Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's pole vault

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Athletics at the
1896 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 m   men
400 m men
800 m men
1500 m men
110 m hurdles men
Road events
Marathon men
Field events
Long jump men
Triple jump men
High jump men
Pole vault men
Shot put men
Discus throw men

The men's pole vault was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Five athletes competed in the pole vault. The two Americans far outclassed the three Greeks, starting at heights above those which the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos tied for third, while Xydas took fifth.

[edit] Medallists

Gold Silver Bronze
United States Welles Hoyt
United States
United States Albert Tyler
United States
Greece Evangelos Damaskos
Greece
Greece Ioannis Theodoropoulos
Greece

[edit] Results

Place Athlete Nation Height
1 Welles Hoyt United States United States 3.30 metres
2 Albert Tyler United States United States 3.20 metres
3 Evangelos Damaskos Greece Greece 2.60 metres
Ioannis Theodoropoulos Greece Greece 2.60 metres
5 Vasilios Xydas Greece Greece 2.40 metres

The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised .10 metres at a time, eliminating Xydas after he failed the second jump and the other two after they failed the fourth height. The American pair did not jump at any of those heights, instead beginning at 2.80 metres, a height at which neither had any difficulty. Tyler was unable to clear the 3.30 metres height, and Hoyt failed at 3.40 metres.

[edit] 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.  (Digitally available at AAFLA.org)
  • 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.  (Excerpt available at AAFLA.org)
  • Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.