Four athletes from Sierra Leone completed their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics this past weekend, culminating their events on Saturday, August 3, 2024.
Among them was swimmer Olamiday Elizabeth Sam, who competed in the 50m freestyle.
Sam recorded a time of 42.87 seconds in her heat, placing 6th and surpassing her previous personal best of 48.51 seconds set in Qatar.
Despite this improvement, Sam expressed disappointment, attributing her performance to a poor start. “I had a poor jump into the pool despite the hard work I’ve put in over the past two years since qualifying for the Games,” she remarked.
Mohamed Turay, President of Sierra Leone Aquatics, praised Sam’s determination and achievements, especially considering the difficulties she faced training without a standard swimming pool.
“We admire her efforts and the progress she has made. Despite the limited resources, she has made us proud with her debut performance, and we believe she has great potential for future improvement,” Turay stated.
Looking ahead, Sam is set to continue her training at the Thayanpura Health and Fitness Centre in Phuket, Thailand, starting in September, thanks to a World Aquatics Olympic scholarship.
Of the four Sierra Leonean athletes competing in Paris, three were women: Georgiana Sesay (athletics), Mariama Koroma (judo), and Olamiday Elizabeth Sam (swimming). The sole male athlete was swimmer Joshua JJ Wyse. This team represents the highest proportion of female athletes from Sierra Leone in Olympic history, marking a significant milestone for the nation on the global sporting stage.
