Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12–21 August 2016, at the Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking events.[1]

Athletics
at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad
VenuePontal (race walk)
Estádio Olímpico João Havelange
(track & field)
Sambódromo (marathon)
Dates12–21 August
No. of events47

Competition schedule

Track and field events were held at João Havelange Olympic Stadium, while the race walks and marathon start and finish in Recreio dos Bandeirantes 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. 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, ensuring that they received maximum visibility for the sport across all time zones.[2][3]

In the tables below, M stands for morning and A for afternoon.

Legend
PPreliminary roundQQualificationHHeats½SemifinalsFFinal
Men[4]
DateAug 12Aug 13Aug 14Aug 15Aug 16Aug 17Aug 18Aug 19Aug 20Aug 21
EventMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA
100 mQH½F
200 mH½F
400 mH½F
800 mH½F
1500 mH½F
5000 mHF
10,000 mF
110 m hurdlesH½F
400 m hurdlesH½F
3000 m steeplechaseHF
4 × 100 m relayHF
4 × 400 m relayHF
MarathonF
20 km walkF
50 km walkF
Long jumpQF
Triple jumpQF
High jumpQF
Pole vaultQF
Shot putQF
Discus throwQF
Javelin throwQF
Hammer throwQF
DecathlonF
Women[4]
DateAug 12Aug 13Aug 14Aug 15Aug 16Aug 17Aug 18Aug 19Aug 20Aug 21
EventMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA
100 mQH½F
200 mH½F
400 mH½F
800 mH½F
1500 mH½F
5000 mHF
10,000 mF
100 m hurdlesH½F
400 m hurdlesH½F
3000 m steeplechaseHF
4 × 100 m relayHF
4 × 400 m relayHF
MarathonF
20 km walkF
Long jumpQF
Triple jumpQF
High jumpQF
Pole vaultQF
Shot putQF
Discus throwQF
Javelin throwQF
Hammer throwQF
HeptathlonF

Qualification

The Olympic qualification criteria were simplified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) from a two-tiered "A" and "B" standard approach to a single qualification standard. Each National Olympic Committee 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.[5]

The relay teams entered were the top eight finishers at the 2015 IAAF World Relays plus the next eight highest ranking teams on the seasonal lists (based on an aggregate of their best two times).[6]

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

Marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima lighting the Olympic flame

At the opening ceremony two figures from the sport of athletics played a key role: Olympic medallist in the marathon, Vanderlei de Lima, lit the Olympic flame for his home nation, while Kenya's Kipchoge Keino became the first recipient of the Olympic Laurel for his efforts in promoting sport.[7] 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.[8]

First three days

On the first day, the first gold medal was won by Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, who broke a long-standing world record in the women's 10,000 metres 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 broken. China's Wang Zhen was the first male winner of the 2016 Olympic athletics, topping the 20 kilometres race walk podium. With her final throw of the event, Michelle Carter won the United States' first ever title in the women's shot put, preventing Valerie Adams from winning a third straight title. The first half of the heptathlon saw two athletes set a world heptathlon best: Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam and Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson both cleared 1.98 m (6 ft 5 34 in) for the high jump.[9] (Their marks would have been sufficient for the individual high jump gold.)[10]

Mo Farah leading in the men's 10,000 metres final

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 thrower Christoph Harting moved up from fourth to gold medal position with a personal best throw and topped the podium as his brother Robert Harting had four years earlier. Mo Farah – 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 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 champion Greg Rutherford 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: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's attempt to become the first person to win three straight Olympic track titles was thwarted by Jamaican teammate Elaine Thompson.[11]

Usain Bolt winning the 100 m final

The morning final for the third day was the women's marathon, 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 took tenth and eleventh while Germans Anna and Lisa Hahner were 81st and 82nd. Furthermore, Estonia's Lily, Leila and Liina Luik became the first triplets to feature in an Olympic final. In the women's triple jump Caterine Ibargüen 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 (who finished second to Ibargüen) and da Silva were the only medalists from continental South America. Usain Bolt 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. South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk provided the second world record performance of the athletics programme with his win of the men's 400 metres in 43.03 seconds. This knocked 0.15 seconds of Michael Johnson's time which had gone unbeaten since 1999.[12]

