BBC Sport - London 2012 Olympics - Timeline Olympic Powers Information on this page will not be updated. Facts were accurate as of August 13, 2012. Timeline: Olympic Powers All-time Summer Olympic Gold Medals Country US athletes LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville and Jeremy Wariner celebrate victory in the 4x400m relay final at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games * Combines medals won by East and West Germany 2008 Beijing, China XXIX Olympiad 204 Nations 2008 Olympics Gold medals by nation Country Total 302 China climbs to the top, winning fewer medals overall, but taking more gold medals than the US. A total of 37 venues are used to host the events, including 12 built for use at the Games. The Games enjoy their largest audience in history, with an estimated 3.6 billion viewers. American Michael Phelps breaks the records for most gold medals in one Olympiad and for most career gold medals for an Olympian. He wins eight swimming events.

South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, whose left leg was amputated following a crash, becomes the first amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games since Olivér Halassy in 1936. Left: He Kexin with her gymnastics gold medal in the 2008 Olympics Right: US swimmer Michael Phelps gets the gold in the Men's 400m Individual Medley event 2004 Athens, Greece XXVIII Olympiad 201 Nations 2004 Olympics Gold medals by nation Country Total 302 USA is victorious again, but China overtakes Russia. Australia also makes a leap to fourth spot. Chile and China earn their first medals in tennis. The archery competitions in Athens in 2004 are staged in the same Panathenaic Stadium that was used for the 1896 Olympics.

Left: Joanne Hayes of USA crosses the finish line and wins gold in the women's 100 metre hurdle final Right: Jun Zhang, of China, dominates the mixed double badminton events 2000 Sydney, Australia XXVII Olympiad 199 Nations 2000 Olympics Gold medals by nation Country US and Russia finish top, with China breathing down their neck. North Korea and South Korea enter the stadium under one flag. British rower Steve Redgrave wins gold in his fifth consecutive Olympics. A swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, Eric "the Eel" Moussambani, completes the 100m freestyle swim in 112.72 seconds - more than twice as long as the winner. First tests to detect performance-enhancing drug erythropoetin (EPO) are performed.

Left: Andrew Hoy of Australia (Silver), David O''Connor of the USA (Gold) and Mark Todd of New Zealand (Bronze) take the podium after the Individual Three Day Event Show Jumping Right: Russian Tatyana Lebedeva, silver medal winner in the women's triple jump final 1996 Atlanta, Georgia XXVI Olympiad 197 Nations 1996 Olympics Gold medals by nation Country 271 USA, Russia and Germany are the top three, with China continuing its rise to prominence. Tragic opening as terrorist bomb explodes in the Centennial Olympic Park killing 2 and injuring over 100 people. All 197 recognised National Olympic Committees are represented at the Games. Beach volleyball and mountain biking are the newest additions to the Olympic Games. Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl becomes the first person ever to compete in nine Olympiads.

Left: US swimmer Beth Botsford celebrates her gold medal win in the women's 100 metre backstroke with compatriot Whitney Hedgepeth Right: Russia win the men's team gymnastics event at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia 1992 Barcelona, Spain XXV Olympiad 169 Nations 1992 Olympics Gold medals by nation Country Total 260 The unified team of former Soviet Union states takes the largest number of medals, followed by the USA and Germany. A total of 64 nations win at least a medal - the highest number yet. The split of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall make the 1992 Olympics boycott-free. Basketball professionals are also accepted. The US Dream Team dominates and takes the gold. In the last lap of the 10,000m final, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia darts into the lead and goes on to win. At the finishing line, she waits for her opponent Elana Meyer, a white South African. They set off hand-in-hand for a victory lap that symbolises hope for a new Africa.

Left: Alexander Kourlovitch snatches 205 kilograms to win the gold medal in the over 110 kilograms class Right: Michael Jordan celebrates after winning the gold medal with the US Dream Team 1988 Seoul, Korea XXIV Olympiad 160 Nations 241 Soviet Union and East Germany take the podium. Aside from North Korea, Cuba and Ethiopia, there are no widespread boycotts for the first time since 1972. Football is readmitted to the Games after a compromise with FIFA. Tennis also returns. East German athlete Christa Rothenburger becomes the first and only athlete to win medals in both a Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year, taking medals in track cycling and ice skating. Left: The basketball team representing The Soviet Union celebrate after receiving the gold medals Right: Andreas Wecker of East Germany performs his routine on the parallel bars in the combined gymnastics competition 1984 Los Angeles, USA XXIII Olympiad 140 Nations Total 226 China makes an impressive return to the Games, finishing fourth. USA wins comfortably, but Romania is a surprise runner-up. Revenge boycott by USSR and 14 other countries.

Libya and Iran are also absent. First marathon for women takes place. The event had been banned in the past as doctors claimed running would "make women age faster". Rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised swimming are also introduced. First privately-financed Olympics, they are a commercial success, thanks to a lucrative broadcasting deal and multiple sponsorships. Left: Synchronised swimming winner Tracy Ruiz enjoys the closing ceremony with her coach Charlotte Davis Right: Aurora Dan of Romania and Christiane Weber of West Germany during their match in the ladies team foil fencing competition 1980 Moscow, USSR XXII Olympiad 80 Nations 198 USSR finishes top again, while the US is beaten to second place by East Germany. African countries boycott the Games in response to the inclusion of New Zealand after their rugby team toured the apartheid-torn South Africa. Bermuda becomes the least populous nation to win a medal. Hosting the Games costs Montreal $1.5 billion – an amount they only finish paying off in 2006. 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci becomes first person to score a perfect 10.

