Top photographs
Left: The 4 x 400 m Nigerian Relay Team awaiting the results, Enefiok UDO UBONG (second from left)
Center: Enefiok UDO UBONG savoring the victory (1st from right)
Right: Enefiok UDO UBONG (1st from left) showing off his victory



Continuation of brief recap of venues attended as well as the performance of athletes who trained at the DITC.

TRACK & FIELD

High Jump
When on August 7, 2004 Huguens JEAN (HAI) training at the DITC missed by ½ a cm the B Standards to compete at the 2004 Games, Dr. GUTEKUNST pledged to attend a few event to see our DITC Jump Coach Nat PAGE’s two other US jumpers perform.

Both jumpers jumped on the 26th but did not qualify for the finals. In Group A, Chaunte HOWARD finished at 1.85, while in Group B, Tisha WALLER a school teacher in DeKalb County finished at 1.89

On the 28th the finale with was very impressive especially when sitting just across from the high jump pit, when you could see the jumpers and their coaches so well, and read their ever changing emotions. In the end the first US jumper was in 4th position.

Yelena SLESARENKO from Russia at 2.06
Hestie CLOETHE from South Africa at 2.02
Viktoriya STYOPINA from Ukraine at 2.02
And Amy CUFF in fourth place from the US at 1.99

Pole Vaulting
With the success of the Pole Vaulting Clinic with Coach Vitaliy PETROV a day after the 2004 DeKalb Classic, there is a great push to establish a permanent Pole Vaulting Program at the DITC. Dr. GUTEKUNST made sure he attended the finals of Pole Vaulting, to see Timothy MACK from the US at 5.95 take the Gold, followed by Toby STEVENSON from the US at 5.90 win Silver, and finally Coach Vitaliy PETROV’s athlete Giuseppe GIBILISCO from Italy at 5.85 took Bronze. This major accomplishment by the US Team is further encouragement for the DITC to establish a Pole Vaulting Program with the most famous of all Coaches, Vitaliy PETROV who coached Sergiy BUBKA whose world record at 2.14 still stands. At the next Games we hope to see Dominic Johnson (LCA) participate, as well as other athletes who will have gone through the DITC program.

200m
Joseph BATANGDON (CMR) from the Cameroon also trained at the DITC. After finishing second in the 200m final at the 2003 World Indoor Championships he said, "I did not run quite the race I wanted, but I have got a medal so I'm pleased with that." Joseph was one great athlete at the DITC not only looking out to prepare himself, but always helping his co-athletes. As suggested by the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Cameroon, Joseph could be coming back to the DITC preparing for the 2008 Games. Joseph was attending the Games for the first time and made it to Round 2 – Heat 1, on August 23, 2004 at 20:00 / 8:00 p.m., but did not qualify

Here are Joseph’s best performances over the past 3 years:



4 x 400 m
During the trials 4 x 400 m trials on August 27, 2004 Dr. GUTEKUNST had spend that evening at synchronized swimming and volley-ball. What a great surprised to see the Nigerian Team qualify in 2nd position behind the US Team.

Here are the qualifying times:



While Dr. Marc Daniel GUTEKUNST, NOC Guest Pass Credentials would not let him attend the final day of Track & Field, he was not going to miss the excitement of the last day of Track & Field especially when an athlete who had trained at the DITC would run in the final race of the day, and the last one before Man Marathon on the closing day.

So much excitement with the US Team taking the Gold and Silver in Pole Vaulting.

By 22:25/10:25 p.m the much anticipated 4 x 400 race started. When Enefiok, the fourth and last runner got the baton, the Nigerian Team was in 5th position, and short of a miracle there was no Medal for them. Steadily, the tall Enefiok closed the gap on the pack, he was there in the finish, but how well had he performed. Since Dr. GUTEKUNST was in Section 2 in the second a few yards from the curve, he had to wait to see the results on the screen when he realized that the miracle had happen. He then thought to himself that had the entire Team trained as scheduled in June and July at the DITC under Coach EGBUNIKE, they would certainly have taken as in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Dr. GUTEKUNST was immediately on the phone from the stands, and while running to the Olympic Family Section, calling all the key DITC members to share the great news, starting with DITC Co-Founder, Prince Albert of MONACO was on his way to meet Prince Philip of SPAIN, as well as the rest of the DITC Team in Atlanta.

Here were the results for the three top teams:


Having missed being so close from the finish line in section, Dr. GUTEKUNST sprinted from Section 2 to 29 and enter the Olympic family to attend the Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Medal Ceremony. Right on time at 22:55 the three teams walked in, Enefiok carrying the Nigerian flag, reaching out to the American Team and shaking their hand. While Dr. GUTEKUNST was right above them, he took a series of photos but the flash was not as powerful as expected. These are historical DITC souvenirs.

At the Closing Ceremonies, Dr. GUTEKUNST, sitting in the OLYMPIC family section thanks to the tickets given by Mr. Fidèle WAURA, President of the Olympic Committee of Gabon. In his row to his right was the VP of the Korean Olympic Committee and Mr Rukma Shumsher RANA, President of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NEP), to his right his friend Mr. Robert Zombodze MAGAGULA, President of the Swaziland Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association (SWZ) and his Secretary General Mrs. Muriel HOFER, another friend of Dr. GUTEKUNST Ms. Mirriam MOYO, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (ZAM), and Mr. Peter UEBERROTH and his wife, President of the US Olympic Committee (USA) with who Dr. GUTEKUNST talked about the DITC and some of the future plans. Mr. UEBERROTH was very encouraging. While the program was festive, and again a first class show the audience in our section was very festive, and when the balloons dropped in we all turned into our childhood. The Chinese performances certainly gave us a sense of the great Games we can expect in Beijing in 2008. What a humbling experience to have participated for the DITC at the Athens Games, certainly the greatest to date. We are looking towards 4 years of preparation taking us to the 2008 Games in Beijing.

Other Events

Swimming

Synchronized
Swimming &
Volleyball

Track & Field

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