Djibouti took part in the 1984 Summer Olympics, which were held in Los Angeles, United States from July 28 to August 12.[1] The 1984 Summer Olympics were Djibouti's first Olympic appearance. The delegation included three marathon athletes, Djama Robleh, Ahmed Salah, and Omar Abdillahi Charmarke, none of whom won a medal.
| Djibouti at the 1984 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | DJI |
| NOC | Comité National Olympique Djiboutien |
| in Los Angeles | |
| Competitors | 3 (3 men and 0 women) in 1 sport |
| Flag bearer | Djama Robleh |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Background
editPrior to competing in these Olympic Games, Djibouti had never participated in the Olympics. Djibouti gained independence from France in 1977, making 1980 the first Summer Olympics the country would be eligible for.[2] Djibouti was one of 65 countries that boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics in protest of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.[3]
Dajama Robleh, who participated in these Games, had won a silver medal in the 1982 African Championships in Athletics for the men's full marathon with a time of 2:31:06.[4][5]: 369 Ahmed Salah had participated in both the 1983 World Championships in Athletics and the 1984 African Championships in Athletics prior to these Olympics. He did not finish the marathon in 1983, and he won a silver medal in the 1984 10,000 metres run with a time of 28:17.4.[4][6]
Athletics
editAll three of Djibouti's athletes that participated in the Olympics competed in the men's marathon.[7] The marathon started at Santa Monica College and the finish line was on the track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[8]
Djama Robleh was the flagbearer for Djibouti.[9] He completed the marathon in two hours, eleven minutes and thirty-nine seconds finishing in eighth place. Since this was Djibouti's first Olympics, Robleh set Djibouti's Olympic Record for the marathon.[7][10] Robleh finished before two of the three marathoners who were considered the best at the time, Toshihiko Seko and Alberto Salazar.[8]
In what was his sixth ever marathon, Ahmed Salah finished in 2:15:59 and achieved twentieth place.[7][11][12]: 375 Salah won a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics to become the only Djiboutian medalist in the Olympics.[13] Omar Abdillahi Charmarke completed the marathon in two hours, nineteen minutes, and eleven seconds, finishing in thirty-second place.[7][14] The medals in the event went to athletes from Portugal, Ireland, and Great Britain.[8]
Men
edit| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Djama Robleh | Marathon | 2:11:39 | 8[10] |
| Ahmed Salah | 2:15:59 | 20[11] | |
| Omar Abdillahi Charmarke | 2:19:11 | 32[14] | |
References
edit- ^ "Factsheet the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 2013-10-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
- ^ "U.S. Relations With Djibouti". U.S. Department of State. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
- ^ Downey Jr., Leonard (1980-01-02). "Most Allies Cool to Boycott of Olympics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- ^ a b "African Championships". www.gbrathletics.com. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ Falola, Toyin; Jean-Jacques, Daniel (2015-12-14). Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society. ABC-CLIO.
- ^ "Past Results". International Amation of Athletics Federations. 2012-09-01. Archived from the original on 2012-09-01. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ a b c d "Djibouti at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ a b c "Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's Marathon". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ "Djibouti's Flagbearers at the Olympics". Sport-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ a b "Djama Robleh Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 2016-01-22. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ a b "Ahmed Salah Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
- ^ Martin, David E.; Gynn, Roger W. H. (2000). The Olympic Marathon. Human Kinetics.
- ^ Jones, Rachel Pieh (August 2016). "Dreams of Djiboutian Olympic Glory". Ethno Traveler. Archived from the original on 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ a b "Omar Abdillahi Charmarke Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2017-01-02.