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Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Dates 12 – 21 August 2016
Medal Events 47

Controversy enveloped the 2016 Olympic athletics competition as far back as late 2015. At that time a German television network released a documentary alleging systematic doping in Russia. After investigations by the IAAF, the entire Russian athletic team was suspended from international competition early in 2016. Then, only a few weeks before the Rio Olympics began, an independent report commissioned by WADA, the McLaren Report, corroborated these findings, and many Russian athletes in other sports, notably rowing, were also suspended. The IOC had to quickly rule on this report, and supported it, but allowed some individual Russian athletes to compete after they had been cleared by their federations. For the Russians track & field athletes, this would be only one competitor, female long jumper Darya Klishina, who had lived and trained in the United States for the past few years and had been subjected to multiple drug tests.

With this negative background the biggest positive story of Rio athletics was Jamaican wunder-sprinter Usain Bolt, who was trying to win his third consecutive sprint triple with golds in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4x100 metre relay. It was a quest at which he would be successful in Rio, giving him nine Olympic gold medals, equaling the Olympic record for athletics held by Paavo Nurmi and Carl Lewis (trailing the 10 of Ray Ewry if one includes the 1906 Olympics).

Three world records were set in Rio, two by women and one in men’s competition. Ethiopian Almaz Ayana shattered the women’s world mark in the 10,000 metres, Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk broke her own world record in the hammer throw, and South African Wayde van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson’s 17-year old mark in the men’s 400 metres.

The United States would dominate the athletics competition in Rio, winning 32 medals, 16 by the men and 16 by the women. They also led the gold medal lists, winning 13 gold, 7 by men, and 6 by women. Such was their dominance that they also had the most silver medals and bronze medals for both genders, leading the medal tables in every possible category. Since the advent of women’s Olympic competition in 1928, this had only previously been accomplished at the 1932 Olympics.

Events

Event Status Date Participants NOCs
100 metres, Men Olympic 13 – 14 August 2016 84 57
200 metres, Men Olympic 16 – 18 August 2016 77 48
400 metres, Men Olympic 12 – 14 August 2016 53 35
800 metres, Men Olympic 12 – 15 August 2016 57 39
1,500 metres, Men Olympic 16 – 20 August 2016 42 26
5,000 metres, Men Olympic 17 – 20 August 2016 51 28
10,000 metres, Men Olympic 13 August 2016 34 16
Marathon, Men Olympic 21 August 2016 155 79
110 metres Hurdles, Men Olympic 15 – 16 August 2016 40 27
400 metres Hurdles, Men Olympic 15 – 18 August 2016 47 33
3,000 metres Steeplechase, Men Olympic 15 – 17 August 2016 45 25
4 × 100 metres Relay, Men Olympic 18 – 19 August 2016 70 16
4 × 400 metres Relay, Men Olympic 19 – 20 August 2016 68 16
20 kilometres Race Walk, Men Olympic 12 August 2016 74 40
50 kilometres Race Walk, Men Olympic 19 August 2016 80 39
High Jump, Men Olympic 14 – 16 August 2016 44 28
Pole Vault, Men Olympic 13 – 15 August 2016 31 16
Long Jump, Men Olympic 12 – 13 August 2016 32 23
Triple Jump, Men Olympic 15 – 16 August 2016 47 35
Shot Put, Men Olympic 18 August 2016 34 24
Discus Throw, Men Olympic 12 – 13 August 2016 35 24
Hammer Throw, Men Olympic 17 – 19 August 2016 32 24
Javelin Throw, Men Olympic 17 – 20 August 2016 37 23
Decathlon, Men Olympic 17 – 18 August 2016 32 21
100 metres, Women Olympic 12 – 13 August 2016 80 56
200 metres, Women Olympic 15 – 17 August 2016 72 49
400 metres, Women Olympic 13 – 15 August 2016 57 36
800 metres, Women Olympic 17 – 20 August 2016 65 45
1,500 metres, Women Olympic 12 – 16 August 2016 41 24
5,000 metres, Women Olympic 16 – 19 August 2016 33 18
10,000 metres, Women Olympic 12 August 2016 37 24
Marathon, Women Olympic 14 August 2016 156 80
100 metres Hurdles, Women Olympic 16 – 17 August 2016 47 33
400 metres Hurdles, Women Olympic 15 – 18 August 2016 48 33
3,000 metres Steeplechase, Women Olympic 13 – 15 August 2016 52 32
4 × 100 metres Relay, Women Olympic 18 – 19 August 2016 67 16
4 × 400 metres Relay, Women Olympic 19 – 20 August 2016 69 16
20 kilometres Race Walk, Women Olympic 19 August 2016 74 34
High Jump, Women Olympic 18 – 20 August 2016 35 26
Pole Vault, Women Olympic 16 – 19 August 2016 36 23
Long Jump, Women Olympic 16 – 17 August 2016 38 26
Triple Jump, Women Olympic 13 – 14 August 2016 37 25
Shot Put, Women Olympic 12 August 2016 36 25
Discus Throw, Women Olympic 15 – 16 August 2016 34 23
Hammer Throw, Women Olympic 12 – 15 August 2016 32 19
Javelin Throw, Women Olympic 16 – 18 August 2016 31 20
Heptathlon, Women Olympic 12 – 13 August 2016 31 21
2271 (1186/1085) 200 (198/185)