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

(Redirected from Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's pole vault)

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 higher than the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos tied for third, while Xydas took fifth.[1]

Men's pole vault
at the Games of the I Olympiad
The finish of the marathon interrupted the pole vault
VenuePanathinaiko Stadium
Date10 April 1896
Competitors5 from 2 nations
Winning height3.30
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) William Hoyt
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Albert Tyler
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Evangelos Damaskos
 Greece
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Ioannis Theodoropoulos
 Greece
1900 →

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. Eighteen athletes entered, but only five started. The world record holder was Walter Rodenbaugh, but he was absent along with five-time AAA winner Richard Dickinson of Great Britain. Of the vaulters present, William Hoyt was the favorite on the basis of a third-place finish at the 1895 ICAAAA.[2][3]

Competition format

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There was a single round of vaulting. The bar started at 2.40 metres, increasing 10 centimetres at a time until 3.20 metres and then by 5 centimetres at a time.[2][3]

Records

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

World record   Walter Rodenbaugh (USA)* 3.49 m (11 ft 5+1⁄4 in) Philadelphia 17 September 1892[4]
Olympic record N/A

* unofficial

The following record was established during the competition:

Date Event Athlete Nation Distance (m) Record
April 10 Final William Hoyt   United States 3.30 OR

Schedule

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The exact time of the contest is not known; it was the fourth event of the afternoon session, following the 100 metres final, high jump, and 110 metres hurdles final. The pole vault took long enough that it was interrupted by the finish of the marathon.

Date Time Round
Gregorian Julian
Friday, 10 April 1896 Friday, 29 March 1896 Final

Results

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Key

  • o = Height cleared
  • x = Height failed
  • – = Height passed
  • r  = Retired
  • SB = Season's best
  • PB = Personal best
  • NR = National record
  • AR = Area record
  • OR = Olympic record
  • WR = World record
  • WL = World lead
  • NM = No mark
  • DNS = Did not start
  • DQ = Disqualified

The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised 10 centimetres 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 that gave neither any difficulty. Tyler was unable to clear the 3.30 metres height, and Hoyt failed at 3.40 metres only.

Rank Athlete Nation 2.40 2.50 2.60 2.70 2.80 2.90 3.00 3.10 3.20 3.25 3.30 Height Notes
  William Hoyt   United States — — — — o o o o o o o 3.30 OR
  Albert Tyler   United States — — — — o o o o o x — 3.20
  Evangelos Damaskos   Greece o o o x — 2.60
Ioannis Theodoropoulos   Greece o o o x — 2.60
5 Vasilios Xydas   Greece o x — 2.40

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Pole Vault". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Pole Vault, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b Official Report, p. 85.
  4. ^ "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

Sources

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