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The Two Surprising Countries that Stole the Rio Running Limelight

8/31/2016

31 Comments

 
Mo Farah
As the Rio Olympics came to a close, there were plenty of positives and real highlights to take away, especially from the track and field arena at the Maracanã stadium. Two particular nations that are not normally associated with track dominance shone through in Rio: the UK and South Africa. 

Masterful Mo

Defending Olympic champion in the 5,000m and 10,000m run, Mo Farah, set out to defend his titles in a notoriously tough event. With stiff competition from Moroccans, Ethiopians, Americans, and of course the Kenyans, Farah had quite the challenge ahead of him. 

In the first of his gold medals in the 10,000m run, Farah actually fell midway through the race after tripping on another runner, but he was able to quickly get up, regain his composure, and get back into the race. Ultimately he controlled the tempo throughout the race, before using his trademark kick at the end to comfortably pull away from Paul Chelimo of the US and Hagos Gebrhiwet of Kenya. 

In the 5000m final, Farah sat four or five back for most of the race, until the penultimate lap when he made a strong move to the front. From there, he consistently headed off all challenges for the lead, maintaining parity to the final stretch where he again pushed to victory. The US athletes turned in amazing performances, with Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo winning silver and Bernard Legat finishing an admirable fifth.

South Africa Dominates Middle Distance

South Africans Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya won the men’s 400m and women’s 800m races respectively. In winning, van Niekerk smashed a 17-year record previously held by Michael Johnson, a record many thought would stand unbeaten for decades. In a class field that included Olympic champions Kirani James and Lashawn Merritt, van Niekerk ran a blistering first half and then just kept going in the second, actually running faster to clock a jaw-dropping time of 43.03. 

Caster Semanya was less of a surprise package as the defending Olympic champion and world champion, however her performance was strong and equally dominant in a tough field. ​

Sanity Restored

Sanity was restored to the track distance pecking order in the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m races, as Kenya returned to dominance, claiming gold and silver in the 5,000m race and silver in the 10,000m race.
​
Watching these races was an absolute highlight of what has been an incredible Olympic Games.
31 Comments
Austin Kline
9/6/2016 06:58:59 am

South Africa did so well I couldn't believe it. They made the Olympics exciting. Mo Farah is a warrior and an unbelievable athlete. The exciting part to me was the distance runs.

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James
9/6/2016 07:08:28 am

Mo Farah is an incredibly skilled runner. It was such a joy to watch him compete. This was a great Summer Olympics.

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Montanna Slight
9/6/2016 07:45:22 am

Wow! Congratulations on the big wins, guys!!!

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Connie Mastroianni
9/6/2016 10:09:14 am

I am proud of Kenya for getting the 2 silvers and the gold medal in the races. They prove what it takes to win.

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Caroline Kaugher
9/6/2016 10:52:15 am

Looks like it was actually an exciting time as opposed to what everyone thought was gonna be a giveaway. Sure wish I could have been down there for The Games.

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julio pacio
9/6/2016 03:41:41 pm

I saw the 10000 m race and i could not believe my eyes when he got up and won the race, that was just an unbelievable moment

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John Willz
9/6/2016 03:55:59 pm

Other than Bolt, I always expect to see the Kenyans win. It's nice to see a change of pace like this.

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Tim C
9/7/2016 03:40:20 am

What a great story. This is very inspiring.

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HannahV
9/8/2016 03:09:20 pm

Rio was amazing! Loved watching Farah.

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Alex Joss
9/9/2016 04:06:32 am

Mo Farah is a warrior and an unbelievable athlete. Congratulations on the big wins!!!

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Mona
9/10/2016 11:27:06 am

Agree - these are two fine examples of what it should all be about.

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Samantha Pearson
9/13/2016 11:07:50 am

I found the Rio Olympics quite exciting. Track and Field is always a favorite as I participated in it when I was in Jr. High and High School. The UK really did bring their A game this time around and I think there are new stand outs to watch for.

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E-Man
9/13/2016 07:37:43 pm

Wow he tripped on another runner, got back up and kept on running! Able to push past two runners wow! Now that's dedication!

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Cynthia Rostad
9/14/2016 08:35:14 am

This is what the Olympics are about! I love to see an "underdog" get out there and wow the world, what an awesome thing to witness! Great job guys!

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Edward link
9/14/2016 09:18:29 am

this is just so amazing

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Lina
9/14/2016 12:56:05 pm

Very informative article! Great win for Kenya! Good luck in the future!

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Shasta McAnally Martin
9/16/2016 06:15:42 pm

This is a great story. I missed the Olympics but it sounds like South Africa did a fantastic job!

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Farid Martin
9/19/2016 05:32:26 am

The Olympic Games is an exciting time to be sure. When a country makes their mark it makes things even more delightful. The U.K. and South Africa dominated track and field in an unexpected fashion.

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Becky Brooks
9/20/2016 10:27:45 am

Awesome job at the games! WTG!

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Jesse Lapinski
9/21/2016 11:00:15 am

It was great to see Mo win again. These countries have been doing great and I will look to see how they do in the future.

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John Smith
9/29/2016 10:09:43 am

Wow its amazing no one can did this. Its really great countries that stole the rio running timelight. Thanks for sharing this news.

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Edward Tivrusky
9/30/2016 03:37:48 am

It's absolutely amazing that someone can trip and fall, get up, and STILL get a gold medal in such a venue as the olympics!!!

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Judy Workman
10/2/2016 11:29:17 pm

Farah didn't let anything stop him from being champion. Tripping didn't stop him either which shows he was determined. He looks happy with his gold medals. Farah is a hard worker. Way to go!

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Hari Dulal
10/3/2016 01:09:02 am

These are the supernatural running in the world.It is unbelievable game with each other.the Rio Olympics was exciting. I wish I could have been down there for The Games.

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Chester E Green
10/6/2016 12:07:42 pm

A great information. Thanks for this information.

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Rabin Koju
10/6/2016 05:11:34 pm

I love the inspirational article here.

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Claudio
10/7/2016 09:05:34 pm

Very beautiful and inspiring story, what a big heart those runners.. :)

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Quentin Mayfield
10/8/2016 04:52:29 pm

Amazing story! Olympics are always fantastic!

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Jennifer Soto
10/23/2016 03:36:38 pm

I think Mo Farrah is a talented athlete and the rio Olympics are amazing.

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Kelly Blesi
10/23/2016 09:46:34 pm

Such an amazing accomplishment. He has inspired many people out there to be determine and fight for what your heart and mind wants, which is what he did.

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jersey link
12/6/2016 04:55:50 pm

olympics identify such good players, this article is more inspiring.

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    Cameron Poetzscher

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    Cameron Poetzscher is a Harvard Business School graduate with extensive M&A, business strategy and operations experience.
    He is the VP of Corporate Development at Uber, and is passionate about sport.

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