Days 4, 5 and 6

The third and last athletics world record at the Olympics came on day four. Poland's Anita Włodarczyk was dominant in the hammer throw, 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 82.29 m (269 ft 11 34 in). Four of her six throws would have been sufficient to win. Another record was in sight for Ruth Jebet in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase, 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 was stopped from winning an historic fifth Olympic gold by Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, who dove at the line to win the race. Men's 800 metres 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 of 6.03 m ahead of world record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France.[13] 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 at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany. The partisan treatment was criticised by da Silva, IOC President Thomas Bach and IAAF president Sebastian Coe, though defended by some as an intrinsic part of Brazilian sporting culture.[14][15][16]

On the fifth morning, Croatia's Sandra Perković 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. The United States was less successful in the men's 110 metres hurdles: its athletes failed to gain a medal for the first time ever (bar the 1980 boycott) while Jamaican Omar McLeod won by over a tenth of a second. Faith Kipyegon was a clear winner in the women's 1500 metres ahead of Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba. Derek Drouin won Canada's first Olympic gold in athletics in twenty years in the men's high jump.[17] In the women's 5000 m heats American Abbey D'Agostino 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 for their show of sportsmanship.[18]

Conseslus Kipruto en route to the steeplechase title

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 of France achieve that feat in his place. Tianna Bartoletta 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 with a silver medal. Americans also occupied the top spots in the women's 100 metres hurdles with Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin 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 in the women's 200 metres final. High-profile eliminations came in the men's qualifiers as two strong contenders for Olympic titles, Paweł Fajdek in the hammer and Justin Gatlin in the 200 m, failed to progress.[19]

Final three days

Bolt with his third 200 m victory

The 400 metres hurdles finals were contested on day seven: Kerron Clement won the United States's 19th men's title and in contrast Dalilah Muhammad became the first American female winner. On a day of strong American performances, Ashton Eaton defended his decathlon title in an Olympic record score of 8893 points and in the men's shot put Ryan Crouser greatly improved his best to 22.52 m (73 ft 10 12 in) to break Ulf Timmermann's Olympic record from 1988 (among men's Olympic records, only Bob Beamon's long jump had stood for longer).[20] The women's javelin throw had an unexpected winner in Croatia's Sara Kolak, whose winning mark of 66.18 m (217 ft 1 12 in) 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 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.[21]

The American team after winning 4 × 100 m relay gold

The morning of the penultimate day began with two racewalking finals. In the men's 50 km walk Matej Tóth overtook defending champion Jared Tallent 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. Ekaterini Stefanidi 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 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 and Paavo Nurmi's record of nine Olympic gold medals in athletics.[22][23]

Vivian Cheruiyot celebrating Kenya's first 5000 m women's title

On the ninth and final day of action in the track and field stadium, Matthew Centrowitz Jr. secured a tactical win in the men's 1500 m while Caster Semenya used her sheer speed to win the women's 800 m. Behind her Francine Niyonsaba won only the second ever medal for Burundi at the Olympics. In the women's high jump, Ruth Beitia 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.[10] 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 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 relays. 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.[24] In the closing competition of the Olympics, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya comfortably won the marathon by the largest margin since 1972.[25] The runner-up Feyisa Lilesa 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.[26]

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)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States1310932
2 Kenya66113
3 Jamaica63211
4 China2226
5 South Africa2204
6 Great Britain2147
7 Croatia2013
 Germany2013
9 Ethiopia1258
10 Canada1146
11 Poland1113
12 Bahrain1102
 Spain1102
14 Bahamas1012
15 Belgium1001
 Brazil*1001
 Colombia1001
 Greece1001
 Slovakia1001
 Tajikistan1001
21 France0336
22 Algeria0202
23 New Zealand0134
24 Australia0112
 Japan0112
26 Belarus0101
 Bulgaria0101
 Burundi0101
 Denmark0101
 Grenada0101
 Mexico0101
 Netherlands0101
 Qatar0101
 Venezuela0101
35 Cuba0011
 Czech Republic0011
 Hungary0011
 Kazakhstan0011
 Serbia0011
 Trinidad and Tobago0011
 Turkey0011
 Ukraine0011
Totals (42 nations)474747141

