Switzerland at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Switzerland at the 1920 Summer Olympics
IOC code	SUI
NOC	Swiss Olympic Association
Website	www.swissolympic.ch  (in German and French)
in Antwerp
Competitors	77 in 13 sports
Flag bearer	Luigi Antognini [1]
Medals Ranked 13th	Gold 2 Silver 2 Bronze 7 Total 11
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Switzerland competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 77 competitors, all men, took part in 45 events in 13 sports. ^[2]

Medalists

Gold

• Willy Brüderlin, Max Rudolf, Paul Rudolf, Hans Walter and Paul Staub — Rowing, Men's four with coxswain(4+)
• Robert Roth — Wrestling, Freestyle heavyweight

Silver

• Fritz Hünenberger — Weightlifting, Light heavyweight
• Charles Courant — Wrestling, Freestyle light heavyweight

Bronze

• Édouard Candeveau, Alfred Felber and Paul Piaget — Rowing, Men's pair with coxswain (2+)
• Fritz Zulauf — Shooting, Men's 30m military pistol
• Fritz Kuchen, Albert Tröndle, Arnold Rösli, Walter Lienhard and Caspar Widmer — Shooting, Men's team military rifle, 300m + 600m
• Fritz Zulauf, Joseph Jehle, Gustave Amoudruz, Hans Egli and Domenico Giambonini — Shooting, Men's team 30m military pistol
• Fritz Kuchen — Shooting, Men's 300m military rifle, prone
• Eugène Ryter — Weightlifting, Featherweight

Aquatics

Diving

Main article: Diving at the 1920 Summer Olympics

A single diver represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Knuchel competed in the springboard event, but was unable to advance to the final.

Men

Ranks given are within the semifinal group.

Diver	Event	Semifinals			Final
		Points	Score	Rank	Points	Score	Rank
Paul Knuchel	3 m springboard	33	431.35	7	did not advance

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Four swimmers, all men, represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. None of the swimmers advanced to an event final.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Men

Swimmer	Event	Quarterfinals		Semifinals		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Henri Demiéville	400 m breast	7:12.4	2 Q	Unknown	4	did not advance
Hans Drexler	1500 m free	Unknown	4	did not advance
Jean Jenni	100 m free	Unknown	5	did not advance
René Ricolfi-Doria	400 m free	Unknown	5	did not advance
	1500 m free	did not finish		did not advance

Water polo

Main article: Water polo at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Switzerland competed in the Olympic water polo tournament for the first time in 1920. A modified version of the Bergvall System was in use at the time. Switzerland lost heavily to Belgium in the opening round. Because Belgium eventually finished with the silver medal, Switzerland should have had a chance to play for the bronze; it is not clear why they did not.

Round of 16

	Belgium	11–0	Switzerland	Antwerp

Final rank

9th

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics

13 athletes represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's fourth appearance in athletics. A pair of ninth-place finishes were the team's best results.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Athlete	Event	Heats		Quarterfinals		Semifinals		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Stanislas Anselmetti	3 km walk	N/A				Disqualified		did not advance
	10 km walk	N/A				did not finish		did not advance
Luigi Antognini	Shot put	10.32	19	N/A				did not advance
Constant Bucher	Decathlon	N/A						5273.280	10
Oscar Garin	10000 m	N/A				33:04.4	5 Q		9
Alfred Gaschen	5000 m	N/A				15:38.0	6	did not finish
	10000 m	N/A				34:38.4	5 Q	did not advance
Ernst Gerspach	Decathlon	N/A						5947.780	9
Josef Imbach	100 m	11.0	2 Q	11.1	3	did not advance
	200 m	23.5	2 Q	23.1	2 Q	did not finish		did not advance
Hans Kindler	Long jump	6.34	15	N/A				did not advance
Paul Martin	800 m	N/A		1:59.8	5	did not advance
Willi Moser	110 m hurdles	N/A		did not finish		did not advance
August Waibel	100 m		4	did not advance
	200 m		4	did not advance
Josef Imbach Walter Leibundgut Adolf Rysler August Waibel	4 × 100 m relay	N/A				44.2	4	did not advance

Boxing

Main article: Boxing at the 1920 Summer Olympics

A single boxer represented Switzerland at the 1920 Games. It was the nation's debut in boxing. Reichenbach lost his first match, in the welterweight round of 16.

