Season's best: Guam's Cora Alicto runs a season's best time of 13.31 seconds in the 100-meter sprint yesterday at the Olympics. (Gannett News Service)
Cora Alicto, Guam Olympian, came in 7thin Round 1 of the Heat 5 competition of the 100 meters Track and Field competitions at the Beijing Olympics. Although, her time of 13.31 minutes does not qualify her to compete in the next round of competition, Alicto has fulfilled her dream of competing in the most prestigious sporting event of the world.
She is one of only six athletes representing the small United States Territory of Guam and, like her teammates, imbues the spirit of these games. While athletes like Michael Phelps may be capturing headlines with their gold wins, it is the stories of thousands of Olympians like Alicto from places like Guam that represent the other side of the Olympic ( and sometimes the more compelling side) dream and spirit.
There may be no medals for these athletes but there is the journey to get to these games and the experience of these games with others from all over the world that these ambassadors of sport will carry with them back to their homelands. Hopefully, these efforts will translate to understanding, goodwill, and peace. That is greater objective of these games.
Cora, thank you for running your race! You are a hero in more ways than you know.
Track & Field – Women’s 100 Meters
Women’s 100m Round 1 – Heat 5
Fri Aug 15 10:50pm EDT
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- * = qualified for next round
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Track & Field – Women’s 100m Round 1 – Heat 5 |
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Rank |
Country |
Athlete |
Time |
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1 |
11.33* |
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2 |
11.40* |
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3 |
11.65* |
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4 |
NGR |
11.72 |
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5 |
11.74 |
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6 |
12.04 |
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7 |
13.31 |
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8 |
14.80 |
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Alicto
Alicto finishes heat in seventh
BY JOJO SANTO TOMAS • PACIFIC SUNDAY NEWS • AUGUST 17, 2008
BEIJING— Guam’s Cora Alicto took the track yesterday, running a season-best 13.31 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium yesterday.
Alicto finished seventh out of eight in her heat and did not make the second round. Only the top three in each heat plus the next 10 fastest times overall advance to round two. Alicto finished 76th out of 85 runners total.
“I had higher expectations but of course, you have to have that at the Olympics,” she said. “But it didn’t go like I had wanted it. It’s not the best time but it ended up being the fastest this season. So I’m happy and disappointed at the same time.”
Alicto had a good start and a reaction time around the middle of the pack, but the top six runners quickly distanced themselves from the field. Kim Gevaert from Belgium won the heat with an 11.33 time, quickly followed by Belarus’ Yuliya Nestsiarenka at 11.4 and Vietnam’s Thi Huang Vu at 11.65. Alicto beat Robina Muqumyar from Afganistan, who ran the distance in 14.80 seconds.
“I wasn’t really looking to play catch up. My race wasn’t so much to beat the other girls, I was trying to break that 13-second time, that’s what I was going for,” she said.
What an inspiration! Thanks for profiling these athletes– it’s great to hear their personal stories.