Shaun Gill (100m sprint) makes history as Belize's only Olympian

Lester Kiewit speaks to Adam Gilchrist about trending world news.

(Skip to 4.05 for this one.)

Competing in the 100-metre sprint at the 20024 Paris Olympics, Shaun Gill secured a commendable and 'exhilarating' sixth place in his heat as the solo Olympian representing Belize.

As the only athlete sent by his country to the Olympics, Gill has been revelling in his temporary status as 'the most famous man in Belize'.

The larger Olympic delegations – such as those sent by the US and the UK – can choose their flagbearers from groups of hundreds of athletes.

But Belize, a Central American nation with a population of less than half a million, had only one candidate - as did Liechtenstein, Nauru and Somalia.

Gill waved his country’s flag with all the patriotic zeal he could muster, as he and other athletes paraded along the River Seine in boats. He went viral for his passionate efforts in the driving rain and for being the man other athletes wanted an autograph from. 

Gill competed in Tokyo in 2021; the Paris Olympics was his last.

He did not advance to the men’s 100m final, apologising to people from his country for disappointing them.

In an interview with media, the 31-year-old highlighted the difficulties faced by athletes in Belize, noting that while resources are gradually improving, they still fall short of what is needed for Olympic-level training.  

“Back home in terms of resources for sports, it’s not as great or where it should be. But it’s slowly getting there... That’s the reason I had to do most of my training in America… Back home, there are not many good facilities, financing, coaching. I had to leave to get better coaching, a better environment."

- Shaun Gill

Gill also reflected on his final performance, noting that 'it's a good way to go out'.

“This was the last one after 18 years in the industry... it feels really good (to represent the country), this is the most support I’ve ever gotten. I’m speaking not just at home but across the globe… The performance wasn’t good, but it’s a good way to go out.”

- Shaun Gill

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.