Usain Bolt after winning the 200m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (© Getty Images)
With points being the decisive factor in the decathlon and the 200m runners-up separated by just thousandths of a second, it’s only appropriate to look at the numbers that made up day seven of athletics at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Men’s shot put
3
times Ryan Crouser bettered his previous personal best in Rio. His winning throw of 22.52m was an Olympic record.
2
national records fell in the final. Congo’s Franck Elemba threw 21.20m, while Darlan Romani threw a Brazilian record of 21.02m.
21.59
metres. Ryan Crouser’s auto Q, the longest distance in Olympic qualifying history and the eighth longest shot put in the Olympics prior to tonight’s final.
20.40
metres from Andrei Gag was the longest ever put not to make an Olympic final. No less than 16 throwers launched the shot over 20 meters, only 12 made the cut.
Men’s 400m hurdles final
7
years since Kerron Clement won his last global gold. The US hurdler took his first Olympic title in a world-leading 47.73.
0.19
seconds between the gold and bronze medalists, the smallest winning margin between first and third in an Olympic 400m hurdles final.
4
national records were set in the final. Kenya, Turkey, Ireland and Estonia all saw their history books rewritten in Rio.
4x100m heats
41.77
seconds for the USA women to qualify for the final in a re-run after being obstructed by the Brazilian relay in the heat.
7
minutes that China had the Asian men’s record of 37.82 stood before Japan improved it to 37.68 in the second heat.
Men’s decathlon
8893
points Ashton Eaton scored to equal Roman Sebrle’s Olympic record and claim his second Olympic title.
68
years since the last time a Frenchman won an Olympic decathlon medal. Kevin Mayer finished second with a national record of 8834.
8
minutes for which Kevin Mayer was leading the overall decathlon standings during the penultimate event.
32
years since the last time anyone successfully defended an Olympic decathlon title.
44
points between Damian Warner and Kai Kazmirek going into the final event in the battle for bronze. Warner came out on top with 8666.
Women’s 400m hurdles final
2016
the year USA won their first ever women’s Olympic 400m hurdles gold medal. Dalilah Muhammad won in 53.13.
3324
days since Muhammad last won a global title. The US hurdler took gold at the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2007.
0.44
seconds Sara Slott Petersen shaved off her own Danish record to take silver in 53.55.
Women’s javelin final
66.16
metres, an Olympic gold medal and a Croatian record for Sara Kolak.
3rd
ever Olympic gold in athletics for Croatia. Kolak becomes the nation’s second Olympic champion in athletics, the other being 2012 and 2016 discus winner Sandra Perkovic.
15
years between Barbora Spotakova (35) who won her third consecutive Olympic medal and fourth placer Maria Andrejczyk (20).
Men’s 200m final
8
Olympic gold medals Usain Bolt has to his name. He completed his back-to-back-to-back Olympic title haul with a 19.78 victory.
0.006
seconds between bronze medallist Christophe Lemaitre and fifth placer Churandy Martina. Adam Gemili in fourth finished just 0.003 behind Lemaitre.
7
years, 11 months and 29 days since anyone else but Usain Bolt held a global 200m title.
Michelle Sammet for the IAAF