She does it seven times, in various individual and team events, helping Romania win three golds, one silver and one bronze medal in gymnastics. Left: John Walker of New Zealand and Frank Clement of Great Britain during the Men's 800 metres heats Right: Romanian Olympic gymnastics champion Nadia Comaneci celebrates after her routine on the uneven bars 1972 Munich, Germany XX Olympiad 121 Nations Total 195 Soviet Union gets the largest number of medals, followed by the USA, while East Germany beats neighbours from the West to bronze. The Soviet athletes also dominate the gold medals table. The Games are overshadowed by the assassination of 11 Israeli team members in a Black September terrorist attack. The Republic of Rhodesia, an unrecognised state in southern Africa, is excluded at the request of African nations. The Officials’ Oath is introduced; archery returns to Olympics. British equestrian rider Lorna Johnstone, at 70 years and 5 days, becomes the oldest woman ever to compete in the Olympics.

Left: Competitors rise out of the blocks at the start of the men's 200m final at the Olympiastadion in Munich Right: American swimmer Mark Spitz holds five of the seven gold medals he won at the Olympics in Munich 1968 Mexico City, Mexico XIX Olympiad 112 Nations Total 174 The top three stays the same as in 1964 as the USA continues its domination ahead of the Soviet Union and Japan. Games held at the highest altitude ever - 2,239 metres above sea level. The thin air affects performance in endurance events, but it leads to records in short races, relays, and jumping events. The Olympics are marred by the killing of hundreds of students protesting against the government in Plaza of Three Cultures, just ten days before the start of the competition. In an unprecedented politically-charged gesture, African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos give the Black Power salute and receive their medals shoeless, but wearing black socks. They are trying to raise awareness of black poverty and racism. The Olympic movement acts against use of banned substances. Swedish pentathlete Hans-Grunner Liljenwall is disqualified after testing positive for excessive alcohol.

Left: Afro-American winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Power salute Right: Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in action during the side horse vault competition 1964 Tokyo, Japan XVIII Olympiad 93 Nations 163 USA regains the top spot, pushing the Soviets to second and Japan to third. South Africa is banned by the IOC from taking part due to its oppressive apartheid regime. Algeria, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire make their first appearances at the Olympics. In 1964 Japan spends about $3 billion to rebuild Tokyo for the Olympics, revitalising a city that had been devastated by earthquakes and World War II bombings. Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina wins six medals for the third time in a row. She still remains the Olympic athlete with the most medals - 18.

Left: Wyomia Tyrus of the United States is flanked by her runners-up for the Olympic 100-meter sprint championship Right: American boxer Joe Frazier fells his German opponent Hans Huber in the Olympic Super Heavyweight Boxing Final 1960 Rome, Italy XVII Olympiad 83 Nations Total 152 Chinese boycott continues (to end only in 1984), while USSR once again overcomes the US to take the gold, with Italy a surprising third. The Olympic Anthem is officialy adopted. Millions view the Games on television around the world. 18-year-old boxer Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, becomes the light heavyweight boxing champion. Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila is the first black African to win a gold medal. He triumphs in the marathon running barefoot. Left: The cycling event at the 1960 Rome Olympics Right: Muhammad Ali wins Olympic Gold in the Light Heavyweight division 1956 Melbourne, Australia XVI Olympiad 72 Nations 153 First victory for USSR as they finish ahead of USA and an impressive Australia. Games are boycotted by the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland in protest of Soviet invasion of Hungary.

Other absentees include China, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon. Some equestrian events are forced to take place in Sweden as Australian health services refuse to allow horses in the country in order not to breach quarantine laws. Left: Soviet champion Vladimir Kuts (left) leads the Olympic 10,000 metres event Right: US champion Harold Connolly shows his gold medal after having won the Olympic hammer throw event 1952 Helsinki, Finland XV Olympiad 69 Nations 149 USA wins, but only just ahead of USSR while Hungary takes the bronze. A Cold-war atmosphere dominates the games as the USSR and People's Republic of China debut to rival the Western nations. Looser restrictions on female competitors allows Soviet gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya to set a record for most medals won by a woman in one Olympics, with two golds and five silvers.

Left: American Decathlon medal winners Milton Campbell (silver), Bob Mathias (gold) and Floyd Simmons (bronze) Right: 1952: Emil Zatopek (1922 - 2000) of Czechoslovakia, receives his gold medal at the 1952 Olympics after winning the 10,000 metres 1948 London, United Kingdom XIV Olympiad 59 Nations Total 138 After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II the Olympics restart, but Germany and Japan are not invited while the USSR abstains. The US regains top spot in medals’ table. First political defection: Marie Provaznikova, President of the International Gymnastics Federation in Czechoslovakia, refuses to return home, citing "lack of freedom" after the country's inclusion in the Soviet Bloc. Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen is the star performer of the games as the 30-year old mother of three, nicknamed "The Flying Housewife", wins four gold medals in athletics.

