Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump
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The men's triple jump was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. There were 7 competitors from 5 nations in the triple jump, then known as the "hop, skip, and jump" despite the wide range of techniques used by the competitors. The event was held on 6 April, immediately after the first heats of the 100 metre race. Since there was only one round of the triple jump, the winner was crowned as the first modern Olympic champion.[1]
| Men's triple jump at the Games of the I Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James B. Connolly won the triple jump and became the first Olympic Champion since the 4th century AD | ||||||||||
| Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | |||||||||
| Dates | 6 April 1896 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 7 from 5 nations | |||||||||
| Winning distance | 13.71 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
The winning margin was 1.01 metres which as of 2023 remains the only time the men's triple jump was won by more than 60 cm at the Olympics.
Background
Competition format
There was a single round of jumping. There were no rules on the jumps allowed. "The styles of the medalists were described in The Field as follows: Connolly took two hops on his right foot and then a jump; Tuffèri performed a hop, step and a jump in the standard English method; and Persakis used two steps and a jump."[2][3]
Records
There were no standing Olympic records (as this was the first Games) before the event.
* unofficial
The following record was established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Athlete | Nation | Distance (m) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6 | Final | James Brendan Connolly |  United States | 13.71 | OR |
Schedule
The exact time of the contest is not known; it was the second event of the Games. The first day began with the arrival of the King and a brief opening ceremony at 3 p.m., followed by the first round of the 100 metres before the triple jump began.
| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gregorian | Julian | ||
| Monday, 6 April 1896 | Monday, 25 March 1896 | Final | |
Results
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
James Brendan Connolly | United States |
13.71 | OR |
 |
Alexandre Tuffèri |  France |
12.70 | |
 |
Ioannis Persakis |  Greece |
12.52 | |
| 4 | Alajos Szokolyi |  Hungary |
11.26 | |
| 5 | Carl Schuhmann |  Germany |
Unknown | |
| 6–7 | Fritz Hofmann | Germany |
Unknown | |
| Khristos Zoumis | Greece |
Unknown | ||
| — | Alfred Flatow | Germany |
DNS | |
| Adolphe Grisel | France |
DNS | ||
| Pál Péthy | Hungary |
DNS | ||
| Friedrich Traun | Germany |
DNS |