What it’s like to be your country’s only Olympian

As the only athlete Belize has sent to the Paris Olympics, sprinter Sean Gill has been reveling in his temporary status as Belize’s “most famous man.”

He is one of four athletes set to represent their countries at the Olympics in 2024. It’s a responsibility that brings both pride and anxiety.

Solo competitors told the BBC their job could be lonely, but there was a thrill in being the default flag-bearer for their country at the opening ceremony.

Gill, 31, told the BBC that his sudden fame had prompted other people in the Olympic Village to ask for his autograph.

“I was joking with a friend that I might need some security,” he said with a laugh.

Larger Olympic teams, such as those sent by the United States and Britain, can choose their flag bearers from among hundreds of athletes.

But Belize, a Central American country with a population of less than half a million, has only one candidate, while Liechtenstein, Nauru and Somalia also have only one candidate.

Gil waved the flag with all the patriotic fervor he could muster as he and other athletes paraded by boat down the Seine. His passionate effort in heavy rain made him an internet sensation.

Gill admitted that carrying the hopes of an entire country on his shoulders was a lot of pressure. He failed to qualify for the men’s 100m final and said jet lag prevented him from running as fast as he would have liked.

“When the performance wasn’t good, I was like, ‘Man, I hope I didn’t let you guys down,’ ” he said.

Somali athlete Ali Iddo Hassan hopes he can do what Gilles could not: stand on the podium at the Stade de France.

If Hassan performs well enough in the men’s 800m on Wednesday, he will advance to the semifinals.

Otherwise, the East African nation’s Olympic medal hopes will be dashed in just 100 seconds: that’s just the time it takes Hassan and his opponent to run around the track.

Some of the world’s smaller countries benefit from universal rules designed to ensure diverse representation during sporting competitions.

Hassan, 26, told the BBC he was “very happy” to be France’s sole envoy for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but admitted there was a downside: “I felt very sad when I was alone.”

But Hassan made friends with athletes from other African countries, and the competitors agreed that the experience of living in the Olympic Village was not as lonely as they had imagined.

Romano Püntener, a mountain biker competing for Liechtenstein, was chased by Andy Murray in the compound.

The tennis ace wanted to exchange badges with Pentner because he knew that badges from Liechtenstein were very rare. Athletes on the international tour often exchange badges.

Liechtenstein, a tiny landlocked country between Austria and Switzerland with a population of just 38,000, has few top athletes.

The Olympics were “memorable” for Pontner, who said he enjoyed the huge investment he received as the national team’s only hope at the 2024 Olympics.

“It was just help for me,” Püntener recalls. “We could really build the whole team around me, and I could decide who wanted to be with me and who didn’t want to be with me.”

The 20-year-old finished 28th in his first Olympics last week, but since he is not expected to win a medal, he can enjoy the competition and cherish the support of the 20 or 30 compatriots who came to cheer him on. Among them was the country’s prime minister.

But in the digital age, too much support can be a distraction when athletes want to focus on playing for their country.

“It felt like I received messages from every resident of Liechtenstein,” Püntener said.

Gil said he received “thousands” of well wishes. “My phone died, my Instagram died,” he said. “I had to turn it off because I couldn’t even have a moment of peace… I really appreciate it, but I guess I have to learn how to cope with it quickly.”

Despite the huge support, these lone competitors face difficulties in many ways.

Winzar Kakiouea competes in the men’s 100 meters for Nauru, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean that is the world’s smallest republic and heavily dependent on aid.

He told the New York Times that many people he meets haven’t heard of his country (population: 11,000), which doesn’t even have a decent race track, just a “dirt oval.”

When the Olympics are over and attention shifts to other things, these athletes’ return to life may be very different from the lives of the world’s sporting superstars.

Gill has opted out of major competitions and will now focus on developing the next generation of runners in Belize, as well as his own future career as an engineer.

Pentner will return to his hometown of Schaan in the Liechtenstein mountain region, which is perfect for off-road riding. “For me, it’s like a big town,” he said.

Hassan will return to Ethiopia for training, but he hopes to one day live again in Mogadishu, his birthplace.

Speaking on the eve of the men’s 800m race, he expressed hope that improved security in Somalia would mean more representatives could compete at the Olympics in future.

Somalia has a population of 17 million but has been mired in civil war for decades.

“One day, there will be more athletes,” Nathan predicted. “There will be 10, 100 athletes coming here.”