Albania at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Sporting event delegation

Albania at the
2008 Summer Olympics

IOC code| ALB
NOC| Albanian National Olympic Committee
Website| nocalbania.org.al (in Albanian)
in Beijing
Competitors| 11 in 6 sports
Flag bearer | Sahit Prizreni
Medals|

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

* 1972
* 1976–1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Albania sent a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China which was organised by the National Olympic Committee of Albania. Although Albania didn't win any medals, it was an improvement on their performance at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Sahit Prizreni was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Games.[1]

Albania competed with eleven athletes, seven of whom were men and four were women, competing in several sports such as athletics (hammer throw and 400 metres), and for the first time in judo. Other sports Albania participated in were swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, and shooting.[2]

Weightlifter Romela Begaj came the closest to the medal rankings as she finished 5th in the Women's 58 kg category, lifting 216 kg in total.[3]

The Albanians also showed good performances outside weightlifting. Sahit Prizreni, the bronze medalist from the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku was competing for the second time for Albania in the Summer Olympics.[4] He advanced to the round of 16 in Men's freestyle 60 kg, where he lost to Bazar Bazarguruev from Kyrgyzstan.[5]

Elis Guri made his debut at the Summer Olympics in wrestling in the Men's Greco-Roman 96 kg category. In the round of 16 he defeated the Olympic champion of 2004, Karam Gaber, after three matches. In the quarterfinals he faced Mirko Englich of Germany. Despite a first-match win, Guri lost the other two matches and didn't qualify to the semifinals.[6] He finished in 7th place, the second best result for Albania at these Games.[7]

## Athletics

[edit]

Main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

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  | Qualification  | Final

|
|
|

Distance  | Position  | Distance  | Position
Dorian Çollaku | Hammer throw | 70.98  | 28  | Did not advance

Women
Athlete  | Event  | Heat  | Semifinal  | Final

|
|
|
|

Result  | Rank  | Result  | Rank  | Result  | Rank
Klodiana Shala | 400 m | 54.84  | 7  | Did not advance

## Judo

[edit]

Main article: Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Men
Athlete  | Event  | Preliminary  | Round of 32  | Round of 16  | Quarterfinals  | Semifinals  | Repechage 1  | Repechage 2  | Repechage 3  | Final / BM

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Rank
Edmond Topalli | Men's −81 kg | Bye  |  Neto (POR)
L 0000–1001  | Did not advance

## Shooting

[edit]

Main article: Shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Women
Athlete  | Event  | Qualification  | Final

|
|
|

Points  | Rank  | Points  | Rank
Lindita Kodra | 10 m air pistol | 370  | 40  | Did not advance
25 m pistol | 570  | 35  | Did not advance

## Swimming

[edit]

Main article: Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Men
Athlete  | Event  | Heat  | Semifinal  | Final

|
|
|
|

Time  | Rank  | Time  | Rank  | Time  | Rank
Sidni Hoxha | 50 m freestyle | 24.56  | 63  | Did not advance

Women
Athlete  | Event  | Heat  | Semifinal  | Final

|
|
|
|

Time  | Rank  | Time  | Rank  | Time  | Rank
Rovena Marku | 50 m freestyle | 28.15  | =58  | Did not advance

## Weightlifting

[edit]

Main article: Weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Athlete  | Event  | Snatch  | Clean & Jerk  | Total  | Rank

|
|
|
|
|

Result  | Rank  | Result  | Rank
Gert Trasha | Men's −69 kg | ~~136~~ | DNF | —  | —  | —  | DNF
Erkand Qerimaj | Men's −77 kg | 154  | 12  | 187  | 13  | 341  | 13
Romela Begaj | Women's −58 kg | 98  | =3  | 118  | 7  | 216  | 5

## Wrestling

[edit]

Main article: Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Key

* VT \- Victory by Fall.
* PP \- Decision by Points - the loser with technical points.
* PO \- Decision by Points - the loser without technical points.

Men's freestyle
Athlete  | Event  | Qualification  | Round of 16  | Quarterfinal  | Semifinal  | Repechage 1  | Repechage 2  | Final / BM

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Rank
Sahit Prizreni | −60 kg | Bye  |  Bazarguruev (KGZ)
L 0–3 PO | Did not advance  | 15

Men's Greco-Roman
Athlete  | Event  | Qualification  | Round of 16  | Quarterfinal  | Semifinal  | Repechage 1  | Repechage 2  | Final / BM

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Opposition
Result  | Rank
Elis Guri | −96 kg | Bye  |  Gaber (EGY)
W 3–1 PP |  Englich (GER)
L 1–3 PP | Did not advance  | Bye  |  Han T-Y (KOR)
L 1–3 PP | Did not advance  | 7

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Road to Rio: Albanian wrestler Sahit Prizreni hoping for glory". SBS. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
2. ^ "Shqiperia ne Lojrat olimpike"Pekini2008"". 24 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
3. ^ "Historia e shtatë Olimpiadave shqiptare". 7 August 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
4. ^ "Sahit Prizreni". Olympics.com (in German). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
5. ^ "Wrestling-Freestyle men's 60kg last 16 results". Reuters. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
6. ^ "Shqipëria olimpike pa medalje olimpike (Pjesa e katërt)". 24 January 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
7. ^ "The ten best Albanian athletes of 2008". telegrafi.com. 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2025.

* v
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National Olympic Committees at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China

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* v
* t
* e

Albania at the Olympics

| Summer Olympic Games|

* 1972
* 1976–1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Winter Olympic Games|

* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022
* 2026

Albania did not participate in 1976 due to a boycott and 1980 due to a boycott.
*[BM]: Bronze medal match
*[DNF]: Did not finish
*[VT]: Victory by Fall
*[PP]: Decision by Points - the loser with technical points
*[PO]: Decision by Points - the loser without technical points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template