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Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs the only athlete sent by his country to the Olympics in Paris, sprinter Shaun Gill has been revelling in his temporary status as \u201cthe most famous man\u201d in Belize. <\/p>\n He is one of four athletes sent to the 2024 Games as their nations’ sole representative. It is a responsibility that brings pride – and some extra anxiety.<\/p>\n Solo competitors told the BBC their jobs could be lonely, but being their nation\u2019s default flagbearer during the opening ceremony had been exhilarating.<\/p>\n As a result of Gill’s sudden celebrity, others in the athletes\u2019 village have been chasing his autograph, the 31-year-old told the BBC. <\/p>\n \u201cI had a joke with one of my friends that I may need a security detail,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The larger Olympic delegations \u2013 such as those sent by the US and the UK \u2013 are able to choose their flagbearers from groups of hundreds of athletes.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Gill waved his country\u2019s 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 impassioned efforts in the driving rain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Carrying the hopes of a nation was pressurising, Gill admitted. He did not advance to the men\u2019s 100m final, and reflected that jet lag had left him unable to run as fast as he hoped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the performance is lacking, I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I hope I didn\u2019t make you all disappointed,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Somalian runner Ali Idow Hassan is hoping that he manages to do what Gill did not: make it to the medals podium in the Stade de France.<\/p>\n If Hassan is fast enough in the men’s 800m on Wednesday, he will advance to the semi-finals. <\/p>\n Otherwise, the Olympic medal hopes of the east African nation will be over in little more than 100 seconds: the time it will take for Hassan and his rivals to dash around the track.<\/p>\n Some of the world\u2019s smaller nations benefit from universality rules that are designed to ensure a diverse representation of countries during the sporting contest.<\/p>\n Hassan, 26, told the BBC he was \u201cvery happy\u201d to be his nation\u2019s solitary envoy at Paris 2024, but admitted there was a flipside: \u201cI feel very sad when I\u2019m alone.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But Hassan has befriended athletes from other African countries. The experience of staying in the athletes\u2019 village had been less isolating than might be expected, the competitors agreed. <\/p>\n Romano P\u00fcntener, a mountain-biker who represented Liechtenstein on his own, was hunted down in the compound by none other than Andy Murray. <\/p>\n The tennis ace wanted to swap pin-badges with P\u00fcntener, knowing that one from Liechtenstein was a rarity. The badges are regularly traded by athletes touring the international circuit.<\/p>\n Liechtenstein is a small, land-locked country between Austria and Switzerland, with a population of 38,000 people. Top-level athletes have been few and far between. <\/p>\n The Olympics had been “unforgettable” for P\u00fcntener, who said he had enjoyed the sheer investment he had received as his country’s only hope at the 2024 Games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt only helped me,\u201d P\u00fcntener reflected. \u201cWe could really build the whole team around me, and I could decide who I wanted to have with me – and who not.\u201d<\/p>\n The 20-year-old finished 28th in last week\u2019s race, his Olympic debut. But since he was not expected to win a medal, he had been able to enjoy himself, and cherish the support of the 20 or 30 compatriots who turned out to cheer him on. Among them was the country\u2019s prime minister.<\/p>\n But in a digital age, a deluge of support is capable of becoming a distraction when the sportsmen want to focus on delivering for their countries.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like I got a message from every person living in Liechtenstein,\u201d said P\u00fcntener.<\/p>\n Gill said he had received \u201cthousands\u201d of well-wishes. \u201cMy phone freezes, my Instagram freezes,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to turn it off at one point because I couldn\u2019t even have a moment of peace to myself… I do appreciate it, but I guess I had to just learn how to manage it real quick.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite the huge support they may have received, the solitary competitors are running against the odds in many ways.<\/p>\n Winzar Kakiouea competed in the men\u2019s 100m race for Nauru, an island in the Pacific that is the world’s smallest republic and heavily reliant on aid. <\/p>\n He told the New York Times many people he met had not heard of his country (population: 11,000), which did not even have a proper race track, only a \u201cdirt oval\u201d.<\/p>\n When the Games are over, and the spotlight moves on to something else, these competitors will return to lives that may look very different to those lived by the world\u2019s sporting megastars.<\/p>\n Gill has chosen to retire from big races and will now focus on training the next generation of runners in Belize, as well as his own future career as an engineer.<\/p>\n P\u00fcntener will return to his home in Schaan, in the mountains of Liechtenstein, which is perfect for cross-country cycling. \u201cFor me, it feels like a big town,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hassan will go back to training in Ethiopia, though he hopes one day he will live again in his birth city of Mogadishu. <\/p>\n Speaking on the eve of the men\u2019s 800m contest, he was hopeful that improvements in Somalia\u2019s security situation could mean more delegates being sent to future Olympics. <\/p>\n Somalia has a population of 17 million, but has been beset by a civil war for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, there will be more athletes,\u201d Nassan predicted. \u201cTen athletes, 100 athletes will be here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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