Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland or Team GB as they are currently known have sent athletes to every single edition of the Olympics.
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In the Olympics, Great Britain has always been a steady presence since the beginning of the Games. Indeed, Team Great Britain or Team GB as they are currently known have sent athletes to every single edition of the Olympics. This includes the 1980 Games held in Moscow, which a large number of Western nations boycotted due to the Soviet-Afghan war ongoing at the time.
Interestingly, Team GB is also the only national team to have won at least one gold medal in every single edition of the Games. This sustained success means that Great Britain lie third globally in the tally of total number of medals won. If only gold medals are considered, Great Britain is fourth, behind only United States of America and the former erstwhile Soviet Union.
Great Britain has also hosted the Games on three occasions – 1908, 1948 and 2012. The events were held in London each time. They could have hosted the Games for the fourth time too. London was set to be the venue for the 1944 Games as well. However, that edition of the event was cancelled due to the Second World War. England also had three unsuccessful bids to host the Games.
Great Britain’s best year at the Olympics was in 1908, when London hosted the Games. However, this was a very different time and era of the Games. This is long before the modern standardised manner in which the events are held.
The 1908 Olympics is remembered for being the longest version of the Games ever. It lasted a grand total of 187 days, or 6 months and 4 days to be precise. Interestingly, this version of the Games also featured a few winter sports that were held in October, long after other events finished.
22 national teams took part in this version of the Games, and the event also featured 22 sports. Yet this was truly the Olympics of Great Britain – in more ways than one. British athletes dominated at the home event. In the end, Great Britain finished atop the medal standings – the only time in history they have done so.
They won 56 gold medals, 51 silver medals and 39 bronze medals – far and away a better haul than any other team. The team placed second, the United States, managed only 23 golds in comparison and a total of 47 medals – paling in comparison to Team GB’s total count of 146.
As is expected from a national team to have produced so many medal winners, there have also been a number of Olympic greats to have participated under the Union Jack of Team GB. Scotland’s Chris Hoy and England’s Jason Kenny, both track cyclists, are Team GB’s most successful Olympians in terms of gold medals. Both have won 6 golds in their field.
There is also fellow cyclist and modern-day great Bradley Wiggins, who has won 5 gold medals in cycling. In fact, Wiggins’ overall medal tally of 8 – 5 gold, a silver and 2 bronze – makes him Great Britain’s most decorated Olympian in history.
There is also rower Steve Redgrave, who is the only athlete from Team GB to have won gold medals in five consecutive editions of the Games. Sailor Ainslie and sprinter Mo Farah have also won four Olympic gold medals. Interestingly, Farah missed out on qualification for the 2020 Games.
Among women, cyclist Laura Trott is the most successful in terms of gold medals, having won four. Rower Katherine Granger as well as tennis and badminton star Kathleen Godfree have both won five medals overall. Granger won one gold and four silver, Godfree won 1 gold, two silver and two bronze.
A good chunk of Britain’s medals have come in athletics. In fact, athletics accounts for a 205 of their total 845 medals. Of those 205 medals won in athletics 55 are gold, 80 are silver and 70 are bronze. They have also had a decent amount of success in cycling, as that discipline has seen them win 87 medals. Of those 32 are gold, 30 are silver and 25 are bronze.
They have also won 68 medals in rowing (31 gold, 24 silver and 13 bronze) as well as 58 medals (27 gold, 20 silver and 11 bronze) in sailing events. Interestingly. Great Britain has a gold medal in cricket too, when the sport was included in the 1900 Olympics. That means that Team GB won an Olympic gold in cricket before they ever won a World Cup!
Great Britain also has won three gold medals in the sport which is easily the most popular on their shores – football. Alas, none of that success has been in the current century. Their three golds came in 1900, 1908 and 1912. Of course, this is partly down to the fact that Team GB stopped entering a football team from 1974 onwards. This was over disputes over the inclusion of amateurs and professionals.
In fact, Team GB’s comeback to the Olympic football was in 2012, when they hosted it. They did not enter a team for 2016 and will not for this Olympics either.