Left: American Decathlete Robert Mathias throwing the discus at the Olympics at Wembley Stadium Right: Football teams listening to the Swedish national anthem at the ceremony for the winners of the 1948 Olympic football event 1936 Berlin, Germany XI Olympiad 49 Nations 130 USA loses out to Germany in the rankings while Hungary comes third. Spain abstains because of the Civil War; USA also considered boycotting due to anti-Semitism in Germany. Nazi Germany is on the rise, pushing ideas about Arian race, but African-American athlete Jesse Owens wins four golds in front of Hitler’s eyes. The Berlin Games are the first to be televised and over 4 million tickets are sold. The Olympic torch is carried for the first time. Left: 1936 Olympic German Pentathlete team in Budapest Right: US champion 'Jesse' (James Cleveland) Owens during the Olympic Games in Berlin 1932 Los Angeles, USA X Olympiad 37 Nations 116 USA wins easily while Italy is on the podium for the first time. The Great Depression hits the Olympics budget hard, with only half of the athletes from 1928 taking part.

The length of competition is reduced to just 16 days. No professionals are admitted so no football events are taking place. The Brazilian government can't afford to send its 69 athletes to LA so they herd them onto a ship carrying coffee that they could sell in America. First Games ever to turn a profit - a feat not repeated until Los Angeles hosts the Games again in 1984 Left: Jean Shiley of the USA in action during her record-breaking jump in the high-jump event Right: Thomas Hampson of Great Britain breaks the tape ahead of Alexander Wilson of Canada to win gold and set a new world record in the 800 metres event 1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands IX Olympiad 46 Nations 126 USA continues to dominate the rankings, but Finland, Britain and France show signs of progress. Originally planned for Amsterdam, the Games are moved to Paris as Baron de Coubertin wants to see them in his homeland one last time before retiring. The Olympics become a truly global event, with around one thousand journalists taking part. The first Olympic village is also built. Germany is still absent, but Latvia, Poland, Uruguay and Ireland make their entrance on the Olympic stage.

Left: American athlete Harold Osborn (1899 - 1975) taking gold in the high jump at the Paris Olympics Right: Lt Eyres, Captain of the Devonport Services team, gets possession from a line out in a match against the USA Olympic Rugby team 1920 Antwerp, Belgium VII Olympiad 29 Nations 156 The Olympics are back after an 8-year break caused by World War I. US still dominates the medals tables, but Sweden, Britain, Finland and the hosts are also successful. The five-rings Olympic flag is officially introduced, along with the Olympic oath. Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey are not invited because of their political actions during the First World War. American boxing champion Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. He will also win a gold in 1932, in a bobsled event.

Left: The English eight who defeated the Italians in the Antwerp Olympics Right: Suzanne Lenglen of France competes in the Women's tennis event during the 1920 Olympic Games 1912 Stockholm, Sweden V Olympiad 28 Nations 110 The Games gain worldwide recognition. As host, Britain wins largest share of medals. A hastily organised Fourth Olympiad takes place in London as Italy pulls out following the eruption of Vesuvius. Nations’ flags are introduced. A quote by Pierre de Coubertin is established as the motto of the Olympic movement: "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well". Australia and New Zealand compete as Australasia. Left: Wyndham Halswelle crosses the finish line to win one of the heats of the 400 Metres event Right: Female competitors in the National Round Archery event 1904 St. Louis, USA III Olympiad 12 Nations Total 43 French historian Pierre de Coubertin revives the games, inspired by the ancient Olympiads and William Penny Brookes’s Wenlock Olympian Games.

Most competitors come from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain. These countries also win the majority of medals. No women are allowed to take part. The organisers describe their inclusion as "impractical, uninteresting, and incorrect". 80,000 spectators are in attendance, including King George I of Greece. Left: Three athletes in training for the marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens Right: Greek shepherd Spyridon Louis (1873 - 1940), winner of the 40 km marathon is joined by King George I of Greece on the last lap of his run at the Athens Olympics Olympic Marathon History: A Definitive Guide To The ... 7th June 2016 Share Pictured: Emil Zatopek became an Olympic legend at Helsinki 1952 when he won gold in the three long-distance running events. The men’s marathon has been an official part of the Olympic Games since the first modern Olympiad in 1896. It wasn’t until ninety-odd years later, in 1984, that the women’s marathon event was added to the Olympic programme.

Because of the event’s historic origins in ancient Greece, and the fitness levels required to run it competitively, the marathon is one of the most famous running events at the Olympics. Marathon Running At The Olympics: Everything You Need To Know About The Proposed Rio 2016 Marathon Course Olympic marathon running has a fascinating history littered with memorable moments that have echoed down the decades. Inspirational athletes, iconic locations, record breaking times; the last 120 years of Olympic marathon running has seen it all. This summer, at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, long-distance runners from across the world will be hoping to add their name to a distinguished list of medal winners. To get you up to speed with everything, before it all kicks off in August, we’ve compiled together some of the most famous moments in Olympic marathon history. Athens 1896 – An Olympic Marathon That Starts In Marathon, Greece Pictured: Greece has never forgotten the heroics of Spiridon “Spyros” Louis at the 1896 Olympic Games.

