Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's hammer throw
The men's hammer throw was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second time the event was held. The competition was held on Monday, August 29, 1904. Six athletes, all from the United States, competed.[1] John Flanagan, the reigning champion, defended his gold medal and set a new Olympic record. John DeWitt took silver and Ralph Rose bronze. It was the second consecutive medal sweep for the United States in the event. Flanagan was the first man to earn multiple medals in the event; he would finish with three consecutive victories, a record not matched by anyone in the hammer throw.
| Men's hammer throw at the Games of the III Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ralph Rose on the way to the bronze medal. | ||||||||||
| Venue | Francis Field | |||||||||
| Dates | August 29 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 6 from 1 nation | |||||||||
| Winning distance | 51.23 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 60 m | men |
| 100 m | men |
| 200 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| 200 m hurdles | men |
| 400 m hurdles | men |
| 2590 m steeplechase | men |
| 4 mile team race | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Standing long jump | men |
| Standing triple jump | men |
| Standing high jump | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
| Hammer throw | men |
| 56 pound weight throw | men |
| Combined events | |
| Triathlon | men |
| All-around | men |
Background
This was the second appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1896. John Flanagan was the defending Olympic champion and had won at least 10 national titles across Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States; he was a heavy favorite. John DeWitt was a four-time IC4A champion. Ralph Rose was best known as a shot putter, but had been rumored to have thrown a monstrous 190 feet (57.9 metres). The lack of international competition meant that Great Britain's two-time AAA champion Tom Nicolson was absent. Also not competing was Alfred Plaw, who had beaten Flanagan to win the AAU championship in 1904.[2]
Competition format
The format of the competition is unclear. The throwing area was a seven-foot circle.[2]
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1904 Summer Olympics.
| World record |  John Flanagan (USA) | 52.71* | New York City, United States | 31 July 1904 |
| Olympic record | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} John Flanagan (USA) | 51.01 | Paris, France | 16 July 1900 |
* unofficial - The IAAF didn't begin to recognize World Records in this event until 1912.[3]
John Flanagan bettered the only Olympic record with 51.23 meters.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, 29 August 1904 | Final |
Results
_hammer_throw.jpg.webp)
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | John Flanagan | United States | 51.23 | OR |
 | John DeWitt | United States | 50.26 | |
 | Ralph Rose | United States | 45.73 | |
| 4 | Charles Chadwick | United States | 42.78 | |
| 5 | James Mitchell | United States | Unknown | |
| 6 | Albert Johnson | United States | Unknown |
References
- "Athletics at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's Hammer Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- "Hammer Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- "World Record Progression". trackandfield.about.com. About.com. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
Sources
- Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 14 December 2006.