Zimbabwe at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Zimbabwe
sent a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, China.
Zimbabwe sent thirteen athletes to Beijing, competing in swimming, athletics, tennis, cycling, triathlon, and rowing. Kirsty Coventry
, who won gold in swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, was the lone member of the delegation to medal.
, in the men's 200 metres
. Dzingai was the top qualifier in the heats and semifinals, but in the final, he originally placed 6th, before two disqualifications moved him up to 4th. The other came from Ngonidzashe Makusha
in the men's long jump
. Makusha qualified in 5th, and sat in 2nd place after the first three jumps. He was passed by one opponent on the fourth attempt, and then lost a medal by a single centimetre on the last round of jumps.
represented Zimbabwe in cycling, and was the last finisher in the men's mountain bike race, a full lap behind the next-to-last finisher.
Men
managed to qualify from her opening heat, but finished last in her quarterfinal and her semifinal, ending up in 25th.
Women
managed to improve on her three-medal performance from Athens, repeating her gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke and her silver in the 100 metre backstroke, and adding silver medals in the 200 metre and 400 metre individual medleys. She also set a world record in her 100 backstroke semifinal, which was not broken in the final, and won the 200 backstroke with another world record. Her team-mate Heather Brand did not advance from the heats.
Women
, representing Zimbabwe for the third time in Olympic tennis, lost her only match in straight sets.
Women
Men
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
sent a team 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.
Zimbabwe sent thirteen athletes to Beijing, competing in swimming, athletics, tennis, cycling, triathlon, and rowing. Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States...
, who won gold in swimming at 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...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, was the lone member of the delegation to medal.
Medalists
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States... |
Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
Women's 200 metre backstroke | |
| Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States... |
Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
Women's 400 metre individual medley | |
| Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States... |
Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
Women's 100 metre backstroke | |
| Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States... |
Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
Women's 200 metre individual medley |
Athletics
Seven Zimbabweans competed in athletics, with the best finishes being a pair of fourth-places. One came from Brian DzingaiBrian Dzingai
Brian Dzingai is a Zimbabwean Olympic sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres. He ran to his personal best time of 20.12 seconds in June 2004 at Austin. This is the current Zimbabwean record. He is an Old Georgian, and attended St George's College, Harare in Harare, Zimbabwe...
, in the men's 200 metres
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres
The following new world and Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:All times shown are in seconds. The following abbreviations are used:* Q denotes qualification by place* q denotes qualification by time...
. Dzingai was the top qualifier in the heats and semifinals, but in the final, he originally placed 6th, before two disqualifications moved him up to 4th. The other came from Ngonidzashe Makusha
Ngonidzashe Makusha
Ngonidzashe Makusha is a Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper. He is the national record holder over 100m and Long Jump for Zimbabwe with 9.89s and 8.40m respectively. Both performances achieved during the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Des Moines, Iowa where he completed the 100m long...
in the men's long jump
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump
-Qualifying round:Qualifying Performance 8.15 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.-Final:DNS — Did Not StartNM — No Mark...
. Makusha qualified in 5th, and sat in 2nd place after the first three jumps. He was passed by one opponent on the fourth attempt, and then lost a medal by a single centimetre on the last round of jumps.
| Athlete | Events | Round 1 | Round 2 | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Ngonidzashe Makusha Ngonidzashe Makusha Ngonidzashe Makusha is a Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper. He is the national record holder over 100m and Long Jump for Zimbabwe with 9.89s and 8.40m respectively. Both performances achieved during the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Des Moines, Iowa where he completed the 100m long... |
Men's Long Jump Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump -Qualifying round:Qualifying Performance 8.15 or at least 12 best performers advance to the Final.-Final:DNS — Did Not StartNM — No Mark... |
8.14m | 5 Q | 8.19m | 4 | ||||
| Brian Dzingai Brian Dzingai Brian Dzingai is a Zimbabwean Olympic sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres. He ran to his personal best time of 20.12 seconds in June 2004 at Austin. This is the current Zimbabwean record. He is an Old Georgian, and attended St George's College, Harare in Harare, Zimbabwe... |
Men's 200m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres The following new world and Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:All times shown are in seconds. The following abbreviations are used:* Q denotes qualification by place* q denotes qualification by time... |
20.25 | 1 Q | 20.23 | 1 Q | 20.17 | 2 Q | 20.22 | 4 |
| Lewis Banda Lewis Banda Lewis Simon Banda is a Zimbabwean sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.His personal best time is 44.58 seconds, achieved in May 2004 in Tucson. This is the current Zimbabwean record. The same year he reached the semi-finals of the Olympic Games.-Achievements:-References:*... |
