Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Flag of the United Kingdom
IOC code	GBR
NOC	British Olympic Association
in Rio de Janeiro 5 August 2016 (2016-08-05) – 21 August 2016 (2016-08-21)
Competitors	366 in 25 sports
Flag bearer (opening)	Andy Murray[1]
Flag bearer (closing)	Kate Richardson-Walsh
Officials	Mark England (Chef de Mission)
Medals Ranked 2nd	Gold 27 Silver 23 Bronze 17 Total 67
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Great Britain, or in full Great Britain and Northern Ireland, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), the previous host of the 2012 Olympics at London, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016 and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. British athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, France, Greece, and Switzerland, though Great Britain is the only country to have won at least one gold medal at all of them. The team represented the United Kingdom, the three Crown Dependencies, and the thirteen British Overseas Territories, ten of whom sent representatives.

These Games were the most successful for Great Britain since 1908, winning a total of 67 medals, which exceeded its London 2012 tally of 65 medals, therefore becoming the first nation to surpass its medal total at the Olympics immediately following one that it hosted.^[2] Great Britain also became one of only two nations (the other being Azerbaijan) ever to increase the number of medals achieved in five consecutive Games.^[3] In all, Great Britain finished second in gold medals to the United States, and third in overall medals after the United States and China. Great Britain won gold medals across more different sports than any other nation at the Games. Great Britain also topped the medal tables in cycling, sailing, triathlon, golf and rowing, and won first ever golds in golf, diving and gymnastics. Great Britain successfully defended 18 of the gold medals they had won in London.^[4]

In cycling, male cyclist Jason Kenny won three gold medals, placing him alongside Sir Chris Hoy as the joint-most successful British Olympian. Sir Bradley Wiggins won his fifth gold and eighth overall medal, making him the most decorated British Olympian. Laura Trott won two gold medals to become Britain's most successful female Olympian with a total of four golds; dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin's gold medal had briefly placed her in first. Katherine Grainger's fifth consecutive medal, a silver, made her Britain's joint most decorated female Olympian, and made her one of only five British Olympians to win medals in five consecutive Games. Trott, Dujardin, taekwondo-ka Jade Jones and boxer Nicola Adams became the first British female Olympians ever to successfully defend individual Olympic titles.

Gymnast Max Whitlock won Britain's first ever gold medals in gymnastics, in men's floor and pommel horse, and four golds were claimed in rowing. Alistair Brownlee became the first triathlete to successfully defend an Olympic title. In athletics, in both the men's 5,000 and 10,000 metres, Mo Farah successfully defended his Olympic titles to become Britain's most successful ever athlete in the discipline. Christine Ohorougu became the second British track and field athlete to win medals in three successive Games.

In swimming, Adam Peaty won gold in the 100 metres breaststroke, the first British male swimmer to win gold since 1988. Jack Laugher and Chris Mears became Britain's first Olympic diving champions. Giles Scott won his fifth consecutive gold medal in the Finn sailing class, while Nick Dempsey became the most decorated windsurfer in Olympic history with his third medal, a silver. In the first Olympic men's golf tournament for 100 years, Justin Rose claimed the gold medal. In the women's field hockey, Great Britain won the country's first gold medal in a team sport at a Summer Olympics for 28 years.