Spiridon “Spyros” Louis was a Greek water-carrier from the town of Marousi, now a suburb to the north of Athens, who became a national hero for Greece when he won the inaugural Olympic Marathon event at the first modern Olympiad in 1896. Before victory in the marathon for Louis, the enthusiastic Greek public had been desperate for one of their compatriots to win gold in the athletics. Defeat in the Olympic discus, a national sport from the times of ancient Greece, to American Robert Garrett had been particularly painful for the Greeks. The people needed a hero of Herculean proportions; enter Spiridon Louis. The field comprised 17 athletes, 13 of whom were Greek. The route honoured the legendary messenger Philippides, who ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated at the Battle of Marathon. The marathon course at the 1896 Olympics was 25 miles long, rather than the 26.2 miles seen today. Frenchman Albin Lermusiaux an early lead in the race, with British-born Australian Edwin Flack and American Arthur Blake following in second and third place.

Blake dropped out just after the 14 mile mark, and Lermusiaux called it quits just short of the 20 mile mark. This left Flack in the lead, but Spiridon Louis was gaining all the time thanks to some tactical endurance running. Flack, who was not used to running such long distances, collapsed a few more miles from the stadium. This left Louis on his own, out in front. Messages were run back and forth from the stadium via a cyclist . When Louis entered the stadium, the crowd exploded with joy at the sight of a Greek leading the race. Two Greek Princes (Crown Prince Constantine and Prince George) ran down to meet him – joining him for his final lap. The winning time for Louis was 2:58.50. His victory meant it was officially party time, in Athens. The fact that another Greek, named Kharilaos Vasilakos, came in roughly eight minutes later to secure the silver medal only added to the carnival atmosphere. It is believed that the King of Greece offered Louis the chance to pick his reward, and make sure it was taken care of.

Louis, ever the modest, asked only for a donkey-drawn carriage to help him with his water-carrying business. Speaking of carriages, one of the more amusing stories from the 1896 Olympics is that of Greek runner Spyridon Belokas. Belokas finished the marathon in third, but was later disqualified after it emerged that he’d travelled part of the course by carriage. The heroics of Spiridon “Spyros” Louis have never been forgotten in Greece. The Olympic Stadium built for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was, by popular demand, named after him. London 1908 – The Disqualification of Dorando Pietri And The Most Iconic Finish In Olympic Marathon History Pictured: Dorando Pietri struggled over the line at London 1908, but was later disqualified because of the assistance he had from race umpires. The disqualification of the Italian runner Dorando Pietri at the London Olympics of 1908 is one of the most infamous hard-luck stories in sporting history.

Pietri began the 1908 Olympic Marathon at a relatively gentle pace, but made a powerful surge in the second half of the race and found himself in second place by the 20 mile mark (roughly 4 minutes behind the South African runner Charles Hefferon). Upon discovering that Hefferon was struggling, Pietri upped his pace further in a bid to reel in the South African – overtaking him at the 24 mile mark. The effort required to get ahead of Hefferson obliterated what was left of Pietri’s energy reserves, and with just two kilometres to go he began to suffer badly from dehydration and fatigue. After entering the stadium, Pietri went the wrong way. As the umpires redirected him, exhaustion got the better of him and he collapsed for the first time. He got back to his feet, with the help of the umpires, and continued his struggle to the finish line. All this happened, it’s worth remembering, with the eyes of 75,000 Wembley spectators on him. Pietri fell four more times before reaching the finishing line, with the umpires getting him back to his feet on each occasion.

His final time for the London 1908 Olympic Marathon was 2:54.46. Remarkably, a whole 10 minutes of this time was for the last 350 metres. American Johnny Hayes came in second, behind Pietri. Outraged at the help he’d got from the umpires, the American team immediately filed a complaint against the result. The complaint was accepted and Pietri saw himself removed from the marathon’s final standings. The Italian had made it to the stadium but his inability to finish the final lap, without help, meant he fell agonisingly short of Olympic glory. As compensation for missing out on a medal, Queen Alexandra gifted Pietri a gilded silver cup. Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, wrote an article for the Daily Mail – praising Pietri’s “great performance” and unforgettable effort. He might not have won the gold medal but this iconic race will forever be known for Dorando Pietri’s refusal to quit, and willingness to finish the race; no matter what.

Related Articles Helsinki 1952 – Emil Zátopek’s Long-Distance Triple And Defining Moment In Olympic Marathon History Pictured: Emil Zatopek (right) won three gold medals at Helsinki 1952 – 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon. Czechoslovakian long-distance runner Emil Zátopek etched himself into the history books with a legendary performance at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games. In the year 2013, Zátopek was named by Runner’s World Magazine as the ‘Greatest Runner Of All Time.’ Because of his sensational exploits in Olympic long-distance running events, especially those of 1952, he was nicknamed the “Czech Locomotive.” Zátopek is the only person in Olympic history to win 5,000m gold, 10,000m gold and marathon gold at the same Games. Not only did Zátopek complete a historical triple in Helsinki, he also set Olympic records in all three of the long-distance events. Incredibly, Zátopek only decided to compete in the Olympic marathon at the very last minute.

Even more incredibly than that, it was the first marathon he’d ever run. His tactic was to stay close to British world-record holder Jim Peters, and take it from there. After a gruelling and punishingly quick first 15 minutes, it is believed that Zátopek asked the Englishman what he thought of the race so far. Peters tried to play what, nowadays, you’d label as “mind-games” – telling Zátopek that the pace was “too slow.” Zátopek then surged ahead and left Peters, who did not finish the race, trailing in his wake. Here’s to Emil Zátopek. The greatest runner who ever lived. Rome 1960 – The Emergence of Ethiopian Legend Abebe Bikila And The Rise Of A New Olympic Superpower Pictured: Abebe Bikila won the Rome 1960 Olympic Marathon…running barefoot. When tracing the history of Olympic marathons, and the rise of East Africa as a long-distance running powerhouse , it would be remiss not to discuss the heroic athletic exploits of the Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila.

