United States at the 1896 Summer Olympics
| United States at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | USA |
| NOC | United States Olympic Committee |
| in Athens, Greece April 6, 1896 – April 15, 1896 | |
| Competitors | 14 in 3 sports and 16 events |
| Medals Ranked 1st |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |
Fourteen competitors from the United States competed in three sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Americans were the most successful athletes in terms of gold medals, beating host nation Greece, 11 to 10, despite fielding only 14 competitors compared to an estimated 169 Greek entrants. However, the Greeks' 46 total medals dwarfed the Americans' 20.
The United States team had 27 entries in 16 events, with 20 of the 27 resulting in top-three finishes.
Most of the American competitors were students at Harvard University or Princeton University or members of the Boston Athletic Association. The team trained at The Pennington School, in Pennington, New Jersey, while preparing for the first modern Olympic Games.
Medalists
Of the 14 Americans at the Athens Games, 12 won medals. Charles Waldstein, a shooter, and Gardner Williams, a swimmer, were the two who did not win any medals. The following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.
| Medals by sport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | 
|
|
|
Total |
| Athletics | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 |
| Shooting | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 11 | 7 | 2 | 20 |
Multiple medalists
The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1896 Olympic Games.
| Name | Medal | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Garrett | Gold Gold Silver Silver |
Athletics | Men's shot put Men's discus throw Men's high jump Men's long jump |
| Thomas Burke | Gold Gold |
Athletics | Men's 100 m Men's 400 m |
| Ellery Clark | Gold Gold |
Athletics | Men's high jump Men's long jump |
| James Connolly | Gold Silver Bronze |
Athletics | Men's triple jump Men's high jump Men's long jump |
| Sumner Paine | Gold Silver |
Shooting | Men's 30 metre pistol Men's 25 metre military pistol |
Competitors
Athletics
The United States squad of 11, which featured only one national champion, won nine gold medals in the twelve athletics events, with contributions from six different athletes. Six silver medals and two bronze medals also went to the Americans in athletics.
Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Thomas Burke | 100 m | 11.8 OR | 1 Q | 12.0 |
|
| Thomas Curtis | 12.2 | 1 Q | DNS | ||
| Ralph Derr | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Francis Lane | 12.2 | 1 Q | 12.6 |
| |
| Charles Vanoni | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Thomas Burke | 400 m | 58.4 | 1 Q | 54.2 OR |
|
| Herbert Jamison | 56.8 | 1 Q | 55.2 |
| |
| Thomas Burke | 800 m | DNS | Did not advance | ||
| Arthur Blake | 1500 m | — | 4:33.6 |
| |
| James Brendan Connolly | 110 m hurdles | DNS | Did not advance | ||
| Thomas Curtis | 18.0 | 1 Q | 17.6 OR |
| |
| William Hoyt | Unknown | 2 | DNS | ||
| Fred Lord | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Charles Vanoni | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Arthur Blake | Marathon | — | DNF | ||
Field events
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | ||
| Ellery Harding Clark | Men's high jump | 1.81 OR |
|
| James Brendan Connolly | 1.65 |
| |
| John Stanley Edwards | DNS | ||
| Robert Garrett | 1.65 |
| |
| William Hoyt | Men's pole vault | 3.30 OR |
|
| Albert Tyler | 3.20 |
| |
| Charles Vanoni | DNS | ||
| Ellery Harding Clark | Men's long jump | 6.35 OR |
|
| James Brendan Connolly | 6.11 |
| |
| Thomas Curtis | DNS | ||
| Ralph Derr | DNS | ||
| Robert Garrett | 6.18 |
| |
| James Brendan Connolly | Men's triple jump | 13.71 OR |
|
| Ellery Harding Clark | Men's shot put | Unknown | 5-7 |
| Robert Garrett | 11.22 OR |
| |
| Charles Vanoni | DNS | ||
| Robert Garrett | Men's discus throw | 29.15 WR |
|
| Charles Vanoni | DNS | ||
Cycling
Road
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Johnson | Men's road race | DNS | |
| B. MacDonald | DNS | ||
Fencing
| Athlete | Event | Round 1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MW | ML | Rank | Opposition Score |
Rank | ||
| Fred Hellen | Men's foil | DNS | ||||
| Albertson Van Zo Post | Men's sabre | DNS | ||||
Shooting
The Paine brothers contested only two events, taking the top two spots in the event in which they both competed, the military pistol. Sumner was the only one of the two to enter the free pistol, which he won. Waldstein was the third member of the American shooting contingent, competing in the military rifle event.
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | ||
| Charles Waldstein | Men's 200 m military rifle | Unknown | 14-41 |
| John Paine | Men's 25 m military pistol | 442 |
|
| Sumner Paine | 380 |
| |
| Sumner Paine | Men's 30 m pistol | 442 |
|
Swimming
Williams competed in two swimming events, with his results currently being unknown (lost in the years since).
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | ||
| Gardner Williams | 100 m freestyle | Unknown | 3-10 |
| Gardner Williams | 1200 m freestyle | Unknown | 3-8 |
References
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J. & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896 (PDF). Athens: Charles Beck.
- 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 [1])
- 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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