Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

. The

sport of athletics Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking. The results ...

at the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

was made into three distinct sets of events:

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

events,

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

events, and

racewalking Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asse ...

events.

Competition schedule

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

events were held at João Havelange Olympic Stadium, while the race walks and marathon start and finish in

Recreio dos Bandeirantes Recreio dos Bandeirantes (or simply Recreio) is both the name of a beach and neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a recent development, with no skyscrapers, and the area also contains jungles atop rocky cliffs and hill ...

and Sambódromo, respectively. Apart from the race walks and marathon, ten track and field events held finals in the morning session for the first time since

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

. This was implemented upon the request of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Service to be supported by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

, ensuring that they received maximum visibility for the sport across all time zones. In the tables below, M stands for ''morning'' and A for ''afternoon''.

Qualification

The Olympic qualification criteria were simplified by the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

(IAAF) from a two-tiered "A" and "B" standard approach to a single qualification standard. Each

National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

was entitled to send up to three athletes per event that had reached that standard in the period from 2015 to 11 July 2016. Nations without a qualified athlete could enter one male and one female athlete who had not achieved the standard. Marathon runners had additional ways to qualify in that top 20 World Championship or top 10 IAAF Gold Label race finishers were treated as having achieved the standard. The

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

teams entered were the top eight finishers at the

2015 IAAF World Relays The 2015 IAAF World Relays was the second edition of the biennial, global track and field relay competition between nations. As in the previous year, it was held in May in Nassau, Bahamas. Apart from contesting for the Golden Baton for the best t ...

plus the next eight highest ranking teams on the seasonal lists (based on an aggregate of their best two times). Nations with a strong tradition in athletics which had many qualified athletes available for events typically held selection trials to determine their teams (such as the 2016 United States Olympic Trials), or relied on panel decisions by their national governing bodies to determine which athletes could compete.

Daily summaries

Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lights cauldron (28771915476)

At the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

two figures from the

played a key role: Olympic medallist in the marathon,

Vanderlei de Lima Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (born 4 July 1969) is a Brazilian retired long-distance runner. He was born in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. While leading the marathon after 35 km at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was attacked on the course by Iri ...

, lit the Olympic flame for his home nation, while Kenya's

Kipchoge Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a lon ...

became the first recipient of the

Olympic Laurel The Olympic Laurel is a distinction awarded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to honour those who have "made significant achievements in education, culture, development and peace through sport". It was introduced in 2016 to implement pa ...

for his efforts in promoting sport.Minshull, Phil (2016-08-06)
Marathon runner De Lima lights Olympic flame in Rio
IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-08-22. Unlike most Summer Olympic Games, the athletics stadium in Rio was not the venue for the opening or closing ceremonies – that honour went to Brazil's foremost soccer venue, the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...

First three days

On the first day, the first gold medal was won by

Almaz Ayana Almaz Ayana Eba ( om, Almaaz Ayyanaa Eebbaa; am, አልማዝ አያና ኤባ, born 21 November 1991) is an Ethiopian female long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olym ...

of Ethiopia, who broke a long-standing

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

in the women's

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

by almost fifteen seconds. The race as a whole was historically fast, setting four of the five fastest times ever for the distance and seeing eight

national records National Records was a record label that was started in New York City by Albert Green in 1945 and lasted until early 1951. Big Joe Turner was signed at the beginning and remained until 1947. Billy Eckstine was also a big seller for the label as w ...

broken. China's Wang Zhen was the first male winner of the 2016 Olympic athletics, topping the

20 kilometres race walk The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event that is competed by both men and women. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight un ...

podium. With her final throw of the event, Michelle Carter won the United States' first ever title in the women's

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

, preventing Valerie Adams from winning a third straight title. The first half of the

heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...

saw two athletes set a world heptathlon best: Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam and Great Britain's

Katarina Johnson-Thompson Katarina Mary Johnson-Thompson (born 9 January 1993) is an English athlete primarily known as an elite multi-eventer, both as a heptathlete and an indoor pentathlete. She has been World Champion in both disciplines, and a double Commonwealth ...

