Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics
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At the 1900 Summer Olympics, twenty-three athletics events were contested. Altogether, 117 athletes from 15 nations competed. A total of 68 medals (23 gold, 23 silver, and 22 bronze) were awarded. The 23 events listed are those currently considered to have been of Olympic stature by the International Olympic Committee and most Olympic historians. They exclude all events that used a handicap system, as well as all events which were open to professional athletes. The IOC has never in any way distinguished between the events at the 1900 Games as having or not having "Olympic stature".[1]
| Athletics at the Games of the II Olympiad | |
|---|---|
Host stadium (shown in 2017) | |
| Venue | Croix-Catelan Stadium |
| Dates | 14–22 July 1900 |
| No. of events | 23 (23 men, 0 women) |
| Competitors | 117 from 16 nations |
Competitions were held on 14 July, 15 July, 16 July, 19 July, and 22 July. This included Bastille Day, which is a French holiday, and then Sunday, which many of the American athletes protested. Even with many Americans not competing in finals because of confusion caused by the organizers' decision to count scores achieved on Monday, 16 July for finals held on Sunday, 15 July and subsequent rescission of that decision, the United States won more than 4 times as many medals as any other nation, including 16 of the 23 gold medals.
The conditions of competition were also subpar compared even to those at the previous games in 1896. There was no track for the Paris Games, as a grass field dotted with trees and of unequal elevation was used. The course was 500 metres in length, an unusual distance for a track.
Medal summary
Sources:[2]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 17 | 13 | 11 | 41 |
| 2 |  Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 |  France | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 |  Hungary | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 |  India | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 |  Bohemia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  Australia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 |  Denmark | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Norway | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (10 entries) | 23 | 23 | 22 | 68 | |
These medals are retroactively assigned by the International Olympic Committee; at the time, winners were given a variety of prizes, sometimes including silver medals.
Daily summary
14 July
- All rounds, including the finals, for the 100 metres and the 110 metre hurdles were held. The United States took 5 of the medals, missing only the bronze medal in the 100 metres won by Stan Rowley of Australia. Frank Jarvis won the 100 metres, with Alvin Kraenzlein taking the gold in the 110 metre hurdles.
- In the 400 metre heats, the United States took 5 qualifying spots for the final while Denmark secured the last one. The 800 metres was more balanced, with 3 Americans and one athlete each from France, Great Britain, and Hungary.
- The 400 metre hurdles semifinals eliminated only one athlete, with the other four advancing to the finals.
- Defending discus and shot put champion Robert Garrett failed to make a mark in the qualification round of the discus throw, but did advance to the final in the shot put. Bohemia advanced a thrower in the discus, an event which saw 5 athletes from 5 different nations qualify.
- Surprising few, Kraenzlein and Meyer Prinstein took the top two spots in the long jump qualification, moving to the final along with a third American, a Briton, and a Frenchman.
15 July
- In a busy day for the athletics program, 10 finals were held along with the semifinals of the 60 metres (which was one of the events with a final that day). The United States took 7 of the championships, with Great Britain, Canada, and Hungary each picking up one.
- Kraenzlein took the top spots in the 60 metres and the long jump, the latter victory allegedly earning him a punch in the face from Prinstein, who had not competed because the final was held on a Sunday. This brought Kraenzlein's total to 3 gold medals, better than any athlete had done four years earlier. Irving Baxter also took gold in two events, the high jump and the pole vault.
- Denmark won its first athletics medal, with a bronze in the 400 metres. Charles Bennett's gold in the 1500 metres gave Britain its first gold in the sport. Canadian George Orton took two medals, a gold and a bronze, but did so while representing the United States.[5][6] Hungary won its first gold with the discus throw, adding a bronze in the high jump. Bohemia, another nation making its debut, took the silver medal in the discus.
- The steeplechase made its Olympic debut, with the 2500 metre version won by Orton.
16 July
- Eight more finals were held on Monday the 16th. Kraenzlein picked up a fourth victory with the 200 metre hurdles, winning both his semifinal and the final to set a long-lived Olympic record for athletic gold medals in individual events. Ray Ewry won all three of the standing jumps, each of which made its Olympic debut in 1900. Great Britain picked up another pair of gold medals with the 800 metres and the 4000 metre steeplechase. Prinstein got his long-awaited victory in the triple jump, while John Flanagan's hammer throw earned the United States its 6th championship of the day.
- India's debut Games reached a high point with Norman Pritchard's silver medal in the 200 metre hurdles.
19 July
- The marathon was the only event held on the 19th. Michel Théato, a Luxembourgish citizen under the French flag, won the gold medal. Sweden earned its first athletics medal with the bronze in the marathon.
22 July
- The two remaining events were held on Sunday the 22nd. The semifinals and finals of the 200 metres and the 5000 metre team race were held.
- Pritchard won his second silver medal in the 200 metres, while Rowley won his third bronze in the same event. The race was won by Walter Tewksbury, bringing his total for the Games to five medals, including two gold medals.
