Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's pentathlon

The men's pentathlon event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. It was the third and last appearance of a pentathlon at the Olympics. The competition was held on Monday, July 7, 1924. Thirty pentathletes from 17 nations competed.[1]

Men's pentathlon
at the Games of the VIII Olympiad
VenueStade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
DateJuly 7
Competitors30 from 17 nations
Medalists
Eero Lehtonen
 Finland
Elemér Somfay
 Hungary
Robert LeGendre
 United States
Athletics at the
1924 Summer Olympics
Track events
100 mmen
200 mmen
400 mmen
800 mmen
1500 mmen
5000 mmen
10,000 mmen
110 m hurdlesmen
400 m hurdlesmen
3000 m steeplechasemen
4×100 m relaymen
4×400 m relaymen
3000 m team racemen
10 km walkmen
Road events
Marathonmen
Field events
Long jumpmen
Triple jumpmen
High jumpmen
Pole vaultmen
Shot putmen
Discus throwmen
Hammer throwmen
Javelin throwmen
Combined events
Pentathlonmen
Decathlonmen
Cross-country events
Individualmen
Teammen

Records

Robert LeGendre set a new world record in long jump during this competition. He improved the old records:

World Record 7.69 Edward Gourdin Cambridge (GBR) July 23, 1923
Olympic Record 7.60 Albert Gutterson Stockholm (SWE) July 12, 1912

Results

Long jump

The long jump was the first event and started at 2:00 p.m.

Group 1

PlaceAthleteWidthOverall Rank
1 Robert LeGendre (USA)7.765 WR1
2 Brutus Hamilton (USA)6.834
3 Elemér Somfay (HUN)6.775
4 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)6.687
5 Denis Duigan (AUS)6.5459
6 Gaston Médécin (MON)6.4910
7 Evert Nilsson (SWE)6.4013
8 Iivari Yrjölä (FIN)6.2518
9 Constant Bucher (SUI)6.1721
10 Roger Viel (FRA)5.9225
11 Fred Zinner (BEL)5.8826
12 Georgios Zakharopoulos (GRE)5.48527
13 Percy Spark (GBR)5.2930

Group 2

PlaceAthleteWidthOverall Rank
1 Mort Kaer (USA)6.962
2 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)6.8953
3 Leo Leino (FIN)6.726
4 Göran Unger (SWE)6.568
5 Clifford Argue (USA)6.4611
6 Donald Slack (GBR)6.4312
7 Josse Ruth (BEL)6.3814
8 Aleksa Spahić (YUG)6.3215
9 Léon Courtejaire (FRA)6.2916
10 Albino Pighi (ITA)6.2517
11 Martin Mølster (NOR)6.2019
12 Harry de Keijser (NED)6.1920
13 Seiichi Ueda (JPN)6.0522
14 Adolfo Contoli (ITA)5.9923
15 Bertil Fastén (SWE)5.9824
16 Antonín Svoboda (TCH)5.3728
17 Stelios Benardis (GRE)5.34529

Javelin throw

The javelin throw was the second event and started at 2:45 p.m.

Group 1

PlaceAthleteWidthOverall Rank
1 Elemér Somfay (HUN)52.072
2 Iivari Yrjölä (FIN)51.723
3 Evert Nilsson (SWE)51.174
4 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)50.935
5 Georgios Zakharopoulos (GRE)49.007
6 Brutus Hamilton (USA)48.968
7 Robert LeGendre (USA)48.0411
8 Denis Duigan (AUS)45.6016
9 Roger Viel (FRA)42.5819
10 Percy Spark (GBR)41.1921
11 Fred Zinner (BEL)40.1522
12 Constant Bucher (SUI)38.9524
13 Gaston Médécin (MON)32.4329

