Olympics Dead Heat Explained

A common theme at the Olympics, dead heats have occurred in every Games dating back to 1896.

Adam Peaty and Nic Fink both claimed a silver medal in the men's 100m breaststroke in Paris after they recorded the exact same time to finish joint-second.

We've explained what happens in the event of two competitors achieving the same result.

What is a dead heat?

A dead heat is where two or more competitors achieve an identical result and cannot be separated.

For example, in a swimming event, it would be deemed a dead heat if two individuals clocked the exact same time.

What happens if there is a dead heat?

If there is a dead heat between two or more individuals in the top three of the classification, the medals will be shared.

Should a pair of athletes or two teams tie for first-place, they will each receive a gold medal, no one is awarded silver and the bronze is awarded to the runner-up.

If a pair of competitors tie for second, they are each awarded a silver medal and there is no recipient of the bronze medal.

For example in the men's 100m breaststroke final in Paris, Nicolo Martinenghi took gold as he finished in the fastest time, with Peaty and Fink both claiming a silver medal after they finished the race joint-second with an identical time.

There is no limit on the number of medals awarded for a dead heat: in 1984 at Los Angeles, four athletes won a silver medal in the men's vault.

Has an Olympic gold medal ever been shared?

Yes, since the 1896 Olympics in Athens, there have been a total of 31 ties for a gold medal.

The most recent instance occurred in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where men's high jumpers Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim agreed to share the top step of the podium.

Both athletes scaled 2.37m but were unable to clear the height of 2.39m, prompting the gold medal to be given to both.

If there is a dead heat, does the competitor who finishes fourth receive a medal?

No - if an athlete classifies fourth, they will not receive a medal irrespective of whether there is a dead heat for the podium positions.

Should the top three athletes all dead-heat, they will each receive a gold medal and there is no recipient of the silver or bronze medals.

This occurred in the men's pommel horse at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where Lyubomir Gueraskov, Zsolt Borkai and Dmitri Bilozertchev shared gold with the silver and bronze medals not being awarded.