Shafiqua narrowly misses SVG’s first Olympic medal

By Admin. Updated 3:50 p.m., Monday, August 5, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

In what has been described as a spirited race, Vincentian runner Shafiqua Maloney narrowly missed winning St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ first Olympic medal.

In the women’s 800-metre final, today (August 5), Maloney placed fourth in a time of 1:57:66, a few milliseconds behind her semifinal time of 1:57:59 where she placed second and set a new national record.

In today’s final, the winner was Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson in a time of 1:56:72, followed by Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma in a time of 1:57:15, then Kenya’s Mary Moraa in a time of 1:57:42.

Hundreds of people, including Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and members of Cabinet and Parliament, gathered at watch parties throughout the country, including at Heritage Square, Kingstown to witness the historic moment.

Maloney is the first Vincentian to reach an Olympic finals in the 800-metre race.

Reacting to Shafiqua’s performance, many people in Kingstown said they were proud of Shafiqua’s performance even though they wished she had secured a medal.

Others expressed the view that her achievement of reaching the finals was a good moment for the country and its upcoming athletes.

Some people also said they thought Shafiqua was being boxed in, a phenomenon, which according to SportsDefinitions.com occurs in middle-or longdistance races when a runner is closely surrounded by other runners and is unable to get away without having to change the rhythm of his running.

Others said such claims are unsubstantiated.

Maloney who comes from humble beginnings faced earlier economic setbacks to her track dreams.

Earlier this year, in interviews with Sports Max and One News SVG, Maloney described her journey as one of faith having endured periods of hunger and homelessness.

The 24-year-old kept enhancing her performance shattering national records in Arkansas, USA, and in her Olympics heats and semifinals.

Prior to her Olympic meets, Maloney received the backing of her whole country and key support from the corporate sector such as Coreas Hazels Inc., ECGC, Swifpack, and KFC who all pumped money into her Olympic pursuit.