Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's standing high jump

The men's standing high jump was one of six jumping events on the athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on July 23, 1908. 23 high jumpers from eleven nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[1] The event was won by Ray Ewry of the United States, his third consecutive victory in the event. Ewry won all eight standing jump events from 1900 to 1908 as well as both events at the 1906 Intercalated Games. Konstantinos Tsiklitiras of Greece took silver, tying with American John Biller. Tsiklitiras was the first non-American to medal in the event; the United States had swept the medals in both 1900 and 1904.

Men's standing high jump
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
Ray Ewry during standing high jump competition.
VenueWhite City Stadium
DateJuly 23
Competitors23 from 11 nations
Winning height1.57
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Ray Ewry
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) John Biller
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Konstantinos Tsiklitiras
 Greece
← 1904
1912 →

Background

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This was the third appearance of the event, which was held four times from 1900 to 1912. Two-time defending champion (three-time if the 1906 Intercalated Games are counted) Ray Ewry of the United States was heavily favored.[2]

Australasia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Norway, and Sweden each made their debut in the event. The United States made its third appearance, the only nation to have competed in each appearance of the event to that point.

Competition format

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There were two rounds of jumping, though the results from the qualifying round carried over to the final. The top four jumpers in the qualifying round advanced to the final. Each competitor received three attempts at each height. The judges determined the initial height of the bar and any increases. "Diving" and "somersaulting" were not allowed.[2][3]

Records

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

World record   Ray Ewry (USA) 1.655 Paris, France 16 July 1900
Olympic record   Ray Ewry (USA) 1.655 Paris, France 16 July 1900

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

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Date Time Round
Thursday, 23 July 1908 Qualifying
Final

Results

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Rank Athlete Nation Height
  Ray Ewry   United States 1.57
  John Biller   United States 1.55
Konstantinos Tsiklitiras   Greece 1.55
4 Frank Holmes   United States 1.52
5 Platt Adams   United States 1.47
Géo André   France 1.47
Alfred Motté   France 1.47
8 Wilhelm Blystad   Norway 1.42
Léon Dupont   Belgium 1.42
Walter Henderson   Great Britain 1.42
Frank Irons   United States 1.42
Svend Langkjær   Denmark 1.42
Arthur Mallwitz   Germany 1.42
14 Allan Bengtsson   Sweden 1.40
Karl Fryksdal   Sweden 1.40
16 Martin Sheridan   United States 1.37
17 Lancelot Stafford   Great Britain 1.32
Ludwig Uettwiller   Germany 1.32
19–23 George Barber   Canada Unknown
Alfred Flaxman   Great Britain Unknown
Ernest Hutcheon   Australasia Unknown
Henri Jardin   France Unknown
Lawson Robertson   United States Unknown

References

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  1. ^ Official report, p. 32.
  2. ^ a b "Standing High Jump, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  3. ^ Official Report, p. 405.

Sources

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  • 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] Archived 27 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine.