| Athletics at the Games of the I Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 The renovated Panathinaiko Stadium | |
| Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium |
| Dates | 6–10 April 1896 |
| No. of events | 12 (12 men, 0 women) |
| Competitors | 63 from 9 nations |
1900 → | |
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 100 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
At the1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Olympiad, twelveathletics events were contested.[1] A total of 25 medals (12 silver for winners, 13 bronze for runner-up, none for third) were awarded. The medals were later denoted as 37 modern medals (12 gold, 13 silver, 12 bronze).[2] All of the events except themarathon were held in thePanathinaiko Stadium, which was also the finish for the marathon.[2] Events were held on 6 April, 7 April, 9 April, and 10 April 1896 (all dates are according to theGregorian calendar).[2] Altogether, 63 athletes, all men, from nine nations competed.[2] This made athletics the most international of the nine sports at the 1896 Games.
The American team of 11, which featured only one national champion, was dominant, taking 9 of the 12 titles. Noworld records were set, because few international top competitors had participated. In addition, the curves of the track were very tight, making fast times in the running events virtually impossible.[2]
The heats of the 100 metres were the first Olympic event to be conducted, and the winner of the first heat,Francis Lane, can thus be considered the first Olympic winner. The first Olympic champion was crowned in thetriple jump,Harvard studentJames Connolly. Connolly also did well in the other jumping events, placing second in thehigh jump and third in thelong jump.
Many other athletes were versatile as well.Thomas Burke won both the 100 metres and 400 metres, a feat not since repeated, while London-basedAustralianEdwin Flack won the 800 and 1500 metres races.Robert Garrett, aPrinceton student, won two first and two second places. His first title was in thediscus throw, an event originating from the Ancient Olympics, but never before held at an international event. Garrett had attempted to train for the event with a 10 kilogram replica of a discus, but had given up as it was too heavy. When he learned the actual competition discus weighed only 2 kilograms, he entered the event after all, and won it, to the dismay of the Greek public, who considered their throwers "unbeatable".[3]
A second event held for the first time in international competition was the marathon foot race. It was conceived byMichel Bréal, a friend ofPierre de Coubertin, based on the legend ofPheidippides. This Athenian soldier first completed a two-day run to seek Spartan help against the invading Persians in theBattle of Marathon, and then ran from the town ofMarathon to Athens days later to announce the victory, dying as a result of his heroic efforts. The race started in Marathon, and ran for 40 kilometres over dusty roads to Athens. The Greek public, disappointed as there had not yet been a Greek victor in athletics, was overjoyed when it was announced during the race that a Greek runner had taken the lead. WhenSpiridon Louis, a water carrier fromMaroussi, arrived in the stadium he was accompanied by the GreekCrown Prince on his final lap. Louis would never again compete in a race, but his victory made him a national hero.[4]
The exploits of Louis, Garrett, Connolly, and Flack would be chronicled in the 1984NBCminiseries,The First Olympics: Athens, 1896.
The day after the official marathonStamata Revithi ran the 40-kilometer course in 5 hours 30 minutes,[5] finishing outsidePanathinaiko Stadium. She was denied entry into the official competition since the 1896 Olympicsexcluded women from competition.[6]
| P | Preliminary round | Q | Qualification | H | Heats | ½ | Semi-finals | F | Final |
| Men's | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Apr 6 | Apr 7 | Apr 8 | Apr 9 | Apr 10 | |||||
| Event | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 100 m | H | F | ||||||||
| 400 m | H | F | ||||||||
| 800 m | H | F | ||||||||
| 1500 m | F | |||||||||
| 110 m hurdles | H | F | ||||||||
| Marathon | F | |||||||||
| High jump | F | |||||||||
| Pole vault | F | |||||||||
| Long jump | F | |||||||||
| Triple jump | F | |||||||||
| Shot put | F | |||||||||
| Discus throw | F | |||||||||
These medals were retroactively assigned by theInternational Olympic Committee; at the time, winners were given a silver medal and runners-up bronze medals. Athletes coming third received no award.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 |
| 2 |  Australia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 |  Greece | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 4 |  Hungary | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 |  France | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 |  Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 12 | 13 | 12 | 37 | |
A total of 63 athletes from 9 nations competed at the Athens Games.[2] Due to the nature of participation at the Games of the time not being fully throughNational Olympic Committees, there is a lack of clarity on which nations competed. For instance, Olympedia lists 1 athlete from Cyprus and 2 from Smyrna in counting 11 nations, but also notes the participation of "Cyprus and Smyrna as part of the Greek team".[2] Further, Chile claims to have had a competitor participate,[7] which would increase the total to 64 athletes from 10 nations, but other sources listLuis Subercaseaux as not having started.[1][2]
Australia (1)
Denmark (3) France (5) Germany (5) Great Britain (5) Greece (29) Hungary (3)
Sweden (1) United States (10)| Editions |  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Events |
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