The men's 2500 metres steeplechase was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was the first time that a steeplechase race was held at the Olympics. The race was held on July 15, 1900,[1] on a 500-metre track. Six athletes from six nations competed in the shorter of the two steeplechase events. The 4000 metre steeplechase race was held one day later. The event was won by George Orton of Canada, the nation's first gold medal in athletics. Sidney Robinson of Great Britain took silver, while Jean Chastanié of France earned bronze.
| Men's 2500 metres steeplechase at the Games of the II Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Finish of the race | ||||||||||
| Venue | Bois de Boulogne | |||||||||
| Date | July 15 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 6 from 6 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 7:34.4 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Background
editThis was the first Olympic steeplechase race, and the only time that an Olympic steeplechase race was held over the distance of 2500 metres. The 1900 Games introduced steeplechase events with this competition and the 4000 metres steeplechase. The next two Games would each feature a steeplechase, but at different distances: 2590 metres in 1904 and 3200 metres in 1908. There was no steeplechase event in 1912. After World War I, the now-standard 3000 metres steeplechase was introduced and has been held at every Games since. Women's steeplechase, also at 3000 metres, was added in 2008.
Most of the American team did not compete due to the event being scheduled on a Sunday.[2]
Competition format
editThis steeplechase event featured a single race. The competition involved five laps of the 500 metre track, complete with standard hurdles as well as stone fences and a water jump.
Records
editNone, this was the first time the event was held. And it was the only time a steeplechase race was held over 2500 metres.
Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 15 July 1900 | 17:00 | Final |
Results
editRobinson and Chastanié were the two leaders for most of the race, with Newton and Orton behind them, while Wraschtil and Duhne lost contact with the other four.
Orton was in fourth place for most of the race, but finished strongly to catch Robinson, Chastanié and Newton in the final straight of the fifth lap, going on to win by ten yards.
Chastanié and Newton faltered, with Robinson beating Chastanié by 40 yards for second as Newton faded to finish fourth.[2]
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
George Orton |  Canada |
7:34.4 |
 |
Sidney Robinson |  Great Britain |
7:38.0[citation needed] |
 |
Jean Chastanié |  France |
7:52.4[citation needed] |
| 4 | Arthur L. Newton |  United States |
Unknown |
| 5 | Hermann Wraschtil |  Austria |
Unknown |
| 6 | Franz Duhne |  Germany |
Unknown |
| — | Charles Bennett | Great Britain |
DNS |
| John Bray | United States |
DNS | |
| Wilbur Burroughs | United States |
DNS | |
| Alexander Grant | Canada |
DNS |
References
edit- ^ "Athletics at the 1900 Paris: Men's 2,500 metres Steeplechase". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b "2,500 metres Steeplechase, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
Sources
edit- International Olympic Committee.
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at [1] Archived 11 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.