All the medal winners in the history of the Summer Olympic Games

By César Heredia, data journalist

Carl Sagan once said that you have to know the past to understand the present. And that is what this article aims to do.

Before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in which more than 10,000 athletes currently compete for the glory, 29 editions have taken place. A lot has happened since the first one, held in 1896 in Greece.

At Datahub we look back at each Olympiad since then, detailing all the medal winners edition by edition. In addition, we recall the context, the curiosities surrounding each game, and the most outstanding performances.

Athens 1896

The Olympic Games of Athens 1896, considered the first ones of the Contemporary Age, were held in Athens, Greece, between April 6 and 15, 1896. Two hundred and forty-one male athletes from 14 countries competed (there was no female participation) in nine sports.

The most successful competitor was the German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, who won four gold medals, two of them individually.

Since then, athletes from all over the world meet every four years to compete against each other. Due to the First and Second World Wars, no games were held in 1916, 1940, and 1944.

Paris 1900

The Paris 1900 Olympic Games took place from May 14 to October 28, 1900, within the framework of the Universal Exposition.

As a consequence, there was no opening or closing ceremony, the events took place over five months, and these events were not called "Olympic Games" in official documents or on promotional posters, so many athletes would be unaware, some until their deaths, that they had competed in the Olympic Games.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 997 athletes from 24 countries, including 22 women, competed. Charlotte Cooper, a British tennis player, was the first female Olympic champion in an individual competition.

With his victories in the 60-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, 200-meter hurdles, and long jump, the American athlete Alvin Kraenzlein was the main winner of the event.

After Tokyo 2020, Kraenzlein remains the only athlete to have won four individual track and field gold medals at the same Olympic Games.

The hosts dominated the medal tally with 101 medals (26 gold) ahead of the United States (47, 19) and Great Britain (30, 15).

St. Louis 1904

The 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games were held between July 1 and November 23, 1904. Six hundred and fifty-one athletes (only six women) from 12 countries participated, competing in 16 Olympic sports.

These games were part of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The organizers spread the sporting events over more than four months, just like in the previous edition.

Only 42 athletes from other countries participated because the organizers barely managed to interest athletes from Europe in crossing the Atlantic to participate in the event, allowing the United States to almost exclusively dominate the medal table.

For the first time, Olympic sports included freestyle wrestling and boxing.

London 1908

The London 1908 Olympic Games took place from April 27 to October 31, 1908. With a total duration of 187 days, these were the longest in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

2,008 athletes (1,971 men and 37 women) from 22 countries participated, competing in 24 sports and 105 events.

Competitors from 19 countries earned medals, with Great Britain leading the medal table, followed by the United States and Sweden.

Stockholm 1912

The 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games were held between May 5 and July 27, 1912. It was attended by 2,407 athletes (2,359 men and 48 women) from 28 countries.

This edition was the first to feature events such as decathlon and pentathlon, both won by the American athlete Jim Thorpe, women's diving, and women's swimming.

The medals were mostly shared between the Swedish and U.S. delegations, with the former prevailing in the overall medal count with 65 total medals, while the latter was the most successful in gold medals, with 25.

Antwerp 1920

After not celebrating the Olympics in 1916 due to World War I, the sixth edition of the modern Olympics finally took place from April 20 to September 12, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium.

Despite the great Central Empires (German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria) not being invited to the Games, participation reached a then-record high of 29 countries and 2,626 athletes.

Twenty-two disciplines were competed in, with 152 events. Brazil, Estonia, Monaco, New Zealand, and former countries Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia made their debut at the Olympic Games.

As in the 1912 Stockholm Games, the countries that won the most medals were the United States, Sweden, and Great Britain. But Belgium was third overall thanks to its 16 gold medals.

American shooter Willis Lee was the most successful athlete with seven medals, five of them gold, while Italian fencer Nedo Nadi won all five events in which he performed.

Paris 1924

The 1924 Paris Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were held in Paris, France, for the second time. The games took place between May 4 and July 27. The venue hosted 3,089 athletes (2,956 men and 136 women) from 44 countries.

The Olympic program of this edition comprised 22 sports disciplines, with 123 events.

Austrian-American swimmer Johnny Weissmüller, famous for his role as Tarzan, won four medals (three gold and a bronze) in swimming and water polo. Finnish Paavo Nurmi won the 1500m and 5000m races, held within an hour of each other, and the cross-country, held in extremely high temperatures.

