Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2008 Summer Olympics
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sent a delegation to compete at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in Beijing,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The year's team included two athletes engaged in track and field events (
Kineke Alexander Kineke Alicia Alexander (born 21 February 1986 in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) is a Vincentian sprinter who competed in the 400m event at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the flag bearer for Sain ...
and
Jared Lewis Jared Lewis (born 9 March 1982) is a sprinter from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines who specializes in the 100 metres. He was born in Kingstown.
), 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.


Background

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines debuted in the Olympic Games at the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in Seoul, South Korea and, as of 2008, has participated in every edition since. The Beijing Games marked the smallest Vincentian delegation in the country's history, the size having declined over the years from its largest delegation of eight participants at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta. At the conclusion of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' team has yet to medal in an event. The delegation arrived in Beijing on 28 July 2008, and stayed in the Olympic Village for the duration of their time in China. The Vincentians arrived early, three days after the Village itself opened, to make adjusting to the new environment easier. The delegation was accompanied by coach Gideon Labban; team manager Leroy Llewellyn; and chaperone Jacintha Ballantyne. Kineke Alexander was the flagbearer at the opening ceremony, leading Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as the 64th nation in line.


Athletics

The athletes competing on behalf of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines competed in track and field. Kineke Alexander participated in the women's 400 m sprint, while Jared Lewis took part in the men's 100 m sprint. Neither medaled or advanced to subsequent rounds. ;Men
Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
Track and Field Club member Jared Lewis qualified for the men's 100 m sprint. At the Beijing Olympics, the first round of Lewis' event took place on 14 August. Lewis was placed in Heat 3, competing against athletes such as Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson, who would later win silver in the event. Lewis ran his event in 11.00 seconds, ranking seventh among of eight competitors, 0.29 seconds ahead of Kiribati's Rabangaki Nawai and 0.54 seconds slower than Indonesia's
Suryo Agung Wibowo Suryo Agung Wibowo (born 8 October 1983) is an Indonesian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.
. Thompson, who took first place in the heat, was 0.76 seconds faster than Lewis. Overall, Lewis tied
Danny D'Souza Danny D'Souza (born 14 November 1977) is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for the Seychelles. D'Souza represented the Seychelles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romani ...
of the Seychelles for 63rd place out of 80 people and did not advance to the second round, which took place on the same day. ;Women University of Iowa student Kineke Alexander qualified for the 400 m sprint, an event in which she earned eight all-American honors during college competitions. Her participation in the Beijing Olympics marked her Olympic debut. At the Games Alexander competed in the first round of the event on 16 August. She was placed in Heat 6 and ranked fourth, completing the race in 52.87 seconds. She was 0.01  seconds faster than Grenada's
Trish Bartholomew Trish Bartholomew (born 23 October 1986 in Saint Andrew Parish) is a Grenadian sprinter, who specialized in the 400 metres. She set a personal best time of 51.29 seconds, by finishing second at the 2008 NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. ...
(5th place), 0.10  seconds slower than Sudan's
Nawal El Jack Malbas Jamous Nawal El Jack ( ar, ملبس جاموس نوال الجاك; born 17 October 1988 in Khartoum) is a Sudanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her nation at the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Ol ...
(3rd place), and 1.35  seconds slower than heat leader
Novelene Williams Novlene Hilaire Williams-Mills (''née'', Williams; born 26 April 1982), is a retired Jamaican track and field athlete. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2007 World Championships. She is also a three-time Olympic silver medalli ...
of Jamaica. Overall, in the first round, Alexander ranked 32 out of 50 competitors, finishing just ahead of Bartholomew and India's Mandeep Kaur and just behind Poland's
Monika Bejnar Monika Bejnar (born 10 March 1981, Tarnów) is a retired Poland, Polish sprint athlete. She finished 4th in the 200m final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. She also competed in the 4 × 400 m relay team for Po ...
. The overall round one leader, the United States' Sanya Richards, ran 2.33 seconds faster than Alexander. Alexander did not advance to the semifinal round, as she was neither in the top three places in her given heat nor in the top three fastest of those who did fall below third place in their heats. ;Key *Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only *Q = Qualified for the next round *q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser ''or'', in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target *NR = National record *N/A = Round not applicable for the event *Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round


See also

*
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was represented at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The BBC's Hazel Irving made a classic ''faux-pas'' during her commentary of the Opening Ceremony. She was relating that St Vincent had gained a number ...
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2007 Pan American Games * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2010 Commonwealth Games


References


External links


Official 2008 Summer Olympics Results Website
{{Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...