During the 2020 TokyoOlympics , 33 - year - onetime Flora Duffy finished first in the adult female ’s individual triathlon , making story for her domicile country Bermuda . Her grueling victory throw the midget island the trenchant honor of becomingthe smallest nationto win an Olympic amber decoration . Here ’s a feel back at nine other great Olympian performances from underdog land .
1. Grenada // 2012 London Summer Olympics
The tiny Caribbean Carry Amelia Moore Nation of Grenadawon its first Olympic medalwhen 19 - year - old Kirani James take the atomic number 79 in the 400 - measure dash . Grenada is now the11th - smallest countryin the world , and was then the little Carry Nation to win a gold medal .
2. India // 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics
India may be thesecond - most populated nationin the world , but prior to London 2012 , it had only pile up 20 medals . India is , however , predominant in the sport of field hockeyand hold a 30 - biz bring home the bacon run from 1928 to 1960 , with six gold medals .
India was first introduced to the mutant through British officers in the elect sporting club of Kolkata as ahead of time as the 1880s , and its popularity quickly scatter through the ranks . The team had only begun playing external matches in 1926 , but when they stepped onto the field in their first Olympics , they show up the competition by not conceding a individual finish . The 1928 tourney run gave birthing to hockey ’s first international star , 22 - year - oldDhyan Chand , whose name has become so synonymous with hockey excellence that Pakistani headliner Habib - ur - Rehmanis knownas the “ Dhyan Chand of Pakistan , ” and up - and - coming field hockey players are often dub “ the mod - day Dhyan Chand . ”
3. Kenya // 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics
Today , the distance running world isdominated by East African nations , particularly Kenya and Ethiopia . That was n’t always reliable .
Kipchoge Keinogrew up as a shepherd in the rural reaches of Kenya . As a child , heran four milesto school each morning — barefoot . Keino was a ready survey in running , and stipulate for the 1964 Olympic Games without a manager . A year later , he becamethe first African in historyto break the 4 - minute mile ; his time of 3:54.2 was within a second of the world record book .
Even so , Keino was not favored to win at the Mexico City Games . But he used the high height to his advantage and push the tread so viciously that no one could keep up . He took his country ’s first gold and would follow it up with another medal in Mexico City and two more in the 1972 game . Perhaps Keino ’s most impressive Olympic exploit was when he arrive at Munich and discover that a scheduling trouble would n’t allow him to function the 5K. He decided on the touch to enter the steeplechase or else and won gold .
4. Jamaica // 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics
Immortalized in the 1993 movieCool Runnings , the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federationwas formedby an American man of affairs , George Fitch , residing in Jamaica . He and a friend were catch a handcart bowler and theorize that bobsledding might not be such a big reaching . fund by Fitch and the Jamaican Tourist Board , the bobsled squad had a unvoiced fourth dimension with recruitment and eventually formed their first mathematical group of recruitsby asking the Jamaican Defence Forceto offer some soldier .
coolheaded Runningsis mostly precise in that the Jamaicans were first greeted with scepticism and treated as a punchline by medium way out , although the other Olympic squad were largely supportive of their endeavor ( one squad evenprovided a back - up sleigh ) . Beyond the conclusion of the film — which showed that the Jamaicans bring home the bacon in emotional state despite failing in a spectacular crash — the real - life Jamaican bobsled squad go on , improved , and eventually became competitive . At the 1994 Olympics , the Jamaican team complete ahead of both U.S. bobsled squadsin 14th position . The team is still going unattackable today .
5. Nigeria // 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics
Pele’sfamous predictionthat an African soccer team would win the World Cup by the class 2000 did n’t pan out , although he was n’t very far off . Four years before the close of the hundred , Nigeria fulfilled the dream of an entire continent bywinning an Olympic gold .
Lest anyone think the team had sluttish competition , they quiver World Cup champ Brazil in the semifinal , erase a 3 - 1 shortage in the final 12 minutes before gain in additional clip . In the concluding , Nigeria stag another retort against an even more formidable Argentinian police squad with a 3 - 2 triumph .
Upon their victory , heads of country from all over Africa telephoned their felicitation to the Nigerien governance and a national holiday was declared the stick with Monday . Four years later , Africa would impinge on again , whenCameroon get the better of Spainto take the amber in Sydney .
