint Lucians were unable to view the 7:00 am opening ceremony because of issues with the local cable provider.
Athletics
Three of Saint Lucia's four athletes competed in athletics: Dominic JohnsonDominic Johnson
Dominic Laurence Johnson is a retired St Lucian athlete competing in the pole vault. He is a former decathlete.His personal best result is 5.70 metres, achieved in 2000. This is the current St Lucian record. He also holds the St Lucian records in decathlon, 110 metres hurdles and 4 x 100 metres...
, Lavern Spencer, and Erma-Gene Evans
Erma-Gene Evans
Erma-Gene Evans is a Saint Lucian javelin thrower.Erma-Gene holds the Saint Lucia national records for women's Javelin Throw...
. Johnson, at age 32, was the oldest of Saint Lucia's athletes to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Erma-Gene Evans participated in athletics as a javelin thrower. The 2008 Summer Olympics was her Olympic debut. Evans moved forward through two rounds after qualifying under the B standard during her event on August 18, 2008, but did not rank in the third qualifying round. With a best mark distance of 56.27, Evans ranked thirtieth overall. She did not advance.
Dominic Johnson participated in athletics as a pole vaulter, returning to the Olympics for his third time; Johnson had previously participated as a pole vaulter (and, at one time, a relay runner) on behalf of Saint Lucia in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. Johnson flew to San Diego days before the competition cutoff and made the qualifying preliminary height for the Olympics shortly after winning a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean Championships
Central American and Caribbean Championships
The Central American and Caribbean Championships is an international track and field athletics event organised by the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation . Only athletes representing a member nation of the confederation may compete. Created in 1967, the event has been held every...
in Cali, Columbia. Johnson's event took place on August 20, 2008. With a height of 5.30 metres, Johnson did not qualify, although he tied for seventeenth place in his qualifying group. As such, he did not advance. Johnson tied with the Czech pole vaulter
Czech Republic at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The Czech Republic participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The Czech delegation consisted of around 130 athletes.-Medalists:- Archery:MenWomen-Men:Track and road eventsField events...
Štěpán Janáček
Štepán Janácek
Štěpán Janáček is a Czech pole vaulter.He finished eighth at the 2001 World Indoor Championships, second at the 2001 Summer Universiade and fifth at the 2002 European Championships...
for thirtieth place overall.
Levern Spencer participated in athletics as a high jumper, making her first appearance in the Olympics. Spencer trained with Coach Wayne Norton of the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
to hone her skills in the time preceding her performance in the Olympics. Levern Spencer's personal best time has been compared to medal winners in the event from the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Spencer's best height cleared was 1.85, placing fourteenth in Qualifying Group B. However, during her event on August 20, 2008, Spencer placed twenty-seventh overall, and did not advance.
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | |||
| Dominic Johnson Dominic Johnson Dominic Laurence Johnson is a retired St Lucian athlete competing in the pole vault. He is a former decathlete.His personal best result is 5.70 metres, achieved in 2000. This is the current St Lucian record. He also holds the St Lucian records in decathlon, 110 metres hurdles and 4 x 100 metres... |
Men's pole vault Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's pole vault A new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Qualifying round:Qualifying performance 5.75 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.-Final:The final was held on August 22.... |
5,30 | 30 | Did not advance | 30 | ||
| Levern Spencer Levern Spencer Levern Donaline Spencer is a Saint Lucian high jumper.-Biography:Spencer was an All-American high jumper for the University of Georgia and 2008 Olympian for St Lucia, set a new facility record at the Georgia Invitational in Athens, Georgia on Saturday 8 May 2010, clearing 1.98m to cruise to a... |
Women's high jump Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's high jump -Qualifying round:Qualification Criteria: Qualifying Performance 1.96 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.NM - No Mark-Final:NR = National Record / PB = Personal Best / SB = Season Best... |
1,85 | 27 | Did not advance | 27 | ||
| Erma-Gene Evans Erma-Gene Evans Erma-Gene Evans is a Saint Lucian javelin thrower.Erma-Gene holds the Saint Lucia national records for women's Javelin Throw... |
Women's javelin Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's javelin throw -Qualifying round:Qualification: Qualifying Performance 61.50 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.Q - Qualified by right / SB - Season Best / NR - National Record/ NM - No Mark / q - Qualified by result-Final:21 August 2008 - 19:20... |
56.27 | 30 | Did not advance | 30 | ||
Swimming
Danielle Beaubrun was the only Saint Lucian swimmer to participate in the Beijing Olympics. She was the youngest member of the Saint Lucian delegation, at age 18. The 2008 Summer Olympics served as Beaubrun's Olympic debut. Beaubrun did not initially qualify for Olympic standards. However, because Saint Lucia had no naturally qualifying swimmers, the country was invited by FINAFina
Fina may refer to:*Fina, a character in the Skies of Arcadia video game*FINA, the International Swimming Federation*FINA, the North American Forum on Integration...
to send two swimmers to the Olympics, granted the swimmer had participated in the 2007 World Championships. Beaubrun met this criterion, and was selected for this reason. At the time, Beaubrun was enrolled at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida and trained with coach Sergio Lopez.
The event in which Beaubrun participated was the 100 meter breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
. This event took place on August 10, 2008. In the second heat of the qualifying round, Beaubrun scored third, with a time of 1:12.85. However, overall, Danielle Beaubrun ranked forty-second, and, as a result, did not advance.
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Semifinal | Final | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | |||
| Danielle Beaubrun Danielle Beaubrun Danielle Beaubrun is an Olympic and National Record holding swimmer from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia... |
Women's 100m breaststroke | 1:12.85 | Did not advance | 42 | |||
See also
- Saint Lucia at the 2007 Pan American GamesSaint Lucia at the 2007 Pan American GamesThe 15th Pan American Games were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 13 July 2007 and 29 July 2007.- Bronze:*weman's High Jump: Levern Spencer-External links:*...
- Saint Lucia at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean GamesSaint Lucia at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean GamesThe XXIst Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico from July 17, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-External links:*...