By VOA News
Fans at the 2012 London games witnessed history Friday, watching as several countries fielded female athletes for the very first time.
Spectators met Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani with a round of applause when she took to the mat in the women's judo competition, becoming the first Saudi woman ever to compete in the games. Shahrkhani wore a tight-fitting black cap instead of a traditional headscarf. But her match did not last long. She was defeated by Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica in just 82 seconds.
Noor Hussain al-Malki made history as the first woman to represent Qatar in athletics, competing in the women's 100 meter sprint. She appeared to injure her leg and did not finish.
Afghanistan's only female athlete - Tahmina Kohistani - also ran in the 100 meters, finishing last but running a personal best (14.42 seconds).
Iraq's Dana Abdul Razak placed second in her women's 100 meters heat, advancing to the next round.
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has another chance Friday to add to his Olympic legacy. He goes for gold in the men's 100 meter butterfly. Phelps is already the only Olympian ever with 20 medals.
The United States leads the way so far with a total of 37 medals, tied with China for the most gold medals with 18. China is second with 35 total medals, followed by Japan (19 ), Britain (18), Germany (18), France and Russia (17 each).
London's Olympic organizers expected Friday to be the busiest day for fans, with events at almost all of the games' venues and transportation could be difficult.
"[It is] not only that it's the busiest day that we've had so far at the Olympic Games, it's the day that we've got most of the venues open," noted London Transportation official Leon Daniels. "After today, some of the other venues like Wimbledon and Lords start to close. So we've got more people traveling to more destinations all the way across London and it's the biggest number, nearly 200,000 or so in the Olympic park and Stratford."
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