Bikila was a double Olympic champion, winning gold at Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964 in the marathon events. What’s more, he succeeded at his first Olympics running barefoot. Barefoot?! Yes. Barefoot. Bikila was only added to the Ethiopian Olympic team at the last moment, as a substitute for Wami Biratu (who couldn’t compete because of health reasons). Adidas, the shoe sponsors at the 1960 Olympics, had few shoes left when Bikila rocked up to get some fitted. His lack of comfort in the shoes he eventually selected saw him make the decision to run the marathon barefoot as this was how he had trained for the event. Bikila was told before the race that one of his main rivals would be the Moroccan Rhadi Ben Abdesselam. The story goes that Bikila was wrongly informed about what number bib Ben Abdesselam would be wearing, and spent the entire race looking for the runner in the number 26 bib (Ben Abdesselam was actually wearing 185). As the race went on, Bikila continued to overtake the other runners – all the while, looking for number 26.

Runner's High | How Ultra Runner Charlie Engle Beat Drug Addiction to Run the Sahara 12 miles in, Bikila and Ben Abdesselam had separated themselves from the trailing pack. Bikila, unaware who he was running alongside, kept looking ahead to see if he could find the runner wearing number 26. The pair ran alongside each other until the final mile, at which point Bikila charged ahead to finish a whole 25 seconds ahead of the Moroccan. He was the first athlete from sub-saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal, and his time of 2:15:16.2 was a world record. Tragically, in 1973, Bikila died from complications caused by a car accident four years earlier that had resulted in him being a paraplegic. He was just 41. Those passionate about long-distance running, and the Olympic Games, will never forget Abebe Bikila’a inspirational achievements. There is a sports stadium named after Bikila in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Los Angeles 1984 – Joan Benoit Samuelson’s Incredible Win At The First Female Marathon In Olympic History Pictured: Joan Benoit Samuelson won the first ever women’s Olympic marathon event at Los Angeles 1984. Joan Benoit Samuelson won the first ever women’s Olympic marathon event, at the Los Angeles 1984 Games. The achievement was remarkable for a number of reasons. Firstly, Benoit Samuelson had badly injured her knee during a training run earlier that year. The injury was so bad that it required surgery. Miraculously, she recovered from the surgery far quicker than anyone expected and was able to compete at the United States women’s marathon trials just 17 days after being laid out on the operating table. Secondly, Benoit Samuelson was up against some of long-distance running’s most legendary female athletes. Rosa Mota of Portugal, Grete Waitz of Norway and Ingrid Kristiansen – also of Norway – all stood between Samuelson and an Olympic gold medal on home soil. Benoit Samuelson ran the race of her life, and beat them all.

Athens 2004 – Paula Radcliffe Pulls Out At The 22 Mile Mark In Heartbreaking Olympic Marathon Moment Pictured: Paula Radcliffe, devastated after pulling out of the Athens 2004 Olympic Marathon. To say Paula Radcliffe went to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games as the favourite for the women’s marathon event is one hell of an understatement. In the years building up to the Athens Games, Radcliffe had served up some of the greatest long-distant runs of all time and everything looked like it was building towards an inevitable Olympic gold in the summer of 2004. In 2002, Radcliffe moved up from 5,000m and 10,000m to compete in marathons. She immediately reaped the benefits of this decisions when she won the London Marathon in April of that year. Her finishing time of 2:18.55 made it the second quickest women’s marathon time in history. Later that year, Radcliffe broke the world record in the Chicago marathon – with a time of 2:17.18.

At the end of 2002, Radcliffe was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. In 2003, she obliterated her own world record at the London Marathon with a finishing time of 2:15.25. It seemed, at the time, like the world of long-distance running belonged to the legs of Paula Radcliffe. Running At The Rio 2016 Olympics: Who Are The Main Medal Contenders In The Women’s 10,000m And 5,000m Events? Two weeks prior to the Olympic Games in Athens, Radcliffe suffered an injury that required a course of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. This, it turned out, had a terrible effect on her stomach and disrupted her ability to digest and absorb food. Although no British athletics fan wanted to believe it at the time, this disruption to her preparations would go on to have a catastrophic effect on Radcliffe’s chances. Radcliffe started the Athens 2004 race brightly, taking four other runners with her. Around the 15 mile mark, Radcliffe started to struggle during a challenging uphill segment of the marathon course.

At about the 21 mile mark, Radcliffe tried to bring herself back into the race but this attempted recovery came to nothing and she made the decision to quit the race with roughly three miles to go. The iconic images of that summer’s Olympic marathon were meant to be Radcliffe standing on the podium with a gold medal round her neck. Heartbreakingly, for her and her fans, the iconic images were of her slumped by the side of the road with tears in her eyes. There was a big slice of redemption to be had for Radcliffe, when she won gold at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships a year later. Despite a highly successful athletics career however, Olympic glory always eluded her. She is still the world record holder for women’s marathon. Beijing 2008 – First Kenyan In History To Win An Olympic Marathon Pictured: At Beijing 2008, Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first Kenyan to win gold in an Olympic marathon. The men’s event at the Beijing 2008 Games was significant because it was the first time a Kenyan had won gold in the Olympic marathon.

