One thousand up! A grand milestone for Great Britain at the Olympics

The velodrome in Paris witnessed GB’s 1,000th medal at summer and winter Olympics.

Great Britain today won their 1,000th medal across summer and winter Olympics, according to the statistician Bill Mallon.
Ethan Hayter, Dan Bigham, Charlie Tanfield, Ethan Vernon and Ollie Wood reached the milestone in the velodrome with their silver medal in the men’s team pursuit at the Paris Olympics.
Mallon is a leading historian on the history of the Olympics and a consultant statistician to the International Olympic Committee.
Here is a look at some of the medal winners over the years.

BLINGIEST

Great Britain’s Jason Kenny celebrates with the gold medal in the Men’s Keirin at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games — Jason Kenny celebrates his seventh Olympic gold medals, in the keirin at Tokyo 2020 ( Danny Lawson/PA)

FIRST

Launceston Elliot became Britain’s first Olympic champion when he won the one-handed lift in weightlifting at the 1896 Games in Athens. On the same day, April 7, Elliot also finished second in the two-handed lift with Charles Gmelin third in the 400 metres.

FIRST WOMAN

The distinction of being the first woman ever to become an individual Olympic champion goes to the 29-year-old Charlotte Cooper of Ealing who won the women’s singles at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Cooper defeated the French champion, Helene Prevost in straight sets and then won a second gold medal in the mixed doubles with Reggie Doherty.

OLDEST

YOUNGEST

Great Britain’s Sky Brown celebrates winning bronze in the women's park skateboarding at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Day Twelve — Great Britain’s Sky Brown celebrates winning bronze in Tokyo (Adam Davy/PA)

ANOTHER FIRST

Harry Edward became Britain’s first black Olympian at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, where he won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m. Berlin-born, with British nationality through his father from the then British colony of Dominica, he was held as a prisoner of war before being transported to Edinburgh and then London once the first World War was over – qualifying for the Olympics through the national trials while running for Polytechnic Harriers. He was later a humanitarian aid worker for the United Nations and the International Refugee Organisation.

UNLUCKIEST

Great Britain’s Lutalo Muhammad looks dejected following defeat to Ivory Coast's Cheick Sallah Cisse during the men’s 80kg taekwondo final at the Rio Olympic Games 2016 – Day Fourteen — Great Britain’s Lutalo Muhammad looks dejected following defeat to Ivory Coast’s Cheick Sallah Cisse during the men’s 80kg final in Rio (Mike Egerton/PA)

COOLEST

Ethel Muckelt, from Moss Side in Manchester, won Great Britain’s first medal at a Winter Olympics when she took bronze in the women’s figure skating at the inaugural Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. But Muckelt was not the first British figure skater to win an Olympic medal – GB won figure skating medals in both 1908 and 1924, when it was part of the summer programme.

SNOWIEST

Great Britain’s Jenny Jones with her bronze medal from the snowboard women’s slopestyle final at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games – Day 3 — Great Britain’s Jenny Jones with her bronze medal from the snowboard women’s slopestyle final in Sochi (Mike Egerton/PA)

MOST CONTROVERSIAL

Alain Baxter at Gatwick Airport, after returning from the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City with the bronze medal that was later stripped — Slalom skier Alain Baxter was stripped of his bronze medal (Stefan Rousseau/PA)