Athletics
at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
Pictogram for athletics at the 2008 Games
VenueBeijing National Stadium
DatesAugust 15–24, 2008
Competitors2,057 from 200 nations

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held during the last ten days of the games, from August 15 to August 24, 2008, at the Beijing National Stadium. The Olympic sport of athletics is split into four distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking events.

Beijing National Stadium where the athletics for 2008 Summer Olympics was held

Both men and women had very similar schedules of events. Men competed in 24 events and women in 23, as their schedule lacked the 50 km race walk. In addition, both the men's 110 m hurdles and decathlon are reflected in the women's schedule by the 100 m hurdles and heptathlon, respectively.

The Olympic record was broken in 17 returning events. In five events, including the inaugural women's 3000 m steeplechase, the world record was broken.

The athletics was, alongside the Olympic cycling events, one of the few large sports programmes in which the host nation fared comparatively poorly in terms of medals won. Despite a haul of 100 medals at the games as a whole, Chinese athletes took home two bronze medals from the athletics events. The country's foremost athlete Liu Xiang, the 2004 Olympic champion in the 110 metres hurdles, had to withdraw after a false start due to injury.

In the years following the events, results were significantly affected by doping findings; 19 of the 47 events have had amendments to their medal rankings as a result of testing and retesting of samples taken at or before the Games. Multiple medalists have been sanctioned for doping violations. Russia has had the most medals stripped (9).

Medal summary

Medal table

Retrieved from Beijing Olympics 2008 Official Website.[1]

The Beijing National Stadium on August 16, 2008, during the Olympics

  *   Host nation (China)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)710825
2 Kenya (KEN)64616
3 Jamaica (JAM)54211
4 Russia (RUS)51410
5 Ethiopia (ETH)4217
6 Cuba (CUB)2136
7 Belgium (BEL)2002
8 Great Britain (GBR)1258
9 Australia (AUS)1214
 Ukraine (UKR)1214
11 New Zealand (NZL)1102
 Norway (NOR)1102
 Poland (POL)1102
 Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)1102
15 Brazil (BRA)1023
16 Italy (ITA)1012
17 Cameroon (CMR)1001
 Czech Republic (CZE)1001
 Estonia (EST)1001
 Panama (PAN)1001
 Portugal (POR)1001
 Romania (ROU)1001
 Slovenia (SLO)1001
24 Belarus (BLR)0213
25 Nigeria (NGR)0202
26 China (CHN)*0134
27 France (FRA)0123
28 Bahamas (BAH)0112
 Morocco (MAR)0112
30 Croatia (CRO)0101
 Ecuador (ECU)0101
 Germany (GER)0101
 Japan (JPN)0101
 Kazakhstan (KAZ)0101
 Latvia (LAT)0101
 South Africa (RSA)0101
 Sudan (SUD)0101
38 Canada (CAN)0022
39 Finland (FIN)0011
 Lithuania (LTU)0011
Totals (40 entries)474846141

