Sierra Leone at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Sierra Leone competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This marked the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1968 Summer Olympics. The Sierra Leone delegation included two track and field athletes; Ibrahim Turay, a sprinter and Ola Sesay, a long jumper. Sesay and Turay were selected as flag bearers for the opening and closing ceremonies respectively. Neither of the two athletes progressed beyond the first round.

Sierra Leone at the 2012 Summer Olympics
IOC code	SLE
NOC	National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone
Website	www.nocsl.org
in London
Competitors	2 in 1 sport
Flag bearer	Ola Sesay (opening) Ibrahim Turay (closing)
Medals	Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1968 1972–1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

Background

Sierra Leone participated in ten Summer Olympic games between its debut in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[1] with the exception of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the latter because of a boycott relating to the New Zealand national rugby union team touring South Africa.[2] The highest number of Sierra Leonean athletes participating in a summer games is fourteen[1] in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA.[3][4] As of 2015, no Sierra Leonean athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics.[1] Two athletes from Sierra Leone qualified for the London games; Ibrahim Turay in the track and field 200 m and Ola Sesay in the long jump.[5] They both qualified after meeting the "A" and "B" qualifying standards for their events respectively.[6] Sesay and Turay were flag bearers for the opening and closing ceremonies respectively.[7]

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Games marked Ibrahim Turay's Olympic debut.[8] He qualified for the 200 metres after posting a time of 22.54 seconds in the 2010 Commonwealth Games Men's 200 metres, 0.01 seconds faster than the "A" qualifying standard.[6][9] He competed on 7 August in heat two, finishing last out of eight athletes, despite achieving a personal best time of 21.90 seconds.[10] He ranked behind Chile's Cristián Reyes (21.29 seconds), in a heat led by France's Christophe Lemaitre (20.34. seconds). Overall he finished 51st out of 55 athletes,[lower-alpha 1] and was 1.18 seconds slower than the slowest athlete that progressed to the final round and, therefore, that was the end of his competition.[11]

The London Olympic Stadium, where Turay and Sesay competed in track and field events

Competing at her first Olympics,[12] Ola Sesay was notable for carrying the Sierra Leone flag for the opening ceremony.[7] She qualified for the Olympics after meeting the "B" qualifying standard in the long jump.[6][13] She competed on 7 August in Group A, and finished joint 11th out of 16 athletes with Philippines' Marestella Torres, both of whom posting a jump of 6.22 metres.[14] She ranked ahead of Ukraine's Marharyta Tverdohlib (6.19 metres) in a group led by Great Britain's Shara Proctor (6.83 metres). Sesay finished 23rd out of 32 athletes overall,[lower-alpha 2] and was 0.18 metres behind a qualification spot, therefore not advancing to the final.[15]

Key

• Note – Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
• Q = Qualified for the next round
• q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
• NR = National record
• N/A = Round not applicable for the event
• Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Ibrahim Turay	200 m	21.90	8	Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Final
		Distance	Position	Distance	Position
Ola Sesay	Long jump	6.22	23	Did not advance

Notes

1. One athlete, Alonso Edward, was disqualified and another, Ben Youssef Meité, did not start.[10]
2. Four athletes were not classified.[14]

References

1. "Sports Reference – Countries – Sierra Leone". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
2. "BBC ON THIS DAY: 1976: African countries boycott Olympics". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
3. "Sports Reference – Moscow 1980 – Sierra Leone". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
4. "Sports Reference – Atlanta 1980 – Sierra Leone". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
5. "Sports Reference – London 2012 – Sierra Leone – Athletics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
6. "London 2012 Olympics: Athletics qualification". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
7. "List of flagbearers London 2012" (PDF). Olympic.org. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
8. "Ibrahim Turay on Sports Reference". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
9. "IAAF – Athletes – Sierra Leone – Ibrahim Turay – Progression". IAAF. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
10. "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Men – 200 meters – Heats – Results". IAAF. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
11. "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Men – 200 meters – Heats – Summary". IAAF. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
12. "Ola Sesay on Sports Reference". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
13. "Sierra Leone – London 2012 Olympics". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
14. "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Women – Long Jump – Qualification – Results". IAAF. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
15. "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Women – Long Jump – Qualification – Summary". IAAF. Retrieved 23 November 2014.