both cleared for the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. (Their marks would have been sufficient for the individual high jump gold.)Landells, Steve (2016-08-20)
Report: women's high jump final – Rio 2016 Olympic Games
IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-08-22. The second day opened with a first in Olympic history as a man succeeded his brother as Olympic champion. In a dramatic final round, German

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

Christoph Harting Christoph Harting (born 10 April 1990) is a German athlete specialising in the discus throw. He won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He competed at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships, reaching the final on the ...

moved up from fourth to gold medal position with a personal best throw and topped the podium as his brother

Robert Harting Robert Harting (; born 18 October 1984) is a retired German discus thrower. He represents the sports club SCC Berlin, his coach is Torsten Schmidt. He is a former Olympic, World, and European champion in the men's discus throw. His younger bro ...

had four years earlier.

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

– a double-Olympic champion from 2012 – defended his 10,000 m crown in spite of a fall which saw him slip to the back of the pack during the middle of race. Farah had been one of three gold medallists for Great Britain on a "Super Saturday" for the host nation at the 2012 London Games, but the two others of that day did not prevail in Rio de Janeiro.

Jessica Ennis Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (born 28 January 1986) is a British retired track and field athlete from England, specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, ...

entered as favourite for the Olympic heptathlon but was runner-up to Belgian Nafissatou Thiam in an upset which saw the 21-year-old add over three hundred points to her personal best score. Defending Olympic

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

champion

Greg Rutherford Gregory James Rutherford MBE (born 17 November 1986) is a retired British track and field athlete who specialised in the long jump. He represented Great Britain at the Olympics, World and European Championships, and England at the Commonwealth ...

was reduced to third place as American Jeff Henderson won the closely fought men's competition. Another defending champion was dethroned in the women's

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce OD, OJ (née Fraser; born December 27, 1986) is a Jamaican track and field sprinter competing in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. On ...

's attempt to become the first person to win three straight Olympic track titles was thwarted by Jamaican teammate

Elaine Thompson Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah OD (née Thompson; born June 28, 1992) is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champ ...

The morning final for the third day was the women's

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, which saw Jemima Sumgong win Kenya's first Olympic gold medal for that event. The race was unusual in that two sets of twins crossed the line together: North Korea's Kim Hye-song and

Kim Hye-gyong Kim Hye-gyong (; or ; born 9 March 1993) is a North Korean long-distance runner. Marathoner Kim Hye-song is her sister. They are fraternal twins. Hye-gyong is the younger. Their mutual coach, Jong Myong-chol, describes their healthy rivalr ...

took tenth and eleventh while Germans

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

and

Lisa Hahner Lisa Hahner (born 20 November 1989) is a German long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. Life She and her twin sister, Anna Hahner, were born in 1989. They were inspired to take up long distance running after hearing an interview ...

were 81st and 82nd. Furthermore, Estonia's

Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

, Leila and

Liina Luik Liina Luik (born 14 October 1985) is an Estonian long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.women's triple jump

Caterine Ibargüen Caterine Ibargüen Mena ODB (born 12 February 1984) is a retired Colombian athlete competing in high jump, long jump and triple jump. Her notable achievements include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olym ...

won Colombia's first Olympic gold medal in athletics. As the first Olympics to be held in South America, Ibargüen became the first Olympic athletics champion from South America to be crowned on South American soil. Brazil's Thiago Braz da Silva became the second two days later. By the conclusion of the Olympics, Ibargüen,

Yulimar Rojas Yulimar Rojas Rodríguez (Venezuelan ; also known as Yolimar Rojas; born 21 October 1995) is a Venezuelan athlete who holds the world record for women's triple jump, at . She is the current Olympic champion, a three-time World Champion ( 2017 L ...

(who finished second to Ibargüen) and da Silva were the only medalists from continental South America.

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight-ti ...

achieved the feat fellow Jamaican Fraser-Pryce had failed to do one day earlier by taking his third straight Olympic 100 m title. This made him the most decorated athlete in the

100 metres at the Olympics The 100 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 100 metres has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The 100 metres is considered one of the blue ribbon e ...

