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0 / 29 Fotos
Bermuda
- Tokyo 2020 was special for triathlete Flora Duffy. For the first time in history, a Bermudian athlete won gold!
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1 / 29 Fotos
Bermuda
- "I am so thrilled I could execute, and yeah, I achieved my dream of winning a gold medal, but also winning Bermuda's first gold medal," she said.
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2 / 29 Fotos
Burundi
- The East African nation is far from being an Olympic powerhouse, but long-distance runner Venuste Niyongabo made sure his country's name entered Olympic history.
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3 / 29 Fotos
Burundi
- Niyongabo won Burundi's first and only Olympic gold medal in the 5,000 m race at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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4 / 29 Fotos
Costa Rica
- In 1996, swimmer Claudia Poll became the first Costa Rican athlete to win a gold medal. She did so in the 200 m freestyle swimming event at the Atlanta Games.
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5 / 29 Fotos
Costa Rica
- Poll went on to win two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but she'll certainly never forget the moment she stood on the podium with a gold medal around her neck in 1996.
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6 / 29 Fotos
Grenada
- London 2012 saw 18-year-old sprinter Kirani James winning gold in the 400 m category.
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7 / 29 Fotos
Grenada
- Kirani James went on to win silver at Rio 2016, and bronze at Tokyo 2020. James is the first and only Grenadian Olympic medalist in history!
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8 / 29 Fotos
Ivory Coast
- Rio 2016 was the stage where Ivorian taekwondo athlete Cheick Sallah Cisse made history. This was also Cisse's first ever Olympic Games.
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9 / 29 Fotos
Ivory Coast
- "The gold medal for me is the encouragement of two years of hard work. I started in 2013, and here I am. I am very proud of my medal," he said.
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10 / 29 Fotos
Jordan
- The taekwondo featherweight athlete Ahmad Abughaush made history at the Rio 2016 Games. Not only did he win Jordan's first ever Olympic medal, but he brought the most valuable one home: gold!
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11 / 29 Fotos
Jordan
- Jordan went on to win silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020 (in taekwondo and karate), but Ahmad Abughaush remains the the only athlete with an Olympic gold medal in the country's history.
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12 / 29 Fotos
Mozambique
- The East African nation saw track and field athlete Maria Mutola first compete in the Olympics in 1988 at the age of 15. It was not until years later that she won her country's first ever Olympic gold in the 800 m event at Sydney 2000.
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13 / 29 Fotos
Mozambique
- "Where you come from doesn’t matter at all. Whether you’re from a rich region or family or a poor one, you can still achieve your goals at school or in sport if you concentrate enough and dedicate yourself to them completely," said Mutola.
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14 / 29 Fotos
Panama
- Irving Saladino placed 36th in his event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, so it seemed like he was far from becoming an Olympic medalist. Four year later, however, he beat the odds and won the gold medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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15 / 29 Fotos
Panama
- This is the first and only gold medal Panama has ever won, to date. "It is a dream come true. I am very proud to represent Panama and Latin America," he said.
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16 / 29 Fotos
Peru
- Peru's only gold medal was won by Edwin Vásquez in the 50 m pistol event at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
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17 / 29 Fotos
Singapore
- Swimmer Joseph Schooling made history in Rio 2016. Not only did he win Singapore's first and only gold medal, but he also did it by beating Michael Phelps in the 100 m butterfly!
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18 / 29 Fotos
Singapore
- The victory did not bring any animosity between the two Olympians, though. "There is never any trash talk. I would love to see him in Singapore. He’s just an overall good guy," said Schooling of Phelps.
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19 / 29 Fotos
Suriname
- One-hundredth of a second (0.01) was the difference between the silver and gold in the 100 m butterfly event of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
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20 / 29 Fotos
Suriname
- Suriname's Anthony Nesty beat Matt Biondi from Team USA and brought the gold medal home, putting Suriname's name in the Olympic books.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Syria
- Syria has a total of four Olympic medals, but the 1996 Games in Atlanta are particular special for Syrians. This is when they witnessed heptathlete Ghada Shouaa win gold.
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22 / 29 Fotos
Syria
- Shouaa went on to become the top heptathlete in the world for two consecutive years after stepping onto the podium. She is considered one of the best Arab female athletes of all time.
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23 / 29 Fotos
Tajikistan
- Tajikistan made Olympic history in the hammer throw competition at Rio 2016, when track and field athlete Dilshod Nazarov brought the gold medal home.
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24 / 29 Fotos
Tajikistan
- Nazarov previously represented his country at the Olympics in 2004, 2008, and 2012. It was not until 2016 that he won a medal, and a gold one to boot!
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25 / 29 Fotos
United Arab Emirates
- Over the years, there have been a few royals who have participated at the Olympics. Shaikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum (middle) from the UAE actually participated in three.
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26 / 29 Fotos
United Arab Emirates
- In Athens 2004, Ahmed Al-Maktoum won gold in the double trap event in shooting.
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27 / 29 Fotos
Vietnam
- Hoàng Xuân Vinh was 41 when he won his gold medal in the 10 m air pistol event at the Rio 2016 Games. It was the first Olympic gold in Vietnam's history. Sources: (Ranker) (The Olympics) See also: Countries that pay the most for an Olympic gold medal
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
Bermuda
- Tokyo 2020 was special for triathlete Flora Duffy. For the first time in history, a Bermudian athlete won gold!
