Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. British athletes have competed in every single Summer Olympic Games. 300 competitors, 184 men and 116 women, took part in 175 events in 22 sports. The Atlanta games saw Great Britain's worst performance at a Summer Olympics since 1952, finishing in 36th position with a single gold medal, and 15 medals overall.
The "rock bottom" British performance at the Atlanta Olympics led to a period of soul searching about the state of British sport. Insufficient funding was identified as a major factor in the poor performance, and this led to a wholesale reform of how elite sports were funded, organised and supported in the UK: At the instigation of the then Prime Minister John Major, UK Sport was created the following year, a public body which distributes National Lottery funding for elite sports. Previously, due to a lack of funding, cyclist Chris Boardman had acclimatised to the humidity of Atlanta by practicing in his home bathroom with the shower turned on, and divers Bob Morgan and Tony Ally sold their Olympic kits while in Atlanta in order to raise funds. Leon Taylor, who would win a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, suggested the public humiliation for the British Olympic Association from the newspaper stories about Morgan & Ally's actions obligated them to bring in better athlete funding. Nevertheless, the single gold medal won by rowers Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave ensured that Great Britain maintained its record of winning at least one gold medal at every Summer Olympics. __TOC__
Medallists + Medals by sportSportTotalRowing1012Athletics0426Sailing0202Swimming0112Tennis0101Cycling0022Total18615
Gold Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave – Rowing, Men's Coxless Pair
Silver Ben Ainslie – Sailing, Men's Open Laser Class Steve Backley – Athletics, Men's javelin throw Roger Black – Athletics, Men's 400 m Jonathan Edwards – Athletics, Men's triple jump Paul Palmer – Swimming, Men's 400 m Freestyle Jamie Baulch, Roger Black, Mark Richardson, Iwan Thomas, Mark Hylton (heats) and Du'aine Ladejo (heats) – Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m Relay John Merricks and Ian Walker – Sailing, Men's 470 Class Neil Broad and Tim Henman – Tennis, Men's Doubles
Bronze Chris Boardman – Cycling, Men's Road Time Trial Denise Lewis – Athletics, Women's Heptathlon Max Sciandri – Cycling, Men's Road Race Graeme Smith – Swimming, Men's 1500 m Freestyle Steve Smith – Athletics, Men's High Jump Tim Foster, Rupert Obholzer, Greg Searle, and Jonny Searle – Rowing, Men's Coxless Four
Medals by day Medals by dateDayDate Total120 July0000221 July0000322 July0101423 July0000524 July0000625 July0011726 July0000827 July1113928 July00221029 July01011130 July01011231 July0112131 Aug0101142 Aug0000153 Aug0213164 Aug0000Total18615
Archery
AthleteEventQualifyingR64R32R16Quarter FinalSemi FinalFinalRankScoreRankOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultSteven HallardMen's Individual66417 QLost 150-151Did not advanceGary Hardinges65824 QWon 158-158 (10-9)Lost 155-166Did not advanceAlison WilliamsonWomen's Individual64815 QWon 156-141Won 152-147Lost 159-165Did not advance
Athletics
Men's 100 metres
Linford Christie Heat - 10.26 Quarter-final - 10.03 Semi-final - 10.04 Final - DSQ
Ian Mackie Heat - 10.27 Quarter-final - 10.25 Semi-final - DNS
Darren Braithwaite Heat - 10.29 Quarter-final - 10.27 (→ did not advance)
Men's 200 metres
Linford Christie Heat - 20.64 Quarter-final - 20.59 (→ did not advance)
John Regis Heat - 20.78 Quarter-final - 20.56 Semi-final - 20.58 (→ did not advance)
Owusu Dako Heat - 20.83 (→ did not advance)
Men's 400 metres
Roger Black Heat - 45.28 Quarter-final - 44.72 Semi-final - 44.69 Final - 44.41 (→ Silver Medal)
