8 things that happened for the first time ever at the 2016 Rio Olympics
“first-time-ever” events took place in Rio 2016
The Olympic Games were held for close to 17 days in the beautiful city of Rio De Janeiro and what a spectacle it was for everyone to see. Ever since the start of the Games on August 5, the mega event kept everyone interested every single moment and day. From the opening ceremony to the close one, there were moments in Brazil which saw spectators bow down to the best of the athletes from around the world.
There were moments which saw history getting made by some of the most iconic individual athletes, and there were also moments where lesser known athletes led their nation to glory for the very first time. There was jubilation of winning, and there was also the pain of getting injured during competition. Rio saw it all, therefore we have compiled a list of all the firsts which happened exclusively at Rio 2016:
#1 10 countries winning their first gold medal
The Rio Olympics were a mega event where every moment was nothing less than history being made. There were 10 such moments for athletes from ten different nations who won the first ever gold medal for their respective countries. These countries were well spread throughout the five continents as athletes from Africa, America, Asia, Oceanic and Europe, all saw themselves triumphing at the Games for the very first time.
Winning the gold medal looks like an easy task for some athletes like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Kimberly Rhode, etc. But it have been a fairly impossible task for many countries throughout the globe. This journey towards winning the elusive gold medal for many countries has been a crazy one where countries have won a first gold medal in their 72 years history of participation. Here are the ten athletes and countries who won their first Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016:
Bahrain – Ruth Jebet won the women’s 3000m steeplechase event. This was Bahrain’s 9th trip to the Olympic Games.
Fiji – The Fiji rugby sevens team won the men’s competition in Brazil. This was the nation’s 14th trip to the Olympic Games.
Independent/ IOA Flag – Fehaid Al Deehani won the men’s double trap shooting event and became the first ever athlete to win a gold medal as an independent athlete.
Ivory Coast – Cheick Salla Junior Cisse won the Africa nation's first gold medal in taekwondo which was the nation’s 14th trip to the Olympic Games.
Jordon – Ahmad Abughaush also won a gold medal in taekwondo for his country. This was Jordon’s 14th trip to the Olympic Games.
Kosovo – Majlinda Kelmendi was the first athlete to win a gold medal for Kosovo in judo. This was the first Olympic Games for the nation after IOA recognised the nation in 2014.
Puerto Rico – Monica Puig won the gold medal in women’s tennis making it the Island nation’s first gold in their 18th trip to the Olympic Games.
Singapore – Joseph Schooling was the only medal winner for Singapore at the Games as he won in the sport of swimming. This was Singapore’s 16th appearance at the Olympic Games.
Tajikistan – Dilshod Nazarov won the men’s hammer throw event in Rio. This was Tajikistan’s 6th appearance at the Games.
Vietnam – Xuan Vinh Hoang won the gold medal in men’s 10m air pistol event in shooting. This was his country’s 15th trip to the Olympic Games.