Amsterdam 1928

The Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games were held between May 17 and August 12 of that year. A total of 2,883 athletes (2,606 men and 277 women) from 46 countries participated, competing in 19 disciplines and 104 specialties.

Finland's Paavo Nurmi won three more gold medals in the long-distance and middle-distance events to finish his brilliant career with nine gold medals. For his part, Johnny Weissmüller once again won the 100-meter sprint freestyle swimming event and finished with five gold medals in swimming and a bronze in water polo.

Athletes from 28 nations won a gold medal, a record that was not broken until 40 years later.

Los Angeles 1932

The Olympic Games returned to the United States after remaining in Europe for 28 years, but the trip to the far west coast and the fact that the Great Depression was still plaguing the world, led to a reduction in the number of participating countries and athletes, especially from Europe.

Thus, the number of nations participating dropped from 46 to 37. Consequently, the number of athletes dropped 46.2%, from 2,883 to 1,332 (1,206 men and 126 women).

Japanese 14 years and 309 days old swimmer Kusuo Kitamura won in the 1500 m freestyle swimming and became the youngest athlete to win a gold medal. Kitamura kept the record for 58 years, until Hungarian swimmer Krisztina Egerszegi broke it.

American Mildred Didrikson, considered by many authorities the greatest all-round sportswoman in history, won the gold medal in the javelin and set world records in the high jump and 80 meters.

Berlin 1936

The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games took place during the period of the Third Reich, from August 1-16. Three thousand and 632 men and 331 women from 49 countries competed in 24 sports and 119 events.

The most outstanding athlete was the unforgettable Jesse Owens. The African-American won four gold medals, a blow to the so-called white supremacy proclaimed by the Nazis.

An off-the-sports issue occurred when athlete Gretel Bergmann was excluded from the German team because she was Jewish. Bergmann set a national record in the high jump event a month before the games.

London 1948

The 1948 Summer Olympics took place in London, Great Britain, from 29 July to 14 August 1948. A total of 4,104 athletes (3,714 men and 390 women) from 59 countries participated.

Those were the first Olympic Games after a twelve-year hiatus, as the 1940 and 1944 editions were suspended due to World War II.

London was being rebuilt from the war, so no new Olympic infrastructure was built. Instead, existing infrastructure was used and Wembley Stadium was adapted to be the Olympic stadium, with a cinder track for athletics events. The River Thames hosted the rowing and canoeing events. An Olympic village was not built either: the athletes slept in barracks used by the military during the war.

The International Olympic Committee did not allow Germany or Japan to compete due to their role as Axis forces. Although the Soviet Union was invited, it did not want to participate until the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. Despite these absences, the record number of participating nations was broken.

The twelve-year break caused many athletes to leave their best years of competition behind. Others even died during the war. For this reason, the number of records was low compared to other editions.

However, there were outstanding individual performances, including Dutch Fanny Blankers-Koen, winner of four athletics events;​ Alice Marie Coachman, the first African-American woman to win a gold medal; and Finnish gymnast Veikko Huhtanen, who won five medals (three gold).

The 1948 London Olympics were the first to be broadcast on television.

Helsinki 1952

Helsinki 1952 was held between July 19 and August 3, 1952, when 4,411 men and 521 women from 69 countries gathered in the Finnish capital.

Helsinki was supposed to host the 1940 Summer Olympic Games, replacing Tokyo. However, the event couldn't take place due to the development of the World War II. Years later, Helsinki bid again and was chosen as the 1952 Olympic host by the IOC in 1947.

Until Beijing 2008, the Helsinki Olympic Games were the edition with the most records (world and olympic) broken. This edition saw the debut of the Soviet Union and Israel, and the return of Japan and Germany.

The country that won the most medals was the United States, with 76 medals. The Czechoslovak athlete Emil Zátopek won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon.

Helsinki marked the first medal ever for Venezuela. Athlete Asnoldo Devonish won the Bronze medal in the triple jump event.

Melbourne 1956

The Games of the XVI Olympiad took place in a Southern Hemisphere country for the first time from November 22 to December 8, 1956. Three thousand, three hundred and 14 athletes (2,938 men and 376 women) from 72 countries participated.

The equestrian trials were held six months earlier in Stockholm, Sweden, between June 11 and 17 due to Australian quarantine laws. Thus, the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games were the first (and to date only) with events on different continents.

