Mali at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Mali competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Results by event

Athletics

Neither Malian athlete managed to advance beyond the opening round, though Camara fell less than two-tenths of a second short of advancement.

Men's 400 metre Hurdles:

• Ibrahima Maiga
• Round 1: 50.63 s (6th in heat 3, did not advance, 28th overall)

Women's 200 metres:

• Kadiatou Camara
• Round 1: 23.56 s (6th in heat 6, did not advance, 36th overall)

Football (Soccer)

The Malian team managed to qualify for the Olympics after winning a close final game against Cameroon, leaving them atop the group by just a single point. Coach Cheick Kowe named just one over-23 player, goalkeeper Fousseni Tangara. Ten of the eighteen-man squad played their club football in Mali, with Djoliba AC the most-represented club, having five members of the team.

Mali opened with a goalless draw against Mexico, and then beat the hosts from Greece with two first-half goals, including one in the second minute. This left them ahead of South Korea on goal differential going into the final group match. Mali surged into a 3-0 lead in the first 55 minutes, with Tenema N'Diaye registering a hat trick, but then fell apart, giving up three goals, including an own goal, in just seven minutes to end up with a 3-3 draw. This maintained the Malian's goal differential advantage, allowing them to win their group and progress. In the quarterfinals, they faced a favoured Italy team, and while...
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