Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Template:Infobox Olympics Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It was the second appearance of the European nation, after having participated in the inaugural 1896 Games. In Olympic competition, the nation has always shortened its official name to Great Britain rather than the more common United Kingdom seen elsewhere.

Medallists

Gold

Charles Bennett – athletics, 1500 metres
Charlotte Cooper – tennis, women's singles
Laurence Doherty – tennis, men's singles
John Jarvis – swimming, men's 1000 metre freestyle
John Jarvis – swimming, men's 4000 metre freestyle
John Rimmer – athletics, 4000 metre steeplechase
Alfred Tysoe – athletics, 800 metres
Laurence Doherty and Reginald Doherty – tennis, men's doubles
Reginald Doherty and Charlotte Cooper – tennis, mixed doubles
Lorne Currie, John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton, Linton Hope, Algernon Maudslay – sailing, .5-1 ton race 1
Lorne Currie, John Gretton, Linton Hope, Algernon Maudslay – sailing, open class
Edward Hore, H. N. Jefferson, J. Howard Taylor – sailing, 3-10 ton race 2
Devon and Somerset Wanderers – cricket, 2-day 12-man
Upton Park F.C. – football, men's competition
Osborne Swimming Club – water polo, men's competition

Additionally, British athletes were part of three mixed teams to win gold medals.

Silver

Charles Bennett – athletics, 4000 metre steeplechase
Patrick Leahy – athletics, high jump
Harold Mahony – tennis, men's singles
Sidney Robinson – athletics, 2500 metre steeplechase
Walter Rutherford – golf, men's 36 holes
Moseley Wanderers – rugby, men's competition

Additionally, British athletes were part of two mixed teams to win silver medals.

Bronze

George Saint Ashe – rowing, single sculls
Reginald Doherty – tennis, men's singles
Edward Hore – sailing, 10-20 ton
Peter Kemp – swimming, men's 200 metre obstacle event
Patrick Leahy – athletics, long jump
Arthur Norris – tennis, men's singles
David Donaldson Robertson – golf, men's 36 holes
Sidney Robinson – athletics, 4000 metre steeplechase
Harold Mahony and Arthur Norris – tennis, men's doubles

Additionally, British athletes were part of three mixed teams to win bronze medals (two in mixed doubles tennis and one in polo).

Results by event

Athletics

Great Britain took 4 gold medals in athletics, including one as part of a mixed team (with 4 British athletes and one Australian). This put them second on the leaderboard for that sport, behind the dominant United States as the two nations to win multiple gold medals in the sport. The British team won a total of 9 athletics medals including a sweep of the 4000 metre steeplechase event. 9 athletes competed in 10 events.

Event	Place	Athlete	Heat	Final

800 metres	1st	Alfred Tysoe	Unknown 2nd, heat 1	2:01.2

1500 metres	1st	Charles Bennett	None held	4:06.0
1500 metres	7th-9th	John Rimmer	None held	Unknown

2500 metre steeplechase	2nd	Sidney Robinson	None held	7:38.0

4000 metre steeplechase	1st	John Rimmer	None held	12:58.4
	2nd	Charles Bennett		12:58.6
	3rd	Sidney Robinson		12:58.8

Marathon	—	E. Ion Pool	None held	Did not finish
		Frederick Randall		Did not finish
		William Saward		Did not finish

Event	Place	Team / Athlete	Score / Time

5000 metre team race	1st	Great Britain / Australia	26 points

	1st	Charles Bennett	1 point 15:29.2
	2nd	John Rimmer	2 points Unknown
	6th	Sidney Robinson	6 points Unknown
	7th	Alfred Tysoe	7 points Unknown
	10th	Stan Rowley (AUS)	10 points Did not finish

Event	Place	Athlete	Qualifier	Final

Long jump	3rd	Patrick Leahy	6.710 metres 5th	6.950 metres

Triple jump	4th	Patrick Leahy	None held	Unknown

High jump	2nd	Patrick Leahy	None held	1.78 metres

Discus throw	11th	Launceston Elliot	31.00 metres 11th	Did not advance

Cricket

Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers in cricket in 1900. The team won the only match, a 2-day 12-man contest, by 158 runs.

Event	Place	Cricketers	Final

2-day 12-man	1st	Devon and Somerset Wanderers C.B.K. Beachcroft (captain), Arthur Birkett, Alfred Bowerman, George Buckley, Francis Burchell, Frederick Christian, Harry Corner, Frederick Cuming, William Donne, Alfred Powlesland, John Symes, Montagu Toller	Won vs. France by 158 runs

Fencing

Great Britain first competed in fencing at the Olympics in the sport's second appearance. The nation sent one fencer.

Event	Place	Fencer	Round 1	Quarterfinals

Masters foil	44-60	Eugène Plisson	Not advanced by jury	Did not advance

Football

Upton Park F.C. represented Great Britain in the football competition. The club squad won its only match, against Club Française, 4-0.

