Fritz Hofmann (athlete)

Last updated
Fritz Hofmann
Fritz Hofmann.gif
Fritz Hofmann
Medal record
Representing Flag of the German Empire.svg Germany
Olympic Games
Athletics
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1896 Athens 100 metres
Men's artistic gymnastics
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1896 Athens Team parallel bars
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1896 Athens Team horizontal bar
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg1896 Athens Rope climbing

Fritz Hofmann (born 19 June 1871 in Berlin, German Empire; died 14 July 1927 in Berlin, Weimar Republic) was a German athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. [1]

Contents

1896 Summer Olympics

Hofmann competed in the 100 metres. In the heats, he came in second out of five runners, qualifying for the final. There he again came in second, with his time of 12.2 seconds being 0.2 seconds behind the winner, Thomas Burke of the United States.

Hofmann also competed in the 400 metres. He placed second in his preliminary heat, advancing to the final. There, he finished in fourth place. He was credited as having finishing third for many years, but modern sources (based on 1896 documents) place him fourth behind Charles Gmelin. [2] [1]

In the high jump Hofmann placed last of the five athletes. His best jump was 1.55 metres. He also placed either sixth or seventh (with Khristos Zoumis of Greece taking the other place) in the triple jump, as well as in the bottom three of the seven man field in the shot put.

He also competed in three gymnastics events, rope climbing and the team parallel bars and horizontal bar. In the rope climbing Hofmann reached the highest of the three gymnasts who did not finish, receiving a bronze medal behind the two Greek climbers, who reached the top of the 14 metre rope. Hofmann made it to 12.5 metres. In the team, Hofmann was the captain of the German team that won both competitions.

Later life

Hofmann, along with the rest of the 1896 German Olympic gymnastics team, was excluded from the German Gymnastics Association and banned from German national gymnastics competitions for competing in an international sporting event. He remained involved in athletics, however, captaining the German team at the 1900 Summer Olympics and 1904 Summer Olympics, as well as the 1906 Intercalated Games (at which he also competed again in the 100 metres, finishing 5th in his first-round heat). From 1904 to 1927, he served on the German National Olympic Committee "Deutscher Reichsausschuss für Olympische Spiele" ("German Imperial Commission for Olympic Games"), which was renamed Deutscher Reichsausschuss für Leibesübungen ("German Imperial Commission for Physical Exercise") in 1917. [1]

Hofmann owned a sports articles business, opened a "sports-bath", and edited a health magazine. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viggo Jensen</span> Danish sportsman

Alexander Viggo Jensen was a Danish weightlifter, sport shooter, gymnast, and athlete. He was the first Danish and Nordic Olympic champion, at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gymnastics at the 1900 Summer Olympics</span> Gymnastics at the Olympics

At the 1900 Summer Olympics one gymnastics event for men was contested. The competition was held on Sunday, 29 July 1900, and on Monday, 30 July 1900. There were 135 competitors from 8 nations. The top 18 places were taken by French gymnasts, of which there were more than 100. The event was won by Gustave Sandras, with Noël Bas finishing second and Lucien Démanet third. The highest-placing foreign gymnast was Jules Ducret of Switzerland, in a tie for 19th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alajos Szokolyi</span> Hungarian athlete

Alajos János Szokolyi was a Hungarian athlete, sports organizer, sports manager, archivist and physician.

Alexandros Chalkokondylis, also transliterated at Khalkokondylis, was a Greek athlete. He was born in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Gmelin</span> British athlete

Charles Henry Stuart Gmelin was a British athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolphe Grisel</span> French athlete and gymnast

Adolphe Jules Grisel was a French athlete and gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrik Sjöberg</span> Swedish sportsman

Kristian Henrik Rudolf Sjöberg was a Swedish athlete, gymnast and medical student. He competed as the only Swedish participant at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolaos Andriakopoulos</span> Greek gymnast

Nikolaos Andriakopoulos was a Greek gymnast. He was a member of Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos, that merged in 1923 with Gymnastiki Etaireia Patron to become Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi.

Thomas Xenakis was a Greek gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was born in Naxos and died in Orange, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denmark at the Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Denmark first participated at the Olympic Games at the inaugural 1896 Games, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the sparsely attended 1904 Games. Denmark has also participated in the Winter Olympic Games several times since 1948, including every Games since 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France at the 1912 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

France competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 119 competitors, 118 men and 1 woman, took part in 66 events in 13 sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres</span>

The first heat of the men's 100 metres race was the first event run at the modern Olympics, on 6 April 1896. The event consisted of 3 heats and a final, held on 10 April. The 100 metres was the shortest race on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 15 athletes from 8 nations competed. The event was won by Thomas Burke of the United States. Fritz Hofmann of Germany took second, with Hungarian Alajos Szokolyi and American Francis Lane tying for third. These competitors are recognized as gold, silver, and bronze medalists by the International Olympic Committee, though that award system had not yet been implemented in 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres</span>

The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final, which was held on the second day, 7 April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint</span> Cycling at the Olympics

The men's sprint was one of the three cycling events, all track cycling, now regarded as "Olympic" on the Cycling at the 1900 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 11 September and 13 September. The sprint, a 2000-metre race with 1000-metre heats, was conducted in four rounds. 69 of the 72 cyclists competed in the sprint, including cyclists from all six competing nations. The event was won by Albert Taillandier of France, with his countryman Fernand Sanz in second place. John Henry Lake of the United States won the nation's first cycling medal with his bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's rope climbing</span> Olympic gymnastics event

The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame. Time and style were considered in placing the competitors who reached the top and distance climbed separating those who did not make it all the way up. Five competitors entered, with the two Greeks taking top honors by being the only two to complete the climb. The German Fritz Hofmann won the bronze medal, while the weightlifting champions Viggo Jensen and Launceston Elliot finished fourth and fifth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Albert Andersen</span> Gymnast and pole vaulter

Carl Albert "Flisa" Andersen was a Norwegian pole vaulter, high jumper, and gymnast who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics, 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany at the 1912 Summer Olympics</span> Germany at the Olympics

Germany competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 185 competitors, 180 men and 5 women, took part in 69 events in 14 sports. Due to the political fallout from World War I, this was that country's last appearance until 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives at the 1996 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The Maldives competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, from 19 July to 4 August 1996. The delegation's participation in the Atlanta Olympics marked the Maldives' third appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Six athletes competed across two sports; Mohamed Amir, Naseer Ismail, Hussain Riyaz, Ahmed Shageef and Yaznee Nasheeda in track and field, and Moosa Nazim in swimming. None of the track or swimming athletes advanced past the first round in their events, and no Maldivian has won a medal in any events. Ahmed Shageef bore the Maldives' flag during the parade of nations of the opening ceremony.

The men's 100 metres event at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 and 24 November. Sixty-five athletes from 31 nations competed; each nation was limited to three athletes. The final was won by American Bobby Morrow, marking the fifth consecutive victory by a different American. Hec Hogan of Australia won that country's first medal in the event since 1900. The competition took place in strong winds, with the final run into a 2.5 m/s (5.6 mph) headwind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Voss</span> German artistic gymnast

Sarah Voss is a German artistic gymnast. She represented Germany at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is the 2019 and 2022 German all-around national champion and competed in the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. She was part of the bronze medal-winning German team at the 2022 European Championships.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Fritz Hofmann". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  2. "April 7 down the years". ESPN.co.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2021. For many years, Fritz Hofmann of Germany was credited with third place, but that now appears to have been Gmelin.