The
men's marathon at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
was held on Sunday, August 4, 1996. The race started at 07:05h local time to avoid excessively hot and humid conditions. A total number of 111 athletes completed the race, with an injured and limping
Abdul Baser Wasiqi from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
finishing in last position in 4:24:17.
"Taleban hope to get ban revoked"
Reuters, August 17, 2000
There were 124 competitors from 79 countries. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. Thirteen competitors did not finish.Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
eight years later. The event was won by Josia Thugwane of South Africa, the nation's first victory in the Olympic men's marathon since 1912. South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
's Lee Bong-ju won the silver, and Erick Wainaina
Erick Wainaina (born December 19, 1973, in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the few ...
of Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
won bronze.
Summary
There were few favorites in the event. The race started at an Olympic stadium and after 3 1/2 laps of the track they started on the out and back course through Atlanta. There was a large group of about 60 in front. It was not until mile 15 that things started to get stirred up. The South Africans made a wall at the front and proceeded to increase the pace. They were joined by Lee Bong-Ju. The race continued as such until mile 17. Josia Thugwane made a move and was joined by Lee Bong-Ju. Meanwhile, Erick Wainaina joined the two in front. The three switched leads several times until Thugwane made a move outside Olympic stadium. He took through the tunnel while Lee Bong-Ju passed Wainaina. It was the closest finish in Olympic history but Thugwane maintained his lead in the last mile to take the gold medal in 2:12:36. Lee Bong-Ju took silver and Wainaina bronze.
Background
This was the 23rd appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning runners from the 1992 marathon included bronze medalist Stephan Freigang of Germany, fifth-place finisher Salvatore Bettiol of Italy, eighth-place finisher Hiromi Taniguchi
is a former Japanese long-distance runner, best known from winning the gold medal in the marathon at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo. The favourite to win the race, Olympic champion Gelindo Bordin, only finished eighth. The m ...
of Japan, and ninth-place finisher Diego García of Spain. Martín Fiz
Martín Fiz Martín (born 3 March 1963 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava) is a long-distance runner from Spain.
Career
Fiz won the marathon at the 1994 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki and repeated his success at the 1995 Worl ...
of Spain was the reigning World and European champion. Belayneh Dinsamo of Ethiopia was the world record holder, but that record had been set 8 years previously. As in 1992, there was "no dominant male marathoner entering the 1996 Olympics and the race was considered wide-open."
Competition format and course
As all Olympic marathons, the competition was a single race. The marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards was run over an out-and-back route starting and finishing at the Olympic Stadium. The course generally followed that of the Atlanta Marathon.[
]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics.
No new world or Olympic bests were set during the competition. The following national records were established during the competition:
Schedule
The Olympic marathon, usually scheduled for afternoons or evenings at the Games' last day, began early in the morning in 1996 due to the anticipated heat and humidity of summer in Atlanta. The temperature by about 10 a.m. local time, as runners finished, was approximately with 80% humidity.[
All times are ]Eastern Daylight Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.
* Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behin ...
( UTC−4)
Results
See also
* 1995 Men's World Championships Marathon
* 1996 Marathon Year Ranking
* 1997 Men's World Championships Marathon
Notes
References
*
Official Report
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's Marathon
M
Marathons at the Olympics
Marathons in the United States
1996 marathons
Men's marathons
Men's events at the 1996 Summer Olympics