Iwan Thomas Heat - 45.22 Quarter-final - 45.04 Semi-final - 45.01 Final - 44.70 (→ 5th Place)
Du'aine Ladejo Heat - 46.27 Quarter-final - 45.62 (→ did not advance)
Men's 800 metres
Curtis Robb Heat - 1:45.85 Semi-Final - 1:47.48 (→ did not advance)
Craig Winrow Heat - 1:47.41 Semi-Final - 1:48.57 (→ did not advance)
David Maxwell Strang Heat 1:47.96 (→ did not advance)
Men's 1500 metres
John Mayock Heat - 3:42.31 Semi-final - 3:34.55 Final - 3:40.18 (→ 11th Place)
Kevin McKay Heat - 3:38.02 Semi-final - 3:43.61 (→ did not advance)
Anthony Whiteman Heat - 3:40.74 Semi-final - 3:36.11 (→ did not advance)
Men's 5,000 metres John Nuttall Qualification – 13:52.16 Semi-final – 14:08.39 (→ did not advance)
Men's 10,000 metres
Paul Evans Qualification – 28:24.39 Final - DNF
Jon Brown Qualification – 28:19.85 Final - 27:59.72 (→ 10th place)
Men's Marathon Richard Nerurkar – 2:13.39 (→ 5th place) Peter Whitehead – 2:22.37 (→ 55th place) Steve Brace – 2:23.28 (→ 60th place)
Men's 110m Hurdles
Colin Jackson Heat - 13.36 Quarter-final - 13.33 Semi-final - 13.17 Final - 13.19 (→ 4th Place)
Tony Jarrett Heat - 13.47 Quarter-final - DSQ
Andy Tulloch Heat - 13.56 Quarter-final - 13.68 (→ did not advance)
Men's 400m Hurdles Jon Ridgeon Heat – 49.31 Semi-final – 49.43 (→ did not advance) Gary Jennings Heat – 50.41 (→ did not advance) Peter Crampton Heat – 49.78 (→ did not advance) Men's 3,000 metres Steeplechase Keith Cullen Heat – 8:31.26 Semi-finals – 8:46.74 (→ did not advance) Justin Chaston Heat – 8:28.32 Semi-finals – 8:28.50 (→ did not advance) Spencer Duval Heat – 8:46.76 (→ did not advance)
Men's 50 km Walk Chris Maddocks – 4:18:41 (→ 34th place)
Men's 4 × 100m Relay
Tony Jarrett, Darren Braithwaite, Darren Campbell, Owusu Dako Heat - DNF
Men's 4 × 400m Relay Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Du'aine Ladejo, Mark Richardson and Roger Black Heat – 3:01.79 Semi-final – 3:01.36 Final – 2:56.60 (→ Silver Medal)
Men's High Jump
Steve Smith Qualification - 2.28 Final - 2.35 (→ Bronze Medal)
Dalton Grant Qualification - 2.26 (→ did not advance)
Men's Pole Vault
Nick Buckfield Qualification - 5.40 (→ did not advance)
Neil Winter Qualification - 5.40 (→ did not advance)
Men's Triple Jump
Jonathan Edwards Qualification - 16.96 Final – 17.88 (→ Silver Medal)
Francis Agyepong Qualification - 16.71 (→ did not advance)
Men's Shot Put
Shaun Pickering Qualification - 18.29 (→ did not advance)
Men's Discus Throw Bob Weir Qualification – 61.64 m (→ did not advance) Glen Smith Qualification – 54.88 m (→ did not advance) Men's Hammer Throw David Smith Qualification – 69.32 m (→ did not advance)
Men's Javelin Throw
Steve Backley Qualification - 84.14 Final – 87.44 (→ Silver Medal)
Mick Hill Qualification - 80.48 Final – 78.58 (→ 12th Place)
Nick Nieland Qualification - 75.74 (→ did not advance)
Men's Decathlon
Alex Kruger DNF
Women's 100 metres
Stephi Douglas Heat - 11.61 Quarter-final - 11.75 (→ did not advance)
Marcia Richardson Heat - 11.42 Quarter-final - 11.55 (→ did not advance)
Simmone Jacobs Heat - 11.39 Quarter-final - 11.47 (→ did not advance)
Women's 200 metres
Katharine Merry Heat - 23.14 Quarter-final - 23.17 (→ did not advance)
Simmone Jacobs Heat - 23.36 Quarter-final - 22.96 (→ did not advance)
Women's 400 metres
Donna Fraser Heat - 52.78 Quarter-final - 51.58 (→ did not advance)
Phylis Smith Heat - 51.29 Quarter-final - 52.16 (→ did not advance)
Women's 800 metres
Kelly Holmes Heat - 1:58.80 Semi-final - 1:58.49 Final - 1:58.81 (→ 4th Place)
Diane Modahl Heat - DNF
Women's 1500 metres
Kelly Holmes Heat - 4:07.36 Semi-final - 4:05.88 Final - 4:07.46 (→ 11th Place)
Women's 5,000 metres
Paula Radcliffe Heat - 15:23.90 Final - 15:13.11 (→ 5th Place)
Sonia McGeorge Heat – 16:01.92 (→ did not advance)
Alison Wyeth Heat – 16:24.74 (→ did not advance)
Women's Marathon Liz McColgan – 2:34.30 (→ 16th place) Karen MacLeod – 2:42.08 (→ 45th place) Suzanne Rigg – 2:52.09 (→ 58th place)