The Melbourne Olympic Games were marked by boycotts months before the opening because of political conflicts such as the Suez war and the repression of the Hungarian revolution. However, at the closing ceremony, around 500 athletes marched together in a single group under the Olympic flag. For this reason, they were nicknamed the friendship games.

The Soviet Union was the country that won the most medals, a total of 98, and for the first time surpassed the United States, which won 74 medals. The locals were in third place in the medal table. Australia tripled the number of medals won in 1952 and achieved their best performance until Atlanta 1996.

Rome 1960

The 1960 Rome Olympic Games were held on Italian soil for the first time. 5,338 athletes (4,727 men and 611 women) from 83 countries participated in the sporting event. These were the first Olympics to be broadcast live on television.

Soviet gymnast legend Larisa Latynina won three golds, two silvers, and a bronze, reaching a tally of 12 at the time. Latynina ended her career with 18 medals, the most decorated woman ever.

Another woman, American athlete Wilma Rudolph, a former polio sufferer, won three gold medals in track sprint competitions.

Rome 1960 brought the first black African Olympic Champion. Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won the men's marathon barefoot.

South Africa appeared in the Olympic arena for the last time under the apartheid regime. They would not be allowed to return until 1992, after the abandonment of apartheid and during the transition to a black majority government.

A tragic event happened during the games. Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen collapsed during his race under the influence of amphetamines and later died in hospital.

Tokyo 1964

The 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games took place for the first time in Asia. Japan's capital hosted the event between October 10 and October 24.

Tokyo 1964 was the first Olympics broadcast via satellite.

A total of 5,151 athletes (4,473 men and 678 women) from 93 national committees competed in 163 events. Fifteen countries made their debut. Judo, volleyball, and the women's modern pentathlon also debuted. South Africa, Indonesia, and North Korea were excluded from the Games for different reasons.

The United States led the medal tally with 90 medals (36 golds), followed by the Soviet Union. Abebe Bikila repeated his marathon victory conquered four years before in Rome. American swimmer Donald Schollander earned four golds. Larisa Latýnina cemented her legend status with six medals (gathering 18 in her Olympic career).

The heavyweight champion was American Joe Frazier, who became one of the most famous boxing athletes.

Mexico City 1968

A total of 5,516 athletes (4,735 men and 781 women) from 112 countries participated. It was the first time that Germany competed as separate countries for the first time.

This was the first edition of the event organized by:

• A developing country.
• A Spanish-speaking nation.

Also, these were the first games:

• Held in Latin America.
• With anti-doping controls and gender testing.

Seventy-six Olympic and thirty world records were broken at these Olympic Games. The United States was the most successful contingent, winning 107 medals. Gymnasts Věra Čáslavská (Czechoslovakia) and Mikhail Voronin (Soviet Union) were the most decorated athletes.

Munich 1972

The Games of the XX Olympiad was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, Federal Germany, between August 26 and September 11, 1972, with 7,134 athletes from 121 countries participating.

It was the first time that women had a representation of over 1,000 athletes (1,059). Waldi, a dachshund dog, became the first Olympic mascot ever.

Unfortunately, the 1972 Olympic Games are remembered because of an act of terrorism. Despite this, the Games continued after being suspended for only twenty-four hours. However, some athletes left the Munich Olympic Village.

In the sports field, American swimmer Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in swimming, while Finnish Lasse Virén won a double in 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The USSR beat the United States in the men's basketball final (51-50) with a last-second basket.

Montreal 1976

The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games were held in Canada between 17 July and 1 August 1976. 6,084 athletes (4,824 men and 1,260 women) from 92 countries competed in 21 sports and 198 specialties.

The first mass boycott in the history of the Olympic Games took place. Some African delegations requested the exclusion of New Zealand because its national rugby team had played against that of South Africa, a country excluded from the IOC for its apartheid policy. The IOC didn't accept the pressure and rejected the request. Twenty-four African countries rejected the invitation. Finally, 32 nations ended up joining the boycott. China and Taiwan also didn't attend in protest over mutual recognition issues.

Women's basketball competitions were included for the first time.

These were the games of the 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who caused a sensation by being the first to be awarded a perfect score of 10 on the uneven bars. She earned seven total scores out of 10.

