Rio 2016: Golden firsts for nine countries

The 2016 Olympic Games may have come to an end, but the joy and jubilation is continuing across the world.

More than 200 nations took part in the Games, with 59 of those managing to secure a much sought-after gold.

But for some countries in Rio, victory was just that little bit more special - it was their first gold medal.

Here are the nine countries that achieved golden firsts:

Fiji

Fiji's rugby sevens team returned to a heroes' welcome after their comprehensive win over Great Britain in the final earned the country's first-ever Olympic medal.

Shops and banks were closed and the country came to a standstill as Fijians poured into the streets to celebrate.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama declared a public holiday and free buses were provided to take people to the celebrations in the national stadium in the capital Suva when the team returned home.

Jordan

Jordanians were thrilled when Ahmad Abughaush beat Russia's Alexey Denisenko in the final of the taekwondo men's 68kg to claim gold.

Jordan's royal family stayed up to watch the historic feat and King Abdullah II telephoned the 20-year-old business student to congratulate him on his win.

The king also reportedly sent him a private plane to fly Abughaush back from Rio and Queen Rania congratulated the athlete on Twitter.

Bahrain

There was also an historic golden first for another Middle Eastern country, when 19-year-old Ruth Jebet won the women's 3,000 metre steeplechase for Bahrain in the second fastest time in history.

Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamada al-Khalifa, who's the son of the king and head of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, congratulated her on Twitter.

As well as royal congratulations, ordinary Bahrainis also took to the social network to express their delight at the golden first.

Singapore

Joseph Schooling's win over his childhood idol Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly swimming race meant he could take home his country's first ever Olympic gold medal.

Dubbed "The Flying Fish", Schooling said he was "ecstatic" with his win and Singaporeans seemed to feel the same with praise for the 21-year-old flooding social media.

A photo of Schooling with the American at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 soon went viral.

Singaporeans took to the streets to congratulate their star swimmer on his return home for a victory parade.

Kosovo

There was a first-ever Olympic medal for Kosovo - and it was a gold. Majlenda Kelmindi couldn't hold back the tears when she won the women's 52kg judo.

The win was particularly poignant for the country - as it was the first time it had taken part in such a major international sports event.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and it was only accepted as a fully-fledged member of the International Olympic Committee in December 2014.

Prime Minister Isa Mustafa personally welcomed the 25-year-old at the airport on her return and an open-top double-decker bus was arranged for Kelmindi so that she could greet the thousands of fans who welcomed her in the streets of the capital Pristina.

Vietnam

Having missed out on a medal at London 2012, Vietnam's Hoang Xuan Vinh made up for it in Rio by securing gold in the 10m air pistol.

The 41-year-old army colonel ended Vietnam's six-decade wait for an Olympic gold - and almost made it two but had to settle for silver in the 50m air pistol.

He is expected to receive $100,000 (£76,300) from the state to mark his achievement - 50 times the average national income of $2,100 (£1,603).

Tajikistan

Dilshod Nazarov won the gold medal in the men's hammer for Tajikistan, bringing his country its first gold medal since it gained independence in 1991.

A signature collecting campaign has started in Tajikistan which asks President Emomali Rahmon to give the country's highest award - the title of "Hero of Tajikistan" - to Nazarov. The title has been given to only six people since 1997 with the last one awarded 10 years ago.

Puerto Rico

Monica Puig - the world number 35 - was the ninth Puerto Rico athlete to win a medal - but the first to step on top of the podium when she won gold in the tennis.

She beat world number two Angelique Kerber of Germany to become the first unseeded player to win the competition since the sport was reintroduced to the Olympics in 1988.

Ivory Coast

It was also a golden milestone for Ivory Coast, with Cheick Sallah Cisse taking gold with a final kick in the last second of the men's under-80kg taekwondo final against Britain's Lutalo Muhammad.

It was only the second medal the West African country had ever received at the Olympics, but they then got a third when Ruth Gbagbi claimed bronze in the women's under-67kg class.

And…the Olympic's first independent gold

Kuwaiti national Fehaid al-Deehani won gold in the double trap shooting, but not for his country - the army officer won it as an independent athlete.

Al-Deehani competed under the Olympic flag after Kuwait was banned by the International Olympic Committee.

By Catherine Ellis, BBC UGC and Social News