Rio, August 22, 2016 – The Rio 2016 Olympics has come to an end but it will continue to echo in the memory of many following the remarkable records that were set during the period, most unprecedented.
The athletics programme of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was contested by 200 teams, 199 from National Olympic Committees, plus the Refugee team.The past eight days was marked by three world records and further highlighted by Usain Bolt’s unique triple Olympic sprint treble.
Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana’s 10,000m world record opened the first session, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk’s 400m run from lane eight so nearly upstaged Usain Bolt on 100m final night, while Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk improved her own hammer throw mark.
As of the end of competition on Friday (18), there have been eight Olympic, 10 area and 95 national records set at these Games.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe describes the eight days as remarkable. “Rio’s remarkable record week of athletics has enthralled and entertained, capturing the global imagination. This has been world-class athletics at its finest. The mass chant of ‘Usain Bolt, Usain Bolt’ which reverberated around the Olympic stadium will echo for decades to come. Historians will not fail to make the comparison with the crowd lauding another legend in the 1952 Olympics with ‘Zatopek, Zatopek’!”
Huge increase in website traffic
As of the end of Thursday (18), the IAAF website – iaaf.org – had seen a huge increase in users and usage compared with the same period during London 2012 Olympic Games with 91% more website users and 58% more user sessions.
The first seven days of athletics in Rio has seen 45% more users and 20% more user sessions than in the entire 10 days of athletics at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Mobile usage is up 361% on London with 50% of IAAF website users now accessing the website via portable devices.
