Wrestling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight

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Men's bantamweight freestyle wrestling
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
VenueWhite City Stadium
DateJuly 20
Competitors13 from 3 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) George Mehnert  United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) William Press  Great Britain
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Aubert Côté  Canada
← 1904
1924 →

The freestyle bantamweight was one of five freestyle wrestling weight classes contested on the Wrestling at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Like all other wrestling events, it was open only to men. The bantamweight was the lightest class, allowing wrestlers of up to 54 kilograms (119 lb).[1] Each nation could enter up to 12 wrestlers.[2]

11 British athletes, 1 American, and 1 Canadian participated.

Competition format

The event was a single-elimination tournament with a bronze medal match between the semifinal losers. The final and bronze medal match were best two-of-three, while all other rounds were a single bout. Bouts were 15 minutes, unless one wrestler lost by fall (two shoulders on the ground at the same time). Other than falls, decisions were made by the judges or, if they did not agree, the referee.

Wrestlers could "take hold how and where they please[d]" except that "hair, flesh, ears, private parts, or clothes may not be seized"; striking, scratching, twisting fingers, butting, and kicking were prohibited. Holds "obtained that the fear of breakage or dislocation of a limb shall induce a wrestler to give the fall" were outlawed, and particularly the double-nelson, hammerlock, strangle, half-strangle, scissors, hang, flying mare with palm uppermost, and the foot twist.[3]

Results

Standings

Place Wrestler Nation
1 George Mehnert
United States of America
2 William J. Press Great Britain Great Britain
3 Aubert Côté Canada Canada
4 Frederick Tomkins Great Britain Great Britain
5 Fred Davis Great Britain Great Britain
Burt Sansom Great Britain Great Britain
George Saunders Great Britain Great Britain
Harry Sprenger Great Britain Great Britain
9 John Cox Great Britain Great Britain
William Cox Great Britain Great Britain
Frederick Knight Great Britain Great Britain
Guy Schwan Great Britain Great Britain
Henry Witherall Great Britain Great Britain

Bracket

 
First RoundQuarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
Fall (5:27)
 
 
 William Press (GBR)
 
Fall (8:48)
 
 Henry Witherall (GBR)
 
 William Press (GBR)
 
Fall (4:31)
 
 Bruce Sansom (GBR)
 
 Bruce Sansom (GBR)
 
Fall (0:55)
 
 George Schwan (GBR)
 
 William Press (GBR)
 
Fall (6:31)
 
 Frederick Tomkins (GBR)
 
 Frederick Tomkins (GBR)
 
Fall (4:57)
 
 William Cox (GBR)
 
 Frederick Tomkins (GBR)
 
Fall (4:22)
 
 George Saunders (GBR)
 
 George Saunders (GBR)
 
2–0 (falls 11:45/3:57)
 
 John Cox (GBR)
 
 William Press (GBR)
 
Decision
 
 George Mehnert (USA)
 
 Fred Davis (GBR)
 
Decision
 
 Frank Knight (GBR)
 
 Fred Davis (GBR)
 
 
 Aubert Côté (CAN)
 
 
Fall (6:40)
 
 
 Aubert Côté (CAN)
 
 
 George Mehnert (USA) Third place
 
 
Fall (4:01) 2–0 (falls 3:55/8:50)
 
 
 Harry Sprenger (GBR)  Aubert Côté (CAN)
 
 
 George Mehnert (USA)  Frederick Tomkins (GBR)
 
 
 
 

References

  1. ^ "Wrestling at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Bantamweight, Freestyle". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  2. ^ Official Report, p. 40.
  3. ^ Official Report, pp. 621–22.

Sources

  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Freestyle Wrestling 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 28 May 2006.