Sierra Leone at the 2012 Summer Olympics
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{infobox country at games
| NOC = SLE
| NOCname = National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone
| games = Summer Olympics
| year = 2012
| flagcaption =
| oldcode =
| website = {{url|www.nocsl.org }}
| location = London
| competitors = 2
| sports = 1
| flagbearer = Ola Sesay (opening)
Ibrahim Turay (closing)
| rank =
| gold = 0
| silver = 0
| bronze = 0
| officials =
| appearances = auto
| app_begin_year =
| app_end_year =
| summerappearances =
| winterappearances =
| seealso =
}}
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.
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,{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417092434/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 April 2020 | title=Sports Reference – Countries – Sierra Leone | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}} 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.{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/17/newsid_3555000/3555450.stm | title=BBC ON THIS DAY: 1976: African countries boycott Olympics | publisher=BBC | access-date=23 November 2014}} The highest number of Sierra Leonean athletes participating in a summer games is fourteen in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA.{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/1980/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417092433/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/1980/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 April 2020 | title=Sports Reference – Moscow 1980 – Sierra Leone | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}}{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/1996/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417092437/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/1996/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 April 2020 | title=Sports Reference – Atlanta 1980 – Sierra Leone | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}} {{as of|2015}}, no Sierra Leonean athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics. 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/2012/ATH/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173557/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/SLE/summer/2012/ATH/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 April 2020 | title=Sports Reference – London 2012 – Sierra Leone – Athletics | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}} They both qualified after meeting the "A" and "B" qualifying standards for their events respectively. Sesay and Turay were flag bearers for the opening and closing ceremonies respectively.{{cite web | url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Games_London_2012/Flagbearers.pdf | title=List of flagbearers London 2012 | publisher=Olympic.org. | access-date=23 November 2014}}
Athletics
{{main|Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
The 2012 Summer Games marked Ibrahim Turay's Olympic debut.{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/tu/ibrahim-turay-1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418102011/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/tu/ibrahim-turay-1.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=18 April 2020 | title=Ibrahim Turay on Sports Reference | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}} 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8453553/London-2012-Olympics-Athletics-qualification.html | title=London 2012 Olympics: Athletics qualification | work=The Telegraph | access-date=27 January 2015}}{{cite web | url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/sierra-leone/ibrahim-turay-271328#progression | title=IAAF – Athletes – Sierra Leone – Ibrahim Turay – Progression | publisher=IAAF | access-date=27 January 2015}} He competed on 7 August in heat two, finishing last out of eight athletes, despite achieving a personal best time of 21.90 seconds.{{cite web | url=http://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-4871/men/200-metres/heats/result | title=IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Men – 200 meters – Heats – Results | publisher=IAAF | access-date=23 November 2014}} 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,{{efn|One athlete, Alonso Edward, was disqualified and another, Ben Youssef Meité, did not start.|name=DQ/DNS}} 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.{{cite web | url=http://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-4871/men/200-metres/heats/summary | title=IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Men – 200 meters – Heats – Summary | publisher=IAAF | access-date=23 November 2014}}
File:Olympic Stadium (London) illuminated, 3 August 2012.jpg, where Turay and Sesay competed in track and field events]]
Competing at her first Olympics,{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/se/ola-sesay-1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418004841/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/se/ola-sesay-1.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=18 April 2020 | title=Ola Sesay on Sports Reference | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=23 November 2014}} Ola Sesay was notable for carrying the Sierra Leone flag for the opening ceremony. She qualified for the Olympics after meeting the "B" qualifying standard in the long jump.{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/countries/8664301/Sierra-Leone-London-2012-Olympics.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613024641/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/countries/8664301/Sierra-Leone-London-2012-Olympics.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 June 2012 | title=Sierra Leone – London 2012 Olympics | work=The Telegraph|location=London| access-date=27 January 2015}} 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.{{cite web | url=http://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-4871/women/long-jump/qualification/result | title=IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Women – Long Jump – Qualification – Results | publisher=IAAF | access-date=23 November 2014}} 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,{{efn|Four athletes were not classified.|name=NC}} and was 0.18 metres behind a qualification spot, therefore not advancing to the final.{{cite web | url=http://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-4871/women/long-jump/qualification/summary | title=IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2012 – Women – Long Jump – Qualification – Summary | publisher=IAAF | access-date=23 November 2014}}
{{smalldiv|1=
;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
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |
| rowspan="2"|Athlete
!rowspan="2"|Event !colspan="2"|Heat !colspan="2"|Semifinal !colspan="2"|Final |
|---|
| style="font-size:95%"
!Result !Rank !Result !Rank !Result !Rank |
| align=center
|align=left|Ibrahim Turay |align=left|200 m |21.90 |8 |colspan=4|Did not advance |
;Women
| class=wikitable style="font-size:90%" |
| rowspan="2"|Athlete
!rowspan="2"|Event !colspan="2"|Qualification !colspan="2"|Final |
|---|
| style="font-size:95%"
!Distance !Position !Distance !Position |
| align=center
|align=left|Ola Sesay |align=left|Long jump |6.22 |23 |colspan=2|Did not advance |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
{{Good article}}