- The 5000 metre team race was won by the British team, which included Stan Rowley of Australia. This makes Rowley the only athlete in Olympic history to win gold medals for multiple nations in the same Games; the establishment of National Olympic Committees ensures this accomplishment will remain unique. Also of note is that Rowley did not finish the race: it was far longer than the sprinter was accustomed to running, and after he had been injured and reduced to walking, he retired after everyone else had crossed the finish line to accept last place.
Participating nations
Non-medal events
In 1900, there was no official distinction between Olympic events and other athletic events held during the Games. The athletics programme included a number of events that were restricted to professionals or were conducted as handicap competitions. These events are nowadays by the IOC not classified as Olympic medal events.[7]
These events are:[8]
| Games | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| pole vault (special scratch #1) |
Bascom Johnson (USA) | ||
| pole vault (special scratch #2) |
Daniel Horton (USA) |
Charles Dvorak (USA) | |
| 100 metres (handicap) |
Edmund Minahan (USA) |
Bill Holland (USA) |
Norman Pritchard (IND) |
| 400 metres (handicap) |
Pál Koppán (HUN) |
 Albert Werkmüller (GER) |
André Lemonnier (FRA) |
| 800 metres (handicap) |
Christian Christensen (DEN) |
Howard Hayes (USA) |
Harvey Lord (USA) |
| 1,500 metres (handicap) |
Franz Duhne (GER) |
Christian Christensen (DEN) |
Délivre (FRA) |
| 110 metres hurdles (handicap) |
Gustav Adolf Rau (GER) |
Norman Pritchard (IND) |
Adolphe Klingelhoefer (FRA) |
| 400 metres hurdles (handicap) |
Norman Pritchard (IND) |
Walter Tewksbury (USA) |
William Lewis (USA) |
| 2,500 metres steeplechase (handicap) |
 Hermann Wraschtil (AUT) |
Franz Duhne (GER) |
Edward Bushnell (USA) |
| high jump (handicap) |
Tore Blom (SWE) |
Gyula Strausz (HUN) |
Waldemar Steffen (GER) |
| long jump (handicap) |
Pál Koppán (HUN) |
John McLean (USA) |
Thaddeus McClain (USA) |
| pole vault (handicap) |
Jakab Kauser (HUN) |
Eric Lemming (SWE) |
Meredith Colket (USA) |
| shot put (handicap) |
Rezső Crettier (HUN) |
Roger Basset (FRA) |
Guillaume de Saint-Cyr (FRA) |
| discus throw (handicap) |
Gustaf Söderström (SWE) |
Gyula Strausz (HUN) |
Karl Gustaf Staaf (SWE) |
| 100 metres (professionals) |
Edgar Bredin (GBR) |
Jules Bouchoux (FRA) |
Barriol (FRA) |
| 400 metres (professionals) |
Edgar Bredin (GBR) |
Victor Legrain (FRA) |
Jules Bouchoux (FRA) |
| 1,500 metres (professionals) |
Edgar Bredin (GBR) |
Claude Bouchoux (FRA) |
Eugène Neveu (FRA) |
| 5,000 metres (professionals) |
Albert Charbonnel (FRA) |
Emile Laurent (FRA) |
Charles Aubry (FRA) |
| 6-hour race (professionals) |
Victor Bagré (FRA) |
Albert Charbonnel (FRA) |
Albert Chauvelot (FRA) |
| 110 metres hurdles (professionals) |
Jules Treyens (FRA) |
 Pierre Charbonnel (BEL) | |
| 2,500 metres steeplechase (professionals) |
Eugène Neveu (FRA) |
Eugène Pican (FRA) |
Claude Bouchoux (FRA) |
| high jump (professionals) |
Mike Sweeney (USA) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
Noël Douet (FRA) |
| long jump (professionals) |
Mike Sweeney (USA) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
Jules Bouchoux (FRA) |
| shot put (professionals) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
Noël Douet (FRA) | |
| 100 metres (professionals / handicap) |
Moncet (FRA) |
Albert Hannais (FRA) |
Pradeau (FRA) |
| 400 metres (professionals / handicap) |
Triolet (FRA) |
Albert Hannais (FRA) |
Lieuvain (FRA) |
| 1,500 metres (professionals / handicap) |
Forget (FRA) |
Jules Treyens (FRA) |
Octave Joannet (FRA) |
| high jump (professionals / handicap) |
Noël Douet (FRA) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
Mike Sweeney (USA) |
| long jump (professionals / handicap) |
Jules Treyens (FRA) |
Mike Sweeney (USA) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
| shot put (professionals / handicap) |
Noël Douet (FRA) |
Caillet (FRA) |
Otto Schoenfeld (USA) |
Notes
- In 2021, the IOC online data and medal table for the 1900 Games were changed to reflect medalists' nationalities in this and eight other events, including for Michel Théato.[3] This led some to believe that Luxembourg had officially recovered this Olympic title. This change in the IOC online data was later reversed.[4]
- Canadian George Orton took two medals, a gold and a bronze, but did so while representing the United States.[5][6]