Boxer	Weight class	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / Bronze match
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Willy Reichenbach	Welterweight	Bye	Ireland  (GBR) L	did not advance			9

Opponent nation Wins Losses Percent   Great Britain 0 1 .000 Total 0 1 .000

Round Wins Losses Percent Round of 32 0 0 – Round of 16 0 1 .000 Quarterfinals 0 0 – Semifinals 0 0 – Final 0 0 – Bronze match 0 0 – Total 0 1 .000

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Eight fencers represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's fourth appearance in the sport. Switzerland competed only in the épée competitions. Edouard Fitting was the only Swiss fencer to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was eliminated. The team was much more successful than any of the individuals, advancing to the finals before finishing in fifth overall.

Ranks given are within the group.

Fencer	Event	First round		Quarterfinals		Semifinals		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Louis de Tribolet	Épée	3–5	6	did not advance
Eugène Empeyta	Épée	3–5	6	did not advance
Edouard Fitting	Épée	5–4	3 Q	3–7	8	did not advance
Frédéric Fitting	Épée	2–5	7	did not advance
Henri Jacquet	Épée	2–6	8	did not advance
John Albaret Louis de Tribolet Eugène Empeyta Édouard Fitting Frédéric Fitting Henri Jacquet Léopold Montagnier Franz Wilhelm	Team épée [3]	N/A				3–1	2 Q	1–4	5

Ice hockey

Main article: Ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Switzerland competed in the inaugural Olympic ice hockey tournament. The team suffered the most lopsided loss of the tournament in a 29–0 defeat by the United States in the quarterfinals, Switzerland's first match. The American team's eventual winning of the silver medal qualified Switzerland for the bronze medal tournament. In the bronze medal semifinals, the Swiss played a closer game but still lost to Sweden, 4–0.

Roster

Coach: Max Sillig

Pos	Player	GP	G	Birthdate	Age
F	Rodolphe Cuendet	1	0
R	Louis Dufour Jr.	2	0	July 26, 1901	18
F	Max Holzboer	1	0
D	Marius Jaccard	2	0	March 27, 1898	22
F	Bruno Leuzinger	1	0	January 6, 1886	34
D	Paul Lob	2	0	July 13, 1893	26
G	René Savoie	2	0	February 9, 1896	24
F	Max Sillig	1	0	November 19, 1873	46
F	Walter von Siebenthal	1	0	June 6, 1899	20
D	Louis Dufour Sr.	1	0	1873	~47

Gold medal quarterfinals

24 April 1920 17:00

United States

29 – 0 (15–0, 14–0)

Switzerland

Palais de Glace d'Anvers

Game reference
	Ray Bonney	Goalies	René Savoie	Referee: Raoul Le Mat
	Conroy (8) J. McCormick (7) Drury (6) Goheen (6) Fitzgerald Tuck Goals
	7 min	Penalties	0 min

Bronze medal semifinals

28 April 1920 23:30

Sweden

4 – 0 (0–0, 4–0)

Switzerland

Palais de Glace d'Anvers

Game reference
	Abbe Jansson	Goalies	René Savoie	Referee: Frank Fredrickson
	Säfwenberg 1 – 0 Johansson 2 – 0 Arwe 3 – 0 Arwe 4 – 0
	0 min	Penalties	0 min

Final rank

5th (Tied)

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Thirteen rowers represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Two of the four boats won medals, with the coxed fours team taking gold and the coxed pairs taking bronze.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Rower	Cox	Event	Quarterfinals		Semifinals		Final
			Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Max Schmid	N/A	Single sculls	7:49.0	2	did not advance
Édouard Candeveau Alfred Felber	Paul Piaget	Coxed pair	N/A		8:50.0	1 Q	Unknown
Willy Brüderlin Max Rudolf Paul Rudolf Hans Walter	Paul Staub	Coxed four	N/A		7:03.0	1 Q	6:54.0
P. Baur Rudolf Bosshard Willy Brüderlin Charles Freuler Max Rudolf Paul Rudolf Franz Türler Hans Walter	Paul Staub	Eight	6:21.4	2	did not advance

Skating

Figure skating

Main article: Figure skating at the 1920 Summer Olympics

A single figure skater represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Megroz took eighth place out of nine skaters in the men's singles.

Skater	Event	Final
		Result	Rank
Alfred Megroz	Men's singles	52.5	8

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Fifteen shooters represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in the sport, and first since 1900. The team's five bronze medals gave Switzerland the fourth-most total medals in 1920, but put them behind ten other teams who had won at least one gold or silver.