. South Africa's

Wayde van Niekerk Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: , ; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field Sprint (running), sprinter who competes in the 200 metres, 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world record, world and ...

provided the second world record performance of the athletics programme with his win of the men's

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is o ...

in 43.03 seconds. This knocked 0.15 seconds of Michael Johnson's time which had gone unbeaten since 1999.

Days 4, 5 and 6

The third and last athletics world record at the Olympics came on day four. Poland's

Anita Włodarczyk Anita Włodarczyk (; born 8 August 1985) is a Polish hammer thrower. She is the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion, and the first woman in history to throw the hammer over 80 m; she currently holds the women's world record of 82.98 m. She is c ...

was dominant in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that na ...

, becoming the first woman to throw beyond eighty metres three times in a competition and adding over a metre to her own world record with . Four of her six throws would have been sufficient to win. Another record was in sight for

Ruth Jebet Ruth Jebet (born 17 November 1996) is a Kenyan-born long-distance runner and steeplechase specialist who competes internationally for Bahrain. She was the world record holder and was the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 3000 metres steeplechas ...

in the women's

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

, though she missed the mark by a second after slowing to celebrate winning Bahrain's first Olympic gold in any sport. In the women's 400 m

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 mete ...

was stopped from winning an historic fifth Olympic gold by

Shaunae Miller Shaunae Miller-Uibo (born 15 April 1994) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tokyo ...

of the Bahamas, who dove at the line to win the race. Men's

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

world record holder David Rudisha defended his 800 m Olympic title, being the first man in over half a century to achieve that. A surprise victory for the hosts came via Thiago Braz da Silva, who added ten centimetres to his previous best to win in an

Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...

of 6.03 m ahead of world record holder

Renaud Lavillenie Renaud Lavillenie ( or ; born 18 September 1986) is a French pole vaulter. Lavillenie won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London and the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In addition to his Olympic success, he has won three Wor ...

of France. Departing from Olympic traditions, the home crowd booed Lavillenie while he was attempting his final vault and he was booed again at the medal ceremony after comparing his treatment to that of

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lif ...

at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...

in Nazi Germany. The partisan treatment was criticised by da Silva, IOC President

Thomas Bach Thomas Bach (born 29 December 1953) is a German lawyer, former Olympic foil fencer and Olympic gold medalist, serving as the ninth and current president of the International Olympic Committee since 10 September 2013. He is also a former mem ...

and IAAF president

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...

, though defended by some as an intrinsic part of Brazilian sporting culture. On the fifth morning, Croatia's

Sandra Perković Sandra Perković (born 21 June 1990) is a Croatian discus thrower. She is a two-time Olympic (2012, 2016) and World (2013, 2017) champion and record six-time European champion (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022) which no other female athlete a ...

became the only woman to defend an individual Olympic athletics title that year, topping the discus podium. Christian Taylor became the only man in the field events to defend his 2012 Olympic title, repeating his American 1–2 finish with teammate

Will Claye Will Claye (born June 13, 1991) is an American track and field athlete of Sierra Leonean descent who competes in the long jump and triple jump. He won a bronze medal in 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the gold medals at the 2012 IAAF Wo ...

. The United States was less successful in the men's

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hu ...

: its athletes failed to gain a medal for the first time ever (bar the 1980 boycott) while Jamaican

Omar McLeod Omar McLeod (born 25 April 1994) is a Jamaican professional hurdler and sprinter competing in the 60 m hurdles and 110 m hurdles. In the latter event, he is the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion. He was NCAA indoor champion ...

won by over a tenth of a second. Faith Kipyegon was a clear winner in the women's

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

ahead of Ethiopia's

Genzebe Dibaba Genzebe Dibaba Keneni ( Oromo: ''Ganzabee Dibaabaa Qananii''; Amharic: ገንዘቤ ዲባባ ቀነኒ; born 8 February 1991) is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold med ...

