The Sydney Olympics was a sublime two weeks down under, and when IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch proclaimed them the greatest Games ever at the Closing Ceremony, few would disagree. But strangely, the track & field competition did not stand out in 2000. The big star of athletics probably occurred not in the stadium but on the roads. Polish walker Robert Korzeniowski defended his title in the 50 km. walk, and also won the 20 km. title, the first time that double has been achieved at the Olympics. Korzeniowski would return in 2004 to win the 50 km. for the third consecutive time. One noteworthy item concerned the women’s program. Women competed in the pole vault and hammer throw at Sydney, and with the 20 km. walk on the program now, women had almost an equal program to the men, lacking only a second walk event, and the steeplechase.
To the Australians, the star of the show was also a woman – Cathy Freeman. Freeman was of Aboriginal ancestry and Australia planned to make a show during the Sydney Olympics that they were now treating the original Australians well. Freeman was chosen to light the torch at the Opening Ceremony. She did so and then during the Olympics, won the 400 metres. She is the only Olympic athlete to have won a gold medal and lit the torch at the same Olympics.
Michael Johnson (USA) and Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) defended their titles in the 400 and 10K. A big upset occurred in the 1,500 when favored Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) finished second behind Kenyan Noah Ngeny. Jan Železný (CZE) won his third consecutive gold medal in the javelin, adding a silver from Seoul in 1988. Derartu Tulu (ETH) won the women’s 10K, which she had also won in 1992. On the field, Heike Drechsler-Daute won a second long jump gold medal, adding to the one she had from 1992.
Event |
Status |
Date |
Participants |
NOCs |
100 metres, Men |
Olympic |
22 – 23 September 2000 |
97 |
71 |
200 metres, Men |
Olympic |
27 – 28 September 2000 |
67 |
50 |
400 metres, Men |
Olympic |
22 – 25 September 2000 |
68 |
44 |
800 metres, Men |
Olympic |
23 – 27 September 2000 |
61 |
46 |
1,500 metres, Men |
Olympic |
25 – 29 September 2000 |
41 |
26 |
5,000 metres, Men |
Olympic |
27 – 30 September 2000 |
36 |
23 |
10,000 metres, Men |
Olympic |
22 – 25 September 2000 |
34 |
19 |
Marathon, Men |
Olympic |
1 October 2000 |
100 |
66 |
110 metres Hurdles, Men |
Olympic |
24 – 25 September 2000 |
44 |
31 |
400 metres Hurdles, Men |
Olympic |
24 – 27 September 2000 |
62 |
45 |
3,000 metres Steeplechase, Men |
Olympic |
27 – 29 September 2000 |
40 |
29 |
4 x 100 metres Relay, Men |
Olympic |
29 – 30 September 2000 |
168 |
40 |
4 x 400 metres Relay, Men |
Olympic |
29 – 30 September 2000 |
152 |
34 |
20 kilometres Race Walk, Men |
Olympic |
22 September 2000 |
47 |
28 |
50 kilometres Race Walk, Men |
Olympic |
29 September 2000 |
56 |
28 |
High Jump, Men |
Olympic |
22 – 24 September 2000 |
35 |
24 |
Pole Vault, Men |
Olympic |
27 – 29 September 2000 |
36 |
22 |
Long Jump, Men |
Olympic |
25 – 28 September 2000 |
53 |
38 |
Triple Jump, Men |
Olympic |
23 – 25 September 2000 |
40 |
27 |
Shot Put, Men |
Olympic |
22 September 2000 |
37 |
27 |
Discus Throw, Men |
Olympic |
24 – 25 September 2000 |
45 |
28 |
Hammer Throw, Men |
Olympic |
23 – 24 September 2000 |
44 |
24 |
Javelin Throw, Men |
Olympic |
22 – 23 September 2000 |
36 |
26 |
Decathlon, Men |
Olympic |
27 – 28 September 2000 |
38 |
23 |
100 metres, Women |
Olympic |
22 – 23 September 2000 |
84 |
63 |
200 metres, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 28 September 2000 |
51 |
35 |
400 metres, Women |
Olympic |
22 – 25 September 2000 |
57 |
42 |
800 metres, Women |
Olympic |
22 – 25 September 2000 |
38 |
30 |
1,500 metres, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 30 September 2000 |
42 |
27 |
5,000 metres, Women |
Olympic |
22 – 25 September 2000 |
49 |
32 |
10,000 metres, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 30 September 2000 |
41 |
25 |
Marathon, Women |
Olympic |
24 September 2000 |
53 |
36 |
100 metres Hurdles, Women |
Olympic |
25 – 27 September 2000 |
38 |
26 |
400 metres Hurdles, Women |
Olympic |
24 – 27 September 2000 |
33 |
21 |
4 x 100 metres Relay, Women |
Olympic |
29 – 30 September 2000 |
108 |
25 |
4 x 400 metres Relay, Women |
Olympic |
29 – 30 September 2000 |
93 |
21 |
20 kilometres Race Walk, Women |
Olympic |
28 September 2000 |
57 |
31 |
High Jump, Women |
Olympic |
28 – 30 September 2000 |
38 |
27 |
Pole Vault, Women |
Olympic |
23 – 25 September 2000 |
30 |
20 |
Long Jump, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 29 September 2000 |
39 |
25 |
Triple Jump, Women |
Olympic |
22 – 24 September 2000 |
27 |
22 |
Shot Put, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 28 September 2000 |
25 |
18 |
Discus Throw, Women |
Olympic |
25 – 27 September 2000 |
32 |
20 |
Hammer Throw, Women |
Olympic |
27 – 29 September 2000 |
28 |
20 |
Javelin Throw, Women |
Olympic |
29 – 30 September 2000 |
35 |
27 |
Heptathlon, Women |
Olympic |
23 – 24 September 2000 |
33 |
23 |
|
|
|
2137 (1257/880)
|
193 (191/171)
|