Shooter	Event	Final
		Result	Rank
Gustave Amoudruz	300 m free rifle, 3 pos.	959	Unknown
Ulrich Fahrner	300 m free rifle, 3 pos.	947	Unknown
Fritz Kuchen	300 m free rifle, 3 pos.	961	Unknown
	300 m military rifle, prone	59
Werner Schneeberger	300 m free rifle, 3 pos.	947	Unknown
Bernard Siegenthaler	300 m free rifle, 3 pos.	906	Unknown
Fritz Zulauf	30 m military pistol	269
Eugene Addor Joseph Jehle Fritz Kuchen Werner Schneeberger Weibel	300 & 600 m team military rifle, prone	563
Gustave Amoudruz Hans Egli Domenico Giambonini Joseph Jehle Fritz Zulauf	30 m team military pistol	1270
Gustave Amoudruz Hans Egli Domenico Giambonini Bernard Siegenthaler Fritz Zulauf	50 m team free pistol	2136	9
Gustave Amoudruz Ulrich Fahrner Fritz Kuchen Werner Schneeberger Bernard Siegenthaler	Team free rifle	4698
Fritz Kuchen Walter Lienhard Arnold Rösli Albert Tröndle Caspar Widmer	300 m team military rifle, prone	281	4
	300 m team military rifle, standing	234	8
	600 m team military rifle, prone	279	6

Tennis

Main article: Tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Three tennis players, all men, competed for Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Simon was the only one of the Swiss players to win a match; Syz and Chiesa each lost their first, as did the Simon and Syz pair in the doubles.

Player	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Finals	Rank
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score
Alberto Henri Chiesa	Men's singles	Bye	Brugnon  (FRA) W 6–4, 7–5, 6–4	did not advance				17
Armand Simon	Men's singles	Bye	de Satrústegui  (ESP) W 3–6, 8–6, 6–2, 6–8, 6–2	Malström  (SWE) L 6–2, 6–2, 6–0	did not advance			9
Hans Syz	Men's singles	Lammens  (BEL) L 6–3, 6–4, 3–6, 7–5	did not advance					32
Armand Simon Hans Syz	Men's doubles	N/A	Bye	Balbi & Colombo  (ITA) L 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–4	did not advance			9

Opponent nation Wins Losses Percent   Belgium 0 1 .000   France 0 1 .000   Italy 0 1 .000   Spain 1 0 1.000   Sweden 0 1 .000 Total 1 4 .200

Round Wins Losses Percent Round of 64 0 1 .000 Round of 32 1 1 .500 Round of 16 0 2 .000 Quarterfinals 0 0 – Semifinals 0 0 – Final 0 0 – Bronze match 0 0 – Total 1 4 .200

Weightlifting

Main article: Weightlifting at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Two weightlifters represented Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Both men won medals, though neither was able to take a gold.

Weightlifter	Event	Final
		Result	Rank
Fridriech Hünenberger	82.5 kg	275.0
Eugène Ryter	60 kg	210.0

Wrestling

Main article: Wrestling at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Four wrestlers, all in the freestyle discipline, competed for Switzerland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Roth took the gold medal in the unlimited weight class, with Courant taking silver in the light heavyweight.

Freestyle

Wrestler	Event	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Finals / Bronze match	Rank
Léonard Bron	Middleweight	Bye	Leino  (FIN) (L)	did not advance			9
Charles Courant	Light heavyweight	N/A	Bye	van Rensburg  (RSA) (W)	Redman  (USA) (W)	Larsson  (SWE) (L)
Daniel Kaiser	Featherweight	N/A	Bye	Ackerly  (USA) (L)	did not advance		5
Robert Roth	Heavyweight	N/A		Salila  (FIN) (W)	Meyer  (USA) (W)	Pendleton  (USA) (W)

Opponent nation Wins Losses Percent   Finland 1 1 .500   South Africa 1 0 1.000   Sweden 0 1 .000   United States 3 1 .750 Total 5 3 .625

Round Wins Losses Percent Round of 32 0 0 – Round of 16 0 1 .000 Quarterfinals 2 1 .667 Semifinals 2 0 1.000 Final 1 1 .500 Bronze match 0 0 – Total 5 3 .625

References

1. "Luigi Antognini". olympedia.org. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
2. "Switzerland at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
3. "Netherlands Fencing at the 1920 Antwerpen Summer Games". Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Composition for teams.

External links

• Belgium Olympic Committee (1957). Olympic Games Antwerp 1920: Official Report (PDF) (in French).
• Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 16 August 2007.
• International Olympic Committee results database