LONDON – August 18, 2012: Now that the London Olympic Games are closed we provide you with one more update of former FISU student-athletes who mounted the Olympic medal podium. Below you will find those athletes who medaled during the last days of the Olympic competitions. In total 94 former SU/WUC participants won an Olympic medal during the London Games! A proof that top-notch talent can be spotted early at the FISU sporting events.
Medalists 9/8/2012:
– Tonya Lynn Verbeek: London 2012 women’s wrestling -55kg freestyle silver medal – 2002 Edmonton wrestling World University championships -55kg bronze medal
– Mohammad Bagheri Motamed: London 2012 men’s taekwondo -68kg silver medal – 2005 Izmir SU men’s taekwondo -62kg silver medal, 2007 Bangkok SU men’s taekwondo -67kg gold medal
– Marlène Harnois: London 2012 women’s taekwondo -57kg bronze medal – 2009 Belgrade SU women’s taekwondo -63kg bronze medal, 2011 Shenzhen SU women’s taekwondo -57kg gold medal
– Hou Yuzhuo: London 2012 women’s taekwondo -57kg silver medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU women’s taekwondo -57kg silver medal
– Haley Anderson: London 2012 swimming women’s 10km marathon silver medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU swimming women’s 800m freestyle silver medal and 1500 freestyle gold medal
– Pandelela Rinong Pamg: London 2012 diving women’s 10m platform bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU diving women’s 10m synchro platform bronze medal and women’s 10m platform silver medal
– Barbora Spotakova: London 2012 women’s javelin throw gold medal – 2005 Izmir SU women’s javelin throw gold medal
– Scott Desiree: London 2012 women’s soccer bronze medal – 2007 Bangkok SU women’s football 10th place and 2009 Belgrade SU women’s football 7th place
– Rowie Webster: London 2012 women’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2009 Belgrade SU women’s waterpolo 5th place
Medalists Friday 10/08/2012:
– Mauro Sarmiento: London 2012 taekwondo men’s -80kg bronze medal – 2005 Izmir SU taekwondo men’s -84kg silver medal,2007 Bangkok SU taekwondo men’s -84kg bronze medal
– Thomas Lurz: London 2012 swimming men’s 10km marathon silver medal – 2005 Izmir SU 1500m men’s freestyle silver medal
– Bjorn Otto: London 2012 men’s pole vault silver medal – 2001 Pekin SU men’s pole vault 7th place, 2003 Daegu SU men’s pole vault bronze medal, 2005 Izmir SU men’s pole vault gold medal
– Betty Heidler: London 2012 women’s hammer throw bronze medal – 2009 Belgrade SU women’s hammer throw gold medal
– Asli Cakir Alptekin: London 2012 women’s 1500m gold medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU women’s 1500m gold medal
– Hrystyna Stuy: London 2012 women’s 4x100m relay bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU 4x100m relay gold medal
– Yelizaveta Bryzhina: London 2012 women’s 4x100m relay bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU 4x100m relay gold medal
– Zou Shiming: London 2012 boxing men’s light fly -49kg gold medal – 2001 Antalya WUC boxing men’s light flyweight gold medal
Medalists 11/08/2012:
– Robelis Despaigne: London 2012 men’s taekwondo +80 kg bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU men’s taekwondo +87kg bronze medal
– Carlo Molfetta: London 2012 men’s taekwondo +80kg gold medal – 2003 Daegu SU men’s taekwondo -72 kg gold medal
-Yevgeniya Kanayeva: London 2012 gymnastic rhythmic women’s individual all-around gold medal – 2009 Belgrade SU Gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around gold medal, individual ball gold medal, individual rope gold medal, individual hoop gold medal, individual ribbon gold medal, 2011 Shenzhen SU gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around gold medal, individual ball gold medal, individual clubs gold medal, individual hoop gold medal, individual ribbon silver medal.
