Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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Athletics
at the Games of the II Olympiad
La Defense and Bois de Boulogne from the Eiffel Tower, 11 June 2017 001.jpg
Host stadium (shown in 2017)
VenueCroix-Catelan Stadium
Dates14–22 July 1900
No. of events23 (23 men, 0 women)
Competitors117 from 16 nations
  1896
1904  

At the 1900 Summer Olympics, twenty-three athletics events were contested. Altogether, 117 athletes from 15 nations competed. A total of 68 medals (23 gold, 23 silver, 22 bronze) were awarded. In many countries, due in part to the conflation of the Olympic Games and the World's Fair in Paris, the media discussed only the athletics events under the "Olympic" name while ignoring the incredible variety of other sports featured at the time.[ citation needed ]

The 23 events listed are those currently considered to have been of Olympic stature by the International Olympic Committee and most Olympic historians. They exclude all events that used a handicap system, as well as all events which were open to professional athletes. The IOC has never decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not. [1]

Competitions were held on 14 July, 15 July, 16 July, 19 July, and 22 July. This included Bastille Day, which is a French holiday, and then Sunday, which many of the American athletes protested. Even with many Americans not competing in finals because of confusion caused by the organizers' decision to count scores achieved on Monday, 16 July for finals held on Sunday, 15 July and subsequent rescission of that decision, the United States won more than 4 times as many medals as any other nation, including 16 of the 23 gold medals.

The conditions of competition were also subpar compared even to those at the previous games in 1896. There was no track for the Paris Games, as a grass field dotted with trees and of unequal elevation was used. The course was 500 metres in length, an unusual distance for a track.

Medal summary

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1US flag 45 stars.svg  United States  (USA)16131039
2Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain  (GBR) [2] 3328
3Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)1427
4Flag of Canada (1868-1921).svg  Canada  (CAN)1012
Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary  (HUN)1012
6Olympic flag.svg  Mixed team  (ZZX)1001
7British Raj Red Ensign.svg  India  (IND)0202
8Flag of Bohemia.svg  Bohemia  (BOH)0101
9Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Australia  (AUS) [2] 0033
10Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark  (DEN)0011
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)0011
Swedish civil ensign (1844-1905).svg  Sweden  (SWE)0011
Totals (12 entries)23232268
EventGoldSilverBronze
60 metres
details
Alvin Kraenzlein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
7.0 =OR Walter Tewksbury
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
7.1 Stan Rowley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Australia
7.2
100 metres
details
Frank Jarvis
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
11.0 Walter Tewksbury
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
11.1 Stan Rowley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Australia
11.2
200 metres
details
Walter Tewksbury
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
22.2 OR Norman Pritchard
British Raj Red Ensign.svg  India
22.8 Stan Rowley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Australia
22.9
400 metres
details
Maxie Long
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
49.4 OR William Holland
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
49.6 Ernst Schultz
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
51.5
800 metres
details
Alfred Tysoe
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
2:01.2 John Cregan
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
2:03.0 David Hall
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
2:03.8
1500 metres
details
Charles Bennett
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
4:06.2 WR Henri Deloge
Flag of France.svg  France
4:06.6 John Bray
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
4:07.2
Marathon
details
Michel Théato
Flag of France.svg  France [lower-alpha 1]
2:59:45 Émile Champion
Flag of France.svg  France
3:04:17 Ernst Fast
Swedish civil ensign (1844-1905).svg  Sweden
3:37:14
110 metres hurdles
details
Alvin Kraenzlein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
15.4 OR John McLean
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
15.5 Frederick Moloney
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
15.6
200 metres hurdles
details
Alvin Kraenzlein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
25.4 Norman Pritchard
British Raj Red Ensign.svg  India
26.0 Walter Tewksbury
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
26.1
400 metres hurdles
details
Walter Tewksbury
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
57.6 Henri Tauzin
Flag of France.svg  France
58.3 George Orton
Flag of Canada (1868-1921).svg  Canada
58.8
2500 m steeplechase
details
George Orton
Flag of Canada (1868-1921).svg  Canada
7:34.4 Sidney Robinson
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
7:38.0 Jacques Chastanié
Flag of France.svg  France
7:52.4
4000 m steeplechase
details
John Rimmer
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
12:58.4 Charles Bennett
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
12:58.6 Sidney Robinson
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
12:58.8
5000 m team race
details
Olympic flag.svg  Mixed team  (ZZX)
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Charles Bennett  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  John Rimmer  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Sidney Robinson  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Alfred Tysoe  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Stan Rowley  (AUS)
26 ptsFlag of France.svg  France  (FRA)
Henri Deloge
Jacques Chastanié
André Castanet
Michel Champoudry
Gaston Ragueneau
29 ptsonly two teams entered
High jump
details
Irving Baxter
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
1.90 m OR Patrick Leahy
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
1.78 m Lajos Gönczy
Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary
1.75 m
Pole vault
details
Irving Baxter
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
3.30 m =OR Meredith Colket
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
3.25 m Carl Albert Andersen
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
3.20 m
Long jump
details
Alvin Kraenzlein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
7.185 m OR Myer Prinstein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
7.175 m Patrick Leahy
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain
6.950 m
Triple jump
details
Myer Prinstein
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
14.47 m OR James Connolly
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
13.97 m Lewis Sheldon
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
13.64 m
Standing high jump
details
Ray Ewry
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
1.655 m Irving Baxter
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
1.525 m Lewis Sheldon
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
1.500 m
Standing long jump
details
Ray Ewry
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
3.30 m Irving Baxter
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
3.135 m Émile Torchebœuf
Flag of France.svg  France
3.03 m
Standing triple jump
details
Ray Ewry
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
10.58 m OR Irving Baxter
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
9.95 m Robert Garrett
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
9.50 m
Shot put
details
Richard Sheldon
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
14.10 m OR Josiah McCracken
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
12.85 m Robert Garrett
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
12.37 m
Discus throw
details
Rudolf Bauer
Flag of Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Hungary
36.04 m OR František Janda-Suk
Flag of Bohemia.svg  Bohemia
35.14 m Richard Sheldon
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
34.60 m
Hammer throw
details
John Flanagan
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
51.01 m OR Truxtun Hare
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
46.26 m Josiah McCracken
US flag 45 stars.svg  United States
43.58 m

These medals are retroactively assigned by the International Olympic Committee; at the time, winners were given silver medals.

Finish of the 800m 800m final 1900.jpg
Finish of the 800m

Daily summary

14 July

15 July

16 July

19 July

22 July

Participating nations

Notes

  1. In 2021, the IOC online data and medal table for the 1900 Games were changed to reflect medalists' nationalities in this and eight other events, including for Michel Théato. [3] This led some to believe that Luxembourg had officially recovered this Olympic title. This change in the IOC online data was later reversed. [4]

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References

  1. Lennartz, Karl; Teutenberg, Walter (1995). Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris. Kassel, Germany: Agon-Sportverlag. p. 147. ISBN   3-928562-20-7. In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.
  2. 1 2 An additional gold medal was won by a mixed team composed of four athletes from Great Britain and one from Australia.
  3. "Paris 1900 Medal Table". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  4. "Michel Théato IOC webpage". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee.

References