First Woman To Compete In 8 Olympics

Josefa Idem 1st woman to compete in 8 Olympics Windsor, England: Italian kayaker Josefa Idem became the first woman to compete in eight Olympic Games " and marked the occasion on Tuesday by upstaging a host of younger rivals to qualify for the flagship 500-meter K-1 final.

The 47-year-old Idem, who first competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when she competed for Germany, won the third semi-final to stay on course for a second Olympic gold " after Sydney 12 years ago.

But there was disappointment for another veteran champion, Katrin Wagner-Augustin of Germany, who ended fourth in the same semi-final to miss Thursday's final. Wagner-Augustin has won Olympic golds in the double and four, but never as an individual.

Danuta Kozak of Hungary was the quickest qualifier by nearly a second....more    
05:59 PM, Aug 07, 2012