Event	Place	Players	Match 1	Match 2

Men's football	1st	Upton Park F.C. James Jones; Claude Buckenham, William Gosling; Alfred Chalk, T. E. Burridge, William Quash; Arthur Turner, F. G. Spackman, J. Nicholas, Jack Zealley, A. Haslam (captain)	Won vs. Club Française 4-0	—

Golf

Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic golf events. The British golfers took the silver and bronze medals in the men's competition, making Great Britain the only nation other than the United States to win a golfing medal that year.

Event	Place	Golfer	Score

Men's (36 holes)	2nd	Walter Rutherford	168
	3rd	David Donaldson Robertson	175
	6th	George Thorne	185
	7th	William Bathurst Dove	186

Gymnastics

Great Britain's second Olympic gymnastics appearance was no more successful than the nation's first, resulting in no medals.

Event	Place	Gymnast	Score

Combined	31	William Connor	250
	43	Broadbeck	245
	54	Pearce	238
	73	Phillips	222
	124	Hiatt	172

Polo

Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic polo event. British athletes played on three of the five teams, two of which included American players while the third included French players. The mixed American/British combinations took the top two places, while the French/British team took third place.

Event	Place	Team	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final

Men's polo	1st	Foxhunters Hurlingham John Beresford Denis St. George Daly Alfred Rawlinson 2 American players	Won 10-0 vs. Compiègne (FRA)	Won 6-4 vs. Bagatelle (FRA/GBR)	Won 3-1 vs. Rugby (GBR/USA)
	2nd	BLO Polo Club Rugby Walter Buckmaster Frederick Freake Jean de Madre 1 American player	Bye	Won 8-0 vs. Mexico (MEX)	Lost 3-1 vs. Foxhunters (GBR/USA)
	3rd	Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris Frederick Agnew Gill 3 French players	Bye	Lost 6-4 vs. Foxhunters (GBR/USA)	Did not advance

Rowing

Britain had a single rower present at the first Olympic rowing contests, winning the bronze medal in the single sculls event.

Event	Place	Boat	Round 1	Semifinals	Final

Single sculls	3rd	George Saint Ashe	6:38.8 1st, heat 1	8:37.2 3rd, semifinal 1	8:15.6

Rugby

Britain was one of three teams to compete in the first Olympic rugby games. Britain lost its only game, against France. The game against Germany was cancelled due to travel plans.

Event	Place	Team	Match 1	Match 2	Match 3

Men's rugby	2nd	Moseley Wanderers F. C. Baylis, J. Henry Birtles, James Cantion, Arthur Darby, Clement Deykin, L. Hood, M. L. Logan, H. A. Loveitt, Herbert Nicol, V. Smith, M. W. Talbott, J. G. Wallis, Claude Whittindale, Raymond Whittindale, Francis Wilson	—	Lost 27-8 vs. France	Cancelled vs. Germany

Sailing

Great Britain matched France in gold medals at the 1900 sailing events with 5, but took only 1 other medal, a bronze. France took 8 silvers and 8 bronzes for a total of 21 medals to Britain's 6. However, even a perfect performance by the British athletes would have earned only a total of 8 medals—Great Britain failed to medal in only 2 of its attempts. The crew members listed are those listed by the IOC in their database. The Olympic historian Ian Buchanan in his book "British Olympians" (1991) states that "reports on many aspects of the 1900 regatta are inconclusive and the crew members of the British entry "Scotia" has never been positively settled. The records of the British Olympic Association give the crew as Lorne Currie, John Gretton and Linton Hope, but it has been established that Linton Hope was in England at the time of the races and his name only appears in the Olympic records as he was the designer of the "Scotia". Similarly the names of Currie and Gretton are probably only listed as the owners of the boat but as it is possible that they sailed their boat, they are listed as Olympic champions, although the participation of Lorne Currie, in particular, is in doubt. The one crew member whose participation has been established is Algernon Maudslay, whose name does not appear in any Olympic records, but from contemporary press reports it is clear that he was the helmsman of the "Scotia"".

Event	Place	Sailors	Time (total)

½-1 ton class	1st	Lorne Currie John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton Linton Hope Algernon Maudslay	3:29:45

2-3 ton class race 1	1st	E. William Exshaw Frédéric Blanchy (FRA) Jacques le Lavasseur (FRA)	2:17:30

2-3 ton class race 2	1st	E. William Exshaw Frédéric Blanchy (FRA) Jacques le Lavasseur (FRA)	4:17:34

3-10 ton class	1st	Edward Hore H. N. Jefferson J. Howard Taylor	4:14:58

Event	Place	Sailors	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Overall

10-20 ton class	3rd	Edward Hore	4:20:18 3rd, 8 points	3:41:49 1st, 10 points	Did not finish 6th, 5 points	23 points
10-20 ton class	5th	S. M. Mellor	4:25:48 5th, 6 points	3:53:17 5th, 6 points	3:36:02 4th, 7 points	19 points

Event	Place	Sailor	Time

Open class	1st	Lorne Currie John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton Linton Hope Algernon Maudslay	5:56:17
Open class	—	E. William Exshaw Frédéric Blanchy (FRA) Jacques le Lavasseur (FRA)	Did not finish

Shooting

Great Britain was represented by one shooter in its second appearance. Merlin, who had competed for Great Britain four years earlier, competed again. He tied for 7th in the trap shooting event.

