As the Rio Olympics closes today, the Jamaican delegation will have much to celebrate, as the country recorded its best ever performance with a record equaling six gold medals – the same quantity as 2008, when the team took exactly the same number of medals as in Rio: 11 (6 x gold, 3 x silver and 2 x bronze).
Jamaica finished third on the Athletics medals table behind USA, who topped the table with 32 medals (13, 10, 9) ahead of Kenya 13 (6, 6, 1). In 2012, Jamaica won twelve medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze)
Bahamas placed 14th with one gold (Shaunae Miller-women’s 400m) and one bronze (men’s 4x400m). Grenada 26th, with one silver (Kirani James-men’s 400m) and Trinidad and Tobago in 35th on one bronze (Keshorn Walcott-men’s javelin).
The performance of the Jamaica team includes several historic achievements:
* Usain Bolt captured nine gold medals, by far the most ever by a Jamaican or a Caribbean athlete. He is joint second on the list of all-time gold medal winners, with Paavo Nurmi (Finland) and Carl Lewis (USA). The trio is behind the leader Pay Ewry (USA), a ten time Olympic champion.
* Bolt has also become the only man to win the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in three consecutive Games. Four years ago, he became the first man to defend the 100m and 200m gold medals and then the first to repeat as triple (100m/200m/4x100m) champion.
*Elaine Thompson becomes the first Jamaican and Caribbean woman to complete the sprint double win and the seventh overall. She has done what compatriots, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2012: gold-100m/silver-200m), Merlene Ottey (1996: silver-100m/silver-200m & 1984 bronze-100m/bronze-200m) and Juliet Cuthbert (1992-silver-100m/silver-200m) missed out on.
* Bolt and Thompson are the first two athletes from the same country to win the 100m and 200m titles at the same Olympics
* Omar McLeod captured Jamaica (and the region’s) first gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdles finals.
* Jamaica has medalled in all four relays (gold-men’s 4x100m, silver-women’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m and women’s 4x400m) for the first time. The closest effort to four medals came in 2000 (silver-women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m, men’s 4x400m and fourth-men’s 4x100m)
*Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first woman ever to win three medals in the 100m. (gold-2008/2012, bronze-2016).
* Aisha Praught was the first Jamaican/Caribbean athlete to advance to the finals of an event longer than 800m. She was 14th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase finals.
* Veronica Campbell-Brown became the first four-time medalist in the women’s 4x100m, following her silver to add to her previous silver medals in 2000 and 2012 and gold in 2004.
She has now won eight Olympic medals (gold-women’s 200m/2004 & 2008, 4x100m/2004, silver-200m/2000, 2012 & 2016 and bronze-100m/2004 & 2012) to move to third on the Jamaican all-medal winners behind Bolt and Merlene Ottey 9(0, 3, 6).
*Novlene Williams-Mills won her fourth medal in the women’s 4x400m (silver-2016, bronze-2004, 2008 & 2012), the most ever by a woman in the event.
Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) became the first Caribbean athlete to win two medals in a field event, when he was third in the men’s javelin finals. He won gold in the discipline in 2012.
St. Lucia and Guyana produced finalists for the first time ever. Levern Spencer was sixth in the women’s high jump for St. Lucia and Guyana’s Troy Doris finished seventh in the men’s triple jump.
Akela Jones was the top female Barbadian in Olympic history when she was 20th in the women’s heptathlon.
Final Medals/Points Tables
Medal Standings
1st USA 32 (13 gold, 10, silver, 9 bronze)
2nd Kenya 13 (6, 6, 1)
3rd Jamaica 9(6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
Gold-Usain Bolt-men’s 100m/200m, Elaine Thompson-women’s 100m/200m, Omar McLeod-men’s 110m hurdles, men’s 4x100m
Silver-women’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m, women’s 4x400m
Bronze-Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce-women’s 100m, Shericka Jackson-women’s 400m
14th Bahamas 1 (1 gold, 1 bronze)
Gold-Shaunae Miller-women’s 400m
Bronze-men’s 4x400m
26th Grenada 1(1 silver)
Silver-Kirani James-men’s 400m
35th-Trinidad and Tobago 1(1bronze)
Bronze-Keshorn Walcott-men’s javelin
Points standings
(Based on top eight finishes)
3rd Jamaica-106 points:
Gold:Usain Bolt-men’s 100m/200m, Elaine Thompson-women’s 100m/200m, Omar McLeod-men’s 110m hurdles, men’s 4x100m
silver-women’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m, women’s 4x400m
Bronze: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson-women’s 400m
Fourth: Yohan Blake-men’s 100m
Fifth-Annsert Whyte-men’s 400m hurdles,Ristananna Tracey -women’s 400m hurdles
Sixth-Stephenie Ann McPherson-women’s 400m, Leah Nugent-women’s 400m hurdles
Seventh:Kimberly Williams-women’s triple jump, Janieve Russell-women’s 400m hurdles
Eighth-Christania Williams-women’s 100m
15th-Trinidad and Tobago-23 points:
Bronze-Keshorn Walcott men’s javelin; Fourth: Machel Cedenio-men’s 400m; Sixth: Michelle-Lee Ahye-women’s 100m/200m, women’s 4x100m; Seventh: Cleopatra Borel-women’s shot put
22nd- Bahamas 19 points:
Gold-Shaunae Miller-women’s 400m; Bronze-men’s 4x400m; Sixth-Pedrya Seymour-women’s 100m hurdles; Seventh-Donald Thomas-men’s high jump
38th-Grenada-9 points:
Silver: Kirani James-men’s 400m; Seventh: Bralon Taplin-men’s 400m
64th-St. Lucia-3 points:
Sixth-Levern Spencer-women’ high jump
67th-Guyana-2 points:
Seventh-Troy Doris-men’s triple jump