Men

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
Usain Bolt
 Jamaica
9.81 Justin Gatlin
 United States
9.89 Andre De Grasse
 Canada
9.91
200 metres
Usain Bolt
 Jamaica
19.78 Andre De Grasse
 Canada
20.02 Christophe Lemaitre
 France
20.12
400 metres
Wayde van Niekerk
 South Africa
43.03 WR Kirani James
 Grenada
43.76 LaShawn Merritt
 United States
43.85
800 metres
David Rudisha
 Kenya
1:42.15 Taoufik Makhloufi
 Algeria
1:42.61 NR Clayton Murphy
 United States
1:42.93
1500 metres
Matthew Centrowitz Jr.
 United States
3:50.00 Taoufik Makhloufi
 Algeria
3:50.11 Nick Willis
 New Zealand
3:50.24
5000 metres
Mo Farah
 Great Britain
13:03.30 Paul Chelimo
 United States
13:03.90 Hagos Gebrhiwet
 Ethiopia
13:04.35
10,000 metres
Mo Farah
 Great Britain
27:05.17 Paul Tanui
 Kenya
27:05.64 Tamirat Tola
 Ethiopia
27:06.26
110 metres hurdles
Omar McLeod
 Jamaica
13.05 Orlando Ortega
 Spain
13.17 Dimitri Bascou
 France
13.24
400 metres hurdles
Kerron Clement
 United States
47.73 Boniface Tumuti
 Kenya
47.78 NR Yasmani Copello
 Turkey
47.92 NR
3000 metres steeplechase
Conseslus Kipruto
 Kenya
8:03.28 OR Evan Jager
 United States
8:04.28 Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
 France
8:11.52
4 × 100 metres relay
 Jamaica (JAM)
Asafa Powell
Yohan Blake
Nickel Ashmeade
Usain Bolt
Jevaughn Minzie*
Kemar Bailey-Cole*
37.27  Japan (JPN)
Ryota Yamagata
Shota Iizuka
Yoshihide Kiryu
Asuka Cambridge
37.60 AR  Canada (CAN)
Akeem Haynes
Aaron Brown
Brendon Rodney
Andre De Grasse
Mobolade Ajomale*
37.64 NR
4 × 400 metres relay
 United States (USA)
Arman Hall
Tony McQuay
Gil Roberts
LaShawn Merritt
Kyle Clemons*
David Verburg*
2:57.30  Jamaica (JAM)
Peter Matthews
Nathon Allen
Fitzroy Dunkley
Javon Francis
Rusheen McDonald*
2:58.16  Bahamas (BAH)
Alonzo Russell
Michael Mathieu
Steven Gardiner
Chris Brown
Stephen Newbold*
2:58.49
Marathon
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
2:08:44 Feyisa Lilesa
 Ethiopia
2:09:54 Galen Rupp
 United States
2:10:05
20 kilometres walk
Wang Zhen
 China
1:19:14 Cai Zelin
 China
1:19:26 Dane Bird-Smith
 Australia
1:19:37
50 kilometres walk
Matej Tóth
 Slovakia
3:40:58 Jared Tallent
 Australia
3:41:16 Hirooki Arai
 Japan
3:41:24
High jump
Derek Drouin
 Canada
2.38 m Mutaz Essa Barshim
 Qatar
2.36 m Bohdan Bondarenko
 Ukraine
2.33 m
Pole vault
Thiago Braz da Silva
 Brazil
6.03 m OR, AR Renaud Lavillenie
 France
5.98 m Sam Kendricks
 United States
5.85 m
Long jump
Jeff Henderson
 United States
8.38 m Luvo Manyonga
 South Africa
8.37 m Greg Rutherford
 Great Britain
8.29 m
Triple jump
Christian Taylor
 United States
17.86 m Will Claye
 United States
17.76 m Dong Bin
 China
17.58 m
Shot put
Ryan Crouser
 United States
22.52 m OR Joe Kovacs
 United States
21.78 m Tomas Walsh
 New Zealand
21.36 m
Discus throw
Christoph Harting
 Germany
68.37 m Piotr Małachowski
 Poland
67.55 m Daniel Jasinski
 Germany
67.05 m
Hammer throw
Dilshod Nazarov
 Tajikistan
78.68 m Ivan Tsikhan
 Belarus
77.79 m Wojciech Nowicki
 Poland
77.73 m
Javelin throw
Thomas Röhler
 Germany
90.30 m Julius Yego
 Kenya
88.24 m Keshorn Walcott
 Trinidad and Tobago
85.38 m
Decathlon
Ashton Eaton
 United States
8893 pts OR Kévin Mayer
 France
8834 pts NR Damian Warner
 Canada
8666 pts

