Editing Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics

{{short description|Athletics at the Olympics}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox Olympic event
| event       = Athletics
| games       = 1896 Summer
| image       = Panathinaiko.jpg
| caption     = The renovated Panathinaiko Stadium
| venue       = [[Panathinaiko Stadium]]
| dates       = 6–10 April 1896
| num_events  = 12 (12 men, 0 women)
| competitors = 63
| nations     = 9
| prev        =
| next        = [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900]]
}}
{{AthleticsAt1896SummerOlympics}}
At the [[1896 Summer Olympics]], the first modern Olympiad, twelve [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] events were contested.<ref name=IOC>{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896/results/athletics |title=Athens 1896 Athletics Results |work=Olympics.com |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]] |access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref> A total of 25 medals (12 silver for winners, 13 bronze for runner-up, none for third) were awarded. The medals were later denoted as 37 modern medals (12 gold, 13 silver, 12 bronze).<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympedia.org/editions/1/sports/ATH |title=Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics |work=Olympedia |access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref> All of the events except the [[marathon (sport)|marathon]] were held in the [[Panathinaiko Stadium]], which was also the finish for the marathon.<ref name=Olympedia/> Events were held on 6 April, 7 April, 9 April, and 10 April 1896 (all dates are according to the [[Gregorian calendar]]).<ref name=Olympedia/> Altogether, 63 athletes, all men, from nine nations competed.<ref name=Olympedia/> This made athletics the most international of the nine sports at the 1896 Games.

==Summary of events==
The American team of 11, which featured only one national champion, was dominant, taking 9 of the 12 titles. No [[world record]]s were set, because few international top competitors had participated. In addition, the curves of the track were very tight, making fast times in the running events virtually impossible.<ref name=Olympedia/>

The heats of the 100 metres were the first Olympic event to be conducted, and the winner of the first heat, [[Francis Lane]], can thus be considered the first Olympic winner. The first Olympic champion was crowned in the [[triple jump]], [[Harvard University|Harvard]] student [[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]]. Connolly also did well in the other jumping events, placing second in the [[high jump]] and third in the [[long jump]].

Many other athletes were versatile as well. [[Thomas Burke (athlete)|Thomas Burke]] won both the 100 metres and 400 metres, a feat not since repeated, while London-based [[Australia]]n [[Edwin Flack]] won the 800 and 1500 metres races. [[Robert Garrett]], a [[Princeton University|Princeton]] student, won two first and two second places. His first title was in the [[discus throw]], an event originating from the Ancient Olympics, but never before held at an international event. Garrett had attempted to train for the event with a 10 kilogram replica of a discus, but had given up as it was too heavy. When he learned the actual competition discus weighed only 2 kilograms, he entered the event after all, and won it, to the dismay of the Greek public, who considered their throwers "unbeatable".<ref name=Discus>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympedia.org/results/56028 |title=Discus Throw, Men |work=Olympedia |access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref>

A second event held for the first time in international competition was the marathon foot race. It was conceived by [[Michel Bréal]], a friend of [[Pierre de Coubertin]], based on the legend of [[Pheidippides]]. This Athenian soldier first completed a two-day run to seek Spartan help against the invading Persians in the [[Battle of Marathon]], and then ran from the town of [[Marathon, Greece|Marathon]] to Athens days later to announce the victory, dying as a result of his heroic efforts. The race started in Marathon, and ran for 40 kilometres over dusty roads to Athens. The Greek public, disappointed as there had not yet been a Greek victor in athletics, was overjoyed when it was announced during the race that a Greek runner had taken the lead. When [[Spiridon Louis]], a water carrier from [[Maroussi]], arrived in the stadium he was accompanied by the Greek [[Constantine I of Greece|Crown Prince]] on his final lap. Louis would never again compete in a race, but his victory made him a national hero.<ref name=Marathon>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympedia.org/results/56017 |title=Marathon, Men |work=Olympedia |access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref>

The exploits of Louis, Garrett, Connolly, and Flack would be chronicled in the 1984 [[NBC]] [[miniseries]], ''The First Olympics: Athens, 1896''.