Men's 400m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres -Round 1:The first round was held on 18 August. The first three runners of each heat plus the next three overall fastest runners qualified for the semifinals.-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-Heat 4:-Heat 5:-Heat 6:-Heat 7:-Semifinal 1:... |
46.76 | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
| Young Talkmore Nyongani Young Talkmore Nyongani Young Talkmore Nyongani is a Zimbabwean sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. His personal best time is 44.96 seconds, achieved in March 2005 in Pretoria... |
Men's 400m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres -Round 1:The first round was held on 18 August. The first three runners of each heat plus the next three overall fastest runners qualified for the semifinals.-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-Heat 4:-Heat 5:-Heat 6:-Heat 7:-Semifinal 1:... |
45.89 | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
| Cuthbert Nyasango Cuthbert Nyasango Cuthbert Nyasango is a Zimbabwean long-distance runner.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*1500 metres - 3:50.26 min *3000 metres - 7:51.29 min *5000 metres - 13:31.27 min... |
Men's 10000m Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres The following new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:OR - Olympic Record, NR - National Record, PB - Personal Best, SB - Season Best-Splits:... |
DNF | |||||||
| Mike Fokoroni Mike Fokoroni Mike Fokoroni is a Zimbabwean long-distance runner. His personal best time is 2:13:17 hours, achieved in August 2008, placing 11th at the Beijing Olympics.-Achievements:-References:... |
Men's Marathon Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon The following new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:Key: = Olympic record, SB = Season Best, PB = Personal Best, DNF = Did Not Finish, DNS = Did Not Start-Intermediates:s.t. - same time.- External links :... |
2:13:17 | 11 | ||||||
| Tabitha Tsatsa | Women's Marathon Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's marathon The Women's Marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on August 17 around an urban circuit specifically designed for the competition at Beijing, and finished in the Beijing National Stadium. The qualifying standards were 2:37.00 and 2:42.00... |
2:37:10 | 49 | ||||||
Mountain bike
Antipas KwariAntipas Kwari
Antipass Kwari is a Zimbabwean cyclist. He was the 2005 Zimbabwe mountainbike champion and represented his country at the 2007 African Mountainbike Championships which were held in Windhoek, Namibia where he placed 8th, in doing so Kwari qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing, where...
represented Zimbabwe in cycling, and was the last finisher in the men's mountain bike race, a full lap behind the next-to-last finisher.
Men
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antipas Kwari Antipas Kwari Antipass Kwari is a Zimbabwean cyclist. He was the 2005 Zimbabwe mountainbike champion and represented his country at the 2007 African Mountainbike Championships which were held in Windhoek, Namibia where he placed 8th, in doing so Kwari qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing, where... |
Cross-Country | -6 laps | 48 |
Rowing
Elana HillElana Hill
Elana Hill is a Zimbabwean rower. She represented Zimbabwe at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
managed to qualify from her opening heat, but finished last in her quarterfinal and her semifinal, ending up in 25th.
Women
| Athlete(s) | Event | Heats | Quarterfinals | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Elana Hill Elana Hill Elana Hill is a Zimbabwean rower. She represented Zimbabwe at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.... |
Single sculls | 8:35:53 | 3 Q | 8:20:84 | 6 S C/D | C/D Semifinal 8:34:27 |
6 F E | E Final 8:09:94 |
25 |
Swimming
Kirsty CoventryKirsty Coventry
Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States...
managed to improve on her three-medal performance from Athens, repeating her gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke and her silver in the 100 metre backstroke, and adding silver medals in the 200 metre and 400 metre individual medleys. She also set a world record in her 100 backstroke semifinal, which was not broken in the final, and won the 200 backstroke with another world record. Her team-mate Heather Brand did not advance from the heats.
Women
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States... |
100 m backstroke | 59.00 OR | 1 Q | 58.77 WR | 1 Q | 59.19 | |
| 200 m backstroke | 2:06.76 OR | 1 Q | 2:07.76 | 1 Q | 2:05.24 WR | ||
| 200 m individual medley | 2:12.18 | 3 Q | 2:09.53 OR | 1 Q | 2:08.59 AF | ||
| 400 m individual medley | 4:36:43 | 7 Q | 4:29.89 AF | ||||
| Heather Brand | 100 m butterfly | 1:01.39 | 42 | Did not advance | |||
Tennis
Cara BlackCara Black
Cara Black is a professional female tennis player from Zimbabwe. She has won 7 singles titles and 63 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 28 in women's doubles...
, representing Zimbabwe for the third time in Olympic tennis, lost her only match in straight sets.
Women
| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Rank | ||
| Cara Black Cara Black Cara Black is a professional female tennis player from Zimbabwe. She has won 7 singles titles and 63 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 28 in women's doubles... |
Singles | 3-6 3-6 |
Did not advance | |||||
Triathlon
Chris Felgate ran the triathlon for Zimbabwe. He finished the swim with the main pack, but fell behind in the cycling and running portions.Men
| Athlete | Event | Swim | Cycling | Run | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Felgate | Individual Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics The Triathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, were held on Monday, August 18 and Tuesday, August 19 , on the Triathlon Venue at the Ming Tomb Reservoir in Shisanling.... |
18:21 | 59:00 | 36:09 | 1:54:31.61 | 42 |