| South Africa at the 1912 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | RSA (ZAF used at these Games) |
| NOC | South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee |
| in Stockholm | |
| Competitors | 21 in 6 sports |
| Medals Ranked 7th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
The Union of South Africa competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 21 competitors, all men, took part in 21 events in 6 sports. [1]
A single swimmer competed for South Africa at the 1912 Games. It was the nation's debut in swimming. Godfrey competed in one event, placing fifth in his quarterfinal of the 400 metre freestyle and not advancing to the semifinals.
Ranks given for each swimmer are within the heat.
| Swimmer | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| George Godfrey | 400 m freestyle | N/A | 6:30.6 | 4 | did not advance | ||||
Seven athletes represented South Africa. It was the nation's third appearance in both the sport and the Olympics. McArthur and Gitsham finished first and second, respectively, in the marathon to give South Africa its only athletics medals in 1912 as well as an Olympic record in the event with McArthur's mark. Richardson's Olympic record in the 10000 metres, set in the semifinals, was broken in the final; Richardson did not finish that race.
Ranks given are within that athlete's heat for running events.
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Christian Gitsham | Marathon | N/A | 2:37:52.0 |  | |||
| Ken McArthur | Marathon | N/A | 2:36:54.8 OR |  | |||
| George Patching | 100 m | ? | 2 Q | 19.9 | 1 Q | 11.0 | 4 |
| 200 m | 22.3 | 1 Q | did not finish | did not advance | |||
| 400 m | 51.1 | 1 Q | 50.5 | 3 | did not advance | ||
| Reuben Povey | 100 m | ? | 2 Q | ? | 2 | did not advance | |
| 200 m | ? | 2 Q | ? | 5 | did not advance | ||
| Leonard Richardson | 10000 m | N/A | 32:30.3 OR | 1 | did not finish | ||
| Marathon | N/A | did not start | |||||
| Ind. cross country | N/A | 47:33.5 | 8 | ||||
| Arthur St. Norman | Marathon | N/A | did not finish | ||||
| 10 km walk | N/A | 50:17.9 | 2 Q | Disqualified | |||
| John Victor | 800 m | ? | 3 | did not advance | |||
| 1500 m | N/A | 4:12.7 | 3 | did not advance | |||
A single cyclist represented South Africa. It was the second appearance of the nation in cycling. Rudolph Lewis won the gold medal, South Africa's first cycling medal.
| Cyclist | Events | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Rudolph Lewis | Ind. time trial | 10:42:39.0 | |
A single fencer represented South Africa. It was the second appearance of the nation in fencing. Walter Gate, who had also been South Africa's only fencer in 1908, competed in all three weapons and was defeated in the first round of each competition.
| Fencer | Event | Round 1 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Rank | Record | Rank | Record | Rank | Record | Rank | ||
| Walter Gates | Foil | 4 losses | 5 | did not advance | |||||
| Épée | 5 losses | 7 | did not advance | ||||||
| Sabre | 1 win | 4 | did not advance | ||||||
Eight shooters represented South Africa. It was the nation's first appearance in shooting. The South African team took fourth place in the team rifle competition; this was the closest the nation got to winning a medal in shooting. The best individual performance was Harvey's tenth place finish in the military rifle.
| Shooter | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Robert Bodley | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 806 | 55 |
| 600 m free rifle | 73 | 54 | |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 78 | 45 | |
| Charles Jeffreys | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 715 | 70 |
| 600 m free rifle | 76 | 42 | |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 82 | 34 | |
| Albert Johnstone | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 741 | 67 |
| 600 m free rifle | 75 | 43 | |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 62 | 77 | |
| George Harvey | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 874 | 40 |
| 600 m free rifle | 83 | 21 | |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 90 | 10 | |
| Ernest Keeley | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 800 | 56 |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 89 | 13 | |
| Robert Patterson | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 810 | 51 |
| 600 m free rifle | 73 | 53 | |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 72 | 59 | |
| Arthur Smith | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 752 | 64 |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 56 | 84 | |
| George Whelan | 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. | 762 | 61 |
| 300 m military rifle, 3 pos. | 64 | 73 | |
| Robert Bodley George Harvey Charles Jeffreys Ernest Keeley Arthur Smith Robert Patterson | Team rifle | 1531 | 4 |
| Robert Bodley George Harvey Ernest Keeley Arthur Smith Robert Patterson George Whelan | Team free rifle | 4897 | 6 |
Three tennis players represented South Africa at the 1912 Games. It was the nation's second appearance in tennis.
