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Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics

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Great Britain at the
1900 Summer Olympics
IOC codeGBR
NOCBritish Olympic Association
in Paris
Competitors101 in 14 sports
Medals
Ranked 3rd
Gold
15
Silver
7
Bronze
9
Total
31
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It was the second appearance of Britain after having participated in the inaugural 1896 Games. In Olympic competition, the nation has always shortened its official name to Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom seen elsewhere.

Medallists

[edit]
Medal Name Sport Event Date
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lorne Currie
John Gretton
Linton Hope
Algernon Maudslay
Sailing Open class May 20
1st place, gold medalist(s) Lorne Currie
John Gretton
Linton Hope
Algernon Maudslay
Sailing .5 to 1 ton May 25
1st place, gold medalist(s) Howard Taylor
Edward Hore
Harry Jefferson
Sailing 3 to 10 ton May 25
1st place, gold medalist(s) Cecil Quentin Sailing 20+ ton August 2
1st place, gold medalist(s) Charlotte Cooper Tennis Women's singles July 11
1st place, gold medalist(s) Laurence Doherty Tennis Men's singles July 11
1st place, gold medalist(s) Laurence Doherty
Reginald Doherty
Tennis Men's doubles July 11
1st place, gold medalist(s) Reginald Doherty
Charlotte Cooper
Tennis Mixed doubles August 28
1st place, gold medalist(s) Charles Bennett Athletics Men's 1500 m July 15
1st place, gold medalist(s) John Rimmer Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase July 16
1st place, gold medalist(s) Alfred Tysoe Athletics Men's 800 m July 16
1st place, gold medalist(s) John Jarvis Swimming Men's 1000 m freestyle August 12
1st place, gold medalist(s) John Jarvis Swimming Men's 4000 m freestyle August 19
1st place, gold medalist(s) Devon and Somerset Wanderers Cricket Team
Cricket 2-day, 12 men August 20
1st place, gold medalist(s) Upton Park F.C.
Football Men's Football September 20
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Harold Mahony Tennis Men's singles July 11
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Sidney Robinson Athletics Men's 2500 m steeplechase July 15
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Patrick Leahy Athletics Men's high jump July 15
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Charles Bennett Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase July 16
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Selwin Calverley Sailing 20+ ton August 2
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Lloyd Hildebrand[1] Cycling Men's 25 kilometres September 15
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Walter Rutherford Golf Men's individual October 2
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Moseley Wanderers
Rugby Union Rugby Union October 28
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Reginald Doherty Tennis Men's singles July 11
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Arthur Norris Tennis Men's singles July 11
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Harold Mahony
Arthur Norris
Tennis Men's doubles July 11
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Patrick Leahy Athletics Men's long jump July 15
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Sidney Robinson Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase July 16
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Edward Hore Sailing 10 to 20 ton August 6
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Peter Kemp Swimming Men's 200 m obstacle August 12
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Saint-George Ashe Rowing Men's single sculls August 26
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) David Robertson Golf Men's individual October 2

Additionally British competitors won five gold medals, three silver medals and five bronze medals while competing for the Mixed Team.

Medal Team Sport Event
1st place, gold medalist(s) Mixed Team Athletics 5000 metre team race
1st place, gold medalist(s) Mixed Team Sailing 2-3 ton (race 1)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Mixed Team Sailing 2-3 ton (race 2)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Mixed Team Polo Men's Polo
1st place, gold medalist(s) Mixed Team Water Polo Men's Water Polo
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Mixed Team Cricket Men's Cricket
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Mixed Team Polo Men's Polo
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mixed Team Football Men's Football
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles (first bronze pair)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles (second bronze pair)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mixed Team Polo Men's Polo
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mixed Team Water Polo Men's Water Polo

Results by event

[edit]

Swimming

[edit]

Great Britain made its Olympic swimming debut in 1900. Jarvis won gold medals in each of the two long distance freestyle events; as neither distance was used again, he is the only Olympic champion ever in both the 1000 metres and 4000 metres. Kemp added a bronze in the obstacle event, another one-time-only competition. This put Great Britain at the top of the leaderboard by gold-silver-bronze (Australia and Germany also had 2 gold medals, but neither won any other medals) though France (1 gold, 2 silvers, 2 bronzes) and Austria (3 silvers, 1 bronze) had more total medals.

