Tanzania starts medal hunt Olympic Games today
The first batch of team Tanzania arrives in Paris ahead of hunting for medals in the 2024 Olympic Games PHOTO |COURTESY
What you need to know:
- It has now been 44 years since Tanzania last won medals at the Olympics.
- The Citizen has prepared a short profile for the Tanzania Sportsmen and women who have been given the task of making the country proud in the multi port event.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian judoka Andrew Mlugu today will face Taitin William of Samoa in the round of the 32 of the Olympic Games.
Mlugu will be in action at 11am Tanzania time at the Champs -De- Mars Arena in Paris, France.
He will be searching the third medal for Tanzania after the previous two silvers were won by Filbert Bayi and Suleiman Nyambui in Moscow in 1980.
If Mlugu wins the event, he will advance to the round of 16 today. Also, Team Tanzania has swimmers Collins Saliboko and Sophia Latiff .
It has now been 44 years since Tanzania last won medals at the Olympics.
The Citizen has prepared a short profile for the Tanzania Sportsmen and women who have been given the task of making the country proud in the multi port event.
Alphonce Simbu
Simbu is one of the famous runners in the world with outstanding performance in various international competitions.
Team Tanzania’s captain is facing an uphill task to break a record of 44 years since the country won the first two Olympic Medals in Moscow, 1980.
He won a bronze medal in the 2017 World Championships held in London.
He then won a Silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England in 2022.
This will be his third Olympic Games since he qualified for the first time for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil and finished fifth by recording 2:11:15.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Simbu was placed seventh after he clocked 2:11:35.
Gabriel Geay
He is among the big names at the multisport event with a number of the best performances in his career.
In 2023, Geay finished second at the 2023 Boston Marathon to beat famous runners including Elius Kipchoge of Kenya.
He is the Tanzanian national record holder for the marathon. He recorded 2:03:00 in the Valencia Marathon in 2022 to set the national record.
The runner is still nursing his injury sustained during a training session in Arusha.
However, he is optimistic about recovering fully before competing in the Paris Games on August 11.
Magdalena Shauri
She is one of the experienced female runners in the country with a record of 2:18:41 in the Berlin Marathon.
She has featured in various competitions in the world including the world championships in 2019.
She is currently ranked 43rd among the world’s best female athletes.
Jackline Sakilu
She is an experienced runner who has featured in various competitions in the world including the Women’s Marathon in which she was placed 66 and the Women’s Road Running.
She currently holds the national record of half-marathon and will be participating in the event for the first time.
