Olympics 1996

Atlanta 1996

Games of the XXVI Olympiad

The 1996 Games were given a dramatic start when the cauldron was lit by Muhammad Ali. On 27 July during a concert held in the Centennial Olympic Park, a terrorist bomb killed one person and injured a further 110 people, but the Atlanta Games are best remembered for their sporting achievements. A record-setting 79 nations won medals and 53 won gold. Carl Lewis became only the third person to win the same individual event four times and the fourth person to earn a ninth gold medal. Naim Suleymanoglu became the first weightlifter to win a third gold medal. Michael Johnson smashed the 200m world record to complete a 200m and 400m double.

Participating Nations: 197

Participants: 10,318 athletes (3,512 women, 6,806 men)

Events: 271

Winner

The top three winners were: United States of America, Russian Federation and Germany
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