. Derek Drouin won Canada's first Olympic gold in athletics in twenty years in the men's high jump. In the women's 5000 m heats American

Abbey D'Agostino Abbey Cooper (née D'Agostino; born May 25, 1992) is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Cooper is the most decorated Ivy League athlete in track and field and cross country running. She is the first Dartmouth female distance runner ...

and Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand fell during the race. D'Agostino stopped to help Hamblin to her feet, but then struggled herself with what would be diagnosed as a torn ACL, which led Hamblin to help in turn so the pair could finish. The pair were later given the Fair Play award by the

International Fair Play Committee The International Fair Play Committee (french: Comité International pour le Fair Play), abbreviated as the CIFP, is a not for profit international non-governmental organisation which serves to foster sportsmanship in international competition. I ...

for their show of sportsmanship. In his last Olympic outing, Ezekiel Kemboi failed to defend his Olympic steeplechase title, which went to his Kenyan teammate Conseslus Kipruto in an Olympic record time. Kemboi's initial bronze medal would have made him the first person to win three Olympic steeplechase medals, but a single step into the infield later saw him disqualified and

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (born 15 March 1985) is a French professional middle-distance runner of Algerian descent who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has won medals in major international competitions such as the Olympic Ga ...

of France achieve that feat in his place.

Tianna Bartoletta Tianna Bartoletta née Madison (born August 30, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she place ...

beat the favourite in the women's long jump, clearing a personal best of 7.17 m in the second to last round to leave her American rival

Brittney Reese Brittney Davon Reese (born September 9, 1986) is a retired American long jumper, Olympic gold medalist, and a seven-time world champion. Reese is the indoor American record holder in the long jump with a distance of 7.23 meters. Personal Born in ...

with a silver medal. Americans also occupied the top spots in the women's

100 metres hurdles The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race, ten hurdles of a height of are placed along a straight course of . The first hurdle is ...

with

Brianna Rollins Brianna Rollins-McNeal (born August 18, 1991) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She is the 2016 Olympic champion and the 2013 World champion in the 100 metres hurdles. Her time of 12.26 is tied as ...

Nia Ali Nia Sifaatihii Ali (born October 23, 1988) is an American track and field athlete, who specializes in the 100 m hurdles, heptathlon, and other events. She is the 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100-meter hurdles, the 2019 World champion in ...

and

Kristi Castlin Kristi Castlin (born July 7, 1988) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Her personal best for the event is 12.50 seconds, set on July 8, 2016 during the ...

forming the first ever Olympic medal sweep by a nation in that event. The 100 m gold medallist Elaine Thompson completed a sprint double for Jamaica by defeating Dutch athlete

Dafne Schippers Dafne Schippers (; born 15 June 1992) is a Dutch track and field athlete. She competes primarily in the sprints, having previously participated in the heptathlon. She is the 2015 and 2017 World Champion and won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics ...

in the women's

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

final. High-profile eliminations came in the men's qualifiers as two strong contenders for Olympic titles,

Paweł Fajdek Paweł Fajdek (Polish pronunciation: ; born 4 June 1989) is a Polish hammer thrower, a five-time World Champion, European Champion, Olympic bronze medal winner, multiple Polish Champion and Polish men's hammer throw record holder. In 2013, h ...

in the hammer and

Justin Gatlin Justin Alexander Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the ...

in the 200 m, failed to progress.

Final three days

The

400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ...

finals were contested on day seven:

Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement (born October 31, 1985) is a Trinidadian-born American track and field athlete who competes in the 400-meter hurdles and 400-meter sprint. He held the indoor world record in the 400-meter sprint, having broken Michael Jo ...

won the United States's 19th men's title and in contrast

Dalilah Muhammad Dalilah Muhammad (born February 7, 1990) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters hurdles. She is the 2016 Rio Olympics champion and 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, becoming at the latter the second-fastest ...

became the first American female winner. On a day of strong American performances,

Ashton Eaton Ashton James Eaton (born January 21, 1988) is a retired American decathlete and two-time Olympic champion, who holds the world record in the indoor heptathlon event. Eaton was the second decathlete (after Roman Šebrle) to break the 9,000-point ...

defended his

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

title in an Olympic record score of 8893 points and in the men's shot put

Ryan Crouser Ryan Crouser (born December 18, 1992) is an American shot putter and discus thrower. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record holder. Crouser is the current world record holder in the shot put, both indoor and outdoor. On June 18 ...

greatly improved his best to to break

Ulf Timmermann Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The fe ...