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

Women

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
Elaine Thompson
 Jamaica
10.71 Tori Bowie
 United States
10.83 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
 Jamaica
10.86
200 metres
Elaine Thompson
 Jamaica
21.78 Dafne Schippers
 Netherlands
21.88 Tori Bowie
 United States
22.15
400 metres
Shaunae Miller
 Bahamas
49.44 Allyson Felix
 United States
49.51 Shericka Jackson
 Jamaica
49.85
800 metres
Caster Semenya
 South Africa
1:55.28 NR Francine Niyonsaba
 Burundi
1:56.49 Margaret Wambui
 Kenya
1:56.89
1500 metres
Faith Kipyegon
 Kenya
4:08.92 Genzebe Dibaba
 Ethiopia
4:10.27 Jennifer Simpson
 United States
4:10.53
5000 metres
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
14:26.17 OR Hellen Onsando Obiri
 Kenya
14:29.77 Almaz Ayana
 Ethiopia
14:33.59
10,000 metres
Almaz Ayana
 Ethiopia
29:17.45 WR Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
29:32.53 NR Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
29:42.56
100 metres hurdles
Brianna Rollins
 United States
12.48 Nia Ali
 United States
12.59 Kristi Castlin
 United States
12.61
400 metres hurdles
Dalilah Muhammad
 United States
53.13 Sara Petersen
 Denmark
53.55 NR Ashley Spencer
 United States
53.72
3000 metres steeplechase
Ruth Jebet
 Bahrain
8:59.75 AR Hyvin Jepkemoi
 Kenya
9:07.12 Emma Coburn
 United States
9:07.63 AR
4 × 100 metres relay
 United States (USA)
Tianna Bartoletta
Allyson Felix
English Gardner
Tori Bowie
Morolake Akinosun*
41.02  Jamaica (JAM)
Christania Williams
Elaine Thompson
Veronica Campbell-Brown
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Simone Facey*
Sashalee Forbes*
41.36  Great Britain (GBR)
Asha Philip
Desiree Henry
Dina Asher-Smith
Daryll Neita
41.77 NR
4 × 400 metres relay
 United States (USA)
Courtney Okolo
Natasha Hastings
Phyllis Francis
Allyson Felix
Taylor Ellis-Watson*
Francena McCorory*
3:19.06  Jamaica (JAM)
Stephenie Ann McPherson
Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby
Shericka Jackson
Novlene Williams-Mills
Christine Day*
Chrisann Gordon*
3:20.34  Great Britain (GBR)
Eilidh Doyle
Anyika Onuora
Emily Diamond
Christine Ohuruogu
Kelly Massey*
3:25.88
Marathon
Jemima Sumgong
 Kenya
2:24:04 Eunice Kirwa
 Bahrain
2:24:13 Mare Dibaba
 Ethiopia
2:24:30
20 kilometres walk
Liu Hong
 China
1:28:35 María Guadalupe González
 Mexico
1:28:37 Lü Xiuzhi
 China
1:28:42
High jump
Ruth Beitia
 Spain
1.97 m Mirela Demireva
 Bulgaria
1.97 m Blanka Vlašić
 Croatia
1.97 m
Pole vault
Ekaterini Stefanidi
 Greece
4.85 m Sandi Morris
 United States
4.85 m Eliza McCartney
 New Zealand
4.80 m NR
Long jump
Tianna Bartoletta
 United States
7.17 m Britney Reese
 United States
7.15 m Ivana Španović
 Serbia
7.08 m NR
Triple jump
Caterine Ibargüen
 Colombia
15.17 m Yulimar Rojas
 Venezuela
14.98 m Olga Rypakova
 Kazakhstan
14.74 m
Shot put
Michelle Carter
 United States
20.63 m NR Valerie Adams
 New Zealand
20.42 m Anita Márton
 Hungary
19.87 m NR
Discus throw
Sandra Perković
 Croatia
69.21 m Mélina Robert-Michon
 France
66.73 m NR Denia Caballero
 Cuba
65.34 m
Hammer throw
Anita Włodarczyk
 Poland
82.29 m WR Zhang Wenxiu
 China
76.75 m Sophie Hitchon
 Great Britain
74.54 m NR
Javelin throw
Sara Kolak
 Croatia
66.18 m NR Sunette Viljoen
 South Africa
64.92 m Barbora Špotáková
 Czech Republic
64.80 m
Heptathlon
Nafissatou Thiam
 Belgium
6810 pts NR Jessica Ennis-Hill
 Great Britain
6775 pts Brianne Theisen-Eaton
 Canada
6653 pts

