At the 1986 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. A total of 41 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 18 by female athletes.
The majority of African, Asian and Caribbean countries boycotted the event due to the United Kingdom's sporting links with apartheid-era South Africa. As a result, the medallists came from only seven nations, comprising the four constituent countries of the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. England easily topped the medal table with eighteen gold medals and 48 medals in total. Canada was second, with ten golds and 28 medals overall, while Australia took third place with nine golds and a total of 26 medals. The hosts Scotland won one gold and six medals while Northern Ireland (typically weak in the sport) seized the opportunity of a weakened field and won one gold and four medals overall.
Contents |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | Ben Johnson (CAN) | 10.07 | Linford Christie (ENG) | 10.28 | Mike McFarlane (ENG) | 10.35 |
| 200 metres | Atlee Mahorn (CAN) | 20.31 | Todd Bennett (ENG) | 20.54 | Ben Johnson (CAN) | 20.64 |
| 400 metres | Roger Black (ENG) | 45.57 | Darren Clark (AUS) | 45.98 | Phil Brown (ENG) | 46.8 |
| 800 metres | Steve Cram (ENG) | 1:43.22 GR | Tom McKean (SCO) | 1:44.80 | Peter Elliott (ENG) | 1:45.42 |
| 1500 metres | Steve Cram (ENG) | 3:50.87 | John Gladwin (ENG) | 3:52.17 | David Campbell (CAN) | 3:54.06 |
| 5000 metres | Steve Ovett (ENG) | 13:24.11 | Jack Buckner (ENG) | 13:25.87 | Tim Hutchings (ENG) | 13:26.84 |
| 10,000 metres | Jon Solly (ENG) | 27:57.42 | Steve Binns (ENG) | 27:58.01 | Steve Jones (WAL) | 28:02.48 |
| Marathon | Rob de Castella (AUS) | 2:10:15 | David Edge (CAN) | 2:11:08 | Steve Moneghetti (AUS) | 2:11:18 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Graeme Fell (CAN) | 8:24.49 | Roger Hackney (WAL) | 8:25.15 | Colin Reitz (ENG) | 8:26.14 |
| 110 m hurdles (wind: 4.5 m/s) |
Mark McKoy (CAN) | 13.31 (w) | Colin Jackson (WAL) | 13.42 (w) | Don Wright (AUS) | 13.64 (w) |
| 400 m hurdles | Phil Beattie (NIR) | 49.60 | Max Robertson (ENG) | 49.77 | John Graham (CAN) | 50.25 |
| High jump | Milton Ottey (CAN) | 2.30 m | Geoff Parsons (SCO) | 2.28 m | Alain Metellus (CAN) Henderson Pierre (ENG) |
2.14 m |
| Pole vault | Andy Ashurst (ENG) | 5.30 m | Robert Feguson (CAN) | 5.20 m | Neil Honey (AUS) | 5.20 m |
| Long jump | Gary Honey (AUS) | 8.08 m | Fred Salle (ENG) | 7.83 m | Kyle McDuffie (CAN) | 7.79 m |
| Triple jump | John Herbert (ENG) | 17.27 m | Mike Makin (ENG) | 16.87 m | Peter Beames (AUS) | 16.42 m |
| Shot put | Billy Cole (ENG) | 18.16 m | Joe Quigley (AUS) | 17.97 m | Stuart Gyngell (AUS) | 17.70 m |
| Discus throw | Ray Lazdins (CAN) | 58.86 m | Paul Nandapi (AUS) | 57.74 m | Werner Reiterer (AUS) | 57.34 m |
| Hammer throw | Dave Smith (ENG) | 74.06 m | Martin Girvan (NIR) | 70.48 m | Phil Spivey (AUS) | 70.30 m |
| Javelin throw (new javelin model) |
David Ottley (ENG) | 80.62 m | Mick Hill (ENG) | 78.56 m | Gavin Lovegrove (NZL) | 76.22 m |
| Decathlon | Daley Thompson (ENG) | 8663 pts GR | Dave Steen (CAN) | 8173 pts | Simon Poelman (NZL) | 8015 pts |
| 30 Kilometres Road Walk | Simon Baker (AUS) | 2:07:47 GR | Guillaume Leblanc (CAN) | 2:08:38 | Ian McCombie (ENG) | 2:10:36 |
