Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault

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Men's pole vault
at the Games of the I Olympiad
Louis entering Kallimarmaron at the 1896 Athens Olympics.jpg
The finish of the marathon interrupted the pole vault
Venue Panathinaiko Stadium
Date10 April 1896
Competitors5 from 2 nations
Winning height3.30
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg William Hoyt
US flag 44 stars.svg  United States
Silver medal icon.svg Albert Tyler
US flag 44 stars.svg  United States
Bronze medal icon.svg Evangelos Damaskos
Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece
Bronze medal icon.svg Ioannis Theodoropoulos
Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece
1900  

The men's pole vault was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Five athletes competed in the pole vault. The two Americans far outclassed the three Greeks, starting higher than the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos tied for third, while Xydas took fifth. [1]

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Eighteen athletes entered, but only five started. The world record holder was Walter Rodenbaugh, but he was absent along with five-time AAA winner Richard Dickinson of Great Britain. Of the vaulters present, William Hoyt was the favorite on the basis of a third-place finish at the 1895 ICAAAA. [2] [3]

Competition format

There was a single round of vaulting. The bar started at 2.40 metres, increasing 10 centimetres at a time until 3.20 metres and then by 5 centimetres at a time. [2] [3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1896 Summer Olympics.

World recordFlag of the United States.svg Walter Rodenbaugh (USA)*3.49 m (11 ft 5+14 in) Philadelphia 17 September 1892 [4]
Olympic recordN/A

* unofficial

The following record was established during the competition:

DateEventAthleteNationDistance (m)Record
April 10Final William Hoyt US flag 44 stars.svg  United States 3.30 OR

Schedule

The exact time of the contest is not known; it was the fourth event of the afternoon session, following the 100 metres final, high jump, and 110 metres hurdles final. The pole vault took long enough that it was interrupted by the finish of the marathon.

DateTimeRound
GregorianJulian
Friday, 10 April 1896Friday, 29 March 1896Final

Results

Key

The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised 10 centimetres at a time, eliminating Xydas after he failed the second jump and the other two after they failed the fourth height. The American pair did not jump at any of those heights, instead beginning at 2.80 metres, a height that gave neither any difficulty. Tyler was unable to clear the 3.30 metres height, and Hoyt failed at 3.40 metres only.

RankAthleteNation2.402.502.602.702.802.903.003.103.203.253.30HeightNotes
Gold medal icon.svg William Hoyt US flag 44 stars.svg  United States ooooooo3.30 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Albert Tyler US flag 44 stars.svg  United States ooooox3.20
Bronze medal icon.svg Evangelos Damaskos Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece ooox2.60
Ioannis Theodoropoulos Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece ooox2.60
5 Vasilios Xydas Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece ox2.40

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References

  1. "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Pole Vault". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Pole Vault, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 Official Report, p. 85.
  4. "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

Sources