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Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

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Men's discus throw
at the Games of the I Olympiad
Robert Garrett throwing the discus
VenuePanathinaiko Stadium
Dates6 April 1896
Competitors9 from 6 nations
Winning distance29.15 WR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Robert Garrett
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos
 Greece
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Sotirios Versis
 Greece
1900 →
Athletics at the
1896 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 mmen
400 mmen
800 mmen
1500 mmen
110 m hurdlesmen
Road events
Marathonmen
Field events
Long jumpmen
Triple jumpmen
High jumpmen
Pole vaultmen
Shot putmen
Discus throwmen

The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event (and the second final) held. It was contested on 6 April. 9 athletes competed, including one each from France, Sweden, the United States, and Great Britain as well as three Greeks and two Danes.[1][2]

Many of the competitors had never thrown a discus before, as the event had never been held at an international competition. Robert Garrett of the United States was the last foreigner in the competition, and eventually defeated the famed Greek competitors to win the second modern Olympic gold medal. Garrett had practiced with a 10 kilogram discus, resulting in disappointing marks and his deciding not to compete in Athens (and competing only in the shot put, which he would win the next day); upon arrival, he learned that the actual discus weighed two kilograms and decided to compete.[2] Greece took the second (Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) and third (Sotirios Versis) places.

Background

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This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Thirteen athletes entered, but only nine started. Athletes from outside Greece were unfamiliar with the event, while the Greek champions (most notably Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) were somewhat hampered by attempting to "strike poses reminiscent of the ancient Greek statues of 'diskoboloi.'"[2][3]

Competition format

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There was a single round of throwing. Each thrower received three throws and the top three after that received two more.[2][3] The throws were made from a square area with a side length of 2 to 2.5 meters. The discus weighed 2 kilograms. Throws were supposed to be made in the style of Myron's Discobolus statue, though this rule was not enforced (to the extent it would have been possible).

Records

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These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1896 Summer Olympics.

World record  Erik Eriksson (SWE)* 35.74 m (117 ft 3 in) Stockholm 6 October 1895[4]
Olympic record N/A N/A N/A N/A

* unofficial

The following record was established during the competition:

Date Event Athlete Nation Distance (m) Record
April 6 Final Robert Garrett  United States 29.15 OR

Schedule

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Date Time Round
Gregorian Julian
Monday, 6 April 1896 Monday, 25 March 1896 16:25 Final

Results

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As with many of the 1896 events, the results are incomplete and disputed. The list below is per Olympedia. The IOC webpage has these 9 competitors, placing Papasideris 5th, Robertson 6th, and Sjöberg 7th (with no 4th place finisher listed). The Official Report says there were 11 competitors, though it is often unclear whether it means those who entered or who actually competed. The nationality of the two additional men are given as German and Danish, so the Official Report appears to include Schuhmann and Winckler. Megede replaces Grisel with an "A. Adler" of France, placing him 4th, follows the IOC webpage placement of Papasideris, Robertson, and Sjöberg, and includes Schuhmann and Winckler as having competed.[2][3][5][6]

Rank Athlete Nation 1 2 3 4 5 Distance Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) Robert Garrett  United States 27.53 X Unknown 28.72 29.15 OR 29.15 OR
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos  Greece 28.51 Unknown Unknown 28.88 28.95 OR 28.95
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Sotirios Versis  Greece Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 27.78
4 George S. Robertson  Great Britain Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance 25.20
5–9 Adolphe Grisel  France Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance Unknown
Viggo Jensen  Denmark Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance Unknown
Holger Nielsen  Denmark Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance Unknown
Georgios Papasideris  Greece Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance Unknown
Henrik Sjöberg  Sweden Unknown Unknown Unknown did not advance Unknown
— Louis Adler  France DNS
Carl Schuhmann  Germany DNS
Charles Vanoni  United States DNS
Charles Winckler  Denmark DNS

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Official Report, p. 64.
  4. ^ "Track & Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Discus Throw Men". IOC. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  6. ^ Ekkehard zur Megede (1970). Die Geschichte der olympischen Leichtathletik, Band 1: 1896–1936 (2nd ed.). Berlin: Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG.

Sources

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