Off Track ..... Togo hails 'stranger' for first-ever medal

Togo hailed French-born Benjamin Boukpeti for winning the West African country's first-ever Olympic medal on Tuesday and said it would make sure he was suitably honored.

Until the white water kayaker's bronze-medal triumph, many Togolese had no idea who he was bar the odd mention in the sports pages of local newspapers. Born to a Togolese father and resident in France, Boukpeti has been to Togo only once, as a baby.

Boukpeti, 27, who chose to compete for Togo in Beijing when it became clear he was too old for France, said he now had a "very good reason" to visit the African nation after stunning the field and spectators at the Olympics.