Nafissatou Thiam is quite possibly the greatest heptathlete in history. But how much do you know about each of her three Olympic triumphs?
Here are 10 things which you might not know about the all-conquering, multi-talented Belgian.
A unique Olympic feat
Nafissatou Thiam is the only combined eventer in history - male or female - to win three Olympic gold medals. And she achieved this remarkable and unprecedented feat in Paris 2024 just one week before celebrating her 30th birthday.
Olympic titles are not meant to be won easily but Thiam had to navigate adversity in all three of her heptathlon campaigns.
An untimely elbow injury
Thiam won her first Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 despite tearing two ligaments in her elbow in the javelin at the Belgian Championships.
Thiam was severely hampered by the time she reached the javelin and elected to skip the warm-up. There were rumours swirling around social media that she might withdraw altogether but Thiam showed her competitive mettle by launching a lifetime best of 53.13m with her first attempt to embellish her title prospects.
"Every athlete feels pain sometimes. But the Olympic Games is only every four years. For me, that was more important than the pain," recalled Thiam.
A coronavirus curveball
Thiam retained her Olympic title at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games but she was thrown a late curveball.
Her long-time coach Roger Lespagnard, a two-time Olympian in the decathlon, had to self-isolate due to the strict coronavirus measures which were put in place, meaning he couldn’t be in the stands for the second day of the heptathlon.
No pain, no gain
Thiam made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by winning her third successive title with 6880 points, her highest total from her three Olympic appearances.
But on the second day, Thiam was forced to get stitches after sustaining a deep spike wound on her leg in the long jump. And she chose to undergo the procedure without anaesthesia as she was concerned about the impact it would have on her muscles.
A typically phlegmatic Thiam said: "It wasn’t ideal but it happened. I had to deal with it."
Flying the flag…twice
Thiam had the honour of carrying the Belgian flag at the Opening Ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and at the closing ceremony for the Closing Ceremony in Paris 2024.
From winning jam to winning gold
Perhaps unsurprisingly for an aspiring Belgian athlete, Thiam’s introduction to athletics came in the form of cross country running. Thiam impressed in local races with a sweet treat being a particular source of motivation.
"I won a little pot of jam. It encourages me to do more," said Thiam in an interview with European Athletics in 2021.
A love of animals
Thiam has a pet German Shepherd dog and she was also surrounded by a wide menagerie during her childhood.
“We had many pets growing up. We had a dog, which we took in from living on the streets, we had rabbits, and we even had a horse for a while when my mum competed in equestrian. Sadly, the horse died when I was aged about six,” she said in an interview with World Athletics in 2016.
A love of geography
Thiam studied geographical sciences at the University of Liege, graduating in 2019.
"I want to have something besides athletics. I like climatology, I like geomorphology - how the earth is shaped by rivers. A lot of subjects, like a heptathlon. Maybe that’s why I love it," said Thiam in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.
The front cover treatment
Thiam recently appeared on the front cover of Elle Belgium. The photo shoot was particularly special for Thiam as it was directed by fellow Olympic champion Elodie Ouedraogo, a gold medallist in the women’s 4x100m in Beijing 2008, who now serves as editor-in-chief of Elle Belgium.
Lego statue
Thiam was honoured with a life-size lego statue to mark the International Day of the Girl in 2022. The campaign highlighted the lack of statues of women in Belgium.
