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NEWS ARCHIVES 2008
NEWS ARCHIVES 2007
News > August 2008 Aug 27, 2008 Peru will lead this year's economic growth americas Saladino wins first gold for PanamaDate: 2008-18-08
The shaven-headed long jumper won his nation's first Olympic gold medal Monday, ending a 60-year stretch where Panama had failed to achieve Olympic success of any kind. The 2007 world champion won with a best jump of 8.34 meters — 10 centimeters longer than world indoor champion Khotso Mokoena of South Africa, who took silver. Ibrahim Camejo of Cuba was third at 8.20. "I'm just waiting to get to Panama — to see if it's going to be a wild party," the 25-year-old said. "To be an Olympic champion is much better than being a world champion. The truth is it's a medal I really had to fight for." The victory ended a virtual U.S. lock on the event. In the modern Olympics, Americans have won the long jump 22 of 26 times with stars such as Carl Lewis, Bob Beamon and Jesse Owens. The reigning Olympic champion, Dwight Philips, did not make the U.S. squad this time around. LET THE COLORS SHINE! Saladino not only wore his national colors on his vest, but also on his shoes: one was blue, the other red. After his jump he wrapped himself in a flag and ran round the stadium, sticking his tongue out playfully at the cameras. The celebrations were a long time coming. The last time the country saw success in the games was in 1948 when Lloyd LaBeach won bronze in the 100 and 200 meters. Like many Panamanian boys, Saladino wanted to follow in the footsteps of baseball player Mariano Rivera and join the New York Yankees. He played well, and major league scouts liked his speed but balked at his lack of hitting. Things changed when his older brother David took him out to the track. "I liked playing baseball at the time, then my brother introduced me to athletics. I started to enjoy it ... and here I am," he said. After qualifying for the Athens Games, but performing poorly because of injury, he joined the Sao Paulo Regional Training Center in Brazil through the Olympic Solidarity Program, which offers opportunities to athletes who wouldn't have a chance to compete at the highest level. The best-known recipient is Maria Mutola, who came from poverty in Mozambique to become an Olympic 800 meters champion. Saladino won the world championship in Osaka, Japan, with a jump of 8.57 meters. This year he firmly established himself as a gold medal prospect when he jumped 8.73 meters — further than anyone has leapt in 14 years. Even though he won gold, Saladino — who divides his time between Panama and Brazil — was not entirely happy with his performance Monday. "I came to Beijing in excellent shape. Today what I was looking for didn't quite happen. What I really wanted was to improve my personal best of 8.73 — I know I'm ready to do that. Today it just didn't happen, but I had many things on my mind," he said. "I'm not totally satisfied, but I've achieved my objective of being Olympic champion and world champion." After partying in Panama, Saladino plans to start training for the London Games, which he said would be his last. "I'll stay in Brazil until London 2012, then end my career with that," he said. |
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BEIJING – Like many Panamanians,  |
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