Four of the most successful nations in cycling sport in the Summer Olympics Games are from Europe. These are:
1. France
2. Italy
3. Great Britain
4. Netherlands
United States is the fifth most successful nation in Olympics Cycling events. Besides USA, 18 of the most successful nations in the Summer Olympics are from Europe. Canada is the twentieth most successful nation, with one gold medal.
In total 30 nations from all over the world has at least won a gold medal in the Olympics cycling sport and this will change come Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
Of all the gold medals, the only African Nation to have ever won a gold medal in Olympics cycling is South Africa. Africa may have not won many medals but over the years 21 nations have participated in the Cycling events in the summer Olympics
They won their only Olympics cycling gold medal in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden. This gold medal was won by a gold miner Rudolph Ludewyk also known as "Okey" Lewis Besides, they have won four silver medals and three Bronze medals in the subsequent Summer Olympics editions.
Of all all the editions of Summer Olympics, London 2012 Summer Olympics, the highest number of participating nation is 74 nations that participated in the cycling sport in the London 2012 Olympics; this is the Summer Olympics edition with most nations participating in the cycling sport in the Olympics History
Except for France and Great Britain, no other nation on earth has participated in all the Summer Olympics cycling sport, no wonder France and Great Britain dominates the gold medals in this exciting sport.
The increased participation in the Summer Olympics Cycling Sport
Over the years the number of nations participating in the Summer Olympics Cycling sport has increased tremendously. The number of cyclists have grown from the initial 19 in the 1896 Athens Summer Olympics and 5 nations to 74 nations and 501 cyclists in the last edition of the Summer Olympics; London 2012.
Below is a table to illustrate this growth
|
Summer Olympics Year |
Number of cyclists in the Summer Olympics |
Number of Teams/nations |
|
1896 |
19 |
5 |
|
1900 |
72 |
7 |
|
1904 |
18 |
2 |
|
1908 |
97 |
11 |
|
1912 |
123 |
16 |
|
1920 |
103 |
14 |
|
1924 |
139 |
24 |
|
1928 |
149 |
27 |
|
1932 |
66 |
13 |
|
1936 |
175 |
30 |
|
1948 |
188 |
33 |
|
1952 |
215 |
36 |
|
1956 |
161 |
30 |
|
1960 |
297 |
48 |
|
1964 |
303 |
40 |
|
1968 |
329 |
52 |
|
1972 |
359 |
54 |
|
1976 |
295 |
49 |
|
1980 |
230 |
34 |
|
1984 |
359 |
54 |
|
1988 |
422 |
62 |
|
1992 |
451 |
76 |
|
1996 |
477 |
68 |
|
2000 |
462 |
55 |
|
2004 |
464 |
61 |
|
2008 |
508 |
66 |
|
2012 |
501 |
74 |
The most successful Summer Olympics Cyclists are: British Cyclist, Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy, have won 6 gold medals in Track Cycling as well other cycling events in the Olympics. He has won gold medal consecutively since Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, in total he has 6 gold medals plus one silver medal which he won in the
The second most successful Summer Olympics cyclist is yet another British Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins or Wiggo as people often call him. Wiggo has 4 gold medals first in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Besides the gold medal in individual pursuit, he also won silver in team pursuit and a bronze medal in men’s Madison. Four years later he won 2 gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China. One gold medal was in Individual Pursuit, the other gold medal was in team pursuit. In 2012, in his Home ground, London 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in Time Trial.
The third and fourth most successful Summer Olympics Cyclists are: Leontien Martha Henrica Petronella Zijlaard-van Moorsel who is third with 4 gold medals three of which he won in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics in road race, 3 kilometer individual pursuit and time trial. His 4th gold medal was in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in time trial, Wiggo has beaten him with only one extra bronze medal. He now retired and hence will not participate in the coming Rio 2016 Summer Olympics this coming August.
To close the chapter on the best male cyclists in the Summer Olympics, is a 2 gold medalist America cyclist, the late Burton Cecil Downing, who won two gold medals in the early years of the Summer Olympics. He first won a gold medal in the 1904 St Louis Summer Olympics in the 25 miles road race and a second one in the same games in 2.5 mile road race.
Women are yet to have more than one gold medal, let’s see what happened in Rio.
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