After 19 days of intense joy, drama and heartbreak, the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 drew to a close earlier this morning with a spectacular closing ceremony.
For the Malaysian contingent though, Paris 2024 was a bit of a mixed bag as our nation’s quest for our 1st gold medal at the Olympic Games continued as Malaysia only brought home 2 bronze medals; the worst performance since Athens 2004 when we came home empty-handed.
Malaysia continues to hold the record as the most successful nation in the Olympics without a gold medal
With that in mind, did you know since Tokyo 2020, Malaysia actually holds the record for being the country with the most Olympic medals without winning a gold medal?
With the 2 bronze medals won in Paris 2024, Malaysia’s all-time medal tally in the Olympic Games is 8 silver medals and 7 bronze medals, for a combined total of 15 medals.
This makes Malaysia the most successful country in the Olympic Games without winning a gold medal, with Kyrgyzstan following close behind with an all-time 13-medal tally (5 silver and 8 bronze).
In 3rd place for this niche category is Moldova with 10 (3 silver and 7 bronze), followed by Namibia with 5 (5 silver) in 4th and Ghana in 5th with 5 (1 silver and 4 bronze).
Other interesting facts about Malaysia’s history in the Olympic Games
Besides that, did you know Malaysia has competed in the Olympic Games since before Merdeka?
The 1st Olympic Games we competed in was Melbourne 1956, where we technically had 2 teams there, as both Malaya and North Borneo (present-day Sabah) sent teams to the competition.
Despite competing since 1956, Malaysia’s 1st medal was from the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, when the legendary Sidek brothers, Razif Sidek and Jalani Sidek clinched the bronze medal in men’s doubles Badminton.
The most successful Olympics for Malaysia was in Rio 2016 when our country brought home 5 medals (4 silver and 1 bronze).
So, what do you guys think of the recently concluded Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Malaysian contingent’s performance? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
