While a lot of press has been given to the successes of Usain Bolt and Team Jamaica in this year’s Rio Olympics, an alternative view has deemed ‘The Spice Isle’ Grenada as the triumphant nation in the games.
Grenada’s Kirani James won the nation’s only medal of the games – a silver in the 400m, but this was enough to crown the nation as having the most medal per capita of all competing nations. With his achievement following a gold in London 2012, James did the Caribbean proud. Grenada’s 106,825 population to one medal ratio greatly dwarfs many well publicised nation’s triumphs; who effectively have more people to create champions.
It is also notable that in terms of the medals to population ratio fellow Caribbean nations continue to bring up the mantle with Bahamas coming in second with two medals (194,009 people per medal) and Jamaica coming third with eleven medals (247,812 people per medal).
Winners on the overall medals table USA, when considered from this approach lie in 43rd place with just one medal for every 2,656,353 people.
