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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System Date: 19 Aug 2008 Title: Mokoena magic lifts Team South Africa -------------------- By Brad Morgan Beijing - Khotso Mokoena won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Monday in impressive style, winning the men's long jump with a leap of 8.24 metres. Mokeona ended Team South Africa's Olympic medals drought. The best that a South African had managed before then had been fourth place in the 200 metres freestyle by Jean Basson. He opened his challenge with a distance of 7.86 metres as Zimbabwe's Ngonidzashe Makusha took the first round lead with an excellent jump of 8.19 metres, reports SouthAfrica.info. Mokoena fouled on his second jump, running right through the pit after he got his steps wrong. It was a concern that he and others had struggled with on the very fast track. In round three, Panama's Irving Saladino, the world leader in 2008 with an exceptional 8.73 metre leap in May, then took the lead with a mark of 8.21m. Mokoena cleared the eight-metre barrier with a jump of 8.02m in the same round. It helped him make the top-eight cutoff in fifth place. In round four, Mokoena improved upon that distance and leapt into the gold medal position with a superb jump of 8.24 metres. Saladino, though, quickly grabbed it back with a leap of 8.34 metres. Mokoena fouled in the fifth round and fouled again in sixth round when he had a monster jump, but his 8.24m effort in round four was still good enough for the silver medal. Cuba's Ibrahim Camejo claimed the bronze medal, with his last jump measuring 8.19 metres. "Having a silver medal is something that I can cherish for the rest of my life. The guys were looking strong and I knew I was stronger," said Mokoena. He added that he had come to the Beijing Olympics expecting to win a medal and he had achieved that. It is not the first time that Mokoena has excelled in a major international event. In 2001, he represented South Africa in the high jump at the World Youth Championships, finishing in seventh place. Two years later, he won a silver medal in the triple jump and a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2003 All Africa Games in Abuja. In 2004, at the World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, he won the triple jump title. In 2006, he won a silver medal in the triple jump at the Commonwealth Games. He also finished second in both the long jump and triple jump at the African Championship in Mauritius. In 2007, competing in the long jump, he was third in the All Africa Games in Algiers, third in the World Athletics finals in Stuttgart, and fifth in the World Championships in Osaka. Earlier this year, in Valencia, he was crowned the World Indoor long jump champion with a leap of 8.08 metres. He is the national record holder in the long jump with a distance of 8.39 metres. Mokoena also owns the South African triple jump record of 17.25 metres. His best height in the high jump, achieved in 2001, was 2.10 metres. Mokoena's medal has lifted the spirits of Team South Africa, who have performed well in track and field events thus far. - BuaNews |
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