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru was the man to do it, and he did it with a phenomenal O.R time of 2:06.32. He smashed the previous record of 2:09.21, set by Portugal’s Carlos Lopes in 1984, by almost three minutes. Wanjiru, it was felt, could have gone on to cement himself as one of the greatest long-distance runners of all-time with another win at London 2012. However, it wasn’t be as the Kenyan died in mysterious circumstances in 2011. He was just 24. Wanjiru fell from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu after a domestic dispute with his wife. Police still do not know if the cause was homicide, suicide, or accidental. The question of how good the immensely talented Wanjiru could have gone onto be will forever remain a tragically unanswered question in the history of Olympic sport.

You May Also Like: The Olympic Marathon The Olympic Marathon The Athens Marathon By Alexander Kitroeff* From Spyros Louis' victorious win in 1896 to the first women's marathon in 1973, the lengthy journey runs to this day SPYROS Louis' famous win in the marathon at the Athens Olympics of 1896 provided the exclamation mark for those Games. It was the only Greek win in the track and field events and it was in one of the last events. The home crowd greeted Louis' entrance into the Panathenaic Stadium, where he crossed the finishing line, with an outburst of patriotic enthusiasm. It was just as well, then, that the marathon race had been specially invented for the Olympic Games, only a year earlier. It was the brainchild of a Frenchman, Michel Breal, a friend of the reviver of the modern Olympics, the baron de Coubertin. Breal accompanied Coubertin when he travelled to Greece in 1895 to persuade the Greeks to organise the first Olympics.

Breal, a romantic phil hellene, stated he would offer a gold cup as a prize if the Greek organisers revived the run from the battleground at Marathon to Athens by the Greek soldier Pheidippides to announce the victory over the Persians in 490BC. According to the legend - no actual evidence exists in any of the sources - Pheidippides ran the roughly 40- kilometre (25-mile) distance at the conclusion of the battle, announced its outcome by gasping out Nenikikamen! and then promptly died of exhaustion. See also: Pheidippides' Heroic Journey The Athens Marathon The Greek organisers loved the idea of a race that recalled such a proud moment in Ancient Greek history, and they even had two trial runs. The first trial - the first ever marathon race in history - took place on March 10 (February 27 according to the Julian calendar that was observed in Greece at the time). It involved only Greek runners and the winner was the nineteen-year old Peloponnesian Charilaos Vasilakos, who would come second to Louis in the Olympic marathon, a month later.

Legendary Louis Appropriately perhaps for a race based on a legend, Louis, the first winner, became a legend in his own time. He won before a home crowd expecting a Greek win in what was considered a Greek race. The twenty-four year old Louis, a farmer and water carrier who lived in Maroussi just north of Athens (and now one of its suburbs) had taken part in the second trial marathon prior to the Olympics but otherwise he was untrained, and this gave his win its mystique and romanticism and helped him become a legend. The Olympic Stadium that hosts the 2004 Athens Olympics, located very close to Maroussi, is named after Louis. There has probably never been a marathon win again of such tremendous national importance. Coubertin's biographer, Chicago University professor John MacAloon, said that Louis' dramatic victory in the marathon gave the Olympics an aura of heroism that helped them become the major sporting event in the world. The longest race and the most gruelling track and field event, the marathon is now the highlight of each Olympics and traditionally takes place on the last day.

Its instant popularity led, within months of the Athens Olympics, to the running of a marathon in Paris and in the American town of Stamford, Connecticut in April 1896 and, most famously, to the establishment of an annual marathon race which began the next year in Boston, Massachusetts, that is now a major event on the international athletic calendar. By being held only every four years, however, the Olympics marathon is the one that attracts the most international attention. From its earliest days it also generated the best myths. A small book can be written about the stories surrounding Louis' origins and the rewards he was promised and actually received for his win. Fanciful stories also emerged about the next marathon winner at the Paris Olympics in 1900. Michel Theato, a resident of France who was born in Luxembourg, was said to have won on a very hot day because he was a baker used to delivering hot croissants to his fellow Parisians. As usually happens, academic research spoiled this good story by ascertaining that Thlato was, in fact a woodworker. Marathon music There have been several dramatic finishes to the Olympic marathons that have involved athletes running neck and neck in the final stretch.

The first of these took place at the london Olympics in 1908. This might not have happened if the race's distance had not been extended in order to please the British royal family: they wanted the race to start just outside one of their official residences, Windsor Castle, located just west of london. Although there was no standard distance yet, the previous marathons had been between 25 and 26 miles (or 40 to 41.6 kilometres). In london, the 26-mile maximum distance would have ended the race at the entrance to london's White City stadium. But there would be greater dramatic effect if the runners circled the stadium and ended up in front of the royal box. So another 385 yards were, added. This extra distance proved disastrous for the Italian runner Dorando Pietri who entered the stadium first but then, utterly exhausted, collapsed. Pietri got up, staggered on and fell again but was helped up by officials who eventually had to assist him across the finishing line. This was in clear violation of the rules, and the American team, whose runner John Hays, a New Yorker, came in second to Pietri, lodged a protest.

