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Olympic Games: Bermuda, Philippines, San Marino ... These "small" countries sacred or medal-winning in Tokyo

2021-07-29T12:11:52.813Z


Since the start of the Games, two nations have won the first gold medal in their history. San Marino went to get its first br


In Rio in 2016, nine nations won Olympic gold for the first time.

We remember, in particular, the surprise victory of MĂłnica Puig in tennis for Puerto Rico, or the triumph of Joseph Schooling, ahead of Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly, for Singapore.

5 years later in Tokyo, two new nations join the clan of countries holding at least one gold medal at the Olympic Games.

The Philippines: Almost 100 Years of Waiting

It was well worth a house and a check for 555,000 euros.

For the first gold medal in the history of her country, Hidilyn Diaz was entitled to a very nice award from the Philippines.

The athlete won in Tokyo in weightlifting in the -55 kg category.

Diaz had to lift 127kg to clinch the 556g for the Olympic gold medal.

History.

Made.



Hidilyn Diaz has won the first ever gold medal for Philippines! #PHI #Gold #PHI #Gold #PHI #Gold pic.twitter.com/hrhavf2Iyp

- Olympics (@Olympics) July 26, 2021

The weight of history.

The Philippines had been waiting for an Olympic title since their first participation in the Olympics in 1924 in Paris.

Since then, the country of south-east Asia has participated in all the Olympics, except for its boycott in 1980. Results of these 22 participations: 10 podiums but no gold medals until the coronation of Hidilyn Diaz.

The weightlifter had already won a silver medal in Rio in 2016. The Philippines only needed to wait five more years for gold.

Bermuda: gold in the triathlon

If this small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean means nothing to you, Bermuda has nevertheless participated in 17 editions of the Summer Olympics since 1936. In 85 years, the archipelago had obtained only one medal, in bronze.

Clarence Hill's boxing work at the 1976 Olympics. The British Overseas Territory, best known for being a tax haven, goes for the first time to Tokyo, bringing back Olympic gold.

🇧🇲🥇 First title in Olympic Games history for Bermuda!

Flora Duffy, in triathlon, won the gold medal.



LĂ©onie PĂ©riault is ranked 5th after a crazy end of the race # Tokyo2020 #JeuxOlympiques



Follow the Olympics live â–¶ https://t.co/DbgV1naW1I pic.twitter.com/QGODzfPMh0

- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 26, 2021

The archipelago of 70,000 inhabitants for 53 km2 can thank Flora Duffy, crowned in the triathlon.

A race atomized by the Bermudian in 1 hour, 55 minutes and 36 seconds, with more than a minute ahead of the Briton Georgia Taylor-Brown and the American Katie Zaferes.

“It has always been my dream to win at the Games and I hope that my success will inspire my country and show that anything is possible,” said the champion, from a small island of 500 inhabitants.

A performance that the country is not likely to forget.

San Marino and Turkmenistan: a first podium

Admittedly, it is not a gold medal but it remains a historic first time at the Olympic Games for San Marino and Turkmenistan. The third smallest state in Europe behind the Vatican and Monaco, barely larger than Bermuda (63 km2), won its first Olympic medal in Tokyo, thanks to Alessandra Perilli's bronze in the Olympic pit. With around 34,000 inhabitants, San Marino becomes the smallest country to win a medal at the Olympic Games. With only 5 athletes sent to Tokyo this year, San Marino's athlete / medal ratio is excellent!

Alessandra Perilli🇸🇲 has won #bronze in #Shooting - Women's Trap final at # Tokyo2020



This is the first #Olympics medal in history for San Marino!



With a population of around 34,000, #SMR is also the smallest country in history to win an @Olympics medal!

#UnitedByEmotion pic.twitter.com/Sk56uSSyLB

- # Tokyo2020 (@ Tokyo2020) July 29, 2021

For its part, Turkmenistan is a much younger Olympic nation.

This Central Asian country has only known the Olympic Games since 1996. And it only took “seven” Olympiads for the state in northern Afghanistan to sign a first podium.

In weightlifting Polina Guryeva won a historic silver medal in the -59 kg category.

Turkmenistan joins San Marino and the 147 other nations that have won medals at the Olympics.

Note that, for the second time in history after London, no country has made its first Olympic appearance in Tokyo.

Jordan, Kuwait, Kosovo… The “small” countries still winning medals

If these nations had already known the joy of a medal, they did it again in Tokyo in 2021. Jordan, medalist for the first time and gold in Rio, this time won a silver medal in Taekwondo thanks to Saleh Al-Sharabaty in -80 kg. The same goes for Fiji. The Pacific Island retained its title in Sevens Rugby, the only two metals in their history. It's even better for Kosovo. Titled only once in 2016, the Balkan country doubled the stakes in Tokyo with two Olympic titles in judo for women (Distria Krasniqi in -48 kg and Nora Gjakova in -57 kg).

DISTRIA KRASNIQI IN GOLD 🥇



Distria Krasniqi brings back the first medal of these Olympic Games in Kosovo 🇽🇰



After Majlinda Kelmendi, it's Distria's turn to put her country on the roof of the world!



O MĂ‹MĂ‹DHE I DASHUR, SELL I TRIMINSĂ‹ pic.twitter.com/FBwC723iod

- Kosovar Football 🇽🇰 (@FootballKosovar) July 24, 2021

As for Latin America, it has been 25 years since Ecuador won gold at the Olympics.

Something corrected by Richard Carapaz on the road cycling road race, to bring the country's Olympic medal total to three.

A similar record in Kuwait, except that the Middle Eastern country has only won bronze medals in its history.

The last one was won in Tokyo by Abdullah al-Rashidi (57 years old!) In the skeet event, in shooting.

Tokyo 2021: at 57, Al-Rashidi's revenge with his Kuwait flag https://t.co/myYG8rNAZU pic.twitter.com/Q2kTbBM1FN

- FRANCE 24 - Sports (@ SportF24) July 26, 2021

Among African nations, CĂ´te d'Ivoire now holds four medals thanks to Ruth Gbagbi's bronze in taekwondo.

Still in the same discipline, the Macedonian Georgievski signed the best performance in the history of his country with a silver medal, the second Olympic charm for North Macedonia.

Only historical performances.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-07-29

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