| Event: | Athletics |
| Games: | 2004 Summer |
| Venue: | Athens Olympic Stadium (track and field) Panathenaic Stadium (marathon) Streets of Athens (walk) Stadium at Olympia (shot put) |
| Dates: | 18–29 August 2004 |
| Nations: | 197 |
| Prev: | 2000 |
| Next: | 2008 |
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons (run from Marathonas to the Kallimarmaro Stadium), the race walks (on the streets of Athens), and the shot put (held at the Ancient Olympia Stadium). A total of 46 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 22 by female athletes.
| 100 metres | 9.85 | 9.86 (AR) | 9.87 | ||||||
| 200 metres | 19.79 | 20.01 | 20.03 | ||||||
| 400 metres | 44.00 | 44.16 | 44.42 | ||||||
| 800 metres | 1:44.45 | 1:44.61 | 1:44.65 | ||||||
| 1500 metres | 3:34.18 | 3:34.30 | 3:34.68 | ||||||
| 5000 metres | 13:14.39 | 13:14.59 | 13:15.10 | ||||||
| 10,000 metres | 27:05.10 (OR) | 27:09.39 | 27:22.57 | ||||||
| 110 metres hurdles | 12.91 (WR) | 13.18 | 13.20 | ||||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.63 | 48.11 | 48.26 | ||||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | 8:05.81 | 8:06.11 | 8:06.64 | ||||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | valign=top | 38.07 | valign=top | Shawn Crawford Justin Gatlin Coby Miller Maurice Greene Darvis Patton | 38.08 | valign=top | 38.23 | ||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | valign=top | Otis Harris Derrick Brew Jeremy Wariner Darold Williamson Andrew Rock | 2:55.91 | valign=top | 3:00.60 | valign=top | 3:00.90 | ||
| Marathon | 2:10:55 | 2:11:29 | 2:12:11 | ||||||
| 20 kilometres walk | 1:19:40 | 1:19:45 | 1:20:02 | ||||||
| 50 kilometres walk | 3:38:46 | 3:42:50 | 3:43:34 | ||||||
| High jump | 2.36 m | 2.34 m | 2.34 m | ||||||
| Pole vault | 5.95 m (OR) | 5.90 m | 5.85 m | ||||||
| Long jump | 8.59 m | 8.47 m | 8.32 m | ||||||
| Triple jump | 17.79 m | 17.55 m | 17.48 m | ||||||
| Shot put | 21.16 m | 21.07 m | 20.84 m | ||||||
| 21.16 m | |||||||||
| Discus throw | 69.89 m (OR) | 67.04 m | 66.66 m | ||||||
| 70.93 m (OR) | |||||||||
| Hammer throw | 82.91 m | None Awarded | None Awarded | ||||||
| 83.19 m | 79.81 m | ||||||||
| Javelin throw | 86.50 m | 84.95 m | 84.84 m | ||||||
| Decathlon | 8893 pts (OR) | 8820 pts | 8725 pts | ||||||
| 100 metres | 10.93 | 10.96 | 10.97 | ||||||
| 200 metres | 22.05 | 22.18 | 22.30 | ||||||
| 400 metres | 49.41 | 49.56 | 49.89 | ||||||
| 800 metres | 1:56.38 | 1:56.43 | 1:56.43 | ||||||
| 1500 metres | 3:57.90 | 3:58.12 | 3:58.39 | ||||||
| 5000 metres | 14:45.65 | 14:48.19 | 14:51.83 | ||||||
| 10,000 metres | 30:24.36 | 30:24.98 | 30:26.42 | ||||||
| 100 metres hurdles | 12.37 (OR) | 12.45 | 12.56 | ||||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 52.82 | 53.38 | nowrap | 53.44 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | valign=top | Tayna Lawrence Sherone Simpson Aleen Bailey Veronica Campbell Beverly McDonald | 41.73 | valign=top | 42.27 | valign=top | 42.54 | ||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | DeeDee Trotter Monique Henderson Sanya Richards Monique Hennagan Moushaumi Robinson | 3:19.01 | Olesya Krasnomovets Natalya Nazarova Olesya Zykina Natalya Antyukh Tatyana Firova | 3:20.16 | Novlene Williams Michelle Burgher Nadia Davy Sandie Richards Ronetta Smith | 3:22.00 | |||
| Marathon | 2:26:20 | 2:26:32 | 2:27:20 | ||||||
| 20 kilometres walk | 1:29:12 | 1:29:16 | 1:29:25 | ||||||
| High jump | 2.06 m (OR) | 2.02 m | 2.02 m | ||||||
| Pole vault | 4.91 m (WR) | 4.75 m | 4.70 m | ||||||
| Long jump | 7.07 m | 7.05 m | 7.05 m | ||||||
| Triple jump | 15.30 m | 15.25 m | 15.14 m | ||||||
| Shot put | 19.59 m | 19.55 m | None Awarded | ||||||
| 21.06 m | |||||||||
| Discus throw | 67.02 m | 66.68 m | 66.08 m | ||||||
| 66.17 m | |||||||||
| Hammer throw | 75.02 m (OR) | 73.36 m | 73.16 m | ||||||
| Javelin throw | 71.53 m (OR) | 65.82 m | 64.29 m | ||||||
| Heptathlon | 6952 pts | 6435 pts | 6424 pts | ||||||
A total of 197 nations participated in the different Athletics events at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
After the announcement of the disqualification for doping of the athlete Yuri Bilonog (UKR), who won the gold medal at the time, there was a new distribution of medals in March 2013. The IOC upgraded original silver medalist Adam Nelson (USA) to gold, bronze medalist Joachim Olsen (DEN) to silver, and fourth place finisher Manuel Martínez (ESP) to bronze.[1] [2]
Adrian Annus (HUN) and Ivan Tsikhan (BLR) were disqualified due to doping.[1] IOC decided to declare the silver and bronze medals vacant.[3]
Crystal Cox (USA), who ran in the preliminary round of a relay team, admitted to using anabolic steroids from 2001 to 2004. The IOC decided to revoke the gold medal from Crystal Cox and asked the IAAF to make its decision about the US squad. The IOC and IAAF announced that the result would stand due to the fact that, according to the rules of the time, a team should not be disqualified because of a doping offense by an athlete who did not compete in finals.[4] [5]
Russian athlete Irina Korzhanenko lost her gold medal in women's shot put due to doping, with Cuban Yumileidi Cumbá Jay replacing her as the Olympic champion, German Nadine Kleinert receiving the silver medal, and Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia receiving the bronze medal,[6] however Krivelyova was later stripped of her bronze for the same reason. IOC decided to declare the bronze medal vacant.[7]
Iryna Yatchenko (BLR), was disqualified due to doping. The IOC decided that the bronze medal was reallocated to the athlete Věra Pospíšilová-Cechlová (CZE) during the IOC Executive Board on 30 May 2013.[1] [2]