Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the Games of the III Olympiad | |
---|---|
Venue | Francis Olympic Field |
Dates | 29 August – 3 September |
No. of events | 25 |
Competitors | 233 from 10 nations |
Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics | |
---|---|
Track events | |
60 m | men |
100 m | men |
200 m | men |
400 m | men |
800 m | men |
1500 m | men |
110 m hurdles | men |
200 m hurdles | men |
400 m hurdles | men |
2590 m steeplechase | men |
4 mile team race | men |
Road events | |
Marathon | men |
Field events | |
Long jump | men |
Triple jump | men |
High jump | men |
Pole vault | men |
Standing long jump | men |
Standing triple jump | men |
Standing high jump | men |
Shot put | men |
Discus throw | men |
Hammer throw | men |
56 pound weight throw | men |
Combined events | |
Triathlon | men |
All-around | men |
At the
Multi-event competitions, the all-around and triathlon, were introduced, along with a 56-pound weight throw, while the short steeplechase was lengthened slightly from 2500 to 2590 metres, the team race was lengthened from 5000 meters to 4 miles (6,437 m), and the long steeplechase was dropped.
In all, the 25 events featured in 1904 were two more than were held in 1900.
A track was built specifically for the Games on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The track was a cinder track 1⁄3 mile (536.448m) in length, with one long straightaway.[1]
Medal summary
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 23 | 22 | 22 | 67 |
2 | Great Britain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
4 | France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Mixed team | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
6 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Greece | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (7 entries) | 25 | 25 | 24 | 74 |
Participating nations
233 athletes from 11 nations competed. This figure includes the athletic triathlon event, which some sources exclude.
- Australia (2)
- Canada (5)
- Cuba (1)
- France (1)
- Germany (9)
- Great Britain (3)
- Greece (10)
- Hungary (2)
- South Africa (3)
- Switzerland (1)
- United States (196)
Marathon
The marathon was the most bizarre event of the Games. It was run in brutally hot weather, over dusty roads, with horses and automobiles clearing the way and creating dust clouds.[4]
The first to arrive at the finish line was Frederick Lorz, who actually rode the rest of the way in a car to retrieve his clothes, after dropping out after nine miles, but after the car broke down at the 20th mile, he re-entered the race and jogged back to the finish line.
As officials and fans believed he had won the race, Lorz played along with his practical joke until he was found out shortly before the medal ceremony. He admitted the ruse, and was banned for life by the AAU; however, after Lorz apologized for this stunt and it was found he had no intention to defraud, he was reinstated, and won the 1905 Boston Marathon.[5]
A Cuban postman named
References
- ^ "Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 3 September 2001.
- ^ Daly represented Ireland in this event, but the IOC lists him as competing for Great Britain, which Ireland was part of at the time.
- ^ Kiely represented Ireland in this event, but the IOC lists him as competing for Great Britain, which Ireland was part of at the time.
- ^ "The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever | History | Smithsonian Magazine".
- ^ Cronin, Brian (2010-08-10). "Sports Legend Revealed: A marathon runner nearly died". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
- ISBN 9780880119696.
- ^ Abbott, Karen. "The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ISBN 9780880119696.