Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event held. It was contested on 6 April. 9 athletes competed, including one each from France, Sweden, the United States, and Great Britain as well as three Greeks and two Danes.[1][2]

Men's discus throw
at the Games of the I Olympiad
Robert Garrett throwing the discus
VenuePanathinaiko Stadium
DatesApril 6
Competitors9 from 6 nations
Winning distance29.15 WR
Medalists
Robert Garrett
 United States
Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos
 Greece
Sotirios Versis
 Greece
Athletics at the
1896 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 mmen
400 mmen
800 mmen
1500 mmen
110 m hurdlesmen
Road events
Marathonmen
Field events
Long jumpmen
Triple jumpmen
High jumpmen
Pole vaultmen
Shot putmen
Discus throwmen

Many of the competitors had never thrown a discus before, as the event had never been held at an international competition. Robert Garrett of the United States was the last foreigner in the competition, and eventually defeated the famed Greek competitors to win the second modern Olympic gold medal. Garrett had practiced with a 10 kilogram discus, resulting in disappointing marks and his deciding not to compete in Athens (and competing only in the shot put, which he would win the next day); upon arrival, he learned that the actual discus weighed two kilograms and decided to compete.[2] Greece took the second (Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) and third (Sotirios Versis) places.

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Thirteen athletes entered, but only nine started. Athletes from outside Greece were unfamiliar with the event, while the Greek champions (most notably Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) were somewhat hampered by attempting to "strike poses reminiscent of the ancient Greek statues of 'diskoboloi.'"[2][3]

Competition format

There was a single round of throwing. Each thrower received three throws and the top three after that received two more.[2][3] The throws were made from a square area with a side length of 2 to 2.5 meters. The discus weighed 2 kilograms. Throws were supposed to be made in the style of Myron's Discobolus statue, though this rule was not enforced (to the extent it would have been possible).

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1896 Summer Olympics.

World recordUnknown*UnknownUnknownUnknown
Olympic recordN/AN/AN/AN/A

* unofficial

Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos's final throw of 28.95 is credited as an unofficial world record; Robert Garrett's throw of 29.15 bettered that.

Schedule
Date Time Round
Gregorian Julian
Monday, 6 April 1896Monday, 25 March 189616:25Final

Results

As with many of the 1896 events, the results are incomplete and disputed. The list below is per Olympedia. The IOC webpage has these 9 competitors, placing Papasideris 5th, Robertson 6th, and Sjöberg 7th (with no 4th place finisher listed). The Official Report says there were 11 competitors, though it is often unclear whether it means those who entered or who actually competed. The nationality of the two additional men are given as German and Danish, so the Official Report appears to include Schuhmann and Winckler. Megede replaces Grisel with an "A. Adler" of France, placing him 4th, follows the IOC webpage placement of Papasideris, Robertson, and Sjöberg, and includes Schuhmann and Winckler as having competed.[2][3][4][5]

RankAthleteNation12345DistanceNotes
Robert Garrett United States 27.53XUnknown28.7229.15 WR 29.15 WR
Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos Greece 28.51UnknownUnknown28.8828.95 WR 28.95
Sotirios Versis Greece UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown 27.78
4 George S. Robertson Great Britain UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance 25.20
5–9 Adolphe Grisel France UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance Unknown
Viggo Jensen Denmark UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance Unknown
Holger Nielsen Denmark UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance Unknown
Georgios Papasideris Greece UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance Unknown
Henrik Sjöberg Sweden UnknownUnknownUnknownDid not advance Unknown
— Louis Adler France DNS
Carl Schuhmann Germany DNS
Charles Vanoni United States DNS
Charles Winckler Denmark DNS

References
  1. "Athletics at the 1896 Athens Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  3. Official Report, p. 64.
  4. "Discus Throw Men". IOC. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  5. Ekkehard zur Megede (1970). Die Geschichte der olympischen Leichtathletik, Band 1: 1896–1936 (2nd ed.). Berlin: Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG.

Sources
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