's Olympic record from 1988 (among men's Olympic records, only Bob Beamon's long jump had stood for longer). The women's javelin throw had an unexpected winner in Croatia's Sara Kolak, whose winning mark of meant the 21-year-old had improved her best by over eight metres that year. The favourite delivered in the men's 200 m, with Usain Bolt taking his third straight Olympic 200 m title by a margin of a quarter of a second. The women's

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the individ ...

heats featured the first ever re-run – Brazil has obstructed the American baton handover and the United States were allowed a solo run to qualify for the final on time, which they did. Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (29004556542)

Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (29004556542)

The morning of the penultimate day began with two

finals. In the men's 50 km walk Matej Tóth overtook defending champion

Jared Tallent Jared Tallent OAM (born 17 October 1984) is an Australian race walker and Olympic gold medallist in the 50 km walk from London in 2012. He is a four-time Olympic medallist, three-time World Championship medallist and holds the current Oly ...

to win Slovakia's first Olympic gold in athletics while Liu Hong returned China to the top of the women's 20 km walk podium.

Katerina Stefanidi Katerina Stefanidi (Greek: Κατερίνα Στεφανίδη; born 4 February 1990) is a Greek pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a jump of 4.85 meters and has also competed at the 2012 London and the 2020 Tokyo ...

of Greece won the women's pole vault after the pre-event favourites faltered. Dilshod Nazarov made history in the men's hammer throw by becoming Tajikistan's first Olympic gold medallist. Vivian Cheruiyot achieved a first for her country in the women's

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a s ...

by outrunning 10,000 m champion Almaz Ayana to take Kenya's first ever gold in the distance event. In that race, Cheruiyot set the last of eight Olympic records in Rio. The 4 × 100 m finals delivered new highs for Olympic athletics. The American women overcame their qualification troubles by winning from uncomfortable lane one, making Allyson Felix the most successful female Olympian in athletics at five gold medals. Usain Bolt anchored the Jamaican men to the gold to complete a set of three consecutive victories across the 100 m, 200 m and relay (referred to as a "treble treble"). Bolt equalled

Carl Lewis Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996 ...

and

Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official worl ...

's record of nine Olympic gold medals in athletics. Provas de Atletismo nas Olimpíadas Rio 2016 (28491025163)

On the ninth and final day of action in the track and field stadium,

Matthew Centrowitz Jr. Matthew Centrowitz Jr. (born October 18, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner who is the 2016 Olympic champion in the 1500 meters. He became a prominent figure in U.S. running when he won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships i ...

secured a tactical win in the men's 1500 m while

Caster Semenya Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women's 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009 ...

used her sheer speed to win the women's 800 m. Behind her

Francine Niyonsaba Francine Niyonsaba (born May 5, 1993) is a Burundian runner, who specialized in the 800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olymp ...

won only the second ever medal for

Burundi at the Olympics Burundi first participated at the Olympic Games in 1996, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. The nation has never participated in the Winter Olympic Games. Vénuste Niyongabo won a gold medal in athletics (s ...

. In the women's high jump,

Ruth Beitia Ruth Beitia Vila (; born 1 April 1979) is a retired high jumper who was the 2016 Olympic champion in the women's high jump. She was also a politician in the Partido Popular and a member of the Parliament of Cantabria. Biography Beitia first ...

became Spain's inaugural female Olympic gold medalist in athletics, though this was overshadowed by the fact her winning mark was the lowest since 1980 and she was outperformed by two heptathletes in Rio. Thomas Röhler cleared ninety metres to win the men's javelin throw. Mo Farah became the second most successful track athlete of the 2016 Rio Olympics by defending his 5000 m title, making him one of only two men alongside Finland's

Lasse Virén Lasse Artturi Virén (born 22 July 1949) is a Finnish former long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Virén recaptured the image of the " Flying Finns" promoted by runners like Hannes Kolehmainen, ...

to have defended both long-distance titles at consecutive Olympics. In the last track events of the games, the United States won the men's and women's

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the ...

s. The women's victory gave Allyson Felix the distinction of setting a medals record for women's Olympic athletics; six gold medals and nine medals overall. In the closing competition of the Olympics,