Other individual stars included Italian Klaus Dibiasi, who won his third consecutive gold medal in platform diving; Soviet Viktor Sanéiev, who won his third gold medal in the triple jump event; and Poland's Irena Szewińska, winner of the 400 m, who took their career total to seven medals in five different events.

Cuban athlete Alberto Juantorena was the first to claim a double victory in the 400 m and 800 m.

Miklos Németh, from Hungary, won gold in the javelin throw and became the first son of an athletics gold medallist. His father, Imre, had won the hammer throw in 1948.

Moscow 1980

The 1980 Moscow Olympics were held in the capital of the former Soviet Union between July 19 and August 3, 1980. Five thousand, one hundred and 79 athletes (4,064 men and 1,115 women) competed in 21 sports and 204 specialties.

The political situation at the time had a significant influence on these games. Socialist and capitalist states were clashing for several decades in the so-called Cold War.

The United States decided not to attend the games. Several of its allies, such as West Germany, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Turkey, and Norway, joined the boycott.

Other countries allied to the U.S., such as Great Britain and Australia, gave freedom to their athletes, who competed under the Olympic flag.

The People's Republic of China, which is at odds with the Soviet Union, also did not participate in the Moscow Games. In total, 66 countries abstained from participating.

However, even though only 80 countries participated, more records were broken than in previous games.

As expected, the Soviet Union led the medal table, followed by East Germany, Bulgaria, and Cuba.

Los Angeles 1984

The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles were held from 28 July to 12 August 1984. 6,829 athletes (5,263 men and 1,566 women) from 140 countries took part, competing in 21 sports and 221 disciplines.

Countries that were usually at the top of the medal table, such as the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Bulgaria, were absent from the games, just like the United States and China did, among others, in Moscow four years ago.

American athlete Carl Lewis made history by equalling Jesse Owens' success in the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, winning four gold medals in the same events: the 100 m, 200 m, 4x100m relay, and long jump.

For the first time in the history of the Games, the women's marathon was contested, with the American Joan Benoit winning it.

In female Artistic Gimnastic, although the team victory went to Romania, the queen of the games was Mary Lou Retton, who won individually over Romanians Ekaterina Szabo and Simona Pauca. Romania won the largest number of Olympic medals in its history at this edition (53, 20 golds).

In men's basketball, the United States, led by youngsters Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, had no trouble winning gold over Spain. Yugoslavia took bronze.

Seoul 1988

The 1988 Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea, from 17 September to 2 October 1988. That year's event featured 8,391 athletes (6,197 men and 2,194 women) from 159 countries. Seoul became the second capital in Asia to hold the Summer Olympics after Tokyo did it in 1964.

In a context marked by the end of the Cold War, the XXIV Olympiad was the first since Munich 1972 that did not experience a massive political boycott, despite North Korea refusing to attend and being followed by half a dozen countries.

It was the last Summer Olympics in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed against each other. It was also the games the German Democratic Republic featured for the last time.

In terms of sports, 237 events were held in 23 official sports, including the return of tennis after a 64-year absence and the debut of table tennis. Thirty-three world records and 227 Olympic records were broken.

Among the most outstanding athletes, East German swimmer Kristin Otto won six gold medals, American Matthew Biondi won seven medals (five golds) in the same discipline, and Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artemov won four golds.

The last dance between the United States and the Soviet Union favored the latter with 132 medals (55 gold, 31 silver, and 46 bronze). East Germany finished second (102 medals), the United States third (94), and the hosts (33).

Barcelona 1992

The 1992 Summer Olympics took place in Barcelona, ​​Spain, between July 25 and August 9. Over nine thousand athletes (6,663 men and 2,723 women) from 169 national committees participated in this edition.

Barcelona 1992 was the second Olympic Games ever held in a Spanish-speaking country after Mexico 1968, 26 years before.

Due to the political changes that took place at the beginning of the 1990s, these were the first Olympic Games without boycotts of any kind, something unprecedented since 1972 (Munich).

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet states participated with the Olympic flag under the name of the Unified Team, except the three Baltic republics that did attend as independent committees.

Germany, one of the major Olympic powerhouses, competed as a unified state for the first time since 1964. Other notable events included the return of South Africa, which missed seven editions due to apartheid, and the absence of Yugoslavia due to international sanctions from the Balkan War.

In the sporting arena, 257 events were held in 25 Olympic sports. Badminton and baseball debuted on the official program, women's judo categories were included, and canoeing slalom returned after a twenty-year absence.