Women's 110 m Hurdles
Angela Thorp Heat - 12.93 Quarter-final - 12.99 Semi-final - 12.80 (→ did not advance)
Jacqui Agyepong Heat - 13.24 (→ did not advance)
Women's 400 m Hurdles Sally Gunnell Qualification – 55.29 Semi-finals – DNF (→ did not advance)
Women's 10km Walk Vicky Lupton – 47:05 (→ 33rd place)
Women's 4×100 metres Relay
Angie Thorp, Marcia Richardson, Simmone Jacobs, Katharine Merry Final - 43.93 (→ 8th place)
Women's 4×400 metres Relay Phylis Smith, Allison Curbishley, Donna Fraser and Georgina Oladapo Qualification – 3:28.13 (→ did not advance)
Women's Long Jump Denise Lewis Qualification – 6.33 m (→ did not advance) Women's Triple Jump Ashia Hansen Qualification – 14.55 m Final – 14.49 m (→ 5th place) Michelle Griffith Qualification – 13.70 m (→ did not advance) Women's High Jump Lea Haggett Qualification – 1.90 m (→ did not advance) Debbie Marti Qualification – 1.85 m (→ did not advance)
Women's Shot Put Judy Oakes Qualification – 18.56 m Final – 18.34 m (→ 11th place)
Women's Discus Throw Jacqui McKernan Qualification – 58.88 m (→ did not advance)
Women's Javelin Throw Tessa Sanderson Qualification – 58.86 m (→ did not advance) Shelley Holroyd Qualification – 54.72 m (→ did not advance) Women's Heptathlon Denise Lewis Final result – 6489 points (→ Bronze Medal) Badminton
Beach volleyball
AthleteEventRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Semi FinalFinal / BMRankOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultOpponentResultAudrey CooperAmanda GloverWomen's tournamentLost 4-15Won 15-12Lost 12-15Did not advance
Boxing AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemi-finalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankDavid BurkeFeatherweightL 9–13Did not advance Fola OkesolaHeavyweightL RSCIDid not advance
Canoeing
Cycling
Road competition Men's Individual Time Trial Chris Boardman Final – 1:04:36 (→ Bronze Medal)
Women's Individual Road Race Marie Purvis Final – 02:37:06 (→ 11th place)
Sarah Phillips Final – 02:37:06 (→ 19th place)
Caroline Alexander Final – 02:53:47 (→ 43rd place)
Women's Individual Time Trial Yvonne McGregor Final – 39:09 (→ 14th place)
Sarah Phillips Final – 41:16 (→ 21st place)
Track competition Men's Team Pursuit Chris Newton (→ 10th place) Bryan Steel (→ 10th place) Matt Illingworth (→ 10th place) Rob Hayles (→ 10th place)
Mountain Bike Men's Cross Country Gary Foord Final – 2:29:10 (→ 12th place)
David Baker Final – 2:32:30 (→ 15th place)
Women's Cross Country Deb Murrell Final – 2:04.44 (→ 22nd place)
Diving
Men's 3m Springboard Tony Ally Preliminary heat – 345.33 Semi-final – 203.46 (→ did not advance, 18th place)
Bobby Morgan Preliminary heat – 318.69 (→ did not advance, 24th place)
Women's 10m Platform Hayley Allen Preliminary heat – 251.73 Semi-final – 158.43 Final – 259.68 (→ 9th place)
Equestrian
Fencing
Two fencers, one man and one woman, represented Great Britain in 1996.
Men's sabre James Williams
Women's foil Fiona McIntosh
Gymnastics
Hockey
Men's team competition Preliminary round (group B) Great Britain – South Korea 2–2 Great Britain – Netherlands 2–2 Great Britain – Malaysia 2–2 Great Britain – South Africa 2–0 Great Britain – Australia 0–2 Classification Matches 5th–8th place: Great Britain – Pakistan 1–2 7th–8th place: Great Britain – India 4–3 (→ Seventh place)
Team roster Simon Mason (gk) Julian Halls Jon Wyatt Soma Singh Jason Laslett (c) Kalbir Takher Jason Lee Phil McGuire John Shaw Russell Garcia Nick Thompson David Luckes (gk) Simon Hazlitt Chris Mayer Calum Giles Daniel Hall
Women's team competition Round robin Great Britain – South Korea 0–5 Great Britain – Netherlands 1–1 Great Britain – United States 1–0 Great Britain – Spain 2–2 Great Britain – Australia 0–1 Great Britain – Germany 3–2 Great Britain – Argentina 5–0 Bronze Medal Game