| 4×100 m relay | Canada Atlee Mahorn Ben Johnson Desai Williams Mark McKoy |
39.15 | England Clarence Callender Daley Thompson Lincoln Asquith Mike McFarlane |
39.19 | Scotland Elliot Bunney George McCallum Jamie Henderson Cameron Sharp |
40.41 |
| 4×400 m relay | England Kriss Akabusi Phil Brown Roger Black Todd Bennett |
3:07.19 | Australia Darren Clark David Johnston Bruce Frayne Miles Murphy |
3:07.81 | Canada Andre Smith Anton Skerritt Atlee Mahorn John Graham |
3:08.69 |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | Heather Oakes (ENG) | 11.20 | Paula Thomas (ENG) | 11.21 | Angella Taylor-Issajenko (CAN) | 11.21 |
| 200 metres | Angella Taylor-Issajenko (CAN) | 22.91 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook (ENG) | 23.18 | Sandra Whittaker (SCO) | 23.46 |
| 400 metres | Debbie Flintoff (AUS) | 51.29 | Jillian Richardson (CAN) | 51.62 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook (ENG) | 51.88 |
| 800 metres | Kirsty Wade (WAL) | 2:00.94 | Diane Edwards (ENG) | 2:01.12 | Lorraine Baker (ENG) | 2:01.79 |
| 1500 metres | Kirsty Wade (WAL) | 4:10.91 | Debbie Bowker (CAN) | 4:11.94 | Lynn Williams (CAN) | 4:12.66 |
| 3000 metres | Lynn Williams (CAN) | 8:54.29 | Debbie Bowker (CAN) | 8:54.83 | Yvonne Murray (SCO) | 8:55.32 |
| 10,000 metres | Liz Lynch (SCO) | 31:41.42 | Anne Audain (NZL) | 31:53.31 | Angela Tooby (WAL) | 32:25.38 |
| Marathon | Lisa Martin (AUS) | 2:26:07 | Lorraine Moller (NZL) | 2:28:17 | Odette Lapierre (CAN) | 2:31:48 |
| 100 m hurdles | Sally Gunnell (ENG) | 13.29 | Wendy Jeal (ENG) | 13.41 | Glynis Nunn (AUS) | 13.44 |
| 400 m hurdles | Debbie Flintoff (AUS) | 54.94 | Donalda Duprey (CAN) | 56.55 | Jenny Laurendet (AUS) | 56.57 |
| High jump | Christine Stanton (AUS) | 1.92 m | Sharon McPeake (NIR) | 1.90 m | Janet Boyle (NIR) | 1.90 m |
| Long jump | Joyce Oladapo (ENG) | 6.43 m | Mary Berkeley (ENG) | 6.40 m | Robyn Lorraway (AUS) | 6.35 m |
| Shot put | Gael Martin (AUS) | 19.00 m | Judy Oakes (ENG) | 18.75 m | Myrtle Augee (ENG) | 17.52 m |
| Discus throw | Gael Martin (AUS) | 56.42 m | Venissa Head (WAL) | 56.20 m | Karen Pugh (ENG) | 54.72 m |
| Javelin throw | Tessa Sanderson (ENG) | 69.80 m GR | Fatima Whitbread (ENG) | 68.54 m | Sue Howland (AUS) | 64.74 m |
| Heptathlon | Judy Simpson (ENG) | 6282 pts | Jane Flemming (AUS) | 6278 pts | Kim Hagger (ENG) | 5823 pts |
| 4×100 m relay | England Heather Oakes Joan Baptiste Kathy Cook Paula Thomas |
43.39 | Canada Angela Bailey Angela Phipps Angella Issajenko Esmie Lawrence |
43.83 | Wales Carmen Smart Helen Miles Sally-Anne Short Sian Lewis |
45.37 |
| 4×400 m relay | Canada Charmaine Crooks Jillian Richardson Marita Payne-Wiggins Molly Killingbeck |
3:28.92 | England Angela Piggford Jane Parry Kathy Cook Linda Keough |
3:32.82 | Australia Debbie Flintoff-King Julie Schwass Maree Chapman Sharon Stewart |
3:32.86 |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 18 | 18 | 12 | 48 |
| 2 | Canada | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 |
| 3 | Australia | 9 | 5 | 12 | 26 |
| 4 | Wales | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | Scotland | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Northern Ireland | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 41 | 41 | 42 | 124 | |
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