– Daria Dmitrieva: London individual gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around silver medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around silver medal, individual ribbon gold medal, individual ball silver medal
– Liubov Charkashyna: London individual gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU gymnastic rhythmic women’s all-around bronze medal, individual ribbon bronze medal, individual ball bronze medal
– Brigetta Barrett: London 2012 women’s high jump silver medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU women’s high jump gold medal
– Anna Chicherova: London 2012 women’s high jump gold medal – 2005 Izmir SU women’s high jump gold medal
– Abby Bishop: London 2012 women’s basketball bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU women’s basketball bronze medal
– Samantha Richards: London 2012 women’s basketball bronze medal – 2007 Bangkok SU women’s basketball gold medal
Medalists 12/8/2012:
– Saponjic Aleksa: London 2012 men’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2011 Shenzhen SU men’s waterpolo gold medal
– Aleksic Milan: London 2012 men’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2005 Izmir SU men’s waterpolo gold medal
– Soro Slobodan: London 2012 men’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2005 Izmir SU men’s waterpolo gold medal
– Pijetlovic Gojko: London 2012 men’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2005 Izmir SU men’s waterpolo gold medal
– Raden Nikola: London 2012 men’s waterpolo bronze medal – 2005 Izmir SU men’s waterpolo gold medal.
Former Universiade Participants already claiming the Olympic Podium
While the London Olympics officially kicked-off last Friday July 27th, former FISU student-athletes have already mounted the medal podium and pocketed Olympic brass.
Early in the Olympic tournament, a number of expected judo medals were won by former Universiade participants since judo traditionally has strong contenders present at the FISU event. Belgian judoka Charline Van Snick, N° 4 in the world in her weight category (-48kg) won her first Olympic bronze medal on Saturday. The Belgian athlete participated at the Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand (2007) and Belgrade, Serbia (2009). She joined the 3rd place on the medal podium with Hungarian Éva Csernoviczki, who previously got FISU bronze at the 2009 SU and at the 2006 WUC Judo. Another Hungarian judoka ended up the Olympic medal podium, i.e. Miklós Ungvári won the silver in the men’s -68kg category. At the 2004 and 2006 WUC Judo he won gold and silver respectively. Japanese Masashi Ebinuma, a gold medalist in Belgrade has pocketed a bronze medal in London as well.
Our French member association FFSU will be pleased with Céline Goberville (2007 SU and 2010 WUC Shooting Sport champion) who won the 10m pistol silver medal in London and with Clément Lefert, one of the golden boys of the 4×100 m relay freestyle in the Olympic pool. Besides being the flag bearer of the French delegation at the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, Lefert won silver in the 200m freestyle and bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Cate Campbell on the Shenzhen SU podium (Photo: FISU Archives)Joy also with AUS, the Australian FISU member association when Cate Campbell won gold in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay in an Olympic Record time. Cate was a part of the AUS Universiade team to win gold in the same event at the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade where she also won a bronze in the 50m freestyle in the Universiade pool.
Universiade Legend VezzaliTriple Olympic champion (2000, 2004 & 2008) and quadruple Universiade (4 individual golds and 1 team gold and 3 team silver at 4 SU) fencing legend Valentina Vezzali did not manage to win a 4th Olympic gold back to back, but had to settle for a bronze on the All-Italian podium. Valentina also received the honors of carrying the Italian tricolore at the Opening Ceremony.
More former FISU participants were spotted as flag bearer for their country’s delegation: an overview of those known to the FISU Media Department:
Belgium: 2008 Olympic High Jump Champion Tia Hellebaut (1999 SU)
Estonia: Universiade Discus Champion Aleksander Tammert (2001 SU)
Guam: Wrestler Maria Dunn (2010 FISU Forum – Vigo)
Italy: Multiple Olympic and Universiade Fencing Champion Valentina Vezzali (1995-1997-1999-2001 SU)
Kenya: Triple Universiade swimming medalist Jason Dunford (2009 SU)
Kyrgyzstan: Judoka Chingiz Mamedov (2011 SU)
Montenegro: Srdjan Mravaljevic (2007 & 2009 SU)
Morocco: Taekwondo silver medalist Wiam Dislam (2011 SU)
Mozambique: Multiple SU medalist Kurt Couto (2007 & 2011 SU). —- FISU/Photo: IJF
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