Group 2

PlaceAthleteWidthOverall Rank
1 Leo Leino (FIN)54.121
2 Mort Kaer (USA)50.206
3 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)48.769
4 Göran Unger (SWE)48.4510
5 Martin Mølster (NOR)47.9112
6 Bertil Fastén (SWE)47.5813
7 Léon Courtejaire (FRA)47.5814
8 Seiichi Ueda (JPN)47.4715
9 Harry de Keijser (NED)44.0717
10 Adolfo Contoli (ITA)42.9818
11 Clifford Argue (USA)41.4820
12 Albino Pighi (ITA)39.8223
13 Antonín Svoboda (TCH)37.8825
14 Josse Ruth (BEL)36.7826
15 Stelios Benardis (GRE)35.5827
16 Donald Slack (GBR)34.1828
17 Aleksa Spahić (YUG)31.0030

200 metres

The third event was the 200 metres. The heats started at 3:45 p.m.

Heat 1

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Clifford Argue (USA)23.4=5
2 Roger Viel (FRA)23.8=8
3 Evert Nilsson (SWE)25.0=21

Heat 2

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Mort Kaer (USA)23.0=1
2 Denis Duigan (AUS)23.8=8
3 Fred Zinner (BEL)25.224

Heat 3

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Brutus Hamilton (USA)24.4=18
2 Aleksa Spahić (YUG)25.0=21
— Georgios Zakharopoulos (GRE)DNS—

Heat 4

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)23.0=1
2 Donald Slack (GBR)23.8=8
3 Constant Bucher (SUI)24.4=18

Heat 5

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Adolfo Contoli (ITA)23.8=8
2 Göran Unger (SWE)23.8=8
3 Percy Spark (GBR)27.028

Heat 6

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Elemér Somfay (HUN)23.4=5
2 Antonín Svoboda (TCH)24.0=13
3 Harry de Keijser (NED)24.2=15

Heat 7

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Josse Ruth (BEL)24.2=15
2 Seiichi Ueda (JPN)25.425
— Iivari Yrjölä (FIN)DNS—

Heat 8

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Robert LeGendre (USA)23.0=1
2 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)23.87
3 Léon Courtejaire (FRA)24.620

Heat 9

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Martin Mølster (NOR)24.2=15
2 Bertil Fastén (SWE)25.826
3 Stelios Benardis (GRE)26.227

Heat 10

PlaceAthleteTimeOverall Rank
1 Leo Leino (FIN)23.4=5
2 Gaston Médécin (MON)24.0=13
3 Albino Pighi (ITA)25.0=21

Standings after three events

After these three events only the top twelve competitors were allowed to participate in the following discus throw contest.

PlaceAthleteLong jumpJavelin200 mTotal
1 Mort Kaer (USA)2619
2 Leo Leino (FIN)61411
3 Elemér Somfay (HUN)52512
4 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)75113
 Robert LeGendre (USA)111113
6 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)39719
7 Göran Unger (SWE)810826
8 Brutus Hamilton (USA)481830
9 Denis Duigan (AUS)916833
10 Clifford Argue (USA)1120536
11 Evert Nilsson (SWE)1342138
12 Martin Mølster (NOR)19121546
13 Donald Slack (GBR)1228848
14 Adolfo Contoli (ITA)2318849
 Léon Courtejaire (FRA)16132049
16 Roger Viel (FRA)2519852
 Gaston Médécin (MON)10291352
 Harry de Keijser (NED)20171552
19 Josse Ruth (BEL)14261555
20 Albino Pighi (ITA)17232161
21 Seiichi Ueda (JPN)22152562
22 Constant Bucher (SUI)21241863
 Bertil Fastén (SWE)24132663
24 Aleksa Spahić (YUG)15302166
 Antonín Svoboda (TCH)27251366
26 Fred Zinner (BEL)26222472
27 Percy Spark (GBR)30212879
28 Stelios Benardis (GRE)29272783
— Iivari Yrjölä (FIN)183—DNF
 Georgios Zakharopoulos (GRE)277—DNF

After the determination of the twelve competitors who will participate in the next event all other results from the non-qualified pentathletes were deleted. This gave the following order and current standing at this point of the competition:

PlaceAthleteLong jumpJavelin200 mTotal
1 Mort Kaer (USA)2518
2 Robert LeGendre (USA)19111
 Leo Leino (FIN)61411
4 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)74112
 Elemér Somfay (HUN)52512
6 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)37717
7 Brutus Hamilton (USA)461121
8 Göran Unger (SWE)88824
9 Evert Nilsson (SWE)1131226
10 Clifford Argue (USA)1012527
11 Denis Duigan (AUS)991128
12 Martin Mølster (NOR)12101032

Eero Lehtonen and Elemér Somfay later gold and silver medalists tied in fourth place after three events. The biggest winner of the deletion of the results from the non-qualified competitors was Robert LeGendre. He came up from fourth and second place. The biggest loss had Denis Duigan who came from ninth back to eleventh.

Discus throw

The discus throw was the fourth event and started at 4:30 p.m.

The leader after three events Mort Kaer was able to finish only in tenth place. While Eero Lehtonen, Olympic champion in pentathlon at the 1920 Games, won the discus throw competition.

PlaceAthleteWidth
1 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)40.44
2 Elemér Somfay (HUN)37.76
3 Brutus Hamilton (USA)37.70
4 Robert LeGendre (USA)36.76
5 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)36.08
6 Göran Unger (SWE)35.11
7 Martin Mølster (NOR)34.69
8 Leo Leino (FIN)33.62
9 Evert Nilsson (SWE)33.45
10 Mort Kaer (USA)32.70
11 Denis Duigan (AUS)27.26
— Clifford Argue (USA)DNS

After the fourth event again only the best six pentathletes from the overall standings advanced to the last contest. Mort Kaer who only managed to finish in tenth place in the discus throw came back to fourth place overall - enough to participate in the final 1500 metres run. Brutus Hamilton who finished third in the discus throw did not improve his seventh place overall and failed to qualify for the 1500 metres run. So the first six places were unchanged and three Finns, two US-Americans, and one Hungarian started in the final.

PlaceAthleteLong jumpJavelin200 mDiscusTotal
1 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)741113
2 Elemér Somfay (HUN)525214
3 Robert LeGendre (USA)191415
4 Mort Kaer (USA)2511018
5 Leo Leino (FIN)614119
6 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)377522
7 Brutus Hamilton (USA)4611324
8 Göran Unger (SWE)888630
9 Evert Nilsson (SWE)11312935
10 Denis Duigan (AUS)99111139
 Martin Mølster (NOR)121010739
— Clifford Argue (USA)10125DNSDNF

At this point of the competition the results from the non-qualified competitors were not deleted so the results stand for the final event.

1500 metres

The 1500 metres run was the fifth and final event and started at 5:15 p.m.

PlaceAthleteTime
1 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)4:47.1
2 Elemér Somfay (HUN)4:48.4
3 Robert LeGendre (USA)4:52.6
4 Leo Leino (FIN)4:55.4
5 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)4:55.6
6 Mort Kaer (USA)5:38.6

Final standings

The medal ranks were unchanged after the 1500 metres run. Eero Lehtonen was able to win his second gold medal in Olympic pentathlon. He also became the last Olympic champion in pentathlon as this event was discontinued. The new world record holder in long jump Robert LeGendre finished third and won the bronze medal. He would have won the gold medal if this contest were scored by points tables. But his ninth place in the javelin throw pushed him back. And he did not participate in the Olympic long jump event held the next day, because he did not compete in this event at the US Olympic trials.

PlaceAthleteLong jumpJavelin200 mDiscus1500 mTotal
1 Eero Lehtonen (FIN)7411114
2 Elemér Somfay (HUN)5252216
3 Robert LeGendre (USA)1914318
4 Leo Leino (FIN)6141423
5 Mort Kaer (USA)25110624
6 Hugo Lahtinen (FIN)3775527

References
  1. "Athletics at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Pentathlon". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
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