Among the most outstanding athletes, Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo, (Unified Team) won six gold medals in artistic gymnastics; Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi certified her reign in swimming with three golds; Carl Lewis added two more triumphs to his list of achievements; and the United States Dream Team, formed for the first time with NBA superstars led by Michael Jordan, was undefeated champion with victories of more than thirty points difference.

The Unified Team led the medal table with 112 medals (45 gold, 38 silver, and 29 bronze), followed by the United States (108 medals), and Germany (82).

Atlanta 1996

The 1996 Olympics, also known as the Centennial Olympic Games, were held in Atlanta, United States, from 19 July to 4 August 1996. The games were attended by 10,318 athletes (6,806 men and 3,512 women) from 197 countries, competing in 26 sports and 271 events.

Atlanta became the third American city to host the Summer Olympics, after St. Louis and Los Angeles.

The number of countries increased after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The countries that participated in the Unified Team in Barcelona did it separately for the first time.

Russia competed as a separate country for the first time since the 1912 Olympics, and it was the first time that all the countries that were members of the IOC at that time participated in the Olympics.

14 nations that made their debut at the Olympic Games, among them Azerbaijan, Cape Verde, and Turkmenistan.

The 1996 Olympic Games featured 10,318 athletes (3,512 women, 6,806 men), and produced 11 absolute records and 51 Olympic records. The United States dominated the medal table with 101 medals (44 golds), followed by Russia, and Germany.

Professional cyclists were allowed to participate in the Olympics, marking the debut of five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain at the Olympic Games. The Navarrese cyclist won the gold medal, while another Spaniard, Abraham Olano, won silver.

Female football debuted in these Olympics. The gold medal was won by Mia Hamm's United States.

In the men's category, the gold went to Nigeria, who surprised everyone after beating South American powerhouses Brazil and Argentina with a team that included footballers who became stars in the biggest teams of Europe like Celestine Babayaro, Daniel Amokachi, Amunike, and the revelation of the tournament, Nwankwo Kanu.

Sydney 2000

The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games took place between September 15 and October 1. There were 10,651 athletes (6,582 men and 4,069 women) who competed in 28 sports and 300 disciplines.

This edition of the Summer Olympic Games was the second ever held in Australia after the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

A record 199 countries participated in the Games. Afghanistan did not participate as it had been suspended since the establishment of the Taliban regime.

For the first time, North Korea and South Korea marched under one flag during the Opening Ceremony. The flag was white with the peninsular territory in blue.

Australian teenage swimmer Ian Thorpe, who was 17 then, won three gold medals and broke the record for the 400 m freestyle.

The American sprinter Marion Jones came to those Olympics intending to win five gold medals, which she ultimately failed to achieve. Still, she had an outstanding performance, winning three gold medals and two bronze, accolades enough to make her the great figure of athletics at these Games.

In the following years, she was involved in constant suspicions and investigations about a new doping product called Tetrahydrogestrinone, a substance that increases physical performance.

In 2007, Jones was found guilty of consuming steroids while in Sydney, so the IOC stripped her of the medals won back then and wiped her name from the record books.

Athens 2004

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August. It marked the return of the Olympics to its home.

The sporting event featured 301 events in 28 sports, bringing delegates from 201 countries and over 10 thousand athletes.

Moroccan long-distance athlete Hicham El Guerrouj won gold in the 1500 m and 5000 m. He is the first to achieve this feat at the Olympic Games since Finnish legend Paavo Nurmi in 1924.

German kayaker Birgit Fischer became the first woman in any sport to win gold medals at six different Olympic Games, the first woman to win gold 24 years apart, and the first person in Olympic history to win two or more medals at five different Games.

Argentina's basketball golden generation, led by Emanuel Ginobili, earned a surprising victory over the United States in the men's semi-finals tournament and then beat Italy in the final (84-69).

Dominican Athlete Félix Sánchez won the first Olympic gold medal ever for his country, winning the 400 m hurdles.

American swimmer Michael Phelps won six golds and two bronzes, becoming the first athlete to win eight medals at any non-boycotted Olympic Games.

Chilean tennis players Nicolás Massú and Fernando González won the gold medal in the doubles competition, while Massú won the gold and Feña the bronze medal in the singles competition. The doubles medal became the first gold in Chilean Olympic history.

