Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres
The men's 100 metres was a sprinting event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14, 1900. 20 athletes from nine nations competed.
| Men's 100 metres at the Games of the II Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Bois de Boulogne | |||||||||
| Date | July 14 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 20 from 9 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 60 m | men |
| 100 m | men |
| 200 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| 200 m hurdles | men |
| 400 m hurdles | men |
| 2500 m steeplechase | men |
| 4000 m steeplechase | men |
| 5000 m team race | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Standing long jump | men |
| Standing triple jump | men |
| Standing high jump | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
| Hammer throw | men |
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 10.8[lower-alpha 1] |  |
Paris (FRA) | July 4, 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Brussels (BEL) | September 25, 1892 | ||
.svg.png){kind=small} |
Brussels (BEL) | August 4, 1893 | ||
|
Frankfurt/Main (GER) | April 13, 1895 | ||
|
Rotterdam (NED) | August 28, 1895 | ||
 |
Helsingborg (SWE) | August 9, 1896 | ||
|
Gävle (SWE) | September 11, 1898 | ||
|
Gävle (SWE) | September 10, 1899 | ||
| Olympic Record | 11.8 | |
Athens (GRE) | April 6, 1896 (NS) |
- unofficial
Arthur Duffey in the first heat of the first round and Walter Tewksbury in the second heat of the first round set new Olympic records with 11.4 seconds. In the third heat of the first round Frank Jarvis equalled the unofficial world record with 10.8 seconds. In the second semifinal Tewksbury also equalled the world record with 10.8 seconds.
Competition format
The competition consisted of four rounds: heats, semifinals, a repechage, and a final. The top two runners in each of the six heats advanced to the semifinals. Those 12 men were divided into 3 semifinals of 4 runners each. The 1st-place runner in each semifinal advanced directly to the final, the 2nd and 3rd place runners went to the repechage, and the 4th place finisher was eliminated. In the 6-man repechage, only the winner advanced to the final and everyone else was eliminated.
Results
First round
In the first round, there were six heats. The top two runners in each advanced to the semifinals.
Heat 1
Duffey was a metre ahead of Moloney at the finish.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Duffey | .svg.png){kind=small} | 11.4 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Frederick Moloney | | (11.5) | Q |
| 3 | Václav Nový |  | Unknown |
Heat 2
Tewksbury won this heat by six inches.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Tewksbury | | 11.4 | Q, =OR |
| 2 | Thaddeus McClain | | (11.4) | Q |
| 3 | Pál Koppán | .svg.png){kind=small} | Unknown |
Heat 3
The fastest of the preliminary heats featured two of the eventual medallists; Jarvis won by a metre and equalled the world record.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Jarvis | | 10.8 | Q, =WR |
| 2 | Stan Rowley | | (10.9) | Q |
| 3 | Umberto Colombo | .svg.png){kind=small} | Unknown | |
| 4 | Julius Keyl | .svg.png){kind=small} | Unknown |
Heat 4
Leiblee won this heat by half a yard.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clark Leiblee | | 11.4 | Q |
| 2 | Kurt Doerry | | (11.5) | Q |
| 3 | Johannes Gandil |  | Unknown |
Heat 5
The fifth heat was the only one that was not won by an American runner; Pritchard beat Minahan by half a yard.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norman Pritchard |  | 11.4 | Q |
| 2 | Edmund Minahan | | (11.5) | Q |
| 3 | Ernő Schubert | | Unknown | |
| 4 | Isaac Westergren | .svg.png){kind=small} | Unknown |
Heat 6
In an all-American heat, Burroughs defeated Boardman by about a metre, with Slack in third to become the only American runner to be eliminated in the first round.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Burroughs | | 11.4 | Q |
| 2 | Dixon Boardman | | (11.5) | Q |
| 3 | Henry Slack | | Unknown |
Semifinals
There were three semifinals, each with four runners. The top runner in each of the semifinals advanced to the final, while the second and third place runners competed in the repechage. The winner of the six-runner repechage advanced to the final as well.
Semifinal 1
Duffey dropped almost half a second from his preliminary heat time to beat Rowley by five feet. Burroughs again defeated Boardman, eliminating Boardman from competition while remaining in contention in the repechage.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Duffey | | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Stan Rowley | | (11.2) | R |
| 3 | Charles Burroughs | | Unknown | R |
| 4 | Dixon Boardman | | Unknown |
Semifinal 2
Tewksbury equalled the world record, the second runner to accomplish that at the Paris Games, with Leiblee six inches behind him. There is some question as to whether Dörry started the race, but he did not finish it.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Tewksbury | | 10.8 | Q, =WR |
| 2 | Clark Leiblee | | (10.9) | R |
| 3 | Frederick Moloney | | Unknown | R |
| – | Kurt Doerry | | DNF |
Semifinal 3
Jarvis won by a yard, McClain and Pritchard were relegated to the repechage, and Minahan was eliminated.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Jarvis | | 11.2 | Q |
| 2 | Thaddeus McClain | | (11.3) | R |
| 3 | Norman Pritchard | | Unknown | R |
| 4 | Edmund Minahan | | Unknown |
Repechage
The repechage was a very close race, with Rowley defeating Pritchard by two inches. Rowley advanced to the final while Pritchard and the four Americans were eliminated.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Rowley | | 11.0 | Q |
| 2 | Norman Pritchard | | (11.0) | |
| 3 | Clark Leiblee | | Unknown | |
| 4-6 | Charles Burroughs | | Unknown | |
| 4-6 | Thaddeus McClain | | Unknown | |
| 4-6 | Frederick Moloney | | Unknown |
Final
Duffey got away to an early lead, but pulled a tendon at the 50 meter mark. Jarvis beat Tewksbury by two feet, with Rowley half a yard behind.
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Frank Jarvis | | 11.0 |
 | Walter Tewksbury | | (11.1) |
 | Stan Rowley | | (11.2) |
| – | Arthur Duffey | | DNF |
Sources
- International Olympic Committee.
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically at .
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.