Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump

The men's high jump, also known as the running high jump to distinguish it from the standing high jump, was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held on July 7, 1912, and on July 8, 1912. Thirty-seven high jumpers from ten nations competed.[1][2] NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[3] The event was won by Alma Richards of the United States, the nation's fifth consecutive victory in the men's high jump. Germany won its second silver medal in the event, after 1904.

Men's high jump
at the Games of the V Olympiad
Richards on the way to win the gold medal.
VenueStockholm Olympic Stadium
DatesJuly 7–8
Competitors36 from 10 nations
Winning time1.93 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Alma Richards
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Hans Liesche
 Germany
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) George Horine
 United States
← 1908
1920 →
Silver medalist Hans Liesche.
And the bronze medalist George Horine in action.

Background edit

This was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning jumpers from the 1908 Games were silver medalist Géo André of France and Otto Monsen of Norway, who had refused to participate in a re-jump after a successful protest and therefore had no mark in 1908. The Americans were favored, with recent world record breaker George Horine atop a strong (and, as allowed at the time, large) team. Egon Erickson and Alma Richards were also strong contenders; the three men had each won one of the three regional Olympic trials. Jim Thorpe was among the Americans; he won the pentathlon (which did not include a high jump) on the same day as the qualifying round and the decathlon (which did) a week later.[4]

Chile and Italy each made their debut in the event. The United States appeared for the fifth time, having competed at each edition of the Olympic men's high jump to that point.

Competition format edit

For the first time, there were two distinct rounds of jumping with results cleared between rounds (the 1908 Games had featured a two-round event but the results from the qualifying round then carried over to the final). All jumpers clearing 1.83 metres in the qualifying round advanced to the final.[4][5]

Records edit

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics.

World record   George Horine (USA) 2.00 Palo Alto, United States 28 May 1912
Olympic record   Irving Baxter (USA) 1.90 Paris, France 15 July 1900

At first Hans Liesche set a new Olympic record with 1.91 metres. But Alma Richards was able to equalize this mark, when he also jumped 1.91 metres. Finally Alma Richards set a new Olympic record with 1.93 metres.

Schedule edit

Date Time Round
Sunday, 7 July 1912 9:00 Qualifying
Monday, 8 July 1912 Final

Results edit

Key

  • o = Height cleared
  • x = Height failed
  • = Height passed
  • r  = Retired
  • SB = Season's best
  • PB = Personal best
  • NR = National record
  • AR = Area record
  • OR = Olympic record
  • WR = World record
  • WL = World lead
  • NM = No mark
  • DNS = Did not start
  • DQ = Disqualified

Qualifying edit

Brauer is listed in some sources as having competed and having cleared 1.60 metres (which would put him in the tie for 28th),[6][7][8] but other sources make clear he did not start.[9][10]

Rank Athlete Nation 1.60 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.83 Height Notes
1 Karl-Axel Kullerstrand   Sweden o o o o o 1.83 Q
Hans Liesche   Germany o o o o o 1.83 Q
Iván Wardener   Hungary o o o o o 1.83 Q
Benjamin Howard Baker   Great Britain xo o o o o 1.83 Q
Harry Grumpelt   United States o o xo o o 1.83 Q
Egon Erickson   United States o o o xo o 1.83 Q
Alma Richards   United States o o o xo o 1.83 Q
George Horine   United States o o o o xo 1.83 Q
Timothy Carroll   Great Britain xo o xxo o xo 1.83 Q
John Johnstone   United States o o xo xo 1.83 Q
Jim Thorpe   United States o o xo o xxo 1.83 Q
12 Jervis Burdick   United States o o o xo xxx 1.80
13 Wesley Oler   United States o o o xxx 1.75
Richard Sjöberg   Sweden o o o xxx 1.75
Arvo Laine   Finland o xo o xxx 1.75
Harold Enright   United States o o xo xxx 1.75
Gösta Hallberg   Sweden x o xo xxx 1.75
Otto Monsen   Norway xo xo xxx 1.75
Gerhard Olsen   Norway xo xxo xxx 1.75
Ole Aarnæs   Norway o xo xxo xxx 1.75
André Labat   France o xo xxo xxx 1.75
Otto Röhr   Germany o xo xxo xxx 1.75
23 Thomas O'Donahue   Great Britain o 1.70
Platt Adams   United States o o 1.70
Géo André   France xo xo xxx 1.70
Paulus af Uhr   Sweden x xo xxx 1.70
Ragnar Mattson   Sweden x xo xxx 1.70
28 Rodolfo Hammersley   Chile o x 1.60
Gustaf Holmér   Sweden o x 1.60
Lajos Ludinszky   Hungary o x 1.60
Michel Meerz   France o x 1.60
Alfredo Pagani   Italy o xxx 1.60
33 Marius Delaby   France x No mark
Armand Estang   France x No mark
John Nicholson   United States xxx No mark
Angelo Tonini   Italy x xxx No mark
Tage Brauer   Sweden DNS

Final edit

Rank Athlete Nation 1.60 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.83 1.85 1.87 1.89 1.91 1.93 Height Notes
  Alma Richards   United States o o o xo xxo xo xxo xxo xxo o 1.93 OR
  Hans Liesche   Germany o o o o o o o xo xo xxx 1.91
  George Horine   United States o o o o xo o o xo xxx 1.89
4 Jim Thorpe   United States xo o o o o o o xxx 1.87
Egon Erickson   United States o o o o o xo xo xxx 1.87
6 John Johnstone   United States o o o o xxo xo xxx 1.85
Harry Grumpelt   United States o o o xo o xxo xxx 1.85
8 Karl-Axel Kullerstrand   Sweden o o o xo o xxx 1.83
9 Timothy Carroll   Great Britain o o o xo xxx 1.80
Iván Wardener   Hungary o o o xo xxx 1.80
11 Benjamin Howard Baker   Great Britain o o o xxx 1.75

References edit

  1. ^ Per Wudarski. Other sources omit Tage Brauer, for 36 athletes.
  2. ^ "Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's High Jump". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  3. ^ Official report, p. 61.
  4. ^ a b "High Jump, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  5. ^ Official Report, p. 392.
  6. ^ Paweł Wudarsky. "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2004.
  7. ^ Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (2002). The 1912 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. History of the Early Olympics Series. McFarland. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7864-1047-7. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. ^ Todor Krastev. "Men High Jump Athletics V Olympic Games". Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  9. ^ "(Interview)". Kronobergaren. Växsjö, Sweden. 10 May 1973 – via the official historian of the Swedish Olympic Committee.
  10. ^ "Olympedia – Tage Breuer". olympedia.org. 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

Sources edit

  • Bergvall, Erik (ed.) (1913). Adams-Ray, Edward (trans.). (ed.). The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 4 January 2007.