During the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea w ...

appeared in their seventh consecutive Summer Olympics. The country sent three competitors to their team with wild card entries. Athlete

Kineke Alexander Kineke Alicia Alexander (born 21 February 1986 in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) is a Vincentian sprinter who competed in the 400m event at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the flag bearer for Sain ...

reprised her role as the nation's flag bearer for the second time at the opening ceremony. As Alexander entered her second Olympics, athlete Courtney Carl Williams and swimmer Tolga Akcayli debuted at the 2012 Olympics. For Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, none of the country's competitors advanced past their individual heats. In overall standings, Akcayli had the highest 2012 Olympic finish for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when he placed 45th in the men's 50 metre freestyle.

Background

The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee was created in 1982 and became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

in 1987. After the country was granted Olympic membership, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines debuted at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. Leading up to 2012, the country competed in five consecutive Summer Olympics after 1988. Three competitors, two coaches and four sports executives were chosen as the country's 2012 Olympic team. As part of the Olympic team, athlete

returned as the country's opening ceremony flag bearer. Alexander had previously competed in athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics and was the nation's flag bearer at the 2008

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

and closing ceremonies. Courtney Carl Williams made his Olympic debut in athletics at the 2012 Olympics and was the flag bearer in the

closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

. Apart from athletics, Tolga Akcayli represented Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in swimming at his first Olympics.

Athletics

Courtney Carl Williams went into the men's 100 metres event with a personal best time of 11.04 seconds. Williams was given a non-qualified place in the men's 100 metres after his time was 0.8 seconds slower than the B standard qualifying time. At the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Williams raced in heat four of the preliminary rounds on 4 August. During his heat, Williams finished third with a time of 10.80 seconds. With his heat finish and overall time, Williams did not qualify for the first round. Out of 75 athletes, Williams finished the event overall in 57th place.

entered the women's 400 metres with a qualifying best time of 52.57 seconds. As her time was 0.22 seconds slower than the B standard qualifying time, Alexander received a non-qualified Olympic spot. On 3 August at the Olympic Stadium, Williams did not finish the sixth heat. With her DNF, Williams did not advance to the semi-finals. Overall, Alexander was tied for 46th place out of 49 athletes. ;Men ;Women

Swimming

Tolga Akcayli had a qualifying time of 25.65 seconds in the men's 50m freestyle and entered the Olympics with an universality spot. His time was 2.77 seconds slower than the B standard Olympic invitation time. As a requirement to receive an universality place, Akcayli had competed at the 2011 FINA World Championships prior to the Olympic Games. On 2 August at the

London Aquatics Centre The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two swimming pools and a diving pool in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London. The centre, designed by architect Zaha Hadid as one of the main venues of the 2012 Summer Olympic ...

, Akcayli finished the third heat in fifth place. With a time of 26.27 seconds, Akcayli did not reach the semi-finals as one of the top sixteen quickest heat competitors. After the Olympic freestyle final was completed, Akcayli was 45th out of 58 overall entries. ;Men

References

{{Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2012 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines