Brunei, as Brunei Darussalam, competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, which took place between 13 and 29 August 2004. The country's participation in Athens marked its fourth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
| Brunei at the 2004 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | BRU |
| NOC | Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council |
| Website | www |
| in Athens | |
| Competitors | 1 in 1 sport |
| Flag bearer | Jimmy Anak Ahar |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
The Brunei delegation included only one track and field athlete, meaning Brunei, along with British Virgin Islands and Liechtenstein, sent the lowest number of athletes to the 2004 Summer Games at one. The athlete selected was Jimmy Anak Ahar, who was a middle-distance runner that was selected via a wildcard as the nation had no athletes that met the "A" or "B" standards in any event. Ahar was also selected as flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Ultimately, Ahar did not progress beyond the heats, meaning Brunei won no medals at this Summer Olympics.
Background
editAlthough Brunei first participated in the Summer Olympic in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, it was only represented by one official.[1] It would not be until the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States that the country would send athletes to the Games. Since then, it has participated in four Summer Olympics between its debut and the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2] No Brunei athlete had ever won a medal at the Summer Olympics before the 2004 Athens Games.[2]
The Brunei National Olympic Committee (NOC) selected one athlete via a wildcard. Usually, a NOC would be able to enter up to three qualified athletes in each individual event as long as each athlete met the "A" standard, or one athlete per event if they met the "B" standard.[3] However, since Brunei had no athletes that met either standard, they were allowed to select an athlete as a wildcard. The one athlete that was selected to compete in the Athens Games was Jimmy Anak Ahar in the Men's 1500 meters.[4] Sending only one athlete to the Athens Games meant that the country, along with British Virgin Islands and Liechtenstein, was notable for sending the lowest number of athletes to the 2004 Summer Games.[5] Ahar was flag bearer for the opening ceremony.[6] Among officials, sports official Sofian Ibrahim represented the country.[5]
Athletics
editMaking his Summer Olympic debut, Jimmy Anak Ahar was notable for becoming the youngest ever competitor to represent Brunei at the Olympics aged 22. The age record stood until the 2012 Summer Olympics, when Anderson Chee Wei Lim surpassed it.[7][6][2] Ahar qualified for the 2004 Athens Games as a wildcard, as his best time, three minutes, 59.81 seconds at the 2003 Southeast Asian Games Men's 1500 meters, was 21.81 seconds slower than the "B" qualifying standard required.[8][3] He competed on 20 August in the Men's 1500 meters against thirteen other athletes in the third heat. He ran a time of 4 minutes, 14.11 seconds, finishing 13th.[9] He ranked ahead of Tanzania's Samwel Mwera (who did not start), and behind Guam's Neil Weare (4 minutes, 5.86 seconds), in a heat led by Great Britain's Michael East (3 minutes, 37.37 seconds). Overall, Ahar placed 39th out of the 41 athletes that competed[a], and was 32.97 seconds behind the slowest athlete that progressed to the next round. Therefore, that was the end of his competition.[10]
- Key
- Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
- Q = Qualified for the next round
- q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
- NR = National record
- N/A = Round not applicable for the event
- Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Jimmy Anak Ahar | 1500 m | 4:14.11 | 13 | did not advance | |||
Notes
edit- ^ Two athletes, Peter Roko Ashak and Samwel Mwera, did not start.[9]
References
edit- ^ Official Report, Games of the XXIVth Olympiad Seoul 1988, Volume 2: Competition Summary and Results (PDF). Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee. 1989. p. 153.
- ^ a b c "Brunei". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Athens 2004 Entry Standards". IAAF. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ "Brunei at the 2004 Athina Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b Tomasson, Chris (26 August 2004). "Olympics: One is the lonliest number for this trio". Naples Daily News. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b "2004 Athens: Flag Bearers for the opening ceremony". Olympics. 13 August 2004. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "Jimmy Anak Ahar". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ "IAAF – Athletes – Brunei – Jimmy Anak Ahar – Progression". IAAF. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2004 – Men – 1500 meters – Heats – Results". IAAF. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ "IAAF – Results – Olympic Games – 2004 – Men – 1500 meters – Heats – Summary". IAAF. Retrieved 2 July 2016.