United States at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Fourteen competitors from the United States competed in three sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Americans were the most successful nation in terms of gold medals, beating host nation Greece, 11 to 10, despite fielding only 14 competitors compared to an estimated 169 Greek entrants. However, the Greeks' 46 total medals dwarfed the Americans' 20.

The United States team had 27 entries in 16 events, with 20 of the 27 resulting in top-three finishes.

Most of the American competitors were students at Harvard University or Princeton University or members of the Boston Athletic Association. The team trained at The Pennington School, in Pennington, New Jersey, while preparing in secret for the first modern Olympic Games.

Medalists

Of the 14 Americans at the Athens Games, 12 won medals. Charles Waldstein, a shooter, and Gardner Williams, a swimmer, were the two who did not win any medals.

Several members of America's first Olympic team in 1896. Standing: T.E. Burke, Thomas P. Curtis, Ellery H. Clark. Seated: W.W. Hoyt, Sumner Paine, Trainer John Graham, John B. Paine, Arthur C. Blake

Medal	Name	Sport	Event
Gold	Thomas Burke	Athletics	Men's 100 metres
Gold	Thomas Curtis	Athletics	Men's 110 metre hurdles
Gold	Thomas Burke	Athletics	Men's 400 metres
Gold	Ellery Clark	Athletics	Men's high jump
Gold	Ellery Clark	Athletics	Men's long jump
Gold	James Connolly	Athletics	Men's triple jump
Gold	William Hoyt	Athletics	Men's pole vault
Gold	Robert Garrett	Athletics	Men's discus throw
Gold	Robert Garrett	Athletics	Men's shot put
Gold	John Paine	Shooting	Men's 25 metre military pistol
Gold	Sumner Paine	Shooting	Men's 30 metre free pistol
Silver	Herbert Jamison	Athletics	Men's 400 metres
Silver	Arthur Blake	Athletics	Men's 1500 metres
Silver	James Connolly	Athletics	Men's high jump
Silver	Robert Garrett	Athletics	Men's high jump
Silver	Robert Garrett	Athletics	Men's long jump
Silver	Albert Tyler	Athletics	Men's pole vault
Silver	Sumner Paine	Shooting	Men's 25 metre military pistol
Bronze	Francis Lane	Athletics	Men's 100 metres
Bronze	James Connolly	Athletics	Men's long jump

Results by event

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Thomas Curtis

US athletic team

The United States squad won nine gold medals in the twelve athletics (track and field) events, with contributions from six different athletes. Six silver medals and two bronze medals also went to the Americans in athletics.

Event	Place	Athlete	Heat	Final
100 metres	1st	Thomas Burke	12.0 seconds	12.0 seconds
	3rd	Francis Lane	12.2 seconds	12.6 seconds
	–	Thomas Curtis	12.2 seconds	Did not start
400 metres	1st	Thomas Burke	58.4 seconds	54.2 seconds
	2nd	Herbert Jamison	56.8 seconds	55.2 seconds
1500 metres	2nd	Arthur Blake	No heats	4:34.0
110 metre hurdles	1st	Thomas Curtis	18.4 seconds	17.6 seconds
	–	William Hoyt	Unknown	Did not start
Marathon	–	Arthur Blake	No heats	Did not finish

James Connolly

Event	Place	Athlete	Best mark
Long jump	1st	Ellery Clark	6.35 metres
	2nd	Robert Garrett	6.00 metres
	3rd	James Connolly	5.84 metres
Triple jump	1st	James Connolly	13.71 metres
High jump	1st	Ellery Clark	1.81 metres
	2nd	James Connolly	1.65 metres
		Robert Garrett	1.65 metres
Pole vault	1st	William Hoyt	3.30 metres
	2nd	Albert Tyler	3.20 metres
Shot put	1st	Robert Garrett	11.22
	–	Ellery Clark	Unknown
Discus throw	1st	Robert Garrett	29.15 metres

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics

The Paine brothers contested only two events, taking the top two spots in the event in which they both competed, the military pistol. Sumner was the only one of the two to enter the free pistol, which he won. Waldstein was the third member of the American shooting contingent, competing in the military rifle event.

Event	Place	Shooter	Score	Hits
Military rifle	–	Charles Waldstein	Unknown
Military pistol	1st	John Paine	442	25
	2nd	Sumner Paine	380	23
Free pistol	1st	Sumner Paine	442	24

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Williams competed in two swimming events, placing in neither.

Event	Place	Swimmer	Time
100 metre freestyle	–	Gardner Williams	Unknown
1200 metre freestyle	–	Gardner Williams	Unknown

References

• Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) (Digitally available at [1])
• Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) (Excerpt available at [2])
• Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.