Мексика / Mexico

Three brothers were the first Mexicans to compete at an Olympic Games. Eustaquio, Manuel and Pablo ESCANDON were part of a team of mixed nationalities that took the bronze medal in polo at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games.

Mexico were first represented under the auspices of a National Olympic Committee at the Paris 1924 Games and their first individual medallist was flyweight boxer Francisco CABANAS PARDO, who took silver at the Los Angeles Games in 1932.

Small bore rifle shooter Gustavo HUET BOBADILLA also took silver in the prone position at the same Games on the same day.

The first Mexican gold medal came when the Olympic Games were last staged in London in 1948, Humberto MARILES CORTES riding Arete to gold in the individual showjumping.

 He also helped Mexico win the last gold medal of those London 1948 Games in the team competition, then traditionally held in the main stadium prior to the Closing Ceremony.

Diver Joaquin CAPILLA crowned a career that spanned three Olympic Games with gold at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. He also collected a silver and two bronze medals.

Their competitors have an outstanding record in race walking. Daniel BATISTA won gold over 20km in Montreal in 1976 and Ernesto Canto Gudino (20km) and Raul GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ (50km) did likewise in Los Angeles in 1984.

Weightlifter Soraya JIMENEZ MENDIVIL became Mexico's first champion when she won lightweight gold at Sydney 2000.

Both Mexico's gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Games were in taekwondo. Guillermo PEREZ won in men's flyweight and Maria DEL ROSARIO ESPINOZA the women's heavyweight. Mexico City hosted the 1968 Olympic Games.

Enriqueta BASILIOo became the first woman to light the cauldron at an Olympic Games Opening ceremony.

 In Melbourne in 1956, Karin LINDBERG (SWE) had lit a cauldron at the Opening Ceremony for equestrian sports, held in Stockholm separately from the main Games.