The day after the official marathon [[Stamata Revithi]] ran the 40-kilometer course in 5 hours 30 minutes,<ref>Martin & Gynn, ''Running through the Ages'', 22; Tarasouleas, ''Stamata Revithi, "Alias Melpomeni"'', 55; Tarasouleas, ''The Female Spiridon Loues'', 12. However, some of the authors who believe that "Melpomene" and Revithi are the same person attribute to the latter the more favorable time of 4½&nbsp;hours. E.g. Miragaya, ''The Female Olympian'', 314, who cites {{cite conference |first=A. |last=DeFrantz |title=The Changing Role of Women in the Olympic Games |book-title=37th International Session for Young Participants&nbsp;– IOA Report |publisher=International Olympic Academy |date=1997 |location=Ancient Olympia }}</ref> finishing outside [[Panathinaiko Stadium]]. She was denied entry into the official competition since the 1896 Olympics [[Women at the Olympics|excluded women from competition]].<ref>Greek participants had been chosen through two trial national races, which had taken place on 10 {{smaller|<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe|O.S.]] 27&nbsp;February]}} and 24&nbsp;March {{smaller|<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe|O.S.]] 12&nbsp;March]}}. Another athlete, [[Carlo Airoldi]], was also not allowed to run because he was a professional (Martin–Gynn, ''Running through the Ages'', 12, 21).</ref>
== Schedule ==
{{Olympic schedule legend|sport=athletics}}
{| class="wikitable olympic-schedule athletics"
|- style="background:#9acdff;"
!colspan=11 | Men's
|-
! Date || colspan="2"| Apr 6 || colspan="2"|Apr 7 || colspan="2"|Apr 8 || colspan="2"|Apr 9 || colspan="2"|Apr 10
|-
!Event || M || E || M || E || M || E || M || E || M || E
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 m]] || colspan=2 class="heats" | H ||colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || ||class="final" | F
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres|400 m]] || colspan=2 class="heats" | H || || class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 m]] || colspan=2 class="heats" | H || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || class="final" | F || || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 m]] || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles|110 m hurdles]] || colspan="2"| || || class="heats" | H || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|Marathon]] || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|High jump]] || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault|Pole vault]] || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Long jump]] || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump|Triple jump]] || ||class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]] || colspan="2"| || || class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|-
| class="event" | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw|Discus throw]] || ||class="final" | F || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"| || colspan="2"|
|}

==Medal summary==

These medals were retroactively assigned by the [[International Olympic Committee]]; at the time, winners were given a silver medal and runners-up bronze medals. Athletes coming third received no award.
{| {{MedalistTable|type=Event|columns=2}}
|-valign="top"
|rowspan=2|100 metres<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres}}
|rowspan=2|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Thomas Burke (athlete)|Thomas Burke]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|12.0
|rowspan=2|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Fritz Hofmann (athlete)|Fritz Hofmann]]|GER|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|12.2
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Francis Lane]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|12.6
|-
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Alajos Szokolyi]]|HUN|1896 Summer}}
|-
|400 metres<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Thomas Burke (athlete)|Thomas Burke]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||54.2 '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Herbert Jamison]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||55.2
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Charles Gmelin]]|GBR|1896 Summer}}||56.7
|-
|800 metres<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Edwin Flack]]|AUS|1896 Summer}}||2:11.0
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Nándor Dáni]]|HUN|1896 Summer}}||2:11.8
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Dimitrios Golemis]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||2:28.0
|-
|1500 metres<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Edwin Flack]]|AUS|1896 Summer}}||4:33.2 '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Arthur Blake (middle-distance runner)|Arthur Blake]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||4:33.6
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Albin Lermusiaux]]|FRA|1896 Summer}}||4:36.0
|-
|110 metres hurdles<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Thomas Curtis (athlete)|Thomas Curtis]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||17.6 '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Grantley Goulding]]|GBR|1896 Summer}}||17.7
|''none awarded'' ||
|-
|Marathon<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Spiridon Louis]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||2:58:50 '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Charilaos Vasilakos]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||3:06:03
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Gyula Kellner]]|HUN|1896 Summer}}||3:06:35
|-valign="top"
|rowspan=2|High jump<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump}}
|rowspan=2|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ellery Clark]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|1.81 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|1.65 m
|rowspan=2|''none awarded'' ||rowspan=2|
|-
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Robert Garrett]]|USA|1896 Summer}}
|-valign="top"
|rowspan=2|Pole vault<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault}}
|rowspan=2|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[William Hoyt (athlete)|William Hoyt]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|3.30 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|rowspan=2|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Albert Tyler (athlete)|Albert Tyler]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|3.20 m
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Evangelos Damaskos]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||rowspan=2|2.60 m
|-
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ioannis Theodoropoulos]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}
|-
|Long jump<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ellery Clark]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||6.35 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Robert Garrett]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||6.00 m
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||5.84 m
|-
|Triple jump<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||13.71 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Alexandre Tuffère]]|FRA|1896 Summer}}||12.70 m
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ioannis Persakis]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||12.52 m
|-
|Shot put<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Robert Garrett]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||11.22 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Miltiadis Gouskos]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||11.03 m
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Georgios Papasideris]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||10.36 m
|-valign="top"
|Discus throw<br />{{DetailsLink|Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Robert Garrett]]|USA|1896 Summer}}||29.15 m '''{{AthAbbr|OR}}'''
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||28.95 m
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Sotirios Versis]]|GRE|1896 Summer}}||27.78 m
|}

