Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's hammer throw

The men's hammer throw was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on July 14, 1908. 19 throwers from eight nations competed.[1] NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[2] The event was won by American John Flanagan, his third consecutive victory in the event. He was the first man to win three medals in the hammer throw and, as of the 2016 Games, the only one to win three gold medals in the event. The silver medal went to fellow American Matt McGrath. Con Walsh of Canada took bronze and became the first athlete not from the United States to win a medal in the event, as the Americans had swept the podium in both 1900 and 1904. The three medalists were all part of the Irish Whales.

Men's hammer throw
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
The winner John Flanagan
VenueWhite City Stadium
DateJuly 14
Competitors19 from 8 nations
Winning distance51.92 OR
Medalists
John Flanagan
 United States
Matt McGrath
 United States
Con Walsh
 Canada
Athletics at the
1908 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 mmen
200 mmen
400 mmen
800 mmen
1500 mmen
5 milesmen
110 m hurdlesmen
400 m hurdlesmen
3200 m steeplechasemen
Medley relaymen
3 mile team racemen
Road events
Marathonmen
3500 m walkmen
10 mile walkmen
Field events
Long jumpmen
Triple jumpmen
High jumpmen
Pole vaultmen
Standing long jumpmen
Standing high jumpmen
Shot putmen
Discus throwmen
Hammer throwmen
Javelin throwmen
Greek discusmen
Freestyle javelinmen

Background

This was the third appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1896. American John Flanagan was the two-time defending Olympic champion, was a seven-time AAU champion, and had also won national titles in Great Britain and Ireland; he was the favorite. Fellow American Matt McGrath was rising as a challenger, however, and had taken second place in the 1907 AAU championship. McGrath was struggling with a knee injury but still hoped to supplant the 40-year-old Flanagan as the premier hammer thrower of the day.[3]

Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, and Switzerland each made their debut in the event. The United States appeared for the third time, the only nation to have competed at each appearance of the event to that point.

Competition format

The competition introduced a single, divided-final format. Each athlete received three throws, with the top three receiving an additional three throws. The hammer's total length could not be more than four feet. The weight of the hammer was 16 pounds. There were no other restrictions on the size or shape of the hammer. The throwing circle was seven feet in diameter. There were no restrictions on the throwing form.[4][5][3]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to this competition.

World record John Flanagan (USA)53.38*Torrington, United States20 June 1908
Olympic record John Flanagan (USA)51.23St. Louis, United States29 August 1904

* unofficial

John Flanagan set a new Olympic record with 51.92 metres.

Schedule
Date Time Round
Tuesday, 14 July 190810:00Qualifying
Final

Results
RankAthleteNationDistanceNotes
John Flanagan United States51.92OR
Matt McGrath United States51.18
Con Walsh Canada48.51
4Tom Nicolson Great Britain48.09
5Lee Talbott United States47.86
6Bill Horr United States46.94
7Simon Gillis United States45.59
8Eric Lemming Sweden43.06
9Alan Fyffe Great Britain37.35
10–19Harald Agger DenmarkUnknown
István Mudin HungaryUnknown
Henry Leeke Great BritainUnknown
Robert Lindsay-Watson Great BritainUnknown
Ernest May Great BritainUnknown
John Murray Great BritainUnknown
Robert Olsson SwedenUnknown
Benjamin Sherman United StatesUnknown
Ludwig Uettwiller GermanyUnknown
Julius Wagner SwitzerlandUnknown

References
  1. "Athletics at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Hammer Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. Official report, p. 32.
  3. "Hammer Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. Official Report, p. 89.
  5. Official Report, p. 407.

Sources
  • Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908).
  • De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1908". Accessed 7 April 2006. Available electronically at .
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