Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

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Men's discus throw
at the Games of the I Olympiad
BASA-3K-7-422-22-Robert Garrett throwing the discus at 1896 Summer Olympics.jpg
Robert Garrett throwing the discus
Venue Panathinaiko Stadium
Dates6 April 1896
Competitors9 from 6 nations
Winning distance29.15 WR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Robert Garrett
US flag 44 stars.svg  United States
Silver medal icon.svg Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos
Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece
Bronze medal icon.svg Sotirios Versis
Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece
1900  

The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event (and the second final) held. It was contested on 6 April. 9 athletes competed, including one each from France, Sweden, the United States, and Great Britain as well as three Greeks and two Danes. [1] [2]

Many of the competitors had never thrown a discus before, as the event had never been held at an international competition. Robert Garrett of the United States was the last foreigner in the competition, and eventually defeated the famed Greek competitors to win the second modern Olympic gold medal. Garrett had practiced with a 10 kilogram discus, resulting in disappointing marks and his deciding not to compete in Athens (and competing only in the shot put, which he would win the next day); upon arrival, he learned that the actual discus weighed two kilograms and decided to compete. [2] Greece took the second (Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) and third (Sotirios Versis) places.

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Thirteen athletes entered, but only nine started. Athletes from outside Greece were unfamiliar with the event, while the Greek champions (most notably Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) were somewhat hampered by attempting to "strike poses reminiscent of the ancient Greek statues of 'diskoboloi.'" [2] [3]

Competition format

There was a single round of throwing. Each thrower received three throws and the top three after that received two more. [2] [3] The throws were made from a square area with a side length of 2 to 2.5 meters. The discus weighed 2 kilograms. Throws were supposed to be made in the style of Myron's Discobolus statue, though this rule was not enforced (to the extent it would have been possible).

Records

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

World recordFlag of Sweden.svg Erik Eriksson (SWE)*35.74 m (117 ft 3 in) Stockholm 6 October 1895 [4]
Olympic recordN/AN/AN/AN/A

* unofficial

The following record was established during the competition:

DateEventAthleteNationDistance (m)Record
April 6Final Robert Garrett US flag 44 stars.svg  United States 29.15 OR

Schedule

DateTimeRound
GregorianJulian
Monday, 6 April 1896Monday, 25 March 189616:25Final

Results

As with many of the 1896 events, the results are incomplete and disputed. The list below is per Olympedia. The IOC webpage has these 9 competitors, placing Papasideris 5th, Robertson 6th, and Sjöberg 7th (with no 4th place finisher listed). The Official Report says there were 11 competitors, though it is often unclear whether it means those who entered or who actually competed. The nationality of the two additional men are given as German and Danish, so the Official Report appears to include Schuhmann and Winckler. Megede replaces Grisel with an "A. Adler" of France, placing him 4th, follows the IOC webpage placement of Papasideris, Robertson, and Sjöberg, and includes Schuhmann and Winckler as having competed. [2] [3] [5] [6]

RankAthleteNation12345DistanceNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Robert Garrett US flag 44 stars.svg  United States 27.53XUnknown28.7229.15 OR 29.15 OR
Silver medal icon.svg Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece 28.51UnknownUnknown28.8828.95 OR 28.95
Bronze medal icon.svg Sotirios Versis Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown27.78
4 George S. Robertson Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advance25.20
5–9 Adolphe Grisel Flag of France.svg  France UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advanceUnknown
Viggo Jensen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advanceUnknown
Holger Nielsen Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advanceUnknown
Georgios Papasideris Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg  Greece UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advanceUnknown
Henrik Sjöberg Swedish civil ensign (1844-1905).svg  Sweden UnknownUnknownUnknowndid not advanceUnknown
Louis AdlerFlag of France.svg  France DNS
Carl Schuhmann Flag of the German Empire.svg  Germany DNS
Charles VanoniUS flag 44 stars.svg  United States DNS
Charles Winckler Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark DNS

References

  1. "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Official Report, p. 64.
  4. "Track & Field Statistics" . trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  5. "Discus Throw Men". IOC. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  6. Ekkehard zur Megede (1970). Die Geschichte der olympischen Leichtathletik, Band 1: 1896–1936 (2nd ed.). Berlin: Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG.

Sources