Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay
Men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the Games of the V Olympiad | |||||||||
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Venue | Stockholm Olympic Stadium | ||||||||
Dates | July 8, 1912 (heats, semifinals) July 9, 1912 (final) | ||||||||
Competitors | 33 from 8 nations | ||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||
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men | |
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2-hand discus | men |
2-hand javelin | men |
Combined events | |
Pentathlon | men |
Decathlon | men |
Cross-country events | |
Individual | men |
Team | men |
The men's 4 × 100 meters relay was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics program. It was the debut of the event, which along with the 4 × 400-meter relays marked the first relays of equal legs in the athletics program (a medley relay had been held in 1908). The competition was held on Monday, July 8, 1912, and on Tuesday, July 9, 1912.[1] NOCs could enter 1 team of 4 athletes, with up to 2 reserves.[2]
Thirty-three runners from 8 nations competed. Only Germany replaced one runner.
Context
Though this was the Olympic debut of the event, the 4 × 100 metres relay had been held at meets going back to at least 1897.
Records
The previous world record was 43.5 seconds, set by a German team in May 1912.
World record | SC Charlottenburg (GER) Otto Röhr August Sandvoss Willy Schöltz Richard Rau |
43.5 | Berlin | 19 May 1912 | [5][6] |
Olympic record | N/A |
The record for the new event progressed quickly, with the Canadians winning the first heat. The Americans and then the Swedes then took the record, with the Germans tying the Swedes.
The British took the record in the first semifinal, only to lose it quickly to the Swedes in the second. This time, the Germans running in the third semifinal bested the Swedish team's time to take the record for themselves after replacing Karl Halt with Otto Röhr as their lead-off runner.
The German team held the record at the finish, despite finishing in second (and then being disqualified for a baton-passing fault) in the final. Their disqualification left the event without a bronze medalist, making it the only athletics event to award only two medals.
The record of the German team, 42.3 seconds, became the first official world record for the 4 × 100 meters relay.
Results
Heats
All heats were held on Monday, July 8, 1912.
Only two teams were eliminated after the first round.
Heat 1
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Frank McConnell, Frank Lukeman, Harry Beasley, John Howard (CAN) | 46.2 OR | QS |
Heat 2
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ) | 43.7 OR | QS |
Heat 3
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Willie Applegarth, Victor d'Arcy (GBR) | 45.0 | QS |
Heat 4
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ture Person, Knut Lindberg (SWE ) |
43.6 OR | QS |
Heat 5
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Erwin Kern, Richard Rau (GER ) |
43.6 =OR | QS |
2 | ) | 44.8 |
Heat 6
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ) | 43.7 | QS |
2 | Pierre Failliot, Georges Rolot, Charles Lelong, René Mourlon (FRA) | 43.8 |
Semifinals
All semifinals were held on Monday, July 8, 1912.
Semifinal 1
The United States team was disqualified after a baton-passing fault on the first transfer.
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Willie Applegarth, Victor d'Arcy (GBR) | 43.0 OR | QF |
— | ) | DSQ |
Semifinal 2
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ture Person, Knut Lindberg (SWE ) |
42.5 OR | QF |
2 | ) | 42.9 |
Semifinal 3
Place | Athletes | Time | Qual. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Erwin Kern, Richard Rau (GER ) |
42.3 OR | QF |
2 | Frank McConnell, Frank Lukeman, Harry Beasley, John Howard (CAN) | 43.5 |
Final
The final was held on Tuesday, July 9, 1912: d'Arcy beat Rau and Lindberg in a close and exciting contest.
Afterwards, the German team were disqualified as Kern had passed the 20 metre line before receiving the baton from Herrmann. This left no bronze medalist in the event.
Place | Athletes | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Willie Applegarth, Victor d'Arcy (GBR) | 42.4 |
2 | Ture Person, Knut Lindberg (SWE ) |
42.6 |
— | Erwin Kern, Richard Rau (GER ) |
Disqualified |
Gallery
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Semifinal 2: Team Sweden on the left and the Hungarian team on the right.
-
The final: Team Germany passing the baton.
-
The finish of the final: Victor d'Arcy on the left[7][8] winning the race for Great Britain. On the right finishing second but later disqualified, Richard Rau for Germany.
References
- ^ "Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's 4 × 100 metres Relay". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ Official report, p. 61.
- ^ "Progression-of-IAAF-World-Records-2015" (PDF). p. 131. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "About the Relays". Penn Relays. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Olympedia – 4 x 100 metres Relay, Men". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Progression-of-IAAF-World-Records-2015" (PDF). p. 132. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Vic d'Arcy. sports-reference.com
- ^ Olympia 1912 Stockholm. gettyimages.co.uk
Sources
- Bergvall, Erik (ed.) (1913). Adams-Ray, Edward (trans.). (ed.). The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand.
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has generic name (help) - Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 1 January 2007.