THUGWANE TAKES LONG, HARD ROAD : SOUTH AFRICAN IS UPSET WINNER.Byline: Scott M. Reid Orange County Register As the Olympic marathon course approached its 20th mile Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
``A death march,'' said United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. runner Keith Brantly. It was there also that South Africa's Josia Thugwane Josia Thugwane (born April 15, 1971) is a South African athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Born in Bethal, Thugwane ran his first marathon in 1991, but his breakthrough to the international athletics scene came in 1995, when he won the Honolulu , having already traveled over so much adversity in his life, began one more hard climb. At the end of it the mine worker struck gold for South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. , winning the closest Olympic marathon ever in a major upset and then dedicating his country's first Olympic track and field title in 44 years to a man who also had traveled a long, hard road to glory - Nelson Mandela Noun 1. Nelson Mandela - South African statesman who was released from prison to become the nation's first democratically elected president in 1994 (born in 1918) Mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela . Thugwane, all 5-feet-2, 99 pounds of him, threw a series of surges at South Korea's Lee Bong-Ju
Lee Bong-Ju (born October 11, 1970) is a South Korean marathoner (167cm, 56kg), and he is still active in 2007. and Kenya's Eric Wainaina over the final stages of perhaps the most-punishing Olympic course ever. He finally opened a gap in the last 2,000 meters, then held off Lee at the finish, winning in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 36 seconds to Lee's 2:12:39. Wainaina finished in 2:12:44 to take the bronze for Kenya's first Olympic marathon medal. Spain's Martin Fiz, the 1995 world champion and heavy prerace favorite, was fourth in 2:13:20. Brantly, worn down by the course, faded to 28th in 2:18:17. ``I got blasted,'' he said. U.S. Olympic Trials winner Bob Kempainen, slowed by a knee injury, was 31st in 2:18:38 with Mark Coogan 41st. Thugwane, not even ranked among the world's top 150 marathoners in 1995, became the first Olympic track gold-medal winner for South Africa since 1952. It was the nation's first Olympic marathon triumph since Kenneth McArthur Kennedy ("Kenneth") Kane McArthur (February 10, 1881 – June 13, 1960) was a South African athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Born in Dervock, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Kenneth McArthur was recognised as a promising athlete as a and Christian Gitsham Christopher ("Christian") William Gitsham (born October 15, 1888) was a South African athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon. He competed for South Africa in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden in the Marathon where he won the Silver medal. went 1-2 in the 1912 Games in Stockholm. Most significantly for a country banned from the Games for 32 years because of its policy of apartheid, Thugwane became the first black South African to win an Olympic medal. ``I am very, very happy because I have won this medal for my country. I have won this medal for my president,'' said Thugwane, referring to Mandela. ``I hope this shows the youth in our country that we are all free to run, and that we will be there to be counted with the rest of the world.'' Thugwane grew up dirt-poor in an apartheid system that offered little economic hope and constant terror to the country's black and so-called mixed-race citizens. Even since Mandela broke the chains of oppression, Thugwane's life has been far from easy. Good jobs remain scarce and crime high in a country still going through economic growing pains grow·ing pains pl.n. Pains in the limbs and joints of children or adolescents, frequently occurring at night and often attributed to rapid growth but arising from various unrelated causes. . Until recently, Thugwane worked in a mine in his hometown of Bethal. To help his training, the mining company has promoted him to security guard. ``I have a very good understanding with my employers,'' he said. ``They know that I have to train and allow me to put in as much training as I need.'' Still, his wife and children live more than 40 miles from the mining compound, and Thugwane often only sees them on weekends. In March, Thugwane's training, much of it conducted on South Africa's Table Mountain, was interrupted and his career threatened when he was injured in a carjacking The criminal taking of a motor vehicle from its driver by force, violence, or intimidation. The u.s. justice department categorizes the crime of carjacking as a "completed or attempted Robbery of a motor vehicle by a stranger . ``I was stopped by someone asking for a lift, but three men jumped in the car and said they were taking the car and the keys,'' Thugwane said. ``They had a gun and there was a bit of shooting. I jumped from the car when it was moving. I have had some problems since then. I have a scar on my chin and hurt my back. I thought it may not be possible for me to run again.'' Sunday, Thugwane's past trials only seemed to give him strength as the Olympic course wore down the rest of the field. Aware of what was ahead of them, runners started cautiously, with Poland's Leszek Beblo and Grzegorz Gajdus Grzegorz Gajdus (born January 16, 1967) is a long-distance runner from Poland, who represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He ran his personal best (2:09:22) in 2003, when he finished in fourth place at the Eindhoven Marathon. and New Zealand's Sean Wade leading through the opening 5,000 meters in 16:14. Having made a brief move with South African teammates Laurence Peu and Gert Thys just past the 25-kilometer mark, Thugwane broke away from a pack of 22 at Peachtree Creek with a decisive move. Lee joined him an hour and 42 minutes into the race, the pair opening a 50-meter gap on Wainaina. Seven minutes later, Wainaina took the lead, to which Thugwane responded with a series of moves to take the lead past 40 kilometers in 2:06:09. Lee made one final move, up the course's last hill, a mile from Centennial Olympic Stadium Centennial Olympic Stadium was the 85,000-seat main stadium of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Construction of the stadium began in 1993, and it was complete and ready for the Opening Ceremony in July 1996. . Thugwane matched it, then pulled away, opening a 20-meter lead he held until the closing meters. ``I saw that the course is very tough,'' Thugwane said, ``but I am used to tough courses in South Africa.'' He wasn't just talking about training. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Lee Bong-Ju, left, and eventual winner Josia Thugwane compete in the closing-day marathon. Associated Press |
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