A total of 27 countries claimed gold medals in athletics at the Olympics, two more than the previous record One of the biggest takeaways from the Olympics is that so many nations had success in Paris. Although the US dominated in athletics with 34 medals in total – more than the next five countries put together – 43 countries were represented on the table, matching Tokyo as the most in the sport for 20 years. Botswana, Pakistan, Dominica and Saint Lucia obtained their first ever Olympic medals in athletics, taking the total number of countries to 105 now.
Thea LaFond and Julien Alfred claimed their respective Olympic triple jump and 100m titles on the same night (August 3) and they were the first gold medals that Dominica and Saint Lucia had won in any sport at the Games. Letsile Tebogo’s victory in the 200m secured Botswana’s maiden Olympic gold medal and Arshad Nadeem’s javelin win saw Pakistan on the top of an Olympic podium for the first time since LA 1984. The other notable mention is Ecuador, with Brian Pintando winning the 20km walk and then partnering Glenda Morejón to silver in the mixed marathon walk relay.
Pintando’s gold medal was the first in athletics for his country since Jefferson Pérez achieved the feat in the same event at Atlanta 1996. All in all, 75 countries placed inside the top eight across all athletics events at the Olympics, showcasing the strength in depth of talent in the sport. Julien Alfred’s win in the Olympic 100m final saw th.