6. The Tropical Lugers // 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics
In the early 1990s , the number of nations participating in luge was in declension , putting the athletics in danger of falling below the IOC - mandate 25 - country participation minimum . To remedy this , the International Federation of Luge follow up an first step to recruit lugers from tropical country and indorse their training endeavors .
Of the athletes invite into the training program , three managed to dispose for the Olympics . On the men ’s side , Shiva Keshavan of India fetch up 28th with a sled made from eight - year - oldspare division , while Patrick Singleton of Bermudaplaced 27thout of 34 challenger . ( Singleton is perhaps best known for put on Bermuda shorts in 17 - level weather at the Salt Lake City Opening Ceremonies . ) On the women ’s side , Venezuela ’s Iginia Boccalandro Valentinafinished 28thout of 30 .
All three have returned to the Olympics and inspired further Olympian involution from the tropical zone . By 2002 , the program certified participants in the sliding sports from Brazil , Trinidad and Tobago , Mexico , and the Virgin Islands . Among the new tropical Olympians were 48 - year - old Venezuelan Warner Hoegger and his 17 - year - old Logos , Christopher ( the oldest and youngest competitors in the field ) , who made account asthe first father and sonto contend at the same New Olympic event .
7. Equatorial Guinea // 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics
When the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) allowed each nation to commit up to two natator to the Olympics regardless of qualifying team , Eric Moussambaniof Equatorial Guinea volunteered .
Moussambani taught himself how to float in a 20 - meter hotel kitty in prep for the 50 - meter freestyle swim — before the Olympics , he ’d never been in an Olympic - size pool . When he got to Sydney , however , the coach insisted he be localise in the 100 - time freestyle slipstream . At the start of his heating plant , the two other swimmersgot disqualified — meaning all Moussambani had to do was end up the heating plant , and he ’d be through to the next round of drinks .
Inexperienced with the longer distance and being in a pocket billiards in which he could n’t stand , Moussambani petered - out 20 meters before the finish . His blazon flailed wildly and lifeguard were on standby to deliver him if necessary , but Moussambani eventually level himself out and dive for the rampart . At 112 seconds , his wasthe slowest recorded metre in story , but he picked up the nickname “ Eric the Eel ” and became a media darling .
8. Australia // 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
Although Australiaranks 8thin all - time Summer Olympic medals and their athletic political platform is see at the vanguard of innovative skill , they have been passably slow to keep up during the Winter Games . The country has send off a delegating to every Olympic Games since 1936 , but it was n’t until 1994 that Australiawon a medalin the short - running speedskating squad effect .
One of the members of that team , Steven Bradbury , continue to skate in three more Olympics but was beset by two debilitating hurt and sleep together he did n’t stand a chance of advancing in the 2002 Games . Bradbury adopted a scheme of waiting in the back of the playing field , just in case another jock fell down . surprisingly enough , the plan act upon to perfection as he made the finals through a series of disqualification and falls by his competitors . One of Bradbury ’s big goal was to get the warrant of superstar Apollo Anton Ohno for his line of in - line skate . Little did he bed that Ohno and three other skaters would go downwith one massive crash , leaving him the victor and Australia ’s first Winter Games gold medalist .
Bradbury was dubbed the “ Accidental Gold Medalist ” and had conflicting feeling about his medal , but finally reasoned that he won it through 12 long time of hard work . A duet of days after his win , freestyle aerialistAlisa Camplinwon another Winter gold for Australia through more legitimate way .
9. Zimbabwe // 2004-2012 Summer Olympics
Kirsty Coventryholds seven of Zimbabwe ’s eight medals and has defeated some of the great figure in the Olympics . Despite a want of government activity financial support for athletics programs — and Zimbabwe ’s lack of indoor pool — Coventry earned a learnedness to Auburn , where she gain seven NCAA title and claimed several world records in the backstroke and individual medley . Upon her return from Beijing , the land ’s already - controversial president , Robert Mugabe , pass on Coventry a suitcasecontaining $ 100,000 cash , a move that incited even more disceptation because of Zimbabwe ’s runaway inflation .
A version of this news report was in the beginning published in 2012 ; it has been updated for 2021 .
