South Africa’s Olympic team arrive home from Athens on Tuesday morning carrying mixed emotions after an unforgettable experience in Greece. The 28th Olympiad produced heart-stopping moments of glory for the South Africans who won six medals, the most since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Hendrick Ramaala led a kamikaze pact among South Africa’s marathon men in the Olympic Marathon as the Athens Olympics drew to a dramatic close on Sunday over the route where the marathon was born. National record holder Gert Thys, who ran in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and Sydney 2000, was the only South African home in 2:16,08 for 16th, with Ramaala and Ian Syster having bailed out on the route from Marathon to Athens.
Efharisto! A nervous world learned the Greek word for ”thank you” and repeated it endlessly at an astonishingly successful Athens Olympics that quelled fears, surprised skeptics and greatly honoured the birthplace of the Games. Efharisto, Athens, for architectural masterpieces of stadiums and arenas that showcased record performances.
Australian Lleyton Hewitt boosted his confidence for next week’s US Open with a crushing 6-3, 6-1 win over Peru’s Luis Horna in New York on Sunday to win the 000 ATP event. Hewitt claimed his second trophy in as many weeks after winning in Washington seven days ago.
World champion Michael Schumacher added another stripe to his well-decorated cap after clocking up his seventh world title in Belgium on Sunday. Although an unfamiliar second place slightly dampened the perfectionist’s celebration of his fifth consecutive world title, his domination has already proved he is one of a kind.
Liverpool slumped to their first league defeat of the season on Sunday, surrendering a first-half goal to 1-0 at Bolton. On Saturday, Arsenal extended their record unbeaten run to 44 league matches with a 4-1 win at Norwich. Jose Antonio Reyes, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires each scored in the first half.
Ronaldo got Real Madrid off to a winning start on Sunday thanks to an accurate assist from new signing Michael Owen, securing a 1-0 win over Mallorca in the Spanish league. In a late match on Sunday, FC Barcelona beat Racing de Santander 2-0 through a Ludovic Giuly tap-in and a controversial penalty by Samuel Eto’o.
It began with a scandal in the sprints and ended with an ambush in the marathon. The first rocked the host nation. The second startled everyone else. All it proved is that for grand stages and stunning surprises, there is still nothing in sports quite like the Olympics.
Special Report: Olympic Games
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