Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault
| Men's pole vault at the Games of the I Olympiad | |||||||||
| Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | April 10 | ||||||||
| Competitors | 5 from 2 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 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.
Results
| Place | Athlete | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  William Hoyt (USA) |
3.30 m |
| 2 | Albert Tyler (USA) |
3.20 m |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Evangelos Damaskos (GRE) |
2.60 m |
| Ioannis Theodoropoulos (GRE) |
2.60 m | |
| 5 | Vasilios Xydas (GRE) |
2.40 m |
The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised .10 metres 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.
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.