African athletes are already showing great promise at the 2012 London Summer Olympics that commenced last Friday. The first few days of this international sporting event has been a success for African participants. South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh (below) won the gold medal in yesterday’s men’s 100m-breaststroke event. Van der Burgh not only won the final, but also broke the world record in a time of 8.46s.
The Senegalese men’s football team has also performed well thus far with a 2-0 win over Uruguay, despite having Abdoulaye Ba being sent off early in the match. In boxing, Algerian boxer Samir Brahim, defeated Australia’s Jackson Darren Woods 14-12, and Yahia Elmekachira of Tunisia claimed victory over Jakhan Qurbonov of Tajikistan, with a final score of 16-8. The Nigerian men’s basketball team beat African champions, Tunisia, 60-6 in their first face-off of the Olympic games. This feat has boosted the team’s confidence, which is beneficial as it competes against Lithuania on Tuesday.
Both South African field hockey teams have had unfortunate starts 
to their Olympic experiences. The men’s team lo
st to Australia with a disappointing 6-0, and Argentina defeated the South African women’s team 7-1. The Mauritius women’s beach volleyball team has also suffered two losses against Brazil and the Czech Republic, meaning that its journey might come to an end soon. The South African men’s beach volleyball team has also had a disappointing start, losing its first two matches against the USA and Latvia.
Tomorrow will be an exciting day for African athletes as the South African men’s badminton team goes up against Russia in the group play stage. In men’s basketball, Tunisia has a tough road ahead as it takes on the USA, a likely medal contender. Nigeria, on the other hand, is coming off a victory against Tunisia as it goes into its face-off with Lithuania.
Boxing is the primary event for African athletes tomorrow. There are eight male boxers competing throughout the day tomorrow in the men’s flyweight competition and the light welter division. After two losses, South Africa’s women’s football team squares off against Japan who currently ranks second in their group. Also in women’s football, Cameroon will compete against New Zealand in hopes of securing their first victory. Tunisia’s men’s handball team will be competing against Iceland tomorrow. The South African women’s hockey team is looking for their first victory against New Zealand, after its humiliating loss over the weekend. Zambia’s Boas Munyunga will take on Japan’s Takahiro Nakai in the men’s 81kg Judo elimination round of 32 tomorrow. And finally, Tunisia’s men’s volleyball will take on Serbia in hopes of winning their first match of the Olympics.
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