2016 Rio Olympics: How did African countries perform?
The 2016 Olympic Games are over. Africa is digesting its display in Rio with 11 African countries taking home a total of 45 Olympian medals (10 Gold, 18 Silver, and 17 Bronze). The continent won 13 more medals than they did in the 2012 London Olympics however, fewer gold medals were won in Rio.
| YEAR | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL MEDALS | COUNTRIES WITH MEDALS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Rio Olympics | 10 | 18 | 17 | 45 | 11 |
| 2012 London Olympics | 13 | 10 | 9 | 32 | 11 |
| 2008 Beijing Olympics | 13 | 14 | 13 | 40 | 13 |
ALSO READ: There Are 13 African Olympians Breaking Boundaries At The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics
Which African countries produced Olympians this year?
Of the 54 African nations represented at the Rio Olympics, 11 won at least one medal.
Kenya topped the medals table for the continent with 13 total medals, 6 of which were gold. The country dominated the Athletics category on the continent.
| COUNTRY | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL MEDLAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KENYA | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| ETHIOPIA | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| IVORY COAST | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| ALGERIA | 2 | 2 | ||
| BURUNDI | 1 | 1 | ||
| NIGER | 1 | 1 | ||
| EGYPT | 3 | 3 | ||
| TUNISIA | 3 | 3 | ||
| MOROCCO | 1 | 1 | ||
| NIGERIA | 1 | 1 |
2016 African Olympian Medalists
There were 1017 athletes representing 54 African nations. Records were broken, history was made, legends confirmed and superstars born.
In athletics, Africa made history by breaking two world records. South Africa’s Wayde van Niekirk broke Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old men’s 400m record and Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana smashed Wang Junxia’s 1993 women’s 10,000m record by 14 seconds, clocking 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds.
Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana sets new world record at the Rio Olympics
- African countries took all 3 medals in 3 events.
- In Women’s 10000m Ethiopia won the Gold and Bronze and Kenya won the Silver.
- For Women’s 5000m Kenya won the Gold and Silver and Ethiopia won the Bronze.
- In Women’s 800m South Africa won the Gold, Burundi the Silver and Kenya the Bronze.
Below is a list of all the African athletes that won medals in Rio.
| CATEGORY | EVENT | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 10,000m | KENYA: Paul Kipngetich Tanui | ETHIOPIA: Tamirat Tola | |
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 1500m | ALGERIA: Taoufik Makhloufi | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 3000m Steeplechase | KENYA: Conseslus Kipruto | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 400m | SOUTH AFRICA: Wayde Van Niekerk | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 400m Hurdles | KENYA: Boniface Mucheru Tumuti | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 5000m | ETHIOPIA: Hagos Gebrhiwet | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s 800m | KENYA: David Lekuta Rudisha | ALGERIA: Taoufik Makhloufi | |
| ATHLETICS | Men’s Javelin Throw | KENYA: Julius Yego | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s Long Jump | SOUTH AFRICA: Luvo Manyonga | ||
| ATHLETICS | Men’s Marathon | KENYA: Eliud Kipchoge | ETHIOPIA: Feyisa Lilesa | |
| ATHLETICS | Women’s 10,000m | ETHIOPIA: Almaz Ayana | KENYA: Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot | ETHIOPIA: Tirunesh Dibaba |
| ATHLETICS | Women’s 1500m | KENYA: Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon | ETHIOPIA: Genzebe Dibaba | |
| ATHLETICS | Women’s 3000m Steeplechase | KENYA: Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi | ||
| ATHLETICS | Women’s 5000m | KENYA: Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot | KENYA: Hellen Onsando Obiri | ETHIOPIA: Almaz Ayana |
| ATHLETICS | Women’s 800m | SOUTH AFRICA: Caster Semenya | BURUNDI: Francine Niyonsaba | KENYA: Margaret Nyairera Wambui |
| ATHLETICS | Women’s Javelin Throw | SOUTH AFRICA: Sunette Viljoen | ||
| ATHLETICS | Women’s Marathon | KENYA: Jemima Jelagat Sumgong | ETHIOPIA: Mare Dibaba | |
| BOXING | Men’s Welter (69kg) | MOROCCO: Mohammed Rabii | ||
| FENCING | Women’s Foil Individual | TUNISIA: Ines Boubakri | ||
| ROWING | Men’s Pair | SOUTH AFRICA: Keeling / Brittain | ||
| RUGBY SEVENS | Men | SOUTH AFRICA | ||
| SOCCER | Men | NIGERIA | ||
| SWIMMING | Men’s 100m Breaststroke | SOUTH AFRICA: Cameron Van Der Burgh | ||
| SWIMMING | Men’s 100m Butterfly | SOUTH AFRICA: Chad Guy Bertrand Le Clos | ||
| SWIMMING | Men’s 200m Freestyle | SOUTH AFRICA: Chad Guy Bertrand Le Clos | ||
| TAEKWONDO | Men -80kg | IVORY COAST: Cheick Sallah Junior Cisse | TUNISIA: Oussama Oueslati | |
| TAEKWONDO | Men +80kg | NIGER: Abdoulrazak Issoufou Alfaga | ||
| TAEKWONDO | Women -57kg | EGYPT: Hedaya Wahba | ||
| TAEKWONDO | Women -67kg | IVORY COAST: Ruth Marie Christelle Gbagbi | ||
| TRIATHLON | Men | SOUTH AFRICA: Henri Schoeman | ||
| WEIGHTLIFTING | Men’s 77kg | EGYPT: Mohamed Mahmoud | ||
| WEIGHTLIFTING | Women’s 69kg | EGYPT: Sara Ahmed | ||
| WRESTLING | Women’s Freestyle 58 kg | TUNISIA: Marwa Amri |
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