Olympics-Spain hope successes will inspire athletes in Beijing
MADRID, July 29 (Reuters) - Spanish athletics chief Jose Maria Odriozola is hoping the recent successes of the country's sportsmen will inspire Spanish athletes to bring home a record number of medals at the Beijing Olympics.
"In the last few weeks we have witnessed nothing other than triumphs for Spanish sport and I hope it is contagious," Odriozola told a news conference when he announced the Spanish team for next month's Games.
"We are amongst the best in the world at football, tennis, basketball, handball and of course cycling and I hope we now can be the same in athletics. It is an enormous satisfaction for me to send such a large and powerful team."
The country's football team won Euro 2008 in June, Rafael Nadal followed up his fourth successive French Open title with victory at Wimbledon this month.
Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador won the Giro d'Italia in June and Carlos Sastre clinched victory in the Tour de France at the weekend.
Odriozola said that he believed that more than half of the 53-strong team had chances of making the finals of their events and that between eight and 10 athletes had serious chances of winning medals.
Spain's previous best medal haul in track and field was at the 1992 Games in Barcelona when they won four medals, including Fermin Cacho's gold in the blue riband event of the 1,500 metres.
"I'd love us to equal or beat that Barcelona barrier," said Odriozola.
"This is the strongest team we've ever sent to the Olympics not in terms of numbers but in terms of quality."
Odriozola highlighted discus thrower Mario Pestano, race walker Paquillo Fernandez, steeplechaser Marta Dominguez and sprint hurdler Josephine Onyia as four of the country's best medal chances.
BIG HOPES
He also said he had big hopes for the men's 1,500 where Spain would be represented by Juan Carlos Higuero, Arturo Casado and Reyes Estevez.
"In all the recent European and world championships we've had three athletes in the final and if we can do that again we've got a good chance of a medal," he said.
Odriozola said his only disappointment was that Spain continued to struggle to produce sprinters with Angel Rodriguez being the country's only representative in the speed events.
"We have a very big hole in the sprints and it is a shame that it is the one speciality where we don't really have any athletes."
Named in the Spanish team was Ethiopian-born 5,000 metre runner Alemayehu Bezabeh who has only recently been granted Spanish nationality.
The youngster, whose exact birth date is not known, arrived in Spain penniless and without papers and had to sleep in a park until he was given refuge by a local immigrant association. (editing by Justin Palmer)
