Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Pairs

The mixed pairs was one of four events in figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Each nation could enter up to 3 pairs (6 skaters).[1] Twelve years later, silver medalist Phyllis Johnson would capture a bronze medal with a new partner at the 1920 Olympics.[2]

Pairs figure skating
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
Date29 October
Competitors6 from 2 nations
Medalists
Heinrich Burger / Anna Hübler  Germany
James H. Johnson / Phyllis Johnson  Great Britain
Edgar Syers / Madge Syers  Great Britain
Figure skating at the
1908 Summer Olympics
Singlesmenladies
Special figuresmen
Pairs mixed

Competition format

Each skater performed a five-minute free skate. Scores from 0 to 6 were given for each figure for both (a) content (difficulty and variety) and (b) performance. The total possible score was therefore 12. Each judge would then arrange the pairs in order of total score by that judge; these ordinal rankings were used to provide final placement for the pairs, using a "majority rule"--if a majority of the judges ranked a pair first, the pair won. If there was no majority, the total ordinals controlled. Ties were broken by total points.[3]

Results

The judges were unanimous in ranking the German pair first. For second place, two judges scored a tie between Hübler/Burger and the Syerses, while three judges put Hübler/Burger clearly in second; this being a majority, Hübler and Burger received the silver medal.

Rank Skaters Nation Points (Rank) Average score Total ordinals
HW GH HT HF GS
 Germany10
(1)		12
(1)		11
(1)		12
(1)		11
(1)		11.205
 Great Britain9
(2)		11.5
(2)		10.5
(2)		10.5
(2)		10
(2)		10.3010[4]
 Great Britain9
(2)		11.5
(2)		10
(3)		8
(3)		9.5
(3)		9.6013

Referee:

  • Herbert G. Fowler

Judges:

References
  1. Official Report, p. 39.
  2. "Figure Skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics: Pairs, Mixed". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. Official Report, p. 558.
  4. The Official Report gives the total ordinals for the silver medal pair as 10 and for the bronze medal pair as 13, in each case counting the two judges who awarded a tie for 2nd as being 2 ordinals. Other sources give both pairs a 2.5 for those ties, resulting in total ordinals of 11 and 14.

Sources
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Figure skating 1908". Accessed 2 May 2006. Available electronically at .
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.