Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

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Men's discus throw
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
Martin Sheridan, vainqueur du lancement du disque aux JO de 1908.jpg
The winner Martin Sheridan
VenueWhite City Stadium
DateJuly 16
Competitors42 from 11 nations
Winning distance40.89 OR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Martin Sheridan
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Merritt Giffin
 United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bill Horr
 United States
← 1904
1912 →

The men's discus throw was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on July 16, 1908. 42 throwers from eleven nations competed.[1] NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[2] The event was won by Martin Sheridan of the United States, his second consecutive victory in the event (third if the 1906 Intercalated Games are included). The Americans completed their first sweep in the discus throw, with Merritt Giffin taking silver and Bill Horr bronze.

Background[]

This was the fourth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning competitors from 1904 were defending champion Martin Sheridan of the United States, bronze medalist Nikolaos Georgantas of Greece, and fourth-place finisher (and 1900 competitor) John Flanagan of the United States. Sheridan, who had also won the 1906 Intercalated Games discus throw, was heavily favored, "unequaled as a discus thrower."[3]

Finland, Germany, Italy, and Norway each made their debut in the men's discus throw. Greece and the United States each made their fourth appearance, having competed in every edition of the Olympic men's discus throw to date.

Competition format[]

The competition continued to use the single, divided-final format in use since 1896. Each athlete received three throws, with the top three receiving an additional three throws. This event was one of two discus throwing events in 1908 and was referred to as the "free style" throw; the other was throwing the discus "as at Athens." For this event, the athletes threw the discus from inside a 2.5 metre diameter circle. There were no rules on form ("The method of throwing is at the absolute discretion of each competitor"), though the thrower had to remain in the circle until the discus hit the ground. The landing area was a 45 degree sector, broader than the modern 34.92 degrees.[4][5][3]

Records[]

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.

World record  Wilhelm Dörr (GER) 43.86* Worms, German Empire 1907
Olympic record  Ralph Rose (USA)
 Martin Sheridan (USA)
39.28 St. Louis, United States 3 September 1904

* unofficial

The top four men all threw beyond the old Olympic record in the qualifying throws. Martin Sheridan finished with the best throw and the new record, at 40.89 metres.

Results[]

Giffin's first throw (40.70 metres) was his best and gave him the lead until the final round. Sheridan threw 40.89 metres on his final attempt to win.[4] 23 athletes did not start.[3]

Rank Athlete Nation Qualifying Final Distance Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) Martin Sheridan  United States 40.58 40.89 OR 40.89 OR
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Merritt Giffin  United States 40.70 OR Unknown 40.70
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bill Horr  United States 39.44 39.45 39.45
4 Verner Järvinen  Finland 39.43 Did not advance 39.43
5 Arthur Dearborn  United States 38.52 Did not advance 38.52
6 Lee Talbott  United States 38.40 Did not advance 38.40
7 György Luntzer  Hungary 38.34 Did not advance 38.34
8 André Tison  France 38.30 Did not advance 38.30
9 John Flanagan  United States 37.80 Did not advance 37.80
10 Wilbur Burroughs  United States 37.43 Did not advance 37.43
11 Emil Welz  Germany 37.02 Did not advance 37.02
12–42 Mór Kóczán  Hungary 32.76 Did not advance 32.76
Ferenc Jesina  Hungary 30.82 Did not advance 30.82
Platt Adams  United States Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Umberto Avattaneo  Italy Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Edward Barrett  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Michael Collins  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Michalis Dorizas  Greece Unknown Did not advance Unknown
John Falchenberg  Norway Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Alfred Flaxman  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Folke Fleetwood  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown
John Garrels  United States Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Nikolaos Georgantas  Greece Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Simon Gillis  United States Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Walter Henderson  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Imre Mudin  Hungary Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Charles Lagarde  France Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Henry Leeke  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Eric Lemming  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Ernest May  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
John Murray  Great Britain Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Theodor Neijström  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Elmer Niklander  Finland Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Otto Nilsson  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Lauri Pihkala  Finland Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Aarne Salovaara  Finland Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Jalmari Sauli  Finland Unknown Did not advance Unknown
František Souček  Bohemia Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Miroslav Šustera  Bohemia Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Ludwig Uettwiller  Germany Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Hugo Wieslander  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown
Lauri Wilskman  Finland Unknown Did not advance Unknown

References[]

  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. ^ Official report, p. 32.
  3. ^ a b c "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Official Report, p. 95.
  5. ^ Official Report, p. 409.

Sources[]

  • Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908).
  • De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1908". Accessed 7 April 2006. Available electronically at [1].
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