1896 Athens
1896 Olympic Games Athina, Greece - Men's Pole Vault
- Details
- Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics)
- Category: 1896 Olympic Games Athina, Greece - (Athletics)
- Last Updated: 25 March 2016
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| Host City: Athina, Greece | Format: Final only | ||
| Date Started: April 10, 1896 | |||
| Date Finished: April 10, 1896 | |||
| (Competitors: 5; Countries: 2) | |||
| Venue(s): Panathenaic Stadium, Athina |
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| Overview by IAAF |  |
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| Tyler and Hoyt started competing at 2.80, after the three Greek vaulters had failed at 2.70. They both cleared each height up to 3.20 first time, with increments of 10cm, and Tyler then failed at 3.25. With the US championship record at 3.36, this Olympic event was one which did not compare unfavourably with the best of the era. | |||
| Summary by Sports-reference.com | |||
| There were 16 final entries but again only five competitors for the pole vault, which was held on 10 April. The starters were two Americans – Bill Hoyt and Albert Tyler; and three Greeks – Evangelos Damaskos, Ioannis Theodoropoulos, and Vasilios Xydas. Hoyt was the best known vaulter as he had finished third at the 1895 ICAAAA Meet. Missing were America's world record holder Walter Rodenbaugh and Britain's five-time AAA champion, Richard Dickinson. | |||
| The opening height was 2.40 metres, which was cleared successfully by the three Greeks. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos cleared 2.50 and 2.60 metres before failing at 2.70. Thus, they tied for third. Hoyt and Tyler began vaulting at 2.80 metres, and both cleared each height successfully in 10 centimetre increments through 3.20 metres. At that time, the bar was raised to 3.25 metres and Tyler failed to clear. Hoyt did, and also went over the bar at 3.30 metres to win the championship. This event started while the marathon was being run and was interrupted by the frenzy of the crowd when Louis came into the stadium and won that event. | |||
| Results | |||||||||
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The men's pole vault was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Five athletes competed in the pole vault. The two Americans far outclassed the three Greeks, starting higher than the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places. Damaskos and Theodoropoulos tied for third, while Xydas took fifth. The three Greeks began with the bar at 2.40 metres. All three made that mark. The bar was then raised .10 metres at a time, eliminating Xydas after he failed the second jump and the other two after they failed the fourth height. The American pair did not jump at any of those heights, instead beginning at 2.80 metres, a height that gave neither any difficulty. Tyler was unable to clear the 3.30 metres height, and Hoyt failed at 3.40 metres. |
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| Pole Vault | Men | Final | 10 April | ||||||
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Country | NOC | Age | Records | Notes | ||
| 1 | 3.30 | Bill Hoyt | United States | USA | 20 | OR | |||
| 2 | 3.20 | Albert Tyler | United States | USA | 24 | OR | |||
| 3T | 2.60 | Evangelos Damaskos | Greece | GRE | OR | ||||
| 3T | 2.60 | Ioannis Theodoropoulos | Greece | GRE | OR | ||||
| 5 | 2.40 | Vasilios Xydas | Greece | GRE | OR | ||||
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Medalists
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William Hoyt (William Welles "Bill" Hoyt; May 7, 1875 – December 1, 1954) was an American track and field athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Hoyt competed in the pole vault, winning the event with a height of 3.30 metres. He also ran the 110 metres hurdles. He placed second in his heat, after Thomas Curtis, but did not run in the final. Hoyt received his secondary education at The Roxbury Latin School. |
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Evangelos Damaskos (Greek: Ευάγγελος Δαμάσκος) was a Greek pole vaulter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Damaskos competed in the pole vault. He tied with fellow Greek Ioannis Theodoropoulos for third place in the event, with a height of 2.60 metres. |
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Ioannis Theodoropoulos (Greek: Ιωάννης Θεοδωρόπουλος) was a Greek pole vaulter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was born in Evrytania. Theodoropoulos competed in the pole vault. He tied with fellow Greek Evangelos Damaskos for third place in the event, with a height of 2.60 metres |
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