Marathons at the Olympics
Marathon at the Olympic Games | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Sport | Athletics |
Gender | Men and women |
Years held | Men: 1896 – 2020 Women: 1984 – 2020 |
Olympic record | |
Men | 2:06:32 Samuel Wanjiru (2008) |
Women | 2:23:07 Tiki Gelana (2012) |
Reigning champion | |
Men | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) |
Women | Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) |
The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics.
History[]
The modern marathon event was created and later refined through the Olympic competition. The idea of holding a marathon race at the first Olympics was suggested to Pierre de Coubertin by Michel Bréal. Based upon a popular myth stemming from the Battle of Marathon, in which Pheidippides ran to Athens from the town of Marathon, Greece to carry the message of a Greek victory, the 1896 course began in the town of Marathon and finished in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium – a distance of around 40 kilometres (25 mi).[1] On April 10, 1896, Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis won the first Olympic marathon in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The route between Marathon and Panathenaic Stadium was repeated when Athens hosted the 2004 Games.
The race distance varied from 40 to 42 kilometres (25 to 26 mi) in the early editions as it was typically based upon the distance between two points that the organisers felt were suitable. The 1908 London Olympics marked the introduction of the now standard distance of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 km).[2] However, it was not until the 1924 Paris Olympics that this distance became the standard at the Olympics.[3]
The Olympic marathon proved immediately popular in the Western world and quickly spawned numerous long-running annual races, including the Boston Marathon in 1897, the Tour de Paris Marathon in 1902, the Yonkers Marathon in 1907, and the London Polytechnic Marathon in 1909. Such marathons played a key role in the expansion of the road running movement internationally over the course of the 20th century.[4][5]
It has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, on the final day of the Olympics.[6] For many years since the 1964 Tokyo Games, the race finished inside the Olympic stadium; however, at the 2004 Athens games, the finish was at the historic Panathenaic Stadium, at the 2012 London games, the start and finish were on The Mall,[7] and at the 2016 Rio games, the start and finish were in the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí, the parade area that serves as a spectator mall for Carnival.[8] At the 2020 Tokyo games, the marathon was instead held in Sapporo due to heat concerns in the host city.[9] Often, the men's marathon medals are awarded at the closing ceremony. In 2020, both the men's and women's medals were presented.
The Olympic records for the event are 2:06:32 hours for men, set by Samuel Wanjiru in 2008, and 2:23:07 hours for women, set by Tiki Gelana in 2012. The men's marathon world record has been improved several times at the Olympics: in 1908, 1920, and then at successive Olympics by Abebe Bikila in 1960 and 1964.[10] Abebe Bikila, Waldemar Cierpinski, and Eliud Kipchoge are the only athletes to have won two Olympic gold medals in the marathon. No athlete has won more than two medals of any colour. Ethiopia have won the most gold medals in the event, with six, while Kenya has the greatest medal total with fifteen overall.
Medal summary[]
Men[]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1896 Athens |
Spyridon Louis Greece |
Charilaos Vasilakos Greece |
Gyula Kellner Hungary |
1900 Paris |
Michel Théato Luxembourg[11][12] |
Émile Champion France |
Ernst Fast Sweden |
1904 St. Louis |
Thomas Hicks United States |
Albert Corey United States[13] |
Arthur Newton United States |
1908 London |
Johnny Hayes United States |
Charles Hefferon South Africa |
Joseph Forshaw United States |
1912 Stockholm |
Ken McArthur South Africa |
Christian Gitsham South Africa |
Gaston Strobino United States |
1920 Antwerp |
Hannes Kolehmainen Finland |
Jüri Lossmann Estonia |
Valerio Arri Italy |
1924 Paris |
Albin Stenroos Finland |
Romeo Bertini Italy |
Clarence DeMar United States |
1928 Amsterdam |
Boughera El Ouafi France |
Manuel Plaza Chile |
Martti Marttelin Finland |
1932 Los Angeles |
Juan Carlos Zabala Argentina |
Sam Ferris Great Britain |
Armas Toivonen Finland |
1936 Berlin |
Sohn Kee-chung Japan[14] |
Ernest Harper Great Britain |
Nam Sung-yong Japan[14] |
1948 London |
Delfo Cabrera Argentina |
Tom Richards Great Britain |
Étienne Gailly Belgium |
1952 Helsinki |
Emil Zátopek Czechoslovakia |
Reinaldo Gorno Argentina |
Gustaf Jansson Sweden |
1956 Melbourne |
Alain Mimoun France |
Franjo Mihalić Yugoslavia |
Veikko Karvonen Finland |
1960 Rome |
Abebe Bikila Ethiopia |
Rhadi Ben Abdesselam Morocco |
Barry Magee New Zealand |
1964 Tokyo |
Abebe Bikila Ethiopia |