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

Records

World and Olympic records

EventDateNameNationalityResultType
Women's 10,000 metres12 August Almaz Ayana Ethiopia29:17.45 minWR
Men's 400 metres14 August Wayde van Niekerk South Africa43.03 secWR
Women's hammer throw15 August Anita Włodarczyk Poland82.29 m WR
Men's pole vault15 August Thiago Braz da Silva Brazil6.03 m OR
Men's 3000 metres steeplechase17 August Conseslus Kipruto Kenya8:03.28 minOR
Men's shot put18 August Ryan Crouser United States22.52 m OR
Men's decathlon18 August Ashton Eaton United States8893 pts =OR
Women's 5000 metres19 August Vivian Cheruiyot Kenya14:26.17 minOR

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's record for the North, Central American and Caribbean region.[27]

EventDateNameNationalityResultType
Women's 10,000 metres12 August Almaz Ayana Ethiopia29:17.45 minAR
Women's 10,000 metres12 August Molly Huddle United States30:13.17 minAR
Men's 400 metres14 August Wayde van Niekerk South Africa43.03 secAR
3000 metres steeplechase15 August Ruth Jebet Bahrain8:59.75 minAR
3000 metres steeplechase15 August Emma Coburn United States9:07.63 minAR
Women's hammer throw15 August Anita Włodarczyk Poland82.29 mAR
Men's 4 × 100 m relay18 August Tang Xingqiang
Xie Zhenye
Su Bingtian
Zhang Peimeng
 China37.82 secAR
Men's 4 × 100 m relay18 August Ryota Yamagata
Shota Iizuka
Yoshihide Kiryu
Asuka Cambridge
 Japan37.68 secAR
Men's 4 × 100 m relay19 August Ryota Yamagata
Shota Iizuka
Yoshihide Kiryu
Asuka Cambridge
 Japan37.60 secAR

Participation

Participating nations

Russia's athletics team was banned from competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics on June 17, 2016, when the IAAF voted unanimously to prevent them from competing. This punishment is because of the ongoing Russian doping scandal.[28][29] Darya Klishina was the only Russian athlete allowed to participate.

The Refugee Olympic Team, in its first appearance, included six track and field athletes among it 10-strong team.[7]

Participating National Olympic Committees

Competitors

Doping

The Olympic athletics competition was majorly affected by the ban of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) by the sports governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The IAAF undertook this action to exclude all Russian athletes following the discovery of state-sponsored doping in Russia.[30] 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, was directly implicated in the investigations.[31]

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 Darya Klishina, 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.[32][33] The situation led pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, one of Russia's top athletes, to announce her intention to stand for ARAF President to resolve the crisis.[34]

Doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova was not allowed to compete

Yuliya Stepanova, a Russian runner who was key in unveiling the doping issue through her whistleblowing, attempted to gain permission from the International Olympic Committee 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".[35] The couple's actions were widely denounced in Russia, with the president's spokesman labelling the couple as "Judas".[36] Stepanova received strong support from Travis Tygart, the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, who approved of her application to compete.[37]

Silvia Danekova of Bulgaria was the first athletics doping suspension at the Olympics, as the sample she had given on arrival was positive for EPO.[38] Two Kenyan officials were also sent home on doping points: coach John Anzrah impersonated runner Ferguson Rotich to give a doping control and Michael Rotich was expelled following allegations of forewarning athletes of unannounced drug tests.[39]

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 110 metres hurdles 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.[40]

Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad of France (centre) controversially won a medal on appeal

In the men's high jump Great Britain's Robbie Grabarz 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.[41] The British team suffered reversed fortunes before the officials in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay. The team were the winners of their heat but were disqualified as a track side judge noted that part of Matthew Hudson-Smith'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.[42]

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. Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad 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."[43][44]

See also

References

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