Beijing 2008

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games took place in the capital of the People's Republic of China from August 8 to 24. The event featured 302 events in 28 sports. In addition to Beijing, other cities in China held sporting events.

10,942 athletes participated in the Games. Of these, 6,305 were men and 4,637 were women.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the gold medal and world record in the 100 and 200 meters. American swimmer Michael Phelps added 8 gold medals to his list of Olympic achievements. He surpassed Mark Spitz regarding the most gold medals won in a single event (Munich 1972).

Russia's Yelena Isinbaíeva won gold and set a world record in the pole vault, while Afghanistan's taekwondo athlete Rohullah Nikpai claimed his country's first Olympic medal in the history of the Games.

London 2012

The 2012 London Olympic Games were held in London, United Kingdom, from July 27 to August 12. They were the third Olympic Games held in the British capital. A total of 10,568 athletes (5,892 men and 4,676 women) from 204 countries participated.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei included female athletes in their teams for the first time, making London 2012 the first edition of the Olympic Games in which women from all delegations participated.

Women's boxing was also included for the first time, meaning that women participated in all Olympic sports at these Games.

Michael Phelps, with his 4 gold and 2 silver medals, became the most Olympic medallist of all time with 22 medals (18 gold).

Usain Bolt won three gold medals in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4x100 m relay, repeating his feat from Beijing 2008. In the women's category, American athlete Allyson Felix won three gold medals.

Meanwhile, American swimmers Missy Franklin, Allison Schmitt, and Dana Vollmer shone at the Games, obtaining:

• Franklin: four gold medals and one bronze.
• Schmitt: three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
• Vollmer: three gold medals.

Scottish Andy Murray made history by winning gold for Great Britain in men's tennis and a silver medal, together with Laura Robson, in mixed doubles.

Rio 2016

The 2016 Summer Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August, with 11,328 athletes from 207 National Olympic Committees competing in 306 events in 28 sports.

Kosovo and South Sudan participated for the first time in the Games. Rugby seven and golf were added to the Olympic program in 2009, debuting in this edition.

A South American country hosted the games for the first time. It was also the first time that an Olympic event was held in a Portuguese-speaking country, the second time in a Latin American country after Mexico 1968), the third time that it took place in the southern hemisphere (previously Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000), and the seventh time in a country on the American continent.

Brazil became the fourth country to host the World Cup and the Olympic Games two years apart after Mexico (1968, 1970), Germany (1972, 1974), and the United States (1994, 1996).

Michael Phelps added five golds and a silver to his impressive medal tally, while Jamaican Usain Bolt did the same with three gold medals in athletics.

Brazil's men's football team finally won the gold medal, a trophy that had been elusive for the Verdeamarelha in its rich history.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky repeated her London 2012 performance, earning four golds and a silver, while American Simone Biles won four gold medals and a bronze in artistic gymnastics.

Tokyo 2020

The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, on Japanese soil. It was the second time that Tokyo hosted the competition, after 1964.

The event was originally scheduled between 24 July and 9 August 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach agreed to postpone it. That's why the Games took place in 2021.

Russia was banned from the Olympics because of a massive doping scandal that erupted in 2019. Still, Russian athletes competed under the acronym and flag ROC (Russian Olympic Committee).

North Korea announced in April 2021 that it would not participate in the Games due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was North Korea's first absence from the Summer Olympics since 1988 (Seoul).

At the 2021 Games, five sports were added to the program: baseball (softball in the women's category), which returned after being excluded after the 2008 Beijing Olympics; karate, after strong demand from its sports federation and the national Olympic committees; surfing; skateboarding; and sport climbing.

Among the most outstanding athletes was American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who was crowned five times as Olympic champion.

Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah, won the 100 m flat event. She also broke the Olympic record that had been in place for 33 years, with a time of 10.61 seconds.

Thompson-Herah had two other gold medals, in the 200 m and the 4x100 relay.

Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui reached the Olympic gold in the 400 m freestyle despite having qualified in last place. He became the second Tunisian medalist in swimming.

14-year-old Chinese Quan Hongchan achieved two perfect scores (10) in the 10 m platform diving discipline.

Athlete Yulimar Rojas won gold in the triple jump event and broke the world record that had been in place for 26 years held by Inessa Kravetz. The Venezuelan did it with a distance of 15.67 meters. She had won silver in the same discipline in Rio 2016.