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
Usain Bolt
 Jamaica
9.69
(WR)
Richard Thompson
 Trinidad and Tobago
9.89 Walter Dix
 United States
9.91
200 metres
Usain Bolt
 Jamaica
19.30
(WR)
Shawn Crawford
 United States
19.96 Walter Dix
 United States
19.98
400 metres
LaShawn Merritt
 United States
43.75
Jeremy Wariner
 United States
44.74 David Neville
 United States
44.80
800 metres
Wilfred Bungei
 Kenya
1:44.65 Ismail Ahmed Ismail
 Sudan
1:44.70 Alfred Kirwa Yego
 Kenya
1:44.82
1500 metres
[a]
Asbel Kipruto Kiprop
 Kenya
3:33.11 Nicholas Willis
 New Zealand
3:34.16 Mehdi Baala
 France
3:34.21
5000 metres
Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
12:57.82
(OR)
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
13:02.80 Edwin Cheruiyot Soi
 Kenya
13:06.22
10,000 metres
Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
27:01.17
(OR)
Sileshi Sihine
 Ethiopia
27:02.77 Micah Kogo
 Kenya
27:04.11
110 metres hurdles
Dayron Robles
 Cuba
12.93 David Payne
 United States
13.17 David Oliver
 United States
13.18
400 metres hurdles
Angelo Taylor
 United States
47.25 Kerron Clement
 United States
47.98 Bershawn Jackson
 United States
48.06
3000 metres steeplechase
Brimin Kiprop Kipruto
 Kenya
8:10.34 Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
 France
8:10.49 Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong
 Kenya
8:11.01
4 × 100 metres relay
[b]
 Trinidad and Tobago
Keston Bledman
Marc Burns
Emmanuel Callender
Richard Thompson
Aaron Armstrong*
38.06  Japan
Naoki Tsukahara
Shingo Suetsugu
Shinji Takahira
Nobuharu Asahara
38.15  Brazil
Vicente Lima
Sandro Viana
Bruno de Barros
José Carlos Moreira
38.24
4 × 400 metres relay
[c]
 United States
LaShawn Merritt
Angelo Taylor
David Neville
Jeremy Wariner
Kerron Clement*
Reggie Witherspoon*
2:55.39
(OR)
 Bahamas
Andretti Bain
Michael Mathieu
Andrae Williams
Chris Brown
Avard Moncur*
Ramon Miller*
2:58.03  Great Britain
Martyn Rooney
Andrew Steele
Robert Tobin
Michael Bingham
2:58.51
Marathon
Samuel Wanjiru
 Kenya
2:06:32
(OR)
Jaouad Gharib
 Morocco
2:07:16 Tsegay Kebede
 Ethiopia
2:10:00
20 kilometres walk
Valeriy Borchin
 Russia
1:19:01 Jefferson Pérez
 Ecuador
1:19:15 Jared Tallent
 Australia
1:19:42
50 kilometres walk
Alex Schwazer
 Italy
3:37:09
(OR)
Jared Tallent
 Australia
3:39:27 Denis Nizhegorodov
 Russia
3:40:14
High jump
Andrey Silnov
 Russia
2.36 m Germaine Mason
 Great Britain
2.34 m Yaroslav Rybakov
 Russia
2.34 m
Pole vault
[d]
Steven Hooker
 Australia
5.96 m
(OR)
Evgeny Lukyanenko
 Russia
5.85 m Derek Miles
 United States
5.70 m
Long jump
Irving Saladino
 Panama
8.34 m Khotso Mokoena
 South Africa
8.24 m Ibrahim Camejo
 Cuba
8.20 m
Triple jump
Nelson Évora
 Portugal
17.67 m Phillips Idowu
 Great Britain
17.62 m Leevan Sands
 Bahamas
17.59 m
Shot put
[e]
Tomasz Majewski
 Poland
21.51 m Christian Cantwell
 United States
21.09 m Dylan Armstrong
 Canada
21.04 m
Discus throw
Gerd Kanter
 Estonia
68.82 m Piotr Małachowski
 Poland
67.82 m Virgilijus Alekna
 Lithuania
67.79 m
Hammer throw
[f]
Primož Kozmus
 Slovenia
82.02 m Vadim Devyatovskiy
 Belarus
81.61 m Ivan Tsikhan
 Belarus
81.51 m
Javelin throw
Andreas Thorkildsen
 Norway
90.57 m
(OR)
Ainārs Kovals
 Latvia
86.64 m Tero Pitkämäki
 Finland
86.16 m
Decathlon
Bryan Clay
 United States
8791 Andrei Krauchanka
 Belarus
8551 Leonel Suárez
 Cuba
8527

* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.

