Charles Gmelin

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Olympic medal record
Men's Athletics
Bronze	1896 Athens	400 metres

Charles Henry Stuart Gmelin (born 28 May 1872 in Krishnagar, India - died October 12, 1950 in Oxford) was a British athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

[edit] Personal Life

Gmelin was born in Bengal, India, where his father was a Christian missionary, but returned to England at an early age for schooling. He was educated at Magdalene College School and Keble College. After graduating he took holy orders and later become headmaster of Freshfields School in Oxford. Gmelin was an all round sportsman who represented Oxfordshire at both football and cricket.

[edit] Olympic Record

He had the distinction of being the first British athlete to compete in Olympic competition when he finished third in the inaugural heat of the 100 metres. He did not advance to the final.

He was more successful in the 400 metres where he finished second behind Tom Burke of the United States in his preliminary heat. This qualified him for the final, where he placed third behind the United States pairing of Tom Burke and Herbert Jamison in a time of 55.6 seconds. For many years the German runner Fritz Hoffmann was incorrectly listed as placing ahead of Gmelin.

Although no awards were made for third place in the 1896 Summer Olympics he is usually credited as a bronze medal winner.