Basil Heatley Great Britain |
Kokichi Tsuburaya Japan |
1968 Mexico City |
Mamo Wolde Ethiopia |
Kenji Kimihara Japan |
Mike Ryan New Zealand |
1972 Munich |
Frank Shorter United States |
Karel Lismont Belgium |
Mamo Wolde Ethiopia |
1976 Montreal |
Waldemar Cierpinski East Germany |
Frank Shorter United States |
Karel Lismont Belgium |
1980 Moscow |
Waldemar Cierpinski East Germany |
Gerard Nijboer Netherlands |
Satymkul Dzhumanazarov Soviet Union |
1984 Los Angeles |
Carlos Lopes Portugal |
John Treacy Ireland |
Charlie Spedding Great Britain |
1988 Seoul |
Gelindo Bordin Italy |
Douglas Wakiihuri Kenya |
Ahmed Salah Djibouti |
1992 Barcelona |
Hwang Young-cho South Korea |
Koichi Morishita Japan |
Stephan Freigang Germany |
1996 Atlanta |
Josia Thugwane South Africa |
Lee Bong-ju South Korea |
Erick Wainaina Kenya |
2000 Sydney |
Gezahegne Abera Ethiopia |
Erick Wainaina Kenya |
Tesfaye Tola Ethiopia |
2004 Athens |
Stefano Baldini Italy |
Mebrahtom Keflezighi United States |
Vanderlei de Lima Brazil |
2008 Beijing |
Samuel Wanjiru Kenya |
Jaouad Gharib Morocco |
Tsegay Kebede Ethiopia |
2012 London |
Stephen Kiprotich Uganda |
Abel Kirui Kenya |
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich Kenya |
2016 Rio de Janeiro |
Eliud Kipchoge Kenya |
Feyisa Lelisa Ethiopia |
Galen Rupp United States |
2020 Tokyo |
Eliud Kipchoge Kenya |
Abdi Nageeye Netherlands |
Bashir Abdi Belgium |
Multiple medalists[]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1= | Abebe Bikila | Ethiopia (ETH) | 1960–1964 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1= | Waldemar Cierpinski | East Germany (GDR) | 1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1= | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya (KEN) | 2016–2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Frank Shorter | United States (USA) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Mamo Wolde | Ethiopia (ETH) | 1968–1972 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
5= | Karel Lismont | Belgium (BEL) | 1972–1976 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
5= | Erick Wainaina | Kenya (KEN) | 1996–2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Medals by country[]
- As of the 2020 Olympics
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
2 | United States (USA) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
3 | Kenya (KEN) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
4 | South Africa (RSA) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
5 | Italy (ITA) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
6 | Argentina (ARG) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
France (FRA) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
8 | Finland (FIN) | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
9 | East Germany (GDR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
10 | Japan (JPN) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
11 | Greece (GRE) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
South Korea (KOR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
13 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Luxembourg (LUX) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Portugal (POR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Uganda (UGA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
17 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
18 | Morocco (MAR) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
20 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
21 | Chile (CHI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Estonia (EST) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Ireland (IRL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Yugoslavia (YUG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
25 | New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
27 | Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Djibouti (DJI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Germany (GER) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (31 nations) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 87 |
Women[]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1984 Los Angeles |
Joan Benoit United States |
Grete Waitz Norway |
Rosa Mota Portugal |
1988 Seoul |
Rosa Mota Portugal |
Lisa Martin Australia |
Katrin Dörre East Germany |
1992 Barcelona |
Valentina Yegorova Unified Team |
Yuko Arimori Japan |
Lorraine Moller New Zealand |
1996 Atlanta |
Fatuma Roba Ethiopia |
Valentina Yegorova Russia |
Yuko Arimori Japan |
2000 Sydney |
Naoko Takahashi Japan |
Lidia Șimon Romania |
Joyce Chepchumba Kenya |
2004 Athens |
Mizuki Noguchi Japan |
Catherine Ndereba Kenya |
Deena Kastor United States |
2008 Beijing |
Constantina Tomescu Romania |
Catherine Ndereba Kenya |
Zhou Chunxiu China |
2012 London |
Tiki Gelana Ethiopia |
Priscah Jeptoo Kenya |
Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova Russia |
2016 Rio de Janeiro |
Jemima Sumgong Kenya |
Eunice Kirwa Bahrain |
Mare Dibaba Ethiopia |
2020 Tokyo |