Swimmer Event Semifinals Final
Result Rank Result Rank
Robert Crawshaw Men's 200 metre freestyle 2:40.0 2 q 2:45.6 4
Peter Kemp 2:51.0 2 did not advance
F. Stapleton 2:47.0 2 q 2:55.0 6
Bill Burgess Men's 1000 metre freestyle 16:54.0 2 q DNF 10
John Arthur Jarvis 14:28.6 1 Q 13:40.2 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Bill Burgess Men's 4000 metre freestyle 1:15:04.8 2 q 1:15:07.6 4
William Henry 1:22:58.4 3 q DNF 8
John Arthur Jarvis 1:01:48.4 1 Q 58:24.0 1st place, gold medalist(s)
E. T. Jones DNF did not advance
Bill Burgess Men's 200 metre backstroke 3:50.4 3 q 3:12.0 5
Robert Crawshaw 3:15.0 2 q DNF 9
William Henry Men's 200 metre obstacle event 3:14.4 2 Q 2:58.0 6
Peter Kemp 3:12.0 1 Q 2:47.4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
F. Stapleton 3:18.4 3 q 2:55.0 5

Water polo

[edit]

The British water polo team won gold easily. The roster listed is that credited with gold medals by the IOC, but not by Olympedia[2][3] The roster for the Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester as listed by the International Olympic Committee is Thomas Coe, John Henry Derbyshire, Peter Kemp, William Lister, Arthur G. Robertson, Eric Robinson, and George Wilkinson. Lister, however, had died two weeks prior to the Games,[4] while Derbyshire, Robinson, and Wilkinson all played water polo matches in England either during the tournament or too soon after it to have traveled back from Paris in time. A list of players contemporary to the match does not include Robertson, but does list Coe and Kemp in addition to Robert Crawshaw, William Henry, John Arthur Jarvis, Victor Lindberg, and Frederick Stapleton.[4] Lindberg has been considered the first New Zealand Olympian,[5] although he "was born in Fiji to Swedish and Irish parents, lived in New Zealand from a young age and, in Paris, represented a British club."[4]

One British player (Thomas William Burgess) played on a French team that won a bronze medal, as well, but the IOC credits that appearance to France and not Great Britain or a mixed team.

Team Event Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Osborne Swimming Club
Men's water polo  Tritons Lillois (FRA)
W 12-0
 Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2 (FRA)
W 10-1
 Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club Belgium (BEL)
W 7-2
1st place, gold medalist(s)

Athletics

[edit]

Great Britain took 4 gold medals in athletics, including one as part of a mixed team (with 4 British athletes and one Australian). This put them second on the leaderboard for that sport, behind the dominant United States as the two nations to win multiple gold medals in the sport. The British team won a total of 9 athletics medals including a sweep of the 4000 metre steeplechase event. 9 athletes competed in 10 events.

Track events
Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Alfred Tysoe 800 m 1:59.4 2 Q 2:01.2 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Charles Bennett 1500 m 4:06.2 1st place, gold medalist(s)
John Rimmer Unknown Unknown
Sidney Robinson 2500 m steeplechase 7:38.0 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
John Rimmer 4000 m steeplechase 12:58.4 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Charles Bennett 12:58.6 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Sidney Robinson 12:58.6 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
E. Ion Pool marathon did not finish
Frederick Randall did not finish
William Saward did not finish
W. Taylor did not finish
Field events
Athlete Event Qualifying Final
Result Rank Result Rank
Patrick Leahy high jump 1.78 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
long jump 6.71 5 Q 6.95 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
triple jump Unknown 4
Launceston Elliot discus throw 31.0 11 did not advance

Cricket

[edit]

Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers in cricket in 1900. The team won the only match, a 2-day 12-man contest, by 158 runs.

the british cricket team in 1900
Cricketers Event Final Place
Opposition
Result
Devon and Somerset Wanderers
2-day
12-man
 France
W by 158 runs
1st place, gold medalist(s)

Cycling

[edit]
Athlete Event Place
Lloyd Hildebrand[6] Men's 25 kilometres 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
  • Note - Recorded as Great Britain and Ireland until 2024, the IOC Executive Board approved the change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900 Olympics from Great Britain to France.

Fencing

[edit]

Great Britain send fencers to the Olympics for the first time in 1900. None of the 3 British men reached the final in their event.

