Senegalese athletes have been eliminated from the current Olympic Games in Paris, leaving the memory of their country’s only medal of the games by Amadou Dia Ba in 1988, intact.
Just when Senegal’s last medal hopes were resting on her shoulders, canoeist Combe Seck was eliminated from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the quarterfinals of the canoe/kayak sprint on Thursday, August 8. She finished seventh in the women’s 200-meter race, a result that was not enough for her to advance to the semifinals.
The day before, the canoeist had already failed in the qualifying heats at the Vaires-sur-Marne nautical stadium with a time of 47.35 seconds. Despite being given a second chance, Combe Seck was unable to take advantage.
Senegal, which had eleven athletes competing in various disciplines, left without a single medal, leaving behind the memory of the country’s only Olympic medal, won by Amadou Dia Ba in 1988.
The day before, Louis François Mendy, a specialist in the 110-meter hurdles and Senegal’s flagbearer in Paris, also saw his dreams shattered in the semifinals. After criticizing the authorities’ treatment of Senegalese athletes before the competition, the hurdler echoed many of the same sentiments after his semi-final exit.
“An Olympic medal requires solid preparation and considerable financial resources. Top level is no joke. I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better with my level of preparation. (…) I did the best I could,” the 110m hurdles national record holder lamented on social media.
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