Jamaica (JAM)

Overview

NOCJamaica Olympic Association
Flagbearers61

Participants

Olympic Games 410
Youth Olympic Games 48
Other competitors with JAM nationality 3

Description

Jamaica has sent athletes to all the Olympic Games since 1948. In 1960, athletes from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad combined to form the West Indies Federation team. That team won two medals, one of which was won by George Kerr, a Jamaican, in the 800 metres, while the other was a bronze in the 4×400 metre relay. Three members of that team were Jamaican while one was from Barbados.

Jamaica has won 87 Olympic medals (26 golds) through 2022, 86 of them in track & field athletics, led by its outstanding sprinters. The other medal was a bronze in cycling won by David Weller in the 1980 1,000 metre time trial.

The most renowned Jamaican athlete has been Usain Bolt, who won the 100 metres, 200 metres, and anchored the winning 4×100 metre relay at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics, although the 2008 relay gold medal was later removed for a doping positive by one of his teammates, Nesta Carter. After the medal removal, he ended his Olympic career with eight medals, all gold. He is followed on the gold medal count by sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah, who has won six medals and five golds. Bolt’s medal total is equaled by his compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown, both with eight medals and three golds. Despite never winning a gold medal, the Jamaican athlete with more medals is Merlene Ottey-Page, who won three silvers and six bronzes from 1980-2000.

In 1988, Jamaica competed at its first Olympic Winter Games, represented by the now famous Jamaican Bobsled Team. A movie, called “Cool Runnings”, was later made about the Jamaican bobsled team. Jamaica has since competed at all Olympic Winter Games, save 2006, mostly in bobsleigh. In 2010, Errol Kerr participated in freestyle skiing (Jamaica’s best Winter Olympic finish, a ninth place), in 2018, Anthony Watson raced in men’s skeleton and, in 2022, Alpine skier Benjamin Alexander finished 46th in the giant slalom.

Three Jamaican bob sliders participated at four Olympic Winter Games – brothers Chris Stokes and Dudley Stokes in 1988, 1992, 1994, and 1998, and Winston Watts in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2014.

Participations by edition

Olympic Games

Edition As Men Women Total
1948 Summer Olympics Jamaica 9 4 13 Results
1952 Summer Olympics Jamaica 6 2 8 Results
1956 Summer Olympics Jamaica 6 0 6 Results
1964 Summer Olympics Jamaica 17 4 21 Results
1968 Summer Olympics Jamaica 20 5 25 Results
1972 Summer Olympics Jamaica 21 12 33 Results
1976 Summer Olympics Jamaica 11 9 20 Results
1980 Summer Olympics Jamaica 11 7 18 Results
1984 Summer Olympics Jamaica 31 14 45 Results
1988 Summer Olympics Jamaica 24 11 35 Results
1988 Winter Olympics Jamaica 4 0 4 Results
1992 Summer Olympics Jamaica 22 14 36 Results
1992 Winter Olympics Jamaica 5 0 5 Results
1994 Winter Olympics Jamaica 4 0 4 Results
1996 Summer Olympics Jamaica 27 19 46 Results
1998 Winter Olympics Jamaica 6 0 6 Results
2000 Summer Olympics Jamaica 22 26 48 Results
2002 Winter Olympics Jamaica 2 0 2 Results
2004 Summer Olympics Jamaica 22 25 47 Results
2008 Summer Olympics Jamaica 23 27 50 Results
2010 Winter Olympics Jamaica 1 0 1 Results
2012 Summer Olympics Jamaica 23 22 45 Results
2014 Winter Olympics Jamaica 2 0 2 Results
2016 Summer Olympics Jamaica 25 31 56 Results
2018 Winter Olympics Jamaica 1 2 3 Results
2020 Summer Olympics Jamaica 24 30 54 Results
2022 Winter Olympics Jamaica 6 1 7 Results

Youth Olympic Games

Edition As Men Women Total
2010 Summer Youth Olympics Jamaica 7 8 15 Results
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Jamaica 12 8 20 Results
2016 Winter Youth Olympics Jamaica 1 0 1 Results
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Jamaica 7 5 12 Results

Participations by discipline

Olympic Games

Discipline (Sport) Men Women Total
Alpine Skiing (Skiing) 1 0 1 Results
Artistic Gymnastics (Gymnastics) 0 2 2 Results
Athletics 170 138 308 Results
Badminton 0 1 1 Results
Bobsleigh (Bobsleigh) 15 2 17 Results
Boxing 22 0 22 Results
Cycling Road (Cycling) 10 0 10 Results
Cycling Track (Cycling) 12 0 12 Results
Diving (Aquatics) 1 1 2 Results
Equestrian Eventing (Equestrian) 0 1 1 Results
Freestyle Skiing (Skiing) 1 0 1 Results
Judo 0 1 1 Results
Sailing 12 0 12 Results
Shooting 1 1 2 Results
Skeleton (Bobsleigh) 1 0 1 Results
Swimming (Aquatics) 9 5 14 Results
Table Tennis 3 0 3 Results
Taekwondo 1 0 1 Results
Triathlon 0 1 1 Results
Weightlifting 4 0 4 Results

Youth Olympic Games

Discipline (Sport) Men Women Total
Athletics 20 18 38 Results
Badminton 1 0 1 Results
Beach Volleyball (Volleyball) 2 0 2 Results
Bobsleigh (Bobsleigh) 1 0 1 Results
Fencing 0 1 1 Results
Swimming (Aquatics) 3 2 5 Results

Medals by Games

Edition Competition Type Gold Silver Bronze Total
2016 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 6 3 2 11
2008 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 5 4 2 11
2012 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 4 5 4 13
2020 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 4 1 4 9
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 3 1 0 4
1952 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 2 3 0 5
2004 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 2 1 2 5
1996 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 3 2 6
1948 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 2 0 3
1976 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 1 1 0 2
2010 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 1 0 0 1
2000 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 6 3 9
1992 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 3 1 4
1988 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 2 0 2
1984 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 1 2 3
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Youth Olympic Games 0 1 1 2
1968 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 1 0 1
1980 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 0 3 3
1972 Summer Olympics Olympic Games 0 0 1 1

Medals by sport

Olympic Games

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 26 36 25 87
Cycling Track 0 0 1 1

Youth Olympic Games

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 4 2 1 7

Most successful competitors

Includes medals won as part of mixed teams.

Olympic Games

Athlete Nat Gold Silver Bronze Total
Usain Bolt JAM 8 0 0 8
Elaine Thompson-Herah JAM 5 1 0 6
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce JAM 3 4 1 8
Veronica Campbell-Brown JAM 3 3 2 8
Arthur Wint JAM 2 2 0 4
Yohan Blake JAM 2 2 0 4
George Rhoden JAM 2 0 0 2
Kemar Bailey-Cole JAM 2 0 0 2
Herb McKenley JAM 1 3 0 4
Don Quarrie JAM 1 2 1 4

Youth Olympic Games

Athlete Nat Gold Silver Bronze Total
O'Dean Skeen JAM 2 0 0 2
Jaheel Hyde JAM 1 0 0 1
Natalliah Whyte JAM 1 0 0 1
Martin Manley JAM 1 0 0 1
O'Brien Wasome JAM 0 1 0 1
Antonio Watson JAM 0 1 0 1
Ackera Nugent JAM 0 0 1 1

IOC Members

Tony Bridge 1973—2000