27 countries won gold medals in athletics at the Olympic Games, two more than the previous record.
One of the biggest achievements of the Olympics is that so many countries had success in Paris.
While the U.S. dominated track and field with a total of 34 medals, more than the next five countries combined, the table featured 43 countries, matching Tokyo for the most in the sport in 20 years.
Botswana, Pakistan, Dominica and Saint Lucia won their first Olympic medals in athletics, bringing the total number of countries to 105.
Thea Lafond and Julien Alfred won their respective Olympic triple jump and 100m titles on the same night (August 3) and were the first gold medals Dominica and Saint Lucia had won in any sport at the Games.
Letsile Tebogo’s victory in the 200m secured Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal, while Arshad Nadeem’s win in the javelin saw Pakistan atop the Olympic podium for the first time since 1984.
Another notable mention is Ecuador, where Brian Pintando won the 20km walk and then teamed up with Glenda Morejon to take silver in the mixed marathon walk relay. Pintando’s gold medal was the first for his country in athletics since Jefferson Perez accomplished the feat in Atlanta in 1996 at the same event.
In total, 75 countries placed in the top eight in all athletics events at the Olympics, demonstrating the strength of the sport’s depth of talent.
Brian Pintando (Getty)
Julien Alfred is the lead role in the movie Saint Lucia
Julien Alfred’s victory in the Olympic 100m final saw Saint Lucia make history as she claimed her country’s first ever Olympic medal.
The fact that it was gold made it even sweeter. Alfred looked supreme and restless in a wet Stade de France and clocked a national record of 10.72 to beat 100m world champion Sha Kari Richardson.
Alfred eased through the rounds and clocked 10.95 and 10.84 in his heat and semifinal.
When the starting gun went off in the final, it was no surprise to see the 23-year-old burst out of the blocks and into her stride.
Alfred was untouchable when it mattered most and victory was never in doubt, prompting wild celebrations across the island.
Alfred followed up his 100m gold and silver in the 200m a few days later, finishing behind Gabby Thomas in 22.08.
Julien Alfred for St Lucia (Getty)
Thea Lafond scored a crucial win for Dominica
When Thea Lafond won the triple jump world title back in March, she then announced that she wanted to “be an inspiration to the people of my beautiful Caribbean country.”
If LaFond wasn’t already a household name in Dominica after her victory in Glasgow, she would surely be chasing Olympic gold in Paris.
The 30-year-old was one of four Dominican athletes at the Games, but stood atop the Olympic podium.
LaFond posted a personal best of 15.02m in the triple jump and it was more than enough for the gold medal, with Jamaica Ricketts coming closest with 14.87m.
Already a two-time Commonwealth medalist, LaFond went into 2024 with high expectations, but even that might be beyond her wildest dreams.
Thea LaFond (Getty)
Letsile Tebogo’s breathtaking gold for Botswana
Botswana has a rich history in the Olympic Games, with the country making its debut in 1980 in Moscow.
Nigel Amos won Botswana’s first ever Olympic medal at London 2012, finishing second to David Rudisha, who set a world record 800m time of 1:40.91, over two laps. However, the country had never won gold before Paris 2024.
However, that all changed when Letsile Tebogo stunned everyone in the 200m at the Stade de France by clocking 19.46 minutes to win the gold medal.
Not only was it the ninth-fastest time in history, but Tebogo beat two-time world 200m champion Noah Lyles, who later revealed he had come into the race with Covid.
Tebogo then returned to help Botswana anchor the 4x400m silver behind the USA.
The 21-year-old paid tribute to his mother, who sadly passed away back in May, and received a heroes’ welcome on his return to Botswana.
Letsile Tebogo – The best of Letsile Tebogo
Arshad Nadeem’s powerful toss sealed the title for Pakistan
When you think of the Pakistan-India match, your mind immediately turns to cricket.
However, the two nations battled it out in the javelin at the Olympics, with Arshad Nadeem battling it out against Neeraj Chopra for the sport’s biggest prize.
Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, went to Paris as the favourite, but Nadeem claimed the Commonwealth crown in 2022.
Chopra’s best of 89.45 meters was good enough for a silver medal, meaning Nadeem won Pakistan’s first ever gold medal in athletics, their first in any sport since Los Angeles in 1984.
Arshad Nadeem (Getty)
Ecuador’s excellence in race walking
The last time a South American country won the Olympic men’s 20km race was in Atlanta in 1996, when Jefferson Perez of Ecuador won the gold medal.
In the streets of the capital of Paris, Brian Pintado followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Peres and stood on top of the French capital’s podium.
Pintado posted a time of 1:18:55 to beat Brazil’s Caio Bonfim by 14 seconds.
The Ecuadorian then teamed up with Glenda Morejón to win silver in the marathon medley relay, finishing behind the Spanish pair of Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez.
With two medals for Ecuador at Paris 2024, the country now has four medals in athletics, the other being Perez, who won a silver medal in the 20km race at Beijing 2008 in their history.
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