Jamaica at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Jamaica at the
2016 Summer Olympics
IOC codeJAM
NOCJamaica Olympic Association
Websitewww.joa.org.jm
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors56 in 4 sports
Flag bearers Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (opening)[1]
Javon Francis (closing)
Medals
Ranked 16th
Gold
6
Silver
3
Bronze
2
Total
11
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
 British West Indies (1960 S)

Jamaica competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. This marked its sixteenth Summer Olympic appearance as an independent nation, although it had previously competed in four other editions as a British colony, and as part of the West Indies Federation.

Jamaica Olympic Association sent its largest ever delegation to the Games, with 56 athletes, 25 men and 31 women, competing only in track and field, swimming, diving, and artistic gymnastics, which marked the country's Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro.[2][3]

Heading the list of athletes on the Jamaican roster were sprint superstars Usain Bolt, who was looking to successfully defend his 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay titles (referred to as "treble treble"), and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was hunting for her third consecutive title in the women's 100 metres, and eventually acted as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1][4] Apart from Bolt and Fraser-Pryce, several Jamaican athletes had past Olympic experience, including former champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women's 200 metres, Bolt's sprint teammates Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake, and four-time Olympians Novlene Williams-Mills (women's 400 metres) and swimmer Alia Atkinson.

Jamaica left Rio de Janeiro with a total of 11 medals (6 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze), matching its overall tally from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; all of these medals were awarded to the track and field athletes.[5][6] In his fourth and final Olympics, Bolt successfully completed a set of three consecutive titles across the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay races, making him one of the most decorated Olympians of all-time in the track and field. Moreover, he joined Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi as the only athletes to establish a record of nine gold medals in the sport.[7][8] Fraser-Pryce witnessed her three-peat bid come to an end, as her compatriot Elaine Thompson beat out the defending champion to run away with a gold in the women's 100 m.[9] Other medalists also included Omar McLeod, who became the first Jamaican to successfully earn the men's 110 m hurdles title, and Williams-Mills, who anchored the Jamaican squad for a runner-up finish in the women's 4 × 400 m relay, adding a silver to her career tally of three bronze medals that she previously collected in three consecutive Olympics.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b "Fraser-Pryce To Carry Jamaica's Flag In Rio". The Gleaner. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Record For Rio – Largest Ever Olympic Team Named For 2016 Games". The Gleaner. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. ^ Lowe, Andre (12 July 2016). "JOA names largest ever delegation for Rio Games". The Gleaner. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Bolt, Fraser-Pryce head 63-strong team to Rio Olympics". The Jamaica Observer. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Jamaica Equals Olympics Record Gold medal Haul". The Gleaner. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. ^ Reid, Paul (21 August 2016). "Eleven medals for Jamaica". The Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. ^ Engle, Sean (20 August 2016). "Usain Bolt leads Jamaica to 4x100m gold to complete Olympic triple treble". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Usain Bolt wins ninth Olympic gold as Jamaica take 4x100m relay". BBC Sport. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Thompson beats Fraser-Pryce to Jamaican 100m title as both clock 10.73 | REPORT | World Athletics".
  10. ^ Walker, Howard (21 August 2016). "McPherson, McLaughlin-Whilby, Jackson, Williams-Mills finish second behind USA in 4x400m". The Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  11. ^ Rubinroit, Seth (17 August 2016). "Omar McLeod wins Jamaica's first 110m hurdles gold medal". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.