==Medal table==
{{Medals table
 | caption        = 
 | host           = 
 | show_limit     = 
 | remaining_text = 
 | flag_template  = flagIOCteam
 | event          = 1896 Summer
 | gold_USA = 9 | silver_USA = 6 | bronze_USA = 2
 | gold_AUS = 2 | silver_AUS = 0 | bronze_AUS = 0
 | gold_GRE = 1 | silver_GRE = 3 | bronze_GRE = 6
 | gold_HUN = 0 | silver_HUN = 1 | bronze_HUN = 2
 | gold_FRA = 0 | silver_FRA = 1 | bronze_FRA = 1
 | gold_GBR = 0 | silver_GBR = 1 | bronze_GBR = 1
 | gold_GER = 0 | silver_GER = 1 | bronze_GER = 0
}}

==Participating nations==
[[File:BASA-3K-7-422-20-1896 Summer Olympics.jpg|thumb|Hungarian athletic team of 1896 Summer Olympics]]
A total of 63 athletes from 9 nations competed at the Athens Games.<ref name=Olympedia/> Due to the nature of participation at the Games of the time not being fully through [[National Olympic Committee]]s, there is a lack of clarity on which nations competed. For instance, Olympedia lists 1 athlete from Cyprus and 2 from Smyrna in counting 11 nations, but also notes the participation of "Cyprus and Smyrna as part of the Greek team".<ref name=Olympedia/> Further, Chile claims to have had a competitor participate,<ref name=Chile>{{cite web|url=http://www.coch.cl/museo.htm |title=La Presencia de Chile en los Juegos Olimpicos |accessdate=28 December 2006 |author=Comité Olímpico de Chile |language=Spanish |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061220234045/http://www.coch.cl/museo.htm |archivedate=20 December 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which would increase the total to 64 athletes from 10 nations, but other sources list [[Luis Subercaseaux]] as not having started.<ref name=IOC/><ref name=Olympedia/>

* {{flagIOC|AUS|1896 Summer|1}}
* {{flagIOC|DEN|1896 Summer|3}}
* {{flagIOC|FRA|1896 Summer|5}}
* {{flagIOC|GER|1896 Summer|5}}
* {{flagIOC|GBR|1896 Summer|5}}
* {{flagIOC|GRE|1896 Summer|29}}
* {{flagIOC|HUN|1896 Summer|3}}
* {{flagIOC|SWE|1896 Summer|1}}
* {{flagIOC|USA|1896 Summer|10}}

==See also==
*[[List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)]]
*[[List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp International Olympic Committee results database]
* {{cite book |author1=Lampros, S.P. |author2=Polites, N.G. |author3=De Coubertin, Pierre |author4=Philemon, P.J. |author5=Anninos, C. |name-list-style=amp | title=The Olympic Games: BC 776 &ndash; AD 1896 | location=Athens | publisher=Charles Beck | year=1897 }} (Digitally available at [http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896.pdf])
* {{cite book | author1=Mallon, Bill | author2=Widlund, Ture | name-list-style=amp | title=The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary | location=Jefferson | publisher=McFarland | year=1998 | isbn=0-7864-0379-9 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall }} (Excerpt available at [http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/Mallon/1896.pdf])
* {{cite book | author=Smith, Michael Llewellyn | title= Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games | location=London | publisher=Profile Books | year = 2004 | isbn=1-86197-342-X}}

{{Events at the 1896 Summer Olympics}}
{{Athletics at the Summer Olympics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics At The 1896 Summer Olympics}}
[[Category:Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics| ]]
[[Category:Events at the 1896 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletics at the Summer Olympics|1896]]
[[Category:International athletics competitions hosted by Greece]]
[[Category:1896 in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Athletics in Athens|1896 Olympics]]