Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault
| Men's pole vault at the Games of the I Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panathinaiko Stadium | |||||||||||||
| Date | 10 April 1896 | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 5 from 2 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning height | 3.30 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 100 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
The men's pole vault was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Five athletes competed in the pole vault. The two Americans far outclassed the three Greeks, starting higher than the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos tied for third, while Xydas took fifth.[1]
Background
This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Eighteen athletes entered, but only five started. The world record holder was Walter Rodenbaugh, but he was absent along with five-time AAA winner Richard Dickinson of Great Britain. Of the vaulters present, William Hoyt was the favorite on the basis of a third-place finish at the 1895 ICAAAA.[2][3]
Competition format
There was a single round of vaulting. The bar started at 2.40 metres, increasing 10 centimetres at a time until 3.20 metres and then by 5 centimetres at a time.[2][3]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1896 Summer Olympics.
| World record |  Walter Rodenbaugh (USA)* |
3.49 m (11 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | Philadelphia | 17 September 1892[4] |
| Olympic record | N/A |
* unofficial
The following record was established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Athlete | Nation | Distance (m) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Final | William Hoyt |  United States |
3.30 | OR |
Schedule
The exact time of the contest is not known; it was the fourth event of the afternoon session, following the 100 metres final, high jump, and 110 metres hurdles final. The pole vault took long enough that it was interrupted by the finish of the marathon.
| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gregorian | Julian | ||
| Friday, 10 April 1896 | Friday, 29 March 1896 | Final | |
Results
Key
- o = Height cleared
- x = Height failed
- – = Height passed
- r = Retired
- SB = Season's best
- PB = Personal best
- NR = National record
- AR = Area record
- OR = Olympic record
- WR = World record
- WL = World lead
- NM = No mark
- DNS = Did not start
- DQ = Disqualified
The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised 10 centimetres at a time, eliminating Xydas after he failed the second jump and the other two after they failed the fourth height. The American pair did not jump at any of those heights, instead beginning at 2.80 metres, a height that gave neither any difficulty. Tyler was unable to clear the 3.30 metres height, and Hoyt failed at 3.40 metres only.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | 2.40 | 2.50 | 2.60 | 2.70 | 2.80 | 2.90 | 3.00 | 3.10 | 3.20 | 3.25 | 3.30 | Height | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
William Hoyt | United States
|
— | — | — | — | o | o | o | o | o | o | o | 3.30 | OR |
|
Albert Tyler | United States
|
— | — | — | — | o | o | o | o | o | x | — | 3.20 | |
|
Evangelos Damaskos |  Greece
|
o | o | o | x | — | 2.60 | |||||||
| Ioannis Theodoropoulos | Greece
|
o | o | o | x | — | 2.60 | ||||||||
| 5 | Vasilios Xydas | Greece
|
o | x | — | 2.40 | |||||||||
References
- ^ "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Pole Vault". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Pole Vault, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ a b Official Report, p. 85.
- ^ "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
Sources
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J. & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at la84foundation.org)
- Mallon, Bill & Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at la84foundation.org)
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
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