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Article: Curtain Call in Atlanta; World's Athletes Take a Bow As Games Close
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- August 5, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Tonight, the Closing Ceremonies for the 1996 Summer Olympics
began with the traditional awarding of the medals in the men's
marathon, and it was a fitting moment for an Olympics that provided
a bigger world stage for a far more diverse collection of athletes
than any in history. Josia Thugwane, 25, stood at the center of the
medal platform, the first black South African in Olympic history to
win a gold medal.
Thugwane's triumph came on a day when boxer Paea Wolfgramm won
a silver medal for Tonga, a nation so overwhelmed by the prospect of
any medal -- Tonga never had won one -- that hordes of his
countrymen fasted one day this week to show Wolfgramm their support.
Saturday night, ...