Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres
| 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 | |
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.
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 10.8(*) |  Luther Cary |
Paris (FRA) | July 4, 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.8(*) |  Cecil Lee |
Brussels (BEL) | September 25, 1892 | |
| 10.8(*) | .svg.png){kind=small} Étienne De Re |
Brussels (BEL) | August 4, 1893 | |
| 10.8(*) | L. Atcherley |
Frankfurt/Main (GER) | April 13, 1895 | |
| 10.8(*) | Harry Beaton |
Rotterdam (NED) | August 28, 1895 | |
| 10.8(*) |  Harald Anderson-Arbin |
Helsingborg (SWE) | August 9, 1896 | |
| 10.8(*) | Isaac Westergren |
Gävle (SWE) | September 11, 1898 | |
| 10.8(*) | Isaac Westergren |
Gävle (SWE) | September 10, 1899 | |
| Olympic Record | 11.8 | Thomas Burke |
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.
Results
First round
In the first round, there were six heats. The top two runners in each advanced to the semifinals.
First round, heat 1
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Arthur Duffey (USA) | 11.4 s OR |
| 2 | Frederick Moloney (USA) | (11.5) |
| 3 |  Václav Nový (BOH) | Unknown |
Duffey was a metre ahead of Moloney at the finish.
First round, heat 2
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Tewksbury (USA) | 11.4 s EOR |
| 2 | Thaddeus McClain (USA) | (11.4) |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Pál Koppán (HUN) | Unknown |
Tewksbury won this heat by six inches.
First round, heat 3
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Jarvis (USA) | 10.8 s EWR |
| 2 | Stan Rowley (AUS) | (10.9) |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Umberto Colombo (ITA) | Unknown |
| 4 |  Julius Keyl (GER) | Unknown |
The fastest of the preliminary heats featured two of the eventual medallists; Jarvis won by a metre and equalled the world record.
First round, heat 4
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clark Leiblee (USA) | 11.4 s |
| 2 | Kurt Doerry (GER) | (11.5) |
| 3 |  Johannes Gandil (DEN) | Unknown |
Leiblee won this heat by half a yard.
First round, heat 5
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norman Pritchard (IND) | 11.4 s |
| 2 | Edmund Minahan (USA) | (11.5) |
| 3 | Ernő Schubert (HUN) | Unknown |
| 4 | .svg.png){kind=small} Isaac Westergren (SWE) | Unknown |
The fifth heat was the only one that was not won by an American runner; Pritchard beat Minahan by half a yard.
First round, heat 6
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Burroughs (USA) | 11.4 s |
| 2 | Dixon Boardman (USA) | (11.5) |
| 3 | Henry Slack (USA) | Unknown |
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.
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
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Duffey (USA) | 11.0 s |
| 2 | Stan Rowley (AUS) | (11.2) |
| 3 | Charles Burroughs (USA) | Unknown |
| 4 | Dixon Boardman (USA) | Unknown |
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.
Semifinal 2
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Tewksbury (USA) | 10.8 s EWR |
| 2 | Clark Leiblee (USA) | (10.9) |
| 3 | Frederick Moloney (USA) | Unknown |
| — | Kurt Doerry (GER) | DNF |
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.
Semifinal 3
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Jarvis (USA) | 11.2 s |
| 2 | Thaddeus McClain (USA) | (11.3) |
| 3 | Norman Pritchard (IND) | Unknown |
| 4 | Edmund Minahan (USA) | Unknown |
Jarvis won by a yard, McClain and Pritchard were relegated to the repechage, and Minahan was eliminated.
Repechage
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Rowley (AUS) | 11.0 s |
| 2 | Norman Pritchard (IND) | (11.0) |
| 3 | Clark Leiblee (USA) | Unknown |
| 4-6 | Charles Burroughs (USA) | Unknown |
| Thaddeus McClain (USA) | Unknown | |
| Frederick Moloney (USA) | Unknown |
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.
Final
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Jarvis (USA) | 11.0 s |
| 2 | Walter Tewksbury (USA) | (11.1) |
| 3 | Stan Rowley (AUS) | (11.2) |
| — | Arthur Duffey (USA) | DNF |
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.
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.