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge ( ; born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 O ...

of Kenya comfortably won the

by the largest margin since 1972. The runner-up

Feyisa Lilesa Feyisa Lilesa (Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Oromo long-distance runner from Ethiopia. He became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. He s ...

of Ethiopia made a political protest by crossing his arms near the finish line in solidarity with the Oromo killed in protests that year and later suggested he would seek asylum. The United States won the most medals in athletics and at thirteen golds and 32 overall they won more than double the next most successful nations. In the absence of Russia, Kenya and Jamaica placed second and third with six gold medals and the only other nations to win more than ten medals in total. In the 2016 Olympic athletics programme, 141 medals were awarded and 43 nations reached the medal table.

Medal summary

Medal table

;Key Host nation (Brazil)

Men

* Indicates the athlete only competed in the preliminary heats and received medals.

Women

* Indicates the athlete only competed in the preliminary heats and received medals.

Records

World and Olympic records

Continental records

The women's 10,000 metres provided the first two continental records of the Olympics, in Almaz Ayana's African record and

Molly Huddle Molly Huddle (born August 31, 1984) is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. Huddle set the American record in the 5000 m at the 2014 Herculis Diamond League meet in Fontvieille, Monaco (14:42. ...

's record for the North, Central American and Caribbean region.

Participation

Participating nations

Russia's athletics team was banned from competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics on June 17, 2016, when the

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

voted unanimously to prevent them from competing. This punishment is because of the ongoing Russian doping scandal.

Darya Klishina Darya Igorevna Klishina (russian: Дарья Игоревна Клишина, born 15 January 1991) is a Russian long jumper. Early life Klishina was born in 1991 in Tver, Russian SFSR. At the age of eight, she began playing volleyball, and at ...

was the only Russian athlete allowed to participate. The

Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a sy ...

, in its first appearance, included six track and field athletes among it 10-strong team.

Competitors

Doping

The Olympic athletics competition was majorly affected by the ban of the

All-Russia Athletic Federation The Russian Athletics Federation (RAF), previously named the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF; russian: Всероссийская федерация лёгкой атлетики, ВФЛА), is the governing body for the sport of athletics in ...

(ARAF) by the sports governing body, the

(IAAF). The IAAF undertook this action to exclude all Russian athletes following the discovery of state-sponsored

doping in Russia Systematic doping of Russian athletes has resulted in 48 Olympic medals stripped from Russia (and Russian associated teams), four times the number of the next highest, and more than 30% of the global total. Russia has the most competitors who ...

. The Russian President accused the body of discrimination against his country's athletes, saying the ban was a "collective punishment which has nothing to do with justice". The Russian Minister for Sport,

Vitaly Mutko Vitaly Leontiyevich Mutko (russian: Виталий Леонтьевич Мутко; born Viktor Leontiyevich Mutko; 8 December 1958) is a Russian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 2016–2020. From 2008 to 2016, ...

, was directly implicated in the investigations. The members of Russia's 68-strong team were allowed to appeal the ban and compete under a neutral flag if they could present evidence that they did not have links with the doping scandal and received testing independent of the Russian national anti-doping body. Only one athlete, long jumper

, met the criteria and was allowed to compete. The IOC rejected the idea of Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag, and allowed Klishina to compete under a Russian flag. Her selection garnered negative press in her home country. The situation led pole vaulter

Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva ( rus, Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 20 ...

, one of Russia's top athletes, to announce her intention to stand for ARAF President to resolve the crisis. Yuliya Rusanova Istanbul 2012

Yuliya Stepanova Yuliya Igorevna Stepanova (née Rusanova; russian: Ю́лия И́горевна Степанова (Русанова); born 3 July 1986) is a Russian runner who specializes in the 800 metres track event. Stepanova was also an informant for WA ...

