Slovakia got 25th position in this summer Olympics at Beijing.They won 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal with total of 6 medals in the Beijing Olympics.  They participated in 14 sports with 57 competitors. Elena Kaliska was the flag bearer in opening ceremony. They participated in 1999, 2000 , 2004 and now 2008 Olympics. They achieved 3 gold medal for canoing .They also participated in shooting , weightlifting etc. Peter Hochschorner and Pavol Hochschorner from Slovakia became the first slalom canoeists to win three Olympic gold medals. Slovak athletes have won a total of twenty medals at the Summer Olympic Games, mostly in canoing. The nation has also won a single medal at the Winter Olympic Games. In the 2004 Athens Olympics they won 6 medals. Some of the medalists of the 2008 summer Olympics are listed below.

1.Michal Martikan

Michal Martikan of Slovakia won gold in men’s slalom canoe single event on at Shunyi Olympic rowing-canoing park at Shunyi district, Beijing with a total time of 176.65 seconds. David Florence of Great Britain got silver with 178.61 seconds. Robin Bell of Australia had been third with 180.59 seconds. He grabbed the gold in the 1996 Atlanta Games, but came in second for the silver in 2000 and 2004. He is the only slalom canoeist to win three Olympic medals. At the age of 16 he became the youngest winner of world cup slalom canoing events. After 3 months ,in the 1996 Olympics he was in the 6th place in canoe slalom singles events. He was the first Olympic champion to represent independent Slovakia. In the 2004 Olympics, he earned the highest score in the semi final ,which served him as the first run of the final. He also won several world championships with gold medal in 2007, 2003, 2002 etc.

2.Elena Kaliska

A Slovak slalom canoer Elena Kaliska won the gold medal for the canoing K-1 class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was born in in Zvolen, Czechoslovakia. She also won a gold medal for the same event in 2004 Athens. She finished fourth in the 2000 Olympic games. After winning her first gold medal in the K-1 in Athens, she has remained among the top in international competition. In 2005, she won her first gold at Worlds, and ranked first overall in World Cup standings. In 2007, she took silver at World championships. Her gold in Athens, made her the first woman from Slovakia to win a whitewater medal. In the 2008 European championships she finished within a time of 205.54 for 4 K1 . Jacqueline Lawrence of Australia won the silver medal for this event in Beijing. Violetta Oblinger-Peters of Austria got the bronze medal.

3.Pavol Hochschorner, Peter Hochschorner (Men’s Slalom C-2 canoeing team)



The World No. 1 pair, Peter Hochschorner and his twin brother Pavol Hochschorner from Slovakia won the gold medal for the slalom C-2 event in the Beijing Olympics 2008. The canoe/kayak slalom competition of the Beijing Olympics will be held at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoing Park . They won with a 2.65 second gap by sending an ominous warning to the rest of the world’s slalom canoeists. They won the gold medals for the same event in 2000 and 2004 Olympics. This was their third consecutive Olympic gold medal. They defeated Jaroslav Volf & Ondrej Stepanek of Czech Republic . There were three rounds of competitions, the heats, the semifinal, and the final. Mikhail Kuznetsov & Dmitry Larionov of Russia won the bronze medal. The Slovakian twin brothers take an overall time of 190.82 seconds.

4.Zuzana Stefecekova

A Slovakian sports shooter ,Zuzana Stefecekova was born in Nitra, Czechoslovakia. She won a silver medal in the Women’s track at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She studies missionary and charitable work in Bratislava. She practiced in the SSSR MV SR Bratislava club in Bratislava, Slovakia. Branislav Slamka is her coach. Zuzana Stefecekova who was tied for the lead with Makela-Nummela entering the finals, finished with 89 targets for the silver. Makela-Nummela of Finland has won the gold medal in women’s trap shooting, hitting 21 targets in the finals to set an Olympic record. Corey Cogdell of Australia won the bronze medal. This event consisted of two rounds a qualifier and final. The top 6 shooters in the qualifying round moved on to the final round. There, they fired one additional round of 25 targets, where only one shot could be taken at each target.

5.Michal Riszdorfer, Richard Riszdorfer, Juraj Tarr, Erik Vlcek (K-4 1000 m canoeing team)

The men’s K-4 1000 meters competition in canoing at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoing Park . The Slovakian team won the gold medal for this event. Michal Riszdorfer, Richard Riszdorfer, Juraj Tarr, Erik Vlcek are the team members. Competition consists of three rounds the heats, the semifinals, and the final. All boats compete in the heats. The top three finishers in each of the two heats advance directly to the final. Michal Riszdorfer is a Slovak canoer, who won an Olympic bronze medal in K-4 1000 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He has also won seven World Championships gold medals. A Slovakian flatwater canoer, Richard Riszdorfer won five world and six European titles. He was also a member of the 2004 Athene’s team.  Juraj Tarr was born in Komarno. He participated in the 2000 Olympics. Erik Vlcek won 5 world championships gold medal as a part of Slovakia’s team.

6.David Musulbes

David Musulbes is a Ossetian wrestler . He currently represents Slovakia and in the past he represents Russia. He won the bronze medal for men’s freestyle 120kg at Beijing Olympics 2008. He also won the gold medal for the men’s freestyle 130 kg at the Sydney Olympics. In 2001 and 2002 he was the world champion. He won Bronze medal at World Championships in 1995, 1997. He becomes the European champion five times in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2008. He officially recognized as the best freestyle wrestler in the world in 2001. He practised in the CSKA club Moscow, Russia. His trainers are Kasbek Didikeev, Saveli Byasrov . He was born in Vladikaukaz, North Ossetia. He graduated from the North Ossetian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and from the North Ossetian State University, specializing in law. At the Olympic wrestling tournament he won all matches, but one to his old friend and fellow Ossetian Artur Taymazov, a two time Olympic champion, representing Uzbekistan.

Posted by sreeja, filed under Beijing Olympics 2008. Date: August 29, 2008, 5:58 am | No Comments »

Brazil more competitive and the Sports is a national passion. For the last three Olympic Games Brazil have been the most successful history with medals take a variety of sports. Five gold medals were won at the 2004 Games in Athens. It’s a huge record in Brazil. The total number of athletes from Brazil 277,  who participate the total of 24 sports categories at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Brazilian athletes have won with volleyball, sailing and judo as the top medal-producing sports.such as the first gold medal won by the women’s volleyball team. The biggest number of women athlete in Brazil. Brazil finished the Beijing 2008 Olympics with a haul of Fifteen medals-three gold, four silver and eight Bronze. Brazil was ranked 23rd in the table of Olympic medals. A few details of Brazilian medalists at the beijing olympics 2008.

1. MAGGI MAURREN HIGA

She recieved a gold Medal in Beijing 2008 in the Long Jump and the medal with 7.04 meters. Maggi was take the gold with first attempt, that is her best performance this season. This is the first gold gold medalwon by a Brazilian. She was so happy to win the gold and it’s great achievement for her future. She did very well from start to end of this competition. She is also the South American record holder at 100 meters hurdles and at long jump, with 12.71 seconds and 7.26 meters and did not compete for two years after failing a doping test at the 2003 Pan American Games. She said the positive test came from a hair removal product she had been using. The maggi’s Beijing gold to be great news in Brazil and it a really great moment of her life.

2. CIELO FILHO CESAR

He takes two medals in Beijing 2008. One gold and one silver. He won the gold medal in Men’s 50m Freestyle and the silver takes Men’s 100m Freestyle. Since it was the first Brazilian gold medal of the 2008 games and the first Olympic swimming gold for Brazil. Filho winning time at the Water Cube was just 0.02 seconds. He is a student in the United States where he is studies in international business. He was the 2007 NCAA Swimmer and six-time NCAA Champion. He is very faster and the race was best ever for his life.

3. MENEZES VALESKA, de OLIVEIRA FABIANA ………… (TEAM)

The Brazil team won by the gold medal in the womens Volleyball competition. The Brazilian team was very well concentrate and much better play this tournament. That is good enough to earn them victory. Brazil looked good in the first ever Olympic gold medal. The team so happy with this victory because it’s not a easy to win the game.The team players are to be strong and well trained performance. It looks a great team work and it has a sweet revenge. volleyball player Walewska Oliveira competed for Brazil in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000. She also win the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and bronze medal with the Women’s National Team in Sydney. The another player Valeska Menezes-She was named Best Blocker at the 2003 FIVB Women’s World Cup in Japan. The Brazil’s players are very talented and great performers. This Olympic gold is a ultimate reward for us future.

4. ARAUJO MARCIO, MAGALHAES FABIO

The Brazilian team are top two in the 2008 Olympic beach volleyball tournament.Brazilian team is the defending gold medalists, Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos. Fabio, who started his career as an indoor volleyball player. He is the most famous player of 2005. Marcio Araujo began playing Beach Volleyball in 1996. Fabio and Marcio, also won the 2005 World Championships. They finished ninth at the 2007 worlds championships. The pair has won eleventh place on the FIVB tournaments. Both are most outstanding player in Brazil.

5. SCHEIDT ROBERT, PRADA BRUNO

Brazilian Scheidt Robert and Prada Bruno won the the silver medal for the Star sailing competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Scheidt began sailing as a child. His first boat was a wooden third-hand Optimist, which he got when he was nine years old. He won his first international competition was in 1985 at the Optimist South American Championship for boys under 11 years old. Scheidt Robet first important event was the Brazilian Optimist Championship in Florianopolis in 1984. Sailing’s most physically and technically demanding craft. Robert and Bruno are very strongest team and very amazing performance. Both are absolutely delighted to have won this rice and the top three finishers fell out of his boat just seconds before the finish line.

6. BARBARA, RENATA COSTA, SIMONE, TANIA…….(TEAM)

Brazil team earned silver Medal in the women’s soccer tournament at Beijing Olympics.The silver got their just rewards for a hard-working performance. Marta shows some fantastic trickery and skill and wins a corner for Brazil. The players are almost too careful with the ball. It was a very conclusive game. The U.S. women’s soccer team just won the gold medal, with a 1-0 win. The winning goal came on a shot from outside the box from Lloyd, who took advantage of a nice piece of possession in the U.S. attacking half that saw the ball go from substitute Lauren Cheney to Lloyd, who one-touched it to Amy Rodriguez. The speedy U.S. forward played a cheeky back heel to an overlapping Lloyd, and she took a touch forward before blasting a low left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal.

7. QUADROS KETLEYN

She take the Bronze Medal in the the women’s judo -(57kg) competition, defeated Australia’s Maria Pekli. It was the first medal ever won by a female Brazilian competitor in an individual sport. Judo is a good fitness program. It was sweet revenge for the ketleyn and she is a powerful competitor. She will be Maximum try to make her scoring mark in the Beijing Games. This medal to be a great news in Brazil and the greatest achievement for her future.

8. FALAVIGNA NATALIA

Brazil’s Natalia Falavigna won the Bronze Medal for the women’s taekwondo 67 kilogram class at the Beijing Olympics. In 2005, she was select as the best athlete of Brazil and Her first international championships were the WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships held in Ireland in 2000, in which she won the gold medal in the women’s middleweight division. She is studying physical education in a university.The bronze was the first Brazilian Olympic medal ever in taekwondo. Natalia’s first Olympics appearance in 2004, when she finished in the fourth place in the competition. She is competed lot of championships and she earned lot of medals.

9. GUILHEIRO LEANDRO

He take the Bronze medal in the Men’s men’s judo -73kg competition.He is also won the bronze medal in the same catogory at the 2004 Olympics. The World junior champion Leandro Guilheiro of Brazil came back from a quarter-final defeat to beat Moldova’s Victor Bivol for bronze with Twenty-three seconds into the match.only 13 seconds for the world’s top-ranked judoka at 73 kilograms to win Azerbaijan’s first gold medal of the Beijing Games, on Day 3 of Olympic competition.

10. OLIVEIRA FERNANDA, SWAN ISABEL

Fernanda Oliveira and Isabel Swan of Brazil, compete for the Bronze Medal in the Woman’s sailing in 470 class. Both of them practice with the support of Mormaii, which supplies them with high performance equipments, such as the wet suits manufactured in Garopaba and the Mormaii Floater sunglasses. The very conclusive competition Australian pair catch for the gold Medal. The competition would be a fantastic experience for the brazils pair. Fernanda and isabel very strong from the beginning to the end and that is best result in international competitions.

Posted by priji, filed under Beijing Olympics 2008. Date: August 29, 2008, 5:39 am | No Comments »