Today’s Video: Going the Distance

This weekend we’ll take a look at several athletes from Latin America and the Caribbean that could make in impact at this year’s London Games.

The English capital city will host the Olympics for an unprecedented third time and the games will be officially inaugurated on Friday. Before that, however, several odd occurrences have taken place such as the suspension of a Greek triple jumper who published a racially insensitive Tweet. Yesterday the Colombia-North Korea women’s soccer match was delayed and nearly forfeited after the Hampden Park video screens displayed the flag of South Korea with the profiles of North Korean players.

One of the most unusual Olympics moments took place the first time London hosted the games in 1908. Dorando Pietri was initially declared the winner of the marathon after he crossed the finish line seconds before Johnny Hayes of the U.S. Yet the exhausted Pietri was disqualified since several officials aided him to the tape.

An unusual finish nearly marred the Olympics marathon when it was run in 1948, again in London. Etienne Gailly of Belgium dominated the race and was the first to enter Wembley Stadium with roughly half a kilometer until the finish. But the difficult course and inclement weather apparently caught up to Gailly and he collapsed with four hundred meters to go. The runner was dazed and disoriented but officials, (possibly remembering the chaotic incident with Pietri four decades before), did not help the Belgian.

Twenty-nine-year-old Delfo Cabrera of Argentina ran past the spent Gailly, which set up an exciting finish. As described by Liza Isaak on ESPNdeportes.com:

World Watch: Good luck Goodluck

* Nigeria: Incumbent Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election amid riots in several northern cities.

* Burkina Faso: A jailed student who died under mysterious circumstances in February has served as the catalyst for unrest including a mutiny of disgruntled soldiers.

* Syria: State Department officials denied allegations that the U.S. is trying to undermine the Syrian government by working closely with opposition groups.

* U.S.: Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai may’ve run the fastest recorded marathon in Boston but athletics officials will not certify his run as a new world record.

Image – AP via ABC News (“Nigerian incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan cast his ballot in Otuoke, Nigeria, Saturday, April 16, 2011. Nigerians chose their president in an election Saturday many hoped would show how Africa's most populous nation could hold a credible vote without the violence and rigging that marred previous ones, though children cast ballots and party officials helped others press their inked fingers to paper.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, CNN