Women

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
Shelly-Ann Fraser
 Jamaica
10.78 Sherone Simpson
 Jamaica
Kerron Stewart
 Jamaica
10.98 Not awarded
as there was a tie for silver.
200 metres
Veronica Campbell-Brown
 Jamaica
21.74 Allyson Felix
 United States
21.93 Kerron Stewart
 Jamaica
22.00
400 metres
Christine Ohuruogu
 Great Britain
49.62 Shericka Williams
 Jamaica
49.69 Sanya Richards
 United States
49.93
800 metres
Pamela Jelimo
 Kenya
1:54.87 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei
 Kenya
1:56.07 Hasna Benhassi
 Morocco
1:56.73
1500 metres
Nancy Jebet Lagat
 Kenya
4:00.23 Iryna Lishchynska
 Ukraine
4:01.63 Nataliya Tobias
 Ukraine
4:01.78
5000 metres
[g]
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
15:41.40 Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
15:44.12 Sylvia Kibet
 Kenya
15:44.96
10,000 metres
[h]
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
29:54.66
(OR)
Shalane Flanagan
 United States
30:22.22 Linet Chepkwemoi Masai
 Kenya
30:26.50
100 metres hurdles
Dawn Harper
 United States
12.54 Sally Pearson
 Australia
12.64 Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
 Canada
12.64
400 metres hurdles
Melaine Walker
 Jamaica
52.64
(OR)
Sheena Tosta
 United States
53.70 Tasha Danvers
 Great Britain
53.84
3000 metres steeplechase
[i]
Gulnara Galkina-Samitova
 Russia
8:58.81
(WR)
Eunice Jepkorir
 Kenya
9:07.41 Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova
 Russia
9:12.33
4 × 100 metres relay
[j]
 Belgium
Olivia Borlée
Hanna Mariën
Élodie Ouédraogo
Kim Gevaert
42.54
(NR)
 Nigeria
Franca Idoko
Gloria Kemasuode
Halimat Ismaila
Oludamola Osayomi
Agnes Osazuwa*
43.04  Brazil
Rosemar Coelho Neto
Lucimar de Moura
Thaissa Presti
Rosângela Santos
43.14
4 × 400 metres relay
[k]
 United States
Mary Wineberg
Allyson Felix
Monique Henderson
Sanya Richards
Natasha Hastings*
3:18.54  Jamaica
Shericka Williams
Shereefa Lloyd
Rosemarie Whyte
Novelene Williams
Bobby-Gaye Wilkins*
3:20.40  Great Britain
Christine Ohuruogu
Kelly Sotherton
Marilyn Okoro
Nicola Sanders
3:22.68
Marathon
Constantina Diṭă-Tomescu
 Romania
2:26:44 Catherine Ndereba
 Kenya
2:27:06 Zhou Chunxiu
 China
2:27:07
20 kilometres walk
Olga Kaniskina
 Russia
1:26:31
(OR)
Kjersti Tysse Plätzer
 Norway
1:27:07 Elisa Rigaudo
 Italy
1:27:12
High jump
[l]
Tia Hellebaut
 Belgium
2.05 m Blanka Vlašić
 Croatia
2.05 m Chaunté Howard
 United States
1.99 m
Pole vault
Yelena Isinbayeva
 Russia
5.05 m
(WR)
Jennifer Stuczynski
 United States
4.80 m Svetlana Feofanova
 Russia
4.75 m
Long jump
[m]
Maurren Maggi
 Brazil
7.04 m Blessing Okagbare
 Nigeria
6.91 m Chelsea Hammond
 Jamaica
6.79 m
Triple jump
[n]
Françoise Mbango Etone
 Cameroon
15.39 m
(OR)
Olga Rypakova
 Kazakhstan
15.11 m Yargelis Savigne
 Cuba
15.05 m
Shot put
[o]
Valerie Vili
 New Zealand
20.56 m Misleydis González
 Cuba
19.50 m Gong Lijiao
 China
19.20 m
Discus throw
[p]
Stephanie Brown Trafton
 United States
64.74 m Olena Antonova
 Ukraine
62.59 m Song Aimin
 China
62.20 m
Hammer throw
[q]
Yipsi Moreno
 Cuba
75.20 m Zhang Wenxiu
 China
74.32 m Manuela Montebrun
 France
72.54 m
Javelin throw
[r]
Barbora Špotáková
 Czech Republic
71.42 m Christina Obergföll
 Germany
66.13 m Goldie Sayers
 Great Britain
65.75 m
Heptathlon
[s]
Natalya Dobrynska
 Ukraine
6733 Hyleas Fountain
 United States
6619 Kelly Sotherton
 Great Britain
6517

* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.