Event	Place	Shooter	Score

Trap shooting	7th	Sidney Merlin	12

Swimming

Event	Place	Swimmer	Semifinals	Final

Men's 200 metre freestyle	4th	Robert Crawshaw	2:40.0 2nd, semifinal 1	2:45.6
	6th	F. Stapleton	2:47.0 2nd, semifinal 5	2:55.0
	11th	Peter Kemp	2:51.0 2nd, semifinal 2	Did not advance

Men's 1000 metre freestyle	1st	John Jarvis	14:28.6 1st, semifinal 1	13:40.2
Men's 1000 metre freestyle	10th	Thomas Burgess	16:54.0 2nd, semifinal 4	Did not finish

Men's 4000 metre freestyle	1st	John Jarvis	1:01:48.4 1st, semifinal 1	58:24.0
	4th	Thomas Burgess	1:15:04.8 2nd, semifinal 1	1:15:07.6
	8th	William Henry	1:22:58.4 3rd, semifinal 2	Did not finish
	18th	E. T. Jones	Did not finish semifinal 3	Did not advance

Men's 200 metre backstroke	5th	Thomas Burgess	3:50.4 3rd, semifinal 1	3:12.0
Men's 200 metre backstroke	9th	Robert Crawshaw	3:15.0 2nd, semifinal 1	Did not finish

Men's 200 metre obstacle event	3rd	Peter Kemp	3:12.0 1st, semifinal 3	2:47.4
	5th	F. Stapleton	3:18.4 3rd, semifinal 1	2:55.0
	6th	William Henry	3:14.4 2nd, semifinal 2	2:58.0

Tennis

Event	Place	Player	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final

Men's singles	1st	Laurence Doherty	Won 6-2, 6-3	Won 6-2, 8-6	Won walkover^[1]	Won 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
	2nd	Harold Mahony	Won 6-2, 6-3	Bye	Won 8-6, 6-1	Lost 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
	3rd	Reginald Doherty	Won 6-1, 6-3	Won 6-2, 6-1	Lost walkover^[1]	Did not advance
	3rd	Arthur Norris	Won 6-4, 6-4	Won 6-4, 6-2	Lost 8-6, 6-1	Did not advance
	5th	Archibald Warden	Bye	Lost 6-4, 6-2	Did not advance

Women's singles	1st	Charlotte Cooper	None held	Won 6-2, 6-0	Won 6-2, 7-5	Won 6-1, 6-4

Men's doubles	1st	Laurence Doherty Reginald Doherty	None held	Won 6-2, 6-3	Won 6-4, 6-1, 6-4	Won 6-1, 6-1, 6-0
	3rd	Harold Mahony Arthur Norris		Won 6-8, 6-1, 6-8	Lost 6-4, 6-1, 6-4	Did not advance
	5th	Archibald Warden Charles Sands (USA)		Lost 6-8, 6-3, 7-5	Did not advance

Mixed doubles	1st	Reginald Doherty Charlotte Cooper	None held	Bye	Won 6-2, 6-4	Won 6-2, 6-4
	2nd	Harold Mahony Hélène Prévost (FRA)		Bye	Won 6-3, 6-0	Lost 6-2, 6-4
	3rd	Laurence Doherty Marion Jones (USA)		Won 6-1, 7-5	Lost 6-2, 6-4	Did not advance
	3rd	Archibald Warden Hedwiga Rosenbaumová (Bohemia)		Won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2	Lost 6-3, 6-0	Did not advance

Water polo

The British water polo team won gold easily. The roster listed is that credited with gold medals by the IOC; the actual competition roster may have differed with up to five of the listed players not actually playing.^[2] One British player (Thomas William Burgess) played on a French team that won a bronze medal, as well, but the IOC credits that appearance to France and not Great Britain or a mixed team.

Event	Place	Team	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
Men's water polo	1st	Osborne Swimming Club Thomas Coe, John Henry Derbyshire, Peter Kemp, William Lister, Arthur G. Robertson, Eric Robinson, George Wilkinson	Won 12-0	Won 10-1	Won 7-2

Notes

^ ^a ^b Reginald and Laurence Doherty refused to play each other prior to the final. Since they were seeded in such a way that they would face each other in the semifinals, Reginald withdrew, accepting a bronze medal while Lawrence went on to win gold.
^ Sports-Reference

[Walkover-1] Reginald and Laurence Doherty refused to play each other prior to the final. Since they were seeded in such a way that they would face each other in the semifinals, Reginald withdrew, accepting a bronze medal while Lawrence went on to win gold.

[SRWaterPolo-2] Sports-Reference

[1]

[2]