The Union of South Africa competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 21 competitors, all men, took part in 21 events in 6 sports.[1]
| South Africa at the 1912 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | RSA (ZAF used at these Games) |
| NOC | South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee |
| in Stockholm | |
| Competitors | 21 in 6 sports |
| Medals Ranked 7th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Medalists
editGold
edit- Ken McArthur — Athletics, Men's Marathon
- Rudolph Lewis — Cycling, Men's Individual Time Trial
- Harold Kitson and Charles Winslow — Tennis, Men's doubles outdoor
- Charles Winslow — Tennis, Men's singles outdoor
Silver
edit- Christian Gitsham — Athletics, Men's Marathon
- Harold Kitson — Tennis Men's singles outdoor
Aquatics
editSwimming
editA single swimmer competed for South Africa at the 1912 Games. It was the nation's debut in swimming. Godfrey competed in one event, placing fifth in his quarterfinal of the 400 metre freestyle and not advancing to the semifinals.
Ranks given for each swimmer are within the heat.
- Men
| Swimmer | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| George Godfrey | 400 m freestyle | N/A | 6:30.6 | 4 | did not advance | ||||
Athletics
editSeven athletes represented South Africa. It was the nation's third appearance in both the sport and the Olympics. McArthur and Gitsham finished first and second, respectively, in the marathon to give South Africa its only athletics medals in 1912 as well as an Olympic record in the event with McArthur's mark. Richardson's Olympic record in the 10000 metres, set in the semifinals, was broken in the final; Richardson did not finish that race.
Ranks given are within that athlete's heat for running events.
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Christian Gitsham | Marathon | N/A | 2:37:52.0 | 
| |||
| Ken McArthur | Marathon | N/A | 2:36:54.8 OR | 
| |||
| George Patching | 100 m | ? | 2 Q | 19.9 | 1 Q | 11.0 | 4 |
| 200 m | 22.3 | 1 Q | did not finish | did not advance | |||
| 400 m | 51.1 | 1 Q | 50.5 | 3 | did not advance | ||
| Reuben Povey | 100 m | ? | 2 Q | ? | 2 | did not advance | |
| 200 m | ? | 2 Q | ? | 5 | did not advance | ||
| Leonard Richardson | 10000 m | N/A | 32:30.3 OR | 1 | did not finish | ||
| Marathon | N/A | did not start | |||||
| Ind. cross country | N/A | 47:33.5 | 8 | ||||
| Arthur St. Norman | Marathon | N/A | did not finish | ||||
| 10 km walk | N/A | 50:17.9 | 2 Q | Disqualified | |||
| John Victor | 800 m | ? | 3 | did not advance | |||
| 1500 m | N/A | 4:12.7 | 3 | did not advance | |||
Cycling
editA single cyclist represented South Africa. It was the second appearance of the nation in cycling. Rudolph Lewis won the gold medal, South Africa's first cycling medal.
Road cycling
edit| Cyclist | Events | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||
| Rudolph Lewis | Ind. time trial | 10:42:39.0 |
|
Fencing
editA single fencer represented South Africa. It was the second appearance of the nation in fencing. Walter Gate, who had also been South Africa's only fencer in 1908, competed in all three weapons and was defeated in the first round of each competition.
| Fencer | Event | Round 1 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Rank | Record | Rank | Record | Rank | Record | Rank | ||
| Walter Gates | Foil | 4 losses | 5 | did not advance | |||||
| Épée | 5 losses | 7 | did not advance | ||||||
| Sabre | 1 win | 4 | did not advance | ||||||
Shooting
editEight shooters represented South Africa. It was the nation's first appearance in shooting. The South African team took fourth place in the team rifle competition; this was the closest the nation got to winning a medal in shooting. The best individual performance was Harvey's tenth place finish in the military rifle.
Tennis
editThree tennis players represented South Africa at the 1912 Games. It was the nation's second appearance in tennis.
Kitson and Winslow dominated the men's outdoor competitions. They met in the final of the singles tournament, with Winslow taking the championship and Kitson winning silver. The two also paired up for the doubles tournament, defeating all their opponents to add a third medal. Tapscott, competing in the singles only, advanced to the round of 16 before losing to an eventual semifinalist.
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Round of 128 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Rank | ||
| Harold Kitson | Outdoor singles | Bye |  Leffler (SWE) W 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 |
Möller (SWE) W 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |
 Schomburgk (GER) W 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |
 von Salm (AUT) W 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 |
 Žemla (BOH) W 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 |
 Winslow (RSA) L 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6 |
|
| Lionel Tapscott | Outdoor singles | Kodl (BOH) W 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 |
Pipes (AUT) W 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 |
 Blanchy (FRA) W 1-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
Žemla (BOH) L 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 2-6 |
did not advance | 9 | ||
| Charles Winslow | Outdoor singles | Bye |  Frigast (DEN) W 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 |
Thayssen (DEN) W 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
Ingerslev (DEN) W 6-4, 8-6, 6-4 |
Heyden (GER) W 6-2, 6-4, 8-10, 4-6, 6-3 |
Kreuzer (GER) W 9-7, 7-5, 6-2 |
Kitson (RSA) W 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6 |
|
| Harold Kitson Charles Winslow |
Outdoor doubles | N/A | Arenholt & Ingerslev (DEN) W 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 |
 Kehrling & Zsigmondy (HUN) W 6-3, 6-3, 7-9, 6-2 |
Nylén & Wennergren (SWE) W 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 |
Just & Žemla (BOH) W 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 |
Pipes & Zborzil (AUT) W 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 |
| |
References
edit- ^ "South Africa at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2014.