Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres
| Men's 100 metres at the Games of the I Olympiad | |||||||||
 100 metres final | |||||||||
| Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 6 April (first round) 10 April (final) | ||||||||
| Competitors | 15 from 8 nations | ||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | |
| 400 m | men | |
| 800 m | men | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| 110 m hurdles | men | |
| Road events | ||
| Marathon | men | |
| Field events | ||
| Long jump | men | |
| Triple jump | men | |
| High jump | men | |
| Pole vault | men | |
| Shot put | men | |
| Discus throw | men | |
The men's 100 metres race was the first event run at the modern Olympics, on 6 April 1896. It was the shortest race on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 21 athletes were entered in the first round, divided into three heats of seven runners, but six of them later withdrew. The top two athletes in each heat advanced to the final, which took place on 10 April.
15 athletes from 8 nations competed.
Results
Heats
The first round of heats took place on 6 April. The first heat of the 100 metres was the first competition held in the Games. Francis Lane won the first heat, thus becoming the first winner of a modern Olympic race. All heats were won by athletes from the United States.
Heat 1
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Francis Lane (USA) |
12.2 s |
| 2 | .svg.png){kind=small} Alajos Szokolyi (HUN) |
12.8 s |
| 3 |  Charles Gmelin (GBR) |
12.9 s |
| 4 |  Alphonse Grisel (FRA) |
Unknown |
| 5 |  Kurt Doerry (GER) |
Unknown |
Heat 2
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Curtis (USA) |
12.2 s |
| 2 | .svg.png){kind=small} Alexandros Chalkokondylis (GRE) |
12.8 s |
| 3 | Launceston Elliot (GBR) |
12.9 s |
| 4 |  Eugen Schmidt (DEN) |
Unknown |
| 5 | George Marshall (GBR) |
Unknown |
Heat 3
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Burke (USA)[note 1] |
11.8 s |
| 2 | Fritz Hofmann (GER)[note 1] |
12.6 s |
| 3 | Friedrich Traun (GER) |
13.5 s |
| 4–5 [note 2] | Georgios Gennimatas (GRE) |
Unknown |
.svg.png){kind=small} Henrik Sjöberg (SWE) |
Unknown |
- notes
- 1 2 Both Burke and Hofmann were more well known for middle-distance events rather than sprinting. Burke's time of 11.8s became the inaugural Olympic record.
- ↑ It is not clear which athlete received which place.
Final
The final of the 100 metre race, run on 10 April, involved the six runners who had finished in the top two of their preliminary heats. Thomas Curtis withdrew to save himself for the 110 metre hurdles, which was the next race on the program and which he won. Burke beat his companion from the third heat, Hofmann, by two meters. Lane and Szokolyi dead-heated for third place, with Chalkokondylis six inches behind them.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Burke (USA) |
12.0 s |
| 2 | Fritz Hofmann (GER) |
12.2 s |
| 3 | Francis Lane (USA) |
12.6 s |
| Alajos Szokolyi (HUN) |
12.6 s | |
| 5 | Alexandros Chalkokondylis (GRE) |
12.6 s |
| – | Thomas Curtis (USA) |
DNS |
Lane and Szokolyi are both considered to be bronze medallists by the International Olympic Committee.
References
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J. & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at la84foundation.org)
- Mallon, Bill & Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at la84foundation.org)
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
- Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. Crawfordsville, Indiana: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company. ISBN 0-14-006632-2.