  • 5000 metres Original silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse,  Turkey, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return silver medal following a positive test for a banned substance at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.[12] Meseret Defar of Ethiopia was advanced to silver, and Sylvia Kibet of Kenya to bronze.
  • 10000 metres Original silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse,  Turkey, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return silver medal following a positive test for a banned substance at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.[12] Shalane Flanagan was awarded the silver medal and Linet Chepkwemoi Masai the bronze.[13]
  • 3000 metres steeplechase Original bronze medalist Yekaterina Volkova,  Russia, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return bronze medal following retesting of her original in-competition sample returned a positive test for the presence of banned substances.[14] Following medals reallocation Tatyana Petrova-Arkhipova of Russia received the bronze medal.
  • 4 × 100 metres relay Originally won by Team  Russia, but gold medals were stripped due to anti-doping rules violation by Yulia Chermoshanskaya.[15] Following medals reallocation Belgium are awarded gold, Nigeria – silver and Brazil – bronze.
  • 4 × 400 metres relay Team  Russia originally won silver medals, while Team  Belarus originally placed fourth, but both were disqualified due to anti-doping rules violations - by Anastasiya Kapachinskaya and Tatyana Firova in the case of Russia and Sviatlana Usovich for Belarus.[16][17][18] Following medals reallocation Jamaica are promoted to silver and Great Britain to bronze.
  • high jump Original bronze medalist Anna Chicherova,  Russia, was officially stripped of her bronze medal following a positive retest of her sample from the 2008 Games for the anabolic steroid turinobol.[19] Yelena Slesarenko,  Russia, and Vita Palamar,  Ukraine, originally 4th and 5th, also were disqualified for doping following retests. Originally the 6th place athlete, Chaunte Howard,  United States, has received the bronze medal.
  • long jump Original silver medalist Tatyana Lebedeva,  Russia, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return silver medal following retesting of her original in-competition sample returned a positive test for the presence of the banned substances.[3] Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria was advanced to silver, Chelsea Hammond of Jamaica to bronze.
  • triple jump Original bronze medalist Hrysopiyi Devetzi,  Greece, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return bronze medal following retesting of original in-competition samples returned a positive result for banned substances.[8] Original silver medalist Tatyana Lebedeva,  Russia was also disqualified later due to use of banned substances.[3] Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan was advanced to silver, Yargelis Savigne of Cuba to bronze.
  • shot put Original silver medalist Natallia Mikhnevich,  Belarus, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return silver medal following retesting of her original in-competition sample returned a positive test for the presence of the banned substances methandienone and stanozolol.[18] Original bronze medalist Nadzeya Ostapchuk,  Belarus, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return bronze medal following retesting of her original in-competition sample returned a positive test.[20] Following medals reallocation Misleydis González of Cuba is promoted to silver and Gong Lijiao of China to bronze.
  • discus throw Retests of samples from the 2008 Summer Olympics detected a positive sample from original silver medalist Yarelys Barrios,  Cuba, for performance-enhancing drugs, and she was stripped of her medal on 1 September 2016.[21] After medal reallocation Olena Antonova received silver and Song Aimin received bronze.[22]
  • hammer throw Original gold medalist Aksana Miankova,  Belarus, disqualified, and stripped of and ordered to return gold medal following retesting of her original in-competition sample returned a positive test for the presence of the banned substances turinabol and oxandrolone.[18] Following medals reallocation Yipsi Moreno of Cuba is promoted to gold, Zhang Wenxiu of China to silver and Manuela Montebrun of France to bronze.
  • javelin throw Maria Abakumova,  Russia, who originally won the silver medal in the women's javelin, disqualified after she tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. Christina Obergföll of Germany was advanced to silver, Goldie Sayers of Great Britain to bronze.[6]
  • heptathlon Lyudmila Blonska,  Ukraine, who originally won the silver medal in the women's heptathlon, disqualified after she tested positive for methyltestosterone.[23] Following reallocation Hyleas Fountain of the United States awarded silver, Tatyana Chernova of Russia – bronze. Chernova,  Russia, who had been awarded the bronze medal following Blonska's disqualification, was herself disqualified after a retest of her 2008 sample was found to also be positive for banned substances, namely turinabol, and the bronze medal was awarded to the 2004 bronze medalist Kelly Sotherton,  Great Britain.[24]

