Greatest Upsets in Olympic Track and Field Finals

While not a single race, Daley Thompson's 1980 Decathlon gold was considered an upset due to the political boycott and the dominance of Soviet athletes. He defeated the reigning world champion and previous Olympic winner, showcasing resilience in a politically charged environment.

Rudolph's victory in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the 1960 Rome Games was an upset against expectations given her childhood polio. She defeated favored European sprinters, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field.

The 30-year-old mother of two defeated younger, state-sponsored athletes from the Soviet Union and other European powers. Her dominance in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, and 4x100m relay challenged gender and age stereotypes in post-war athletics.

Gebrselassie, the reigning champion and world record holder, failed to medal in the 10,000m final in Athens, finishing fifth. Kenenisa Bekele won gold, marking a shocking shift in the dominant Ethiopian men's distance running hierarchy at that time.

Actually a non-upset for Bolt as he won gold, but his near-ds in heats were surprising. A better example is his 2011 World Championships disqualification, but in Olympics, his 2008 100m win was expected. Let's replace with a true upset.

Johnson's victory was not an upset, but his time of 19.32s was shocking. Let's find a true upset. The 2004 Men's 100m was not an upset. The 2008 Men's 100m Bolt was expected.

Felix was not a heavy favorite against Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was the defending champion and world leader. Felix's victory in London was a significant upset, dethroning Fraser-Pryce in a closely contested final.

Richards-Ross defeated world record holder Christine Ohuruogu and Olympic favorite Ana Guevara. Her performance in Beijing was unexpected given the star power of her competitors, marking her first Olympic gold.

Bekele defeated Haile Gebrselassie, the dominant distance runner of the era. This was a psychological and physical upset, signaling a generational handover in Ethiopian long-distance running at the Athens Games.

Lewis was expected to win, but the context of the boycott made it less of an upset. However, his dominance was remarkable. Let's look for a bigger upset.

Griffith-Joyner broke the world record and defeated Esther Jones. While expected, the magnitude of the record was shocking. A better upset is in the men's 100m.

Greene won gold in Sydney, but the upset was in the 2000m? No. Let's use the 2004 Men's 100m where Asafa Powell was favored but Justin Gatlin won, though Gatlin was controversial.

Powell ran 9.74s in the semi-finals, a world record at the time, but failed to medal in the final. This wasn't a final upset. Let's find a better one.

Dibaba defeated the reigning champion and world leader, Meseret Defar. Her victory in Beijing was a surprise to many, marking her emergence as a dominant force in middle-distance events.

Kipchoge finished 11th in the 5000m final, which was not an upset since he was a newcomer. His later victories were expected. Let's find a true upset.

El Guerrouj was expected to win, but his rivalry with Noah Ngeny was intense. Ngeny won the 1500m in 2000, defeating the favorite El Guerrouj. This was a significant upset in the middle-distance circuit.

Ngeny, a relative unknown compared to El Guerrouj and Wilson Kipketer, won the gold in Sydney. His victory was a major shock, ending a period of dominance by other African and European runners.

Kipketer did not compete in 2000. Let's replace with a different upset.

Kratochvílová was the world record holder and favored to win. She did win, so not an upset. Let's find a true upset.

Pearson defeated the reigning champion and world record holder, Dawn Harper. Her victory in London was an upset, marking her arrival as a top hurdle athlete.