, a Russian runner who was key in unveiling the doping issue through her whistleblowing, attempted to gain permission from the

to compete at the Games as an independent athlete, but was unsuccessful on the basis of her having previously failed a doping test. Her husband and coach Vitaly Stepanov, who also acted as whistleblower, said that the decision sent "a message that the World Anti-Doping Code and the values of Olympism are merely words on a page". The couple's actions were widely denounced in Russia, with the president's spokesman labelling the couple as "Judas". Stepanova received strong support from

Travis Tygart Travis Thompson Tygart (born 1971) is an American lawyer and CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He is best known for his role in exposing Lance Armstrong's massive doping operation. Life and career A native of Jacksonvill ...

, the head of the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

, who approved of her application to compete.

Silvia Danekova Silvia Danekova ( Bulgarian: Силвия Дънекова; born 7 February 1983 in Kotel) is a Bulgarian athlete. Career She competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2012 Summer Olympics, placing 38th with a time of 9:59.52. Danekova wa ...

of Bulgaria was the first athletics doping suspension at the Olympics, as the sample she had given on arrival was positive for EPO. Two Kenyan officials were also sent home on doping points: coach John Anzrah impersonated runner

Ferguson Rotich Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich (born 30 November 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He has a personal best of 1:42.54 minutes for the event. He represented Kenya at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics and wa ...

to give a doping control and Michael Rotich was expelled following allegations of forewarning athletes of unannounced drug tests.

Officiating decisions

The judgement of track officials came under scrutiny at the 2016 Summer Olympics as a result of several unusual and contested decisions. Torrential rain began before the heats of the men's

but the decision was made for the competition to continue. The hurdlers fared poorly, many clattering hurdles, and the session was postponed after two races. The remaining three heats were done in clear weather and all four fastest non-qualifier spots for the semi-finals came from those heats. Upon protest, the track officials allowed the eight non-qualifiers of the first two heats to run yet another heat to try to achieve the time – an unprecedented move. Jamaica's Deuce Carter forced Serbia's Milan Ristić out of the semi-finals as a result. In the men's high jump Great Britain's

Robbie Grabarz Robert Karl Grabarz (born 3 October 1987) is a retired British high jumper. Active during the 2010s, with his greatest success coming in two periods between 2012 and 2017. He was the 2012 European champion, the 2012 Diamond League high jump cha ...

rattled the bar at 2.33 m – the judge raised the white flag, but the bar fell off the standards immediately after and a red flag was instead raised. The Briton protested the decision and the jump was allowed to stand due to the premature white flag. The British team suffered reversed fortunes before the officials in the men's

. The team were the winners of their heat but were disqualified as a track side judge noted that part of

Matthew Hudson-Smith Matthew Hudson-Smith (born 26 October 1994) is a British track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. He holds, as of July 2022, the British record, running a personal best of 44.35 seconds for the distance set at Eugene, Oregon ...

's foot was outside of red-marked baton change over zone when he started his run. Great Britain appealed the decision but because no conclusive video evidence could be found to inform the appeal, the judge's decision stood and the team were disqualified. In the men's steeplechase, the original bronze medallist Ezekiel Kemboi saw disqualification for narrowly stepping over the track line after being bunched out at the water jump.

noticed this and, finishing over three seconds in arrears to the Kenyan, celebrated his fourth position by raising three fingers. His appeal was successful and he became the first man to win three Olympic steeplechase medals, which Kemboi had himself expected to achieve. Kemboi had announced his retirement upon finishing third, but after the disqualification change his mind to seek to rectify the matter, saying "I have to bring back this medal not by protesting again but right on track. Kemboi is not retired I will be coming to London 2017 to re-claim my medal from France. No limits."After The Outrageous French Protest Got Him Disqualified, Ezekiel Kemboi Quickly Unretires: “I will be coming to London 2017 to re-claim my medal from France. No limits.”
Lets Run (2016-08-18). Retrieved on 2016-08-22.

References

External links

Official 2016 Olympics athletics webpage

IAAF 2016 Olympics Statistics Book
* *
Results Book – Athletics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 2016 Summer Olympics

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

Doping in Russia

Competition schedule

Qualification

Daily summaries

First three days

Days 4, 5 and 6

Final three days

Medal summary

Medal table

Men

Women

Records

World and Olympic records

Continental records

Participation

Participating nations

Competitors

Doping

Officiating decisions

See also

References

External links