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1908 Olympic Games London, Great Britain - Men's 110 m Hurdles

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Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics)
Category: 1908 Olympic Games London, Great Britain - (Athletics)
Last Updated: 16 April 2016
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Host City: London, Great Britain Format: Winner in each heat advanced to the final.
Date Started: July 21, 1908 Format: Winner in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Date Finished: July 25, 1908
(Competitors: 26; Countries: 11; Finalists: 4)
Venue(s): White City Stadium, London
Overview by IAAF  1908_olympic_stadium.jpg
Smithson, Rand, Garrels and Alfred Healey (GBR) all ran 15.8 in their heats, the fastest of the 14 first round races. Shaw ran 15.6 in the first semi-final, and was followed by Smithson, who equalled the Olympic record. The third race saw Rand win the closest semi-final in 15.8 from Healey (15.9). The Briton was three tenths faster than Garrels who won the last semi-final in an eased-up 16.2. Smithson got a fine start in the final, and increased his lead on the grass course in the centre of the stadium throughout the race, winning by almost seven yards. Photos showing Smithson, a deeply religious man, carrying a bible while running over a hurdle, were taken after the race.
Summary by Sports-reference.com
The Olympic record was 15.4, set by Al Kraenzlein in Paris in 1900. The world record was 15.2, co-held by America's Johnny Garrells and Art Shaw. The Americans were the top hurdlers in the world, and it is instructive to look at the winners of their recent major meets. Forrest Smithson had won the 1907 AAU title, while in 1908, Art Shaw won that event. At the 1908 American Olympic Trial Meets, four different hurdlers won: Smithson (Western), Garrells (Central), Shaw (IC4A), and Leonard Howe of Yale (Eastern). Garrells had also won the IC4A crown in 1907.
This race was not run on the cinder track but on a grass track in the infield of the White City Stadium. Fourteen heats resulted in the elimination of only 11 competitors. In the second round, Forrest Smithson equalled the Olympic record and then set a world record of 15.0 in the final. The four American finalists were undoubtedly the best in the field but, surprisingly, they had never raced against each other before.
A well-known photograph suggests that Smithson won the final carrying a Bible in his left hand, and this false rumor has been oft repeated. But this was, in fact, a posed photograph taken to support Smithson's protest against Sunday competition. Precisely to whom this protest was directed is not clear. The Olympic final was held on a Saturday, and Sunday competition was virtually unknown in England at the time. Smithson was a devoutly religious man and, after winning the 1909 AAU hurdles title, he became a minister.
 
 
Results
Forrest Smithson equalled the Olympic record when he ran 15.4 seconds in his semifinal. In the final he set the first official world record in this event with 15.0 seconds.
110 m Hurdles Men Final 25 July
Smithson pulled away from his countrymen at every set of hurdles to win by five meters and set a new world record.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.0 Forrest Smithson United States USA 23 WR
2 15.7 Johnny Garrels United States USA 22 15.7est
3 15.8 Art Shaw United States USA 21 15.8est
4 16 William Rand United States USA 22 16.0est
110 m Hurdles Men Semi-Finals Heat One 24 July
Shaw took the lead at the first set of hurdles, finishing about five metres ahead of Hussey.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.6 Q Art Shaw United States USA 21
2 16.5 Eric Hussey Great Britain GBR 23 16.5est / at 6 yds
3 16.9 Wallis Walters Great Britain GBR 30 16.9est / at 2 yds
4 Oswald Groenings Great Britain GBR 27
110 m Hurdles Men Semi-Finals Heat Two 24 July
Smithson had no trouble winning this heat, tying the Olympic record as he did so.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.4 Q Forrest Smithson United States USA 23 (=)OR
2 15.6 William Knyvett Great Britain GBR 25 15.6est
3 15.8 Leonard Howe United States USA 21 15.8est
110 m Hurdles Men Semi-Finals Heat Three 24 July
Healey led for most of the race, with Rand close behind, but Healey was unable to clear the ninth hurdle cleanly, allowing Rand to pass him and win by a foot.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.8 Q William Rand United States USA 22
2 15.9 Alfred Healey Great Britain GBR 28 15.9est / at 1 ft
3 Laurence Kiely Great Britain GBR
4 Tim Ahearne Great Britain GBR 22
110 m Hurdles Men Semi-Finals Heat Four 24 July
Halbert pulled up lame, and Garrels won by 15 yards.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 16.2 Q Johnny Garrels United States USA 22
2 17.5 Cecil Kinahan Great Britain GBR 29 17.5est / at 10 yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat One 23 July
Healey won by four yards after leading from the start.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.8 Q Alfred Healey Great Britain GBR 28
2 16.3 Henry Murray Australasia ANZ 22 16.3est / at 4 yds
3 Doug Stupart South Africa RSA 26
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Two 23 July
Garrels won by seven yards.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 16.2 Q Johnny Garrels United States USA 22
2 17.1 Arthur Halligan Great Britain GBR 21 17.1est / at 7 yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Three 23 July
Groenings led by five yards at the finish.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 16.4 Q Oswald Groenings Great Britain GBR 27
2 17 Georgios Skoutaridis Greece GRE 17.0est / at 5 yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Four 23 July
Kiely had no competition in the first round.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 Q Laurence Kiely Great Britain GBR walkover
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Five 23 July
Rand and Powell were even for most of the race. Powell hit the ninth hurdle, slowing him just enough for Rand to take the lead and win.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.8 Q William Rand United States USA 22
2 16.2 Kenneth Powell Great Britain GBR 23 16.2est / at 3 yds
3 Ted Savage Canada CAN 21
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Six 23 July
Lemming fell during the race, allowing Walters to win while easing up.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 17.8 Q Wallis Walters Great Britain GBR 30
AC DNF Oscar Lemming Sweden SWE 21
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Seven 23 July
The seventh heat was another in which there was no competition.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 Q William Knyvett Great Britain GBR 25 walkover
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Eight 23 July
Halbart won without competition.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 Q Fernand Halbart Belgium BEL walkover
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Nine 23 July
Ahearne was the fourth runner to win without a contest.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 Q Tim Ahearne Great Britain GBR 22 walkover
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Ten 23 July
Smithson won by ