On this day 13 August 2006 (Exactly 14 years ago today) Vida Anim added a third gold medal to her personal tally and a fouth for Ghana, in the women’s 200m, on the final day of the Africa Championships at the Germain Commarmond Stadium in Bambous, Mauritius.
Despite a strong headwind (-2.6) Anim clocked her season best of 22.90 en route to winning the women’s 200m – beating PILLAY Geraldine (South Africa) and FERAEZ Fabienne (Benin) in the process.
Anim was the championship’s most successful athlete. In keeping with Ghana’s old name Gold Coast, she won all three events she entered, the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
“It is truly an overwhelming experience. After missing last year through injury, my only aim at this championship was to complete and stay healthy. I am particularly surprised with my 200m result as I did not train adequately for the event. With God’s blessing I want to do Africa proud at the World Cup in Athens (Greece),” Anim declared.
Elsewhere;
On this day 13 August 2005 (Exactly 15 years ago today) Ignatius Gaisah won Ghana’s second medal at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki. This was Ghana’s first ever silver medal and first ever medal by a male athlete at the world athletics championships.
Gaisah, cleared 8.34m in the third round for a national record and silver in the long jump.
American Dwight Phillips only needed one jump to retain his world title with a leap of 8.60 metres to equal his personal best. Finland’s Tommi Evila clinched bronze (8.25) to delight the home crowd with the country’s first medal of this championships.
On this day 13 August 2011(Exactly 9 years ago today) Abner Mares won the IBF bantamweight championship, beating Joseph Agbeko by a controversial majority decision in Las Vegas
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Mares appeared to land a number of illegal low blows, but referee Russell Mora never deducted a point in the Showtime bantamweight tournament final. In the 11th round, Agbeko was sent to the canvas on an apparent low blow that Mora immediately ruled a knockdown.
Two judges scored the bout 115-111 for Mares, while the other had it even at 113.
Despite the controversy, it was an exciting fight in which the fighters exchanged blows throughout the 12 rounds.
Mares knocked Agbeko off balance and through the ropes with a left hook behind the ear in the first round. He was the aggressor through the first two rounds and seemed to be the stronger fighter, landing numerous power shots.
Agbeko began to work his jab effectively and staggered Mares in the fourth round with a solid straight right cross. Agbeko became the aggressor from that moment, pushing the pace and continually backing up Mares.
On this day 13 August 2008 (Exactly 12 years ago today) American super-swimmer Michael Phelps won 3 gold medals, all in world record time, in the one day at the Beijing Olympics; 200m Individual Medley (1:54.23), 200m butterfly (1.52.03) and 4 x 200m freestyle relay (6:58.56)
On this day 13 August 2008 (Exactly 12 years ago today) Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice wrap up the medley double at the Beijing Olympics when she swum world record 2:08.45 to win the 200m Individual Medley gold medal.
On this day 13 August 2008 (Exactly 12 years ago today) Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini set new world record 1:54.82 to claim 200m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics; runner-up Sara Isaković was Slovenia’s first Olympic swim medal winner.
On this day 13 August 2012 (Exactly 8 years ago today) Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus was stripped of her shot-put gold medal after failing a drugs test.
On this day 13 August 2016 (Exactly 4 years ago today) American swimmer Michael Phelps ended his career at the Rio Olympics as part of the winning 4×100 medley relay, his record 23rd gold medal.
The United States had never failed to take the gold in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay at a non-boycotted Summer Games, and it was not about to end the streak, not in the competitive farewell of the greatest Olympian.
The backstroker Ryan Murphy set the tone with a world-record leadoff leg of 51.85 seconds. The breaststroker Cody Miller did his best to stay close to his British counterpart, Adam Peaty, who split a blistering 56.59. Phelps entered the water in second place.
With a 50.33 split, Phelps handed the lead to Nathan Adrian, who held on and gave the Americans the victory in a time of 3 minutes 27.95 seconds, ahead of Britain (3:29.24) and Australia (3:29.93).
Phelps ended his career with 28 Olympic medals, including 23 golds.
You just have no idea how difficult it is for anybody to win an Olympic gold medal,” said Phelps’s longtime coach, Bob Bowman. “I know Michael’s done it so frequently, it’s really hard to put it in perspective.”
Phelps could not. He described his medal total as “insane.” He entered the Rio Games as the most decorated Olympian in history, with 22 medals, including 18 golds, and added five golds and a silver during eight days of competition.
His other victories came in the two freestyle relays, the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley, in which he became the third American Olympian after the track and field athletes Al Oerter and Carl Lewis to win the same event four times.
On this day 13 August 2016 (Exactly 4 years ago today) British super-star Mo Farah won 1st leg of 5,000/10,000m double (repeat of London 2012) in 27:05.17 in the 10,000m at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
On this day 16 August 2016 (Exactly 4 years ago today) Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson won blue ribband women’s 100m gold in 10.71 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; American Tori Bowie second in 10.83 and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica 3rd 10.86.
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