The judges had no option but to disqualify the unlucky Italian and award the gold medal to Hays. In a very British gesture, it was announced that Pietri would receive a special award for the fighting spirit he had shown in adversity. Irving Berlin, one of America's greatest popular composers, had his first big hit with the song' Dorando' , named after the Italian runner. It is about an Italian-American barbershop owner who bets his shop on Dorando winning a race at Madison Square garden. Dorando falls and loses: "Dorando he's a drop! / Goodbye poor old barber shop." And the reason Dorando does not win, according to Berlin, is that the day before he eats Irish beef stew instead of spaghetti. Ironically, Hays was the son of Irish immigrants.

Kenya's Paul Tergat, one of the favourites to win the 2004 marathon, shows off the gold medal that he won on 28 September 2003 in Berlin with a time of 2:04.55 International race The Korean Kitei Song (Kee Chung­Sohn) won the marathon at the 1936 Games in Berlin running, unhappily, in Japanese colours because his country was occupied by Japan. This first win by a runner from Asia meant that among the first ten Olympic marathon winners (eleven if we include the Interim Olympics held in Athens in 1906) were runners from all the major continents. After Louis in 1896 and Thlato in 1900, two more runners from Europe won the gold, the Finn Johannes Kolehmainen in 1920 and his compatriot Albin Stenroos in 1924. There were two Americans, Thomas Hicks in 1904 and John Hays in 1908, and a Canadian, Phillip Sherring in 1906.

Two winners came from Africa - the South African Kennedy MacArthur in 1912 and the Algerian (running in French colours) Boughera EI Ouafi in 1928. And in 1932, Juan Zabala became the first Olympic marathon winner from Latin America A map of the original 1896 Marathon course. The route is the same for the Athens 2004 Olympics New records In the aftermath of World War II, the Olympic marathon acquired a new legend: Emil Zatopek..When the Czech runner appeared at the starting line during the 1952 Helsinki Games he caused a great deal of consternation among the other competitors. There was a very good reason why. Zatopek had just won the two major long-distance contests - the 10,000 metres (that he had also won at the London 1948 Games) and the 5,000 metres. He had never, though, competed in a marathon before.

In the 10,000m the runner-up was a full 100 metres behind him and in the 5,000m, Zatopek was only in fourth place with half a lap to go, but he sprinted into the lead in the final turn and won easily. In the afternoon, he watched his wife Jana, whom he had met at the London Games, win gold in the javelin throw. Distance runners, especially 10,000­metre specialists, often compete in the marathon as well. Delfo Cabrera, the Argentinian winner of the London marathon in 1948, had earlier distinguished himself in the 10,000-metre race in the South American championships. But no one had ever gone on to try for the marathon after winning a long distance race in the same tournament only days earlier. So Zatopek's presence at the starting line caused understandable astonishment, at least to those not familiar with his genuine love of running long distances! As a novice, the Czech runner did not know what the right pace was, so for good measure he ran along with the more experienced favourites who led the race.

Then, just past the halfway mark, he found himself ahead of everyone else. There was no mistaking Zatopek' s figure as he entered the stadium, still first. He had the most unorthodox running style, his arms and shoulders flayed about, his head was tilted to one side and his face was contorted in an awful grimace. The lower half of his body seemed to be moving totally independently. The stadium's 70,000 capacity crowd rose to their feet and cheered Zatopek to the finishing line. History had been made, and this extraordinary feat has yet to be repeated. A year before Zatopek' s triumph at Helsinki, a young Ethiopian named Abebe Bikila enlisted in the army because it offered him the opportunity to do the running and physical training he enjoyed. Within a few years it became evident that Bikila was a strong marathon runner, with times very close to those of the Algerian­born Alain Mimoun, who won at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, running in French colours. Bikila was included in the small Ethiopian squad which travelled to Rome for the 1960 Olympics.

There was an anti-colonial aura surrounding Mimoun' s win for France at a time when his fellow-Algerians were fighting the French for independence. Something similar was at work when the Ethiopians competed in the capital city of their former colonial masters. Perhaps it was this that energised Bikila on the eve of the marathon, although he had rather more immediate concerns: his running shoes had fallen apart and he could not find a suitable pair to replace them. So he decided he would run barefoot. The marathon was about to acquire a new legend. Bikila not only won, but he also posted a new world record, clocking in at 2 hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds. It was the first Olympic marathon win under the two-hour-twenty-minute mark. The only difference between the Rome marathon of 1960 and the one at the next Olympics in Tokyo was that Bikila won wearing shoes this time. He also smashed the record by running eight minutes faster. Thus he became the first athlete to win two consecutive Olympic marathon races. Zatopek may have been the greatest long distance runner to win a marathon, but Bikila was surely the greatest marathon runner of all time.

Indeed, Bikila was in with a chance to win a third marathon in Mexico City in 1968, but he injured himself and, not fully fit, had to abandon the race. But Ethiopia did not lose all hope for a third marathon medal in a row because Bikila' s running mate, the 36-year-old Mamo Wolde, was among the leaders. Spurred on by Bikila' s appeal to him to make history, Wolde took the lead around the thirtieth kilometre and kept it until he crossed the finishing line. So Ethiopia became the first and only country to win three consecutive Olympic marathons. But a couple of tragic twists of fate were in store for its champion runners. A few months after the 1968 Olympics Bikila was involved in a car accident in his country that left him paralysed from below the waist. He remained active but fell ill and died five years later. Wolde would suffer as well, as a result of the political instability Ethiopia faced: he spent several years in prison in the 1990s.

