Denmark at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Three athletes from Denmark competed in five sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Two of the three combined to win a gold medal, two silvers, and three bronzes, while Eugen Schmidt earned no medals. Viggo Jensen contributed one of each color, while Holger Nielsen earned the second silver and two bronzes. Shooting and weightlifting were Denmark's most successful sports. Denmark had 15 entries in 12 events, winning six medals.
Medalists
Results by event
Athletics
Viggo Jensen
Denmark's three athletes had little success in the 100 metres or the discus throw. Jensen took fourth place in the shot put competition, the closest to an athletics medal the Danish team came.
| Event | Place | Athlete | Heat | Final |
|---|
| | | | | |
| 100 metres | – | Eugen Schmidt | 4 | Did not advance |
| | | | | |
Fencing
One of Nielsen's two bronzes came in the fencing competition, in which he won half of his four matches.
| Event | Place | Fencer | Record | Touches | Round-robin | Final |
|---|
| Wins | Losses | For | Against |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Sabre | 3rd | Holger Nielsen | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 3rd | None held |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Opponent nation | Wins | Losses | Percent |
|---|
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Greece | 1 | 2 | .333 |
|
| Total | 2 | 2 | .500 |
Gymnastics
Jensen placed fourth of five competitors in the rope climbing contest, not reaching the top of the 14-metre rope. His actual distance climbed is unknown save that it was less than 12.5 metres, the distance of the bronze medallist.
| Event | Place | Gymnast | Height |
|---|
| | | | |
|
| | | | |
Shooting
Jensen and Nielsen both earned bronze medals in the shooting competitions, with Nielsen also winning a silver medal. Jensen specialized in the rifle events, taking 6th of 42 and 3rd of 20 in the two events. Nielsen did not finish his rifle competition, but performed well in the pistol events, in which he won two medals and took 5th place of 16 in the third event.
| Event | Place | Shooter | Score | Hits |
|---|
| | | | | |
| Military rifle | 6th | Viggo Jensen | 1640 | 30 |
| 12th | Eugen Schmidt | 845 | 12 |
| – | Holger Nielsen | Did not finish |
| | | | | |
| Free rifle | 3rd | Viggo Jensen | 1305 | 31 |
| | | | | |
| Military pistol | 5th | Holger Nielsen | Unknown |
| | | | | |
| Rapid fire pistol | 3rd | Holger Nielsen | Unknown |
| | | | | |
| Free pistol | 2nd | Holger Nielsen | 285 | Unknown |
| | | | | |
Weightlifting
Jensen tied Launceston Elliot for weight lifted in the first event, the two handed lift. Prince George of Greece, the judge for the event, determined that Jensen had lifted the 111.5 kilograms in better style than Elliot, awarded the Dane the gold medal. In the second event, the one handed, Jensen's 57 kilograms were not close to Elliot's 71 kilograms and thus Jensen took second place in that event.
| Event | Place | Weightlifter | Best lift |
|---|
| | | | |
| One handed | 2nd | Viggo Jensen | 57.0 kilograms |
| | | | |
| Two handed | 1st | Viggo Jensen | 111.5 kilograms |
| | | | |
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 )
- 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 )
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
Gold
Silver
Bronze