Records broken

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, 17 new Olympic records and 5 new world records were set in the athletics events.

Men's Olympic and world records

EventDateRoundNameNationalityResultORWR
100 metres August 16FinalUsain Bolt Jamaica9.69 sORWR
200 metres August 20FinalUsain Bolt Jamaica19.30 sORWR
5000 metres August 23FinalKenenisa Bekele Ethiopia12:57.82OR
10000 metres August 17FinalKenenisa Bekele Ethiopia27:01.17OR
4 × 400 metres relay August 23FinalLaShawn Merritt
Angelo Taylor
David Neville
Jeremy Wariner
 United States2:55.39OR
Marathon August 24FinalSamuel Kamau Wansiru Kenya2:06:32OR
50 kilometre walk August 22FinalAlex Schwazer Italy3:37:09OR
Pole vault August 22FinalSteven Hooker Australia5.96 mOR
Javelin throw August 23FinalAndreas Thorkildsen Norway90.57 mOR

Women's Olympic and world records

EventDateRoundNameNationalityResultORWR
400 metre hurdles August 20FinalMelaine Walker Jamaica52.64OR
3,000 metre steeplechase August 17FinalGulnara Galkina-Samitova Russia8:58.81ORWR
10,000 metres August 20FinalTirunesh Dibaba Ethiopia29:54.66OR
20km walk August 20FinalOlga Kaniskina Russia1:26:31OR
Triple jump August 17FinalFrançoise Mbango Etone Cameroon15.39 mOR
Pole vault August 18FinalYelena Isinbayeva Russia5.05 mORWR
Hammer throw August 20FinalAksana Miankova Belarus76.34 mOR

Participating nations

See also

References

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  2. "IOC sanctions five athletes who competed in Beijing". Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
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  4. "The CAS dismissed the appeal of Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
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  6. 1 2 "IOC sanctions four athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012". Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  7. "Beijing 2008 relay quartet to be awarded Olympic bronze". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  8. 1 2 "IOC sanctions 16 athletes for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008". IOC. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  9. "South Dakotan pole vaulter receives medal from 2008 Olympics - NY Daily News". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  10. "Olympic Highlights". Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  11. "CAS reinstates Olympic medals for hammer throwers". June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  12. 1 2 "Turkish runners set to lose silvers for doping". 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  13. "Shalane Flanagan receives silver medal from 2008 Olympics". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  14. "IOC sanctions nine athletes for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  15. "IOC sanctions Yulia Chermoshanskaya for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  16. "IOC sanctions three athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  17. "IOC sanctions six athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  18. 1 2 3 "IOC sanctions seven athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012". Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  19. "IOC sanctions Anna Chicherova for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  20. "IOC sanctions eight athletes for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008 and London 2012". Archived from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  21. "IOC sanctions two athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008". Archived from the original on 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  22. Офіційно: Олена Антонова – срібний призер Олімпійських ігор-2008 Archived 2017-05-30 at the Wayback Machine (in Ukrainian)
  23. IOC sanctions Liudmyla Blonska for failing Anti-Doping test Archived 2016-11-28 at the Wayback Machine IOC press release August 22, 2008.
  24. "IOC sanctions two athletes for failing anti-doping test at Beijing 2008 and London 2012". Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
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