European dominance After an American Frank Shorter took the gold in the marathon at Munich in 1972, with Wolde coming in third, European runners won the next four. In fact, the East German Waldermar Cierpinski, formerly a steeplechase runner, equalled Bikila's feat by winning the rain­drenched marathon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, with Shorter coming in second, and winning again with a very strong finish at the Moscow 1980 Olympics. Two southern European victories followed at a time when more and more countries were entering athletes for the event. Portugal's Carlos Lopes won in Los Angeles in 1984, at thirty-seven the oldest ever winner, and the Italian Gelindo Bordin won in Seoul in 1988. The Korean Hwang Young-Cho' s victory in Barcelona put an end to this period of European dominance - it was the first win for an Asian runner since his compatriot Kitei Shon (Kee Chung-Sohn) had won in Berlin in 1936.

Women' marathon The difficulty women experienced in being treated as equal to men in the Olympic Games is epitomised by how late they had to wait for a women's marathon to be included. It was in Amsterdam in 1928 that women were allowed to compete for the first time in what was considered for them to be a long distance race, the 800 metres. Because many of the competitors collapsed on finishing, the male Olympic administrators decided that women were unsuited to running long distances. Only in the 1970s did attitudes begin to change. In 1973 a women-only marathon was organised in Germany, and was repeated the following year after another one had also been run in California. The first women's marathon at a major international event was held in Athens in 1982 at the European track and field championships and was won by Rosa Mota of Portugal. The first women's Olympic marathon took place in Los Angeles in 1984, with America's Joan Benoit the winner and Grete Waitz of Norway second. Benoit's time was better than that of many male Olympic marathon winners.

Another myth about female weakness landed in the dustbin of history as women's marathons proliferated throughout the world. Mota won the bronze medal in Los Angeles but four years later she was the gold medal winner at the Seoul Olympics where only 5 of the 69 starters did not finish. Valentina Yegorova of the former Soviet Union won in Barcelona in 1992 with Japan's Yuko Arimori finishing very close behind her, and 37-year-old Lorraine Moller of New Zealand third. Arimori' s performance was particularly impressive given that she had been born with a congenital dislocation of her foot joint, which was corrected with a cast when she was a child. Ethiopian women followed the example set by their men when Fatuma Roba won at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996 aged twenty-two, with Yegorova and Arimori finishing behind her in the same order as four years earlier. At Sydney it was third time lucky for Japan's quest for women's gold when 28-year-old Naoko Takahashi was the winner. Lidia Simon of Romania was second and Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya third.

Takahashi broke Benoit's record, and her success provided a powerful boost for women in Japan, where marathon running is a revered sport. Meanwhile, Japan's Arimori was still in the news, but for the wrong kind of reason. There was media speculation that she was marrying an American in order to move to the United States. Ultimately, she wound up as a Japanese TV commentator at the Sydney Games. Later, she was to make the news for a good reason too. In 1998, she established a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called "Heart of Gold", which aims to offer hope to handicapped people around the world through sports. The NGO also supports self-help activities by war victims in Cambodia and other countries. Africa strikes back The Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 men's marathons witnessed the re­emergence of African runners. South African Josiah Thugwane won in Atlanta in an extremely close finish that had Korea's Lee Bong-ju just behind him and the Kenyan Eric Wainaina a close third. The Africans were back and no one was left in any doubt after they captured all three medals in Sydney in 2000.

This time Wainana was second, coming in between two Ethiopians, the winner Gezahng Abera and bronze medallist Tesfaye Tola. The three winners shared more than their African identities: high altitude training prior to the Games. "We train high, and compete low," said team doctor Ayalew Tilahun. He was referring to the Ethiopian policy of withdrawing athletes from competition for a month before the Games and putting them through intensive training at the high-altitude team camp in Addis Ababa. And there is one more important ingredient in the Ethiopian and Kenyan preparations, a tactic first adopted by Emil Zatopek. They have intense work outs with a lot of speed training, something that not all long distance coaches and athletes favour. And speaking of great runners such as Zatopek, we must not forget the other ingredient that makes for a champion marathon runner - the sheer will to continue running and to win. "When I felt tired during the race, all I could think was, 'What about all that effort, wasn't it for this?''' explained Abera after he had crossed the finishing line in Sydney. The men's marathon race tomorrow will be all about continuity (as was last Sunday's women's race).

The runners will take the same course covered by Spyros Louis back in 1896 and the finish is sure to evoke memories of the revival of the modern Games. But this time there will be no Greek winner. The favourites, according to Sports Illustrated, a leading US sports magazine, are all from Africa ­Paul Tergat of Kenya, Gert Thys of South Africa and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco. * Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens. He is professor of history at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and author of Wrestling With the Ancients: Modern Greek Identity and the Olympics, New York, Greekworks.com, 2004 HCS readers can view other excellent articles by the Athens News writers and staff in many sections of our extensive, permanent archives, especially our News & Issues, Travel in Greece, Business, and Food, Recipes & Garden sections at the URL . Readers enjoying these articles may wish to subscribe to the Athens News by visiting the website and following online directions at . All articles of Athens News appearing on HCS have been reprinted with permission. 2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.

Question: Which country won the most gold medals for the Olympic Marathon, the first 25 times that it was run (1894 - 2004)?
Answer: Ethiopia