Athletes Who Gave Their Nation Its Only Gold
Venuste Niyongabo (Kenya):
Coming into the 5000 meters race at the Atlanta Olympics, Venuste Niyongabo had competed only twice before in that event. He won a silver medal in the 1500 meter at the 1992 World Junior Championships and also came fourth in 800 meters. He competed in his first senior tournament the following year, but was eliminated in the 1500 meters final of the world championship at Stuttgart. He won a bronze medal at the world championship at Gothenburg. He is the sixth fastest miler ever, putting him behind Steve Cram and Daniel Komen. After the Olympics, Niyongabo struggled with several injuries, and never achieved the same level of competition again. His attempt to defend the title at 2000 Sydney Olympics failed, placing only 15th in the semi-final heats.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum (UAE):
His gold in the double trap event was first ever Olympic gold for United Arab Emirates. The triumph was special, considering he gave up squash- a sport in which he was national champion- to take up shooting. In the trap event, al Maktoum won the gold and India’s Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had to content with silver in the Athens Games in 2004. At the 2005 ISSF World Cup, he won another gold medal in double trap. He competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but did not reach the final in trap.