Peres Jepchirchir Kenya |
Brigid Kosgei Kenya |
Molly Seidel United States |
Multiple medalists[]
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Valentina Yegorova | Unified Team (EUN) Russia (RUS) |
1992–1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
2 | Rosa Mota | Portugal (POR) | 1984–1988 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
3 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya (KEN) | 2004–2008 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Yuko Arimori | Japan (JPN) | 1992–1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Medals by country[]
- As of the 2020 Olympics
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kenya (KEN) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
2 | Japan (JPN) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
3 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
4 | Romania (ROM) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
5 | United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
6 | Portugal (POR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
7 | Unified Team (EUN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
8 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
9 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Bahrain (BRN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Norway (NOR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
12 | China (CHN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (14 nations) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Intercalated Games[]
The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[15]
At this event a men's marathon was held over 41.86 km and Canada's Billy Sherring won the competition. John Svanberg, the runner-up in the 1906 5-mile race, was also runner-up in the marathon. American William Frank was the bronze medalist.[16]
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1906 Athens |
Billy Sherring (CAN) | John Svanberg (SWE) | William Frank (USA) |
References[]
- Participation and athlete data
- Martin, David and Roger Glynn. 2000. The Olympic Marathon: The History and Drama of Sport's Most Challenging Event. Human Kinetics; Champaign, Illinois.
- Athletics Men's Marathon Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- Athletics Women's Marathon Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- Olympic record progressions
- Mallon, Bill (2012). TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS - OLYMPIC RECORD PROGRESSIONS. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- Specific
- ^ Athletics at the 1896 Athina Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- ^ Athletics at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- ^ Athletics at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- ^ Longest Running Marathons. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- ^ Lovett, Charlie (1997). Prologue: The Legend. Marathon Guide. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
- ^ "Marathon Race". Marathon Run Museum. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ "Mapping out the London Olympic Marathon course". The AZ Blog. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ "Visualizing the Rio Olympic Marathon Course". Runner's World. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2021-08-08). "大迫、服部は先頭集団 男子マラソン5キロ通過". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-08-08.
- ^ Butler, Mark, ed. (2011). 13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011 (PDF). Monaco: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. pp. 595, 612, 614–615, 705, 707. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ In the past, the IOC had attributed Théato's medal to France, despite later sources finding that his nationality was Luxembourgish. The IOC website now recognizes Luxembourg.
- ^ "Paris 1900 - Medal Table". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Select "Paris 1900", select "Go to medal table" to arrive at "Paris 1900 Medal Table"
- ^ Arriving without correct documents, a French immigrant to the United States Albert Corey is inconsistently listed as performing in a mixed team in the four mile team race (with four undisputed Americans) and performing for the US in the marathon.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Both Sohn Kee-chung and Nam Sung-yong were from Korea. The IOC attributes both medals to Japan due to Korea being a Japanese colony at the time. All Korean Olympians during the Japanese colonial rule could only participate in the games as a representative of Japan and had to compete with Japanese names instead of their original Korean names. However, some sources still refer to Son Kee-chung as the first Korean to win an Olympic marathon today.
- ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
- ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
External links[]
- IAAF marathon homepage
- Official Olympics website
- Olympic athletics records from Track & Field News
- Marathons at the Olympics
- Marathons
- Athletics events at the Olympics