Australia competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Most Olympic historians keep Australian records at early Olympics separate from those of the United Kingdom, despite Australia not being an independent nation at the time.
| Australia at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | AUS |
| NOC | Australian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Paris, France 14 May, 1900 – 28 October, 1900 | |
| Competitors | 2 in 2 sports and 5 events |
| Medals Ranked 9th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games ––––  Australasia (1908–1912) | |
Australia was represented by two athletes, both of whom won a medal in each event in which they competed. Frederick Lane won two gold medals in swimming and Stan Rowley won a gold medal (as part of a mixed team with Great Britain) and three bronze medals in athletics.[1]
Medalists
editThe following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded. Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics. These medals are not counted towards the individual NOC medal tally.
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold
|
Stan Rowley | Athletics | 5000 m team race | July 22 |
| Gold
|
Frederick Lane | Swimming | 200 m freestyle | August 12 |
| Gold
|
Frederick Lane | Swimming | 200 m obstacle event | August 12 |
 Bronze
|
Stan Rowley | Athletics | 60 m | July 15 |
| Bronze
|
Stan Rowley | Athletics | 100 m | July 14 |
| Bronze
|
Stan Rowley | Athletics | 200 m | July 22 |
| Medals by sport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport |
|
|
|
Total |
| Athletics | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Swimming | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Multiple medalists
editThe following competitors won multiple medals at the 1900 Olympic Games.
| Name | Medal | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Lane | Gold Gold |
Swimming | 200 metre freestyle 200 metre obstacle event |
| Stan Rowley | Bronze Bronze Bronze |
Athletics | 60 metres 100 metres 200 metres |
Competitors
editThe following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swimming | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Swimming
editOne swimmer, (Frederick Lane) represented Australia in 1900. It was the nation's debut appearance in the sport. Lane won the 200 metre freestyle and obstacle races, both on the same day. He did not receive gold medals, but instead received bronze sculptures of a horse and peasant girl respectively. He was also the favourite for the 100 metre freestyle, but this event was cancelled.
| Athlete | Event | Semi-final | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Frederick Lane | 200 m freestyle | 2:59.0 | 1 Q | 2:25.2 |
|
| 200 m obstacle event | 3:04.0 | 1 Q | 2:38.4 |
| |
Athletics
editRowley was Australia's only competitor in athletics. It was Australia's second appearance in the sport. He entered the three sprint events, taking the bronze medal in each of the three. Rowley also joined the Great Britain team in the 5-man team race, as the British squad had only 4 members. The 5 kilometres of the race was much further than Rowley was used to racing. After the first lap of the track, he injured his foot and began to walk. When the last of the other nine competitors (the United Kingdom and France were the only nations to send teams) finished, Rowley was still 1500 metres from the finish; officials allowed him to retire and claim 10th place at that point.
Rowley's three individual medals put him, and Australia, in ninth place on the athletics leaderboard.
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Repechage | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Stan Rowley | 60 m | 7.3 | 2 Q | — | 7.2 |
| |||
| Stan Rowley | 100 m | 10.9 | 2 Q | 11.2 | 2 R | 11.0 | 2 | 11.2 |
|
| Stan Rowley | 200 m | 25.0 | 1 Q | — | 22.9 |
| |||
| Stan Rowley | 400 m | DNS | — | Did not advance | |||||
 Amateur Athletic Association of England (ZZX) Charles Bennett (GBR) John Rimmer (GBR) Sidney Robinson (GBR) Stan Rowley (AUS) Alfred Tysoe (GBR)
|
5000 m team race | — | 26 points |
| |||||
Non-Olympic events
editShooting
editDonald Mackintosh was a professional shooter from Melbourne. He was travelling through Europe competing in a series of traditional competitions. He won the live game shooting (Prix Centenaire de Paris) with 22 consecutive kills of live pigeons, one more than Marquis de Villancosa of Spain. He finished in the joint third position alongside Crittenden Robinson of the United States in the live pigeon shooting (Grand Prix d'Exposition) with 18, behind the winner Leon de Lunden, who scored 21. Mackintosh' status has often been confused, as some historians were under the impression that game-shooting was an archery contest. The International Olympic Committee does not consider either event Olympic.
References
edit- ^ Titus O'Reily (20 August 2018). A Thoroughly Unhelpful History of Australian Sport. Penguin Books. p. 261. ISBN 9780143793519.
- Andrews, Malcolm (2000). Australia at the Olympic Games.
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "1900 Olympians from Australia". Accessed 11 March 2006. Available electronically at [1] Archived 2016-03-03 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.