Founded in 301 A.D. by a Croatian stonemason avoiding religious persecution, San Marino is considered the world's oldest republic. On Thursday, it added another title that could one day become a trivia answer: the least populous nation to win an Olympic medal.
One can only imagine the celebration that Alessandra Perilli will receive when she returns to the independent nation of 34,000 people in the foothills of Italy's Apennine Mountains after claiming bronze in women's trap shooting.
Nine years ago in London, Perilli barely missed out on the country's first Olympic medal after losing in a shootout following a three-way tie for second place.