Kitson and Winslow dominated the men's outdoor competitions. They met in the final of the singles tournament, with Winslow taking the championship and Kitson winning silver. The two also paired up for the doubles tournament, defeating all their opponents to add a third medal. Tapscott, competing in the singles only, advanced to the round of 16 before losing to an eventual semifinalist.
| Athlete | Event | Round of 128 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | ||
| Harold Kitson | Outdoor singles | Bye |  Leffler (SWE)W 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 | Möller (SWE) W 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |  Schomburgk (GER)W 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |  von Salm (AUT)W 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 |  Žemla (BOH)W 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 |  Winslow (RSA)L 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6 | |
| Lionel Tapscott | Outdoor singles | Kodl (BOH) W 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 | Pipes (AUT) W 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 |  Blanchy (FRA)W 1-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 | Žemla (BOH) L 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 2-6 | did not advance | 9 | ||
| Charles Winslow | Outdoor singles | Bye |  Frigast (DEN)W 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 | Thayssen (DEN) W 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 | Ingerslev (DEN) W 6-4, 8-6, 6-4 | Heyden (GER) W 6-2, 6-4, 8-10, 4-6, 6-3 | Kreuzer (GER) W 9-7, 7-5, 6-2 | Kitson (RSA) W 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6 | |
| Harold Kitson Charles Winslow | Outdoor doubles | N/A | Arenholt & Ingerslev (DEN) W 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 |  Kehrling & Zsigmondy (HUN)W 6-3, 6-3, 7-9, 6-2 | Nylén & Wennergren (SWE) W 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 | Just & Žemla (BOH) W 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 | Pipes & Zborzil (AUT) W 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 | | |
At the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden eight tennis events were contested divided over two tournaments; an indoor covered courts tournament, played on wood, held from May 5 until May 12 and an outdoor hard court tournament, played on clay, held from June 28 until July 5.
Harry Austin Kitson was a male tennis player from South Africa who won a gold medal at the men's doubles event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
France competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 304 competitors, 296 men and 8 women, took part in 113 events in 23 sports.
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.
The United States competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 174 competitors, took part in 68 events in 11 sports. Out of the 174 athletes who had participated, 64 won medals.
The Russian Empire (Russia) competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 159 competitors took part in 62 events in 15 sports.
Norway competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 190 competitors, 188 men and 2 women, took part in 58 events in 14 sports.
Austria competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Austrian and Hungarian results at early Olympic Games are generally kept separate despite the union of the two nations as Austria-Hungary at the time. 85 competitors, 76 men and 6 women, took part in 46 events in 12 sports.
Italy competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 174 competitors, 173 men and 1 woman, took part in 79 events in 18 sports.
Hungary competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Austrian and Hungarian results at early Olympic Games are generally kept separate despite the union of the two nations as Austria-Hungary at the time. 121 competitors, all men, took part in 52 events in 11 sports.
Athletes from the Netherlands competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 33 competitors, all men, took part in 14 events in 7 sports.
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 the country's last appearance until 1928.
Denmark competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 152 competitors, 151 men and 1 woman, took part in 46 events in 13 sports.
The Union of South Africa competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 39 competitors, 38 men and 1 woman, took part in 34 events in 7 sports.
Bohemia competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, for the last time. Beginning at the 1920 Olympic Games, Bohemian athletes would compete for the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Until 1918 Bohemia was part of Austria-Hungary.
The men's marathon was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. The distance used was 40.2 kilometres, nearly 2 full kilometres shorter than that used in 1908 and since 1924. The competition was held on Sunday, July 14, 1912. 95 runners entered, but only 68 runners competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes. With conditions described as "very hot", only 36 of the 68 competitors finished. The event was won by Ken McArthur of South Africa, the nation's first Olympic marathon victory.
The (outdoor) men's singles competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics was part of the tennis program for the games. There were 49 competitors from 12 nations. Nations were limited to 8 players each. The event was won by Charles Winslow in an all-South African final over Harold Kitson; they were the nation's first medals in the men's singles. Oscar Kreuzer of Germany won the bronze-medal match against Bohemian Ladislav Žemla.
The outdoor men's doubles competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics was part of the tennis program for the games. There were 42 players from 10 nations, comprising 21 teams. Nations were limited to 4 pairs each. The event was won by South African team Harold Kitson and Charles Winslow, defeating Austrians Felix Pipes and Arthur Zborzil in the final. It was the first medal in the event for both nations. France earned its first men's double since 1900 as Albert Canet and Édouard Mény de Marangue defeated Jaroslav Just and Ladislav Žemla of Bohemia in the bronze-medal match.
The men's marathon event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The distance of this race was 42.75 kilometres. The competition was held on Sunday, 22 August 1920. 48 runners from 17 nations competed. No nation had more than 4 runners, suggesting the limit had been reduced from the 12 maximum in force in 1908 and 1912. The event was won by Hannes Kolehmainen of Finland, the nation's first Olympic marathon medal and victory; Kolehmainen received his fourth gold medal, having won the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, and individual cross country in 1912. Estonia and Italy also won their first marathon medals.
Two athletes, both men, competed under the Egyptian banner at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece, and took part in five events across three sports. Arthur Marson, a track and field athlete, did not place within the top six in the 5 mile and failed to finish the marathon. Eugenio Colombani competed in cycling and Greco-Roman wrestling, but did not reach the finals of either event. Egypt, therefore, did not win any medals at the Games.