What’s it like to be the only Olympian from your country?

The only athlete sent from his country to the Paris Olympics, sprinter Shaun Gill enjoyed his temporary status as Belize’s “most famous man.”

He is one of four athletes sent to the 2024 Games as the sole representative of his country. It is a responsibility that brings pride, and a little extra anxiety.

The lone contestants told the BBC that their job can be lonely, but being their nation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony was exhilarating.

As a result of Gill’s sudden fame, others in the athletes’ village began seeking his autograph, the 31-year-old told the BBC.

“I joked with one of my friends that I might need a security detail,” he laughed.

Larger Olympic delegations, such as those sent by the United States and the United Kingdom, can choose their flag bearers from groups of hundreds of athletes.

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.

Gill waved his country’s flag with all the patriotic zeal he could muster as he and other athletes paraded down the Seine in boats. He went viral for his passionate efforts in the pouring rain.

Carrying the hopes of a nation was stressful, Gill admitted. He didn’t make the men’s 100m final and reflected that jet lag had left him unable to run as fast as he had hoped.

“When the performance is lacking, I think, ‘Gosh, I hope I didn’t disappoint you all,’” he said.

Somali runner Ali Idow Hassan hopes to do what Gill failed to do: stand on the medal podium at the Stade de France.

If Hassan is fast enough in the men’s 800 meters on Wednesday, he will advance to the semifinals.

Otherwise, the East African nation’s Olympic medal hopes will vanish in just over 100 seconds: the time it will take Hassan and his rivals to sprint down the track.

Some of the world’s smallest nations benefit from universality rules designed to ensure diverse representation of countries during sporting competitions.

Hassan, 26, told the BBC he was “very happy” to be his country’s sole envoy to Paris 2024, but admitted there was a downside: “I feel very sad when I’m alone.”

But Hassan has made friends with athletes from other African countries. The experience of staying in the athletes’ village has been less isolating than one might have expected, the competitors agreed.

Romano Püntener, a mountain biker who was representing Liechtenstein on his own, was hunted down in the complex by none other than Andy Murray.

The tennis ace wanted to trade pins with Püntener, knowing that a Liechtenstein pin was a rarity. Pins are regularly traded by athletes who tour the international circuit.

Liechtenstein is a small landlocked country between Austria and Switzerland, with a population of 38,000. Top athletes have been few and far between.

The Olympics were “unforgettable” for Püntener, who said he appreciated the huge investment he received as his country’s only hope for the 2024 Games.

“It just helped me,” Püntener reflected. “We could really build the whole team around me, and I could decide who I wanted to have with me — and who I didn’t.”

The 20-year-old finished 28th in last week’s race, his Olympic debut. But because he wasn’t expected to win a medal, he was able to enjoy the support of the 20 or 30 compatriots who showed up to cheer him on. Among them was the country’s prime minister.

But in the digital age, an outpouring of support can become a distraction when athletes want to focus on the good of their country.

“It seemed to me that I received a message from every person living in Liechtenstein,” Püntener said.

Gill said she has received “thousands” of well wishes. “My phone freezes, my Instagram freezes,” she said. “I had to turn it off at one point because I couldn’t even have a moment of peace to myself… I appreciate it, but I guess I had to learn to deal with it very quickly.”

Despite the overwhelming support they receive, solo contestants face situations that are counterproductive in many ways.

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

He told The New York Times that many people he met had never heard of his country (population: 11,000), which didn’t even have a real racetrack, just a “dirt oval.”

Once the Games are over, and the spotlight has shifted elsewhere, the lives of these competitors will once again be very different from those of the world’s great sports stars.

Gill has chosen to retire from major racing and will now focus on coaching the next generation of Belizean runners, as well as his future career as an engineer.

Püntener will return to his home in Schaan, in the mountains of Liechtenstein, which is perfect for cross-country cycling. “For me, it feels like a big city,” he said.

Hassan will return to train in Ethiopia, although he hopes to one day return to live in his hometown of Mogadishu.

Speaking on the eve of the men’s 800m race, he expressed hope that improvements in the security situation in Somalia could lead to more delegates being sent to future Olympics.

Somalia has a population of 17 million, but has been plagued by a civil war for decades.

“One day there will be more athletes,” Nassan predicted. “Ten athletes, 100 athletes will be here.”