Which country won the first gold medal of the modern Olympics in 1896?

Which country won the first gold medal of the modern Olympics in 1896? The United States. American athlete James Brendan Connolly won the first championship of the Athens Games by taking the triple jump on April 6, 1896.

Connolly’s victory came in the first modern Olympic competition to be completed. His winning mark was 13.71 metres, and he finished more than a metre ahead of the runner-up. He had left Harvard to travel to Greece after the university refused to grant him leave, making his decision part of the event’s folklore.

There is an important medal terminology wrinkle. In 1896, first-place athletes received a silver medal and an olive branch; gold medals were not awarded at the ceremony. Modern Olympic records retroactively classify the winners as gold medalists, so the United States is conventionally credited with the first gold medal of the modern Games.

The United States ultimately led the 1896 gold-medal table with 11, while host Greece won the most medals overall. The Games were held in Athens from April 6 to 15, with athletes representing roughly 14 nations.