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
Bermuda
- "I am so thrilled I could execute, and yeah, I achieved my dream of winning a gold medal, but also winning Bermuda's first gold medal," she said.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Burundi
- The East African nation is far from being an Olympic powerhouse, but long-distance runner Venuste Niyongabo made sure his country's name entered Olympic history.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Burundi
- Niyongabo won Burundi's first and only Olympic gold medal in the 5,000 m race at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
Costa Rica
- In 1996, swimmer Claudia Poll became the first Costa Rican athlete to win a gold medal. She did so in the 200 m freestyle swimming event at the Atlanta Games.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Costa Rica
- Poll went on to win two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but she'll certainly never forget the moment she stood on the podium with a gold medal around her neck in 1996.
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Grenada
- London 2012 saw 18-year-old sprinter Kirani James winning gold in the 400 m category.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Grenada
- Kirani James went on to win silver at Rio 2016, and bronze at Tokyo 2020. James is the first and only Grenadian Olympic medalist in history!
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
Ivory Coast
- Rio 2016 was the stage where Ivorian taekwondo athlete Cheick Sallah Cisse made history. This was also Cisse's first ever Olympic Games.
© Getty Images
9 / 29 Fotos
Ivory Coast
- "The gold medal for me is the encouragement of two years of hard work. I started in 2013, and here I am. I am very proud of my medal," he said.
© Getty Images
10 / 29 Fotos
Jordan
- The taekwondo featherweight athlete Ahmad Abughaush made history at the Rio 2016 Games. Not only did he win Jordan's first ever Olympic medal, but he brought the most valuable one home: gold!
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
Jordan
- Jordan went on to win silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020 (in taekwondo and karate), but Ahmad Abughaush remains the the only athlete with an Olympic gold medal in the country's history.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
Mozambique
- The East African nation saw track and field athlete Maria Mutola first compete in the Olympics in 1988 at the age of 15. It was not until years later that she won her country's first ever Olympic gold in the 800 m event at Sydney 2000.
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
Mozambique
- "Where you come from doesn’t matter at all. Whether you’re from a rich region or family or a poor one, you can still achieve your goals at school or in sport if you concentrate enough and dedicate yourself to them completely," said Mutola.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
Panama
- Irving Saladino placed 36th in his event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, so it seemed like he was far from becoming an Olympic medalist. Four year later, however, he beat the odds and won the gold medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Panama
- This is the first and only gold medal Panama has ever won, to date. "It is a dream come true. I am very proud to represent Panama and Latin America," he said.
© Getty Images
16 / 29 Fotos
Peru
- Peru's only gold medal was won by Edwin Vásquez in the 50 m pistol event at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Singapore
- Swimmer Joseph Schooling made history in Rio 2016. Not only did he win Singapore's first and only gold medal, but he also did it by beating Michael Phelps in the 100 m butterfly!
© Getty Images
18 / 29 Fotos
Singapore
- The victory did not bring any animosity between the two Olympians, though. "There is never any trash talk. I would love to see him in Singapore. He’s just an overall good guy," said Schooling of Phelps.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
Suriname
- One-hundredth of a second (0.01) was the difference between the silver and gold in the 100 m butterfly event of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Suriname
- Suriname's Anthony Nesty beat Matt Biondi from Team USA and brought the gold medal home, putting Suriname's name in the Olympic books.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Syria
- Syria has a total of four Olympic medals, but the 1996 Games in Atlanta are particular special for Syrians. This is when they witnessed heptathlete Ghada Shouaa win gold.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
Syria
- Shouaa went on to become the top heptathlete in the world for two consecutive years after stepping onto the podium. She is considered one of the best Arab female athletes of all time.
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
Tajikistan
- Tajikistan made Olympic history in the hammer throw competition at Rio 2016, when track and field athlete Dilshod Nazarov brought the gold medal home.
© Getty Images
24 / 29 Fotos
Tajikistan
- Nazarov previously represented his country at the Olympics in 2004, 2008, and 2012. It was not until 2016 that he won a medal, and a gold one to boot!
© Getty Images
25 / 29 Fotos
United Arab Emirates
- Over the years, there have been a few royals who have participated at the Olympics. Shaikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum (middle) from the UAE actually participated in three.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
United Arab Emirates
- In Athens 2004, Ahmed Al-Maktoum won gold in the double trap event in shooting.
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
Vietnam
- Hoàng Xuân Vinh was 41 when he won his gold medal in the 10 m air pistol event at the Rio 2016 Games. It was the first Olympic gold in Vietnam's history. Sources: (Ranker) (The Olympics) See also: Countries that pay the most for an Olympic gold medal
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
Countries with exactly one Olympic gold medal
It took one nation nearly 100 years to win gold
© Getty Images
Countries such as the US, China, and Great Britain (to name a few) have hundreds of Olympic gold medals to their names, but this is not the case for every nation competing at the Games. In fact, some countries only have one single gold medal—a medal they are certainly very proud of.
Some of the stories about how these athletes won gold are truly fascinating. These men and women put their countries in the exclusive list of Olympic gold winners, and now it's time to get to know them. Click on for more!
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