Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's medley relay

The men's medley relay was run for the first time at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The event consisted of 1600 metres being run by four athletes per team. Unlike the later 4 × 400 metres relay, however, the athletes had different distances to run. In the medley, the first two runners each ran 200 metres. The third runner ran 400 and the fourth ran 800. The competition was held on July 24, 1908, and July 25, 1908. 28 runners from 7 nations competed. NOCs could enter one team of four, with four reserves.[1]

Men's medley relay
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
VenueWhite City Stadium
DatesJuly 24, 1908 (semifinals)
July 25, 1908 (final)
Competitors28 from 7 nations
Medalists
Nate Cartmell
William Hamilton
Mel Sheppard
John Taylor
 United States
Hanns Braun
Hans Eicke
Arthur Hoffmann
Otto Trieloff
 Germany
Ödön Bodor
József Nagy
Pál Simon
Frigyes Wiesner
 Hungary

The event was run in two rounds.

Results

First round

All first round heats were held on July 24, 1908.

First round, heat 1 Simon had a ten-yard lead over Laaftman at the end of the first 200 metres; after Lindberg gained on Racz, Stenborg passed Nagy during the 400, giving Björn a three-yard advantage over Bodor to begin the second half of the race. Bodor was up to the task and ran the split in 1:56.6 to pass Björn and win by three yards.

PlaceNameNationTime
1Pál Simon
Frigyes Wiesner
József Nagy
Ödön Bodor
 Hungary3:32.6
2Sven Låftman
Knut Lindberg
Knut Stenborg
Evert Björn
 Sweden(3:33.0)

First round, heat 2 The German team dominated this heat, with each runner increasing the lead; Braun crossed the finish line 90 yards ahead of Evers.

PlaceNameNationTime
1Arthur Hoffmann
Hans Eicke
Otto Trieloff
Hanns Braun
 Germany3:43.2
2Evert Koops
Jacobus Hoogveld
Victor Henny
Bram Evers
 Netherlands(3:55.4)

First round, heat 3 Hamilton gave the Americans a slight lead at the end of the first 200 metres, with the Canadians in second and the British team third. Cartmell increased the lead while Pankhurst caught up to Buddo near the end of the second 200. In the 400, Taylor held the American lead while Montague ensured second place for the Britons, but Just had little chance of catching Sheppard, who had won the individual 800 metres, in the second half of the race. Sheppard finished 25 yards in front of the British team.

PlaceNameNationTime
1William Hamilton
Nate Cartmell
John Taylor
Mel Sheppard
 United States3:27.2
2George Hawkins
Henry Pankhurst
Edwin Montague
Theodore Just
 Great Britain3:32.0
3Frank Lukeman
Donald Buddo
Louis Sebert
R. Irving Parkes
 Canadaunknown

Final

The final was held on July 25, 1908.

At the end of the first 200 metres, Hamilton had a six-yard lead over Simon, with Hoffmann about a yard behind the Hungarian. Cartmell and Taylor increased the American lead, and Sheppard began the second half of the race with a fifteen-yard lead over Bodor; he pulled away and won by twenty-five yards. Braun and Bodor fought mightily for second place, with the German, who had a five-yard deficit at the beginning of the 800 metres, winning by five inches.

PlaceNameNationSplitTime
1William Hamilton
Nate Cartmell
John Taylor
Mel Sheppard
 United States0:22.0
0:22.2
0:49.8
1:55.4
3:29.4
2Arthur Hoffmann
Hans Eicke
Otto Trieloff
Hanns Braun
 Germany3:32.4
3Pál Simon
Frigyes Wiesner
József Nagy
Ödön Bodor
 Hungary3:32.5

References

  1. Official report, p. 32.
  • Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908).
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 11 August 2007.
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