Fencer Event Round 1 Quarterfinal Repechage Semifinal Final
Eugène Plisson Men's masters foil Not advanced by jury did not advance
Josiah Bowden Men's épée 2 Q Unknown did not advance
Charles Robinson Unknown did not advance

Football

[edit]

Upton Park F.C. represented Great Britain in the football competition. The club squad won its only match, against Club Française, 4-0.

Summary
Team Event Match 1 Match 2 Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Upton Park F.C. Men's football  Club Française (FRA)
W 4–0
Bye 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Match 1
Club Français France0–4United Kingdom Upton Park FC
Report Nicholas
Turner 5'
Zealley 7'
Attendance: 500
Referee: Maignard (France)
Team details
Club Français
Upton Park

Golf

[edit]

Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic golf events. The British golfers took the silver and bronze medals in the men's competition, making Great Britain the only nation other than the United States to win a golfing medal that year.

Golfer Event Score Rank
William Bathurst Dove Men's individual 186 7
David Donaldson Robertson 175 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Walter Rutherford 168 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
George Thorne 185 6
John Daunt 184 5

Gymnastics Artistic

[edit]

Great Britain's second Olympic gymnastics appearance was no more successful than the nation's first, resulting in no medals.

Gymnast Event Score Rank
William Connor 250 31
Henry Hiatt 172 124
Pearce 238 54
William Lloyd Phillips 222 73

Polo

[edit]

Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic polo event. British athletes played on three of the five teams, two of which included either American or French players, while the third included both American and French. The mixed British/American combination took the top place, the British/American/French team secured the silver medal, while the British/French team reached third place.

Team Event Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Foxhunters Hurlingham
Men's polo  Compiègne (FRA)
W 10–0
 Bagatelle (ZZX)
W 6–4
 BLO Polo Club Rugby (ZZX)
W 3–1
1st place, gold medalist(s)
BLO Polo Club Rugby
Bye  Mexico
W 8–0
 Foxhunters (ZZX)
L 3–1
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris
Bye  Foxhunters (ZZX)
L 6–4
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Rowing

[edit]

Britain had a single rower present at the first Olympic rowing contests, winning the bronze medal in the single sculls event.

Rower Event First round Semifinals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Saint-George Ashe Men's single sculls 6:38.8 1 Q 8:37.2 3 q 8:15.6 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Rugby

[edit]

Britain was one of three teams to compete in the first Olympic rugby games. Britain lost its only game, against France. The game against Germany was cancelled due to travel plans.

Summary
Team Event Match 1 Match 2 Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Moseley Wanderers Bye  France national rugby union team (FRA)
L 27–8
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Match 2
28 Oct
France 27–8United Kingdom Great Britain
Report
Vélodrome de Vincennes, Paris
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: M.T.B. Potter
Roster

Sailing

[edit]

Great Britain was second to France in gold medals at the 1900 sailing events with 4, but took only 1 other medal, a bronze. France took 5 golds, 9 silvers, and 10 bronzes for a total of 24 medals to Britain's 6. However, even a perfect performance by the British athletes would have earned only a total of 8 medals—Great Britain failed to medal in only 2 of its attempts. The crew members listed are those listed by the IOC in their database. The Olympic historian Ian Buchanan in his book "British Olympians" (1991) states that "reports on many aspects of the 1900 regatta are inconclusive and the crew members of the British entry "Scotia" has never been positively settled. The records of the British Olympic Association give the crew as Lorne Currie, John Gretton and Linton Hope, but it has been established that Linton Hope was in England at the time of the races and his name only appears in the Olympic records as he was the designer of the "Scotia". Similarly the names of Currie and Gretton are probably only listed as the owners of the boat but as it is possible that they sailed their boat, they are listed as Olympic champions, although the participation of Lorne Currie, in particular, is in doubt. The one crew member whose participation has been established is Algernon Maudslay, whose name does not appear in any Olympic records, but from contemporary press reports it is clear that he was the helmsman of the "Scotia"".

Single race events
Sailors Event Time Rank
½–1 ton class
race 1
3:29:45 1st place, gold medalist(s)
½–1 ton class
race 2
3:45:46 4
2–3 ton class
race 1
2:17:30 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2–3 ton class
race 2
4:17:34 1st place, gold medalist(s)
3–10 ton class race 1 Unknown 7
3–10 ton class race 2 4:14:58 1st place, gold medalist(s)
4:38.49 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cecil Quentin 20+ ton class 5:29:46 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Selwin Calverley 5:30:06 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Open class 5:56:17 1st place, gold medalist(s)
DNF
Regatta events
Sailors Event Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Overall
Time Rank (points) Time Rank (points) Time Rank (points) Score Rank
Edward Hore 10–20 ton class 4:20:18 3rd, 8 points 3:41:49 1st, 10 points DNF –, 5 points 23 points 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Salusbury Mellor 4:25:48 5th, 6 points 3:53:17 5th, 6 points 3:36:02 4th, 7 points 19 points 5

Shooting

[edit]

Great Britain was represented by one shooter in its second appearance. Merlin, who had competed for Great Britain four years earlier, competed again. He tied for 7th in the trap shooting event.

Shooter Event Score Rank
Sidney Merlin Men's trap 12 7

Tennis

[edit]

Great Britain competed in tennis for the second time in 1900, again with great success. The Doherty brothers, Reginald and Laurence, and Charlotte Cooper won all 4 gold medals. Harold Mahony took silver in the men's singles and was on a mixed-nationality team that earned silver in the mixed doubles. Great Britain also took both of the bronzes in the men's singles and one of the bronzes in the men's doubles, as well as having British players comprise half of each bronze-medal mixed doubles pair. Ultimately, each of the 6 British tennis players took at least 1 medal.

Reginald and Laurence Doherty refused to play each other prior to the final. Since they were seeded in such a way that they would face each other in the semifinals, Reginald withdrew, accepting a bronze medal while Lawrence went on to win gold.

Player Event Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Laurence Doherty Men's singles  Lebréton (FRA)
W 6-2, 6-3
 de Garmendia (USA)
W 6-2, 8-6
R. Doherty
W walkover
 Mahony (GBR)
W 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
1st place, gold medalist(s)
Reginald Doherty  Durand (FRA)
W 6-1, 6-3
 Lecaron (FRA)
W 6-2, 6-1
 L. Doherty (GBR)
L walkover
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Harold Mahony  Sands (USA)
W 6-2, 6-3
Bye  Norris (GBR)
W 8-6, 6-1
 L. Doherty (GBR)
L 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Arthur Norris  Prévost (FRA)
W 6-4, 6-4
 Warden (GBR)
W 6-4, 6-2
 Mahony (GBR)
L 8-6, 6-1
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Archibald Warden Bye  Norris (GBR)
L 6-4, 6-2
did not advance 5
Charlotte Cooper Women's singles  Fourrier (FRA)
W 6-2, 6-0
 Jones (USA)
W 6-2, 7-5
 Prévost (FRA)
W 6-1, 6-4
1st place, gold medalist(s)
Men's doubles  Lebréton/Lecaron (FRA)
W 6-2, 6-3
 Mahony/Norris (GBR)
W 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
 Decugis (FRA)/ de Garmendia (USA)
W 6-1, 6-1, 6-0
1st place, gold medalist(s)
 Durand/Fauchier-Magnan (FRA)
W 6-8, 6-1, 6-8
 L. Doherty/R. Doherty (GBR)
L 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
 Decugis (FRA)/ de Garmendia (USA)
L 6-8, 6-3, 7-5
did not advance 5
Mixed doubles Bye  Jones (USA)/ L. Doherty (GBR)
W 6-2, 6-4
 H. Prévost (FRA)/ Mahony (GBR)
W 6-2, 6-4
1st place, gold medalist(s)
Bye  Rosenbaumová (BOH)/ Warden (GBR)
W 6-3, 6-0
 Cooper/R. Doherty (GBR)
L 6-2, 6-4
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
 G. Jones/Sands (USA)
W 6-1, 7-5
 Cooper/R. Doherty (GBR)
L 6-2, 6-4
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Gillou/Verdé-Delisle
W 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
 H. Prévost (FRA)/ Mahony (GBR)
L 6-3, 6-0
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Recorded as Great Britain and Ireland until 2024. (IOC Executive Board approves change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900, from Great Britain to France)". Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics". Olympedia.org. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  3. ^ Sports-Reference Archived 2016-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b c Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (December 2016). "Water Polo at the 1900 Paris Summer Games". Olympics. Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  5. ^ Munro, Bruce (2 August 2016). "A nation strikes gold". Otago Daily Times. Allied Press. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Recorded as Great Britain and Ireland until 2024. (IOC Executive Board approves change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900, from Great Britain to France)". Retrieved 13 June 2024.