Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

Men's discus throw at the Games of the V Olympiad
Taipale on the way to win the gold medal.
Venue	Stockholm Olympic Stadium
Date	July 12
Competitors	41 from 15 nations
Medalists
Armas Taipale  Finland Richard Byrd  United States James Duncan  United States

Armas Taipale in action.

Silver medalist Richard Byrd.

The men's discus throw was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Friday, July 12, 1912. Forty-one discus throwers from 15 nation competed.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

World Record	47.58	James Duncan	New York (USA)	May 27, 1912
Olympic Record	40.89	Martin Sheridan	London (GBR)	July 16, 1908

Results

No fewer than seven throwers beat the old Olympic record of 40.89 metres, beginning with Duncan and Niklander's first throws. Niklander's was the best of the round. The second throw resulted in Mucks joining those who beat the old record, while Taipale, Byrd, and Duncan beat even the new one, with Taipale's 43.91 metres setting a mark no other thrower would reach. Philbrook and Tronner beat the old record in the third throw, but neither was able to break into the top three. Niklander, after his first throw, was unable to make another legal mark and fell to fourth, where he finished.

In the final, Byrd and Duncan were unable to improve upon their previous marks, throwing shorter in their first throws and scratching in their second and third throws each. Taipale, on the other hand, regardless of the safety of his lead, threw even further in his first and then his third throw, finishing at 45.21 metres, nearly 3 metres ahead of Byrd.

Place	Athlete	Preliminary				Final			Best mark
		1	2	3	Rank	4	5	6
1	Armas Taipale (FIN)	36.94	43.91 OR	—	1st	44.34 OR	—	45.21 OR	45.21
2	Richard Byrd (USA)	37.48	42.32	—	2nd	41.09	—	—	42.32
3	James Duncan (USA)	41.61	42.28	—	3rd	41.33	—	—	42.28
4	Elmer Niklander (FIN)	42.09 OR	—	—	4th				42.09
5	Hans Tronner (AUT)	39.97	—	41.24	5th				41.24
6	Arlie Mucks (USA)	40.54	40.93	—	6th				40.93
7	George Philbrook (USA)	38.14	38.55	40.92	7th				40.92
8	Emil Magnusson (SWE)	39.91	—	—	8th				39.91
9	Rezsõ Újlaki (HUN)	39.82	—	—	9th				39.82
10	Einar Nilsson (SWE)	37.26	38.77	39.69	10th				39.69
11	Ralph Rose (USA)	37.24	38.82	39.65	11th				39.65
12	Emil Muller (USA)	37.91	38.69	39.35	12th				39.35
13	Michalis Dorizas (GRE)	—	39.28	—	13th				39.28
14	Duncan Gillis (CAN)	39.01	—	—	14th				39.01
15	Verner Järvinen (FIN)	34.15	38.60	—	15th				38.60
16	Josef Waitzer (GER)	38.44	—	—	16th				38.44
17	František Janda-Suk (BOH)	32.41	36.83	38.31	17th				38.31
18	Aurelio Lenzi (ITA)	35.58	38.19	—	18th				38.19
19	Károly Kobulszky (HUN)	37.81	38.15	—	19th				38.15
20	Lawrence Whitney (USA)	34.87	37.91	—	20th				37.91
21	György Luntzer (HUN)	37.88	—	—	21st				37.88
22	Avery Brundage (USA)	37.48	37.85	—	22nd				37.85
23	Gunnar Nilsson (SWE)	—	37.44	—	23rd				37.44
24	Emil Welz (GER)	36.16	37.24	—	24th				37.24
25	Samu Fóti (HUN)	35.51	—	36.37	25th				36.37
26	Gunnar Bolander (SWE)	—	36.22	—	26th				36.22
27	Carl Lind (SWE)	—	35.04	36.07	27th				36.07
28	Folke Fleetwood (SWE)	32.09	32.89	35.06	28th				35.06
29	Josef Schäffer (AUT)	—	34.87	—	29th				34.87
30	André Tison (FRA)	34.73	—	—	30th				34.73
31	Marcel Pelletier (LUX)	33.73	—	—	31st				33.73
32	Walter Henderson (GBR)	—	33.61	—	32nd				33.61
33	Mór Kóczán (HUN)	33.30	—	—	33rd				33.30
34	Mgirdiç Migiryan (TUR)	—	—	32.98	34th				32.98
35	Nikolay Neklepayev (RUS)	32.59	—	—	35th				32.59
36	Charles Lagarde (FRA)	30.76	—	32.35	36th				32.35
37	Henning Möller (SWE)	—	32.23	—	37th				32.23
38	Miroslav Šustera (BOH)	31.83	—	—	38th				31.83
39	Ēriks Vanags (RUS)	—	31.34	—	39th				31.34
40	Otto Nilsson (SWE)	31.07	—	—	40th				31.07
41	Paul Willführ (GER)	—	—	—	41st				None

Sources

• Bergvall, Erik (ed.) (1913). Adams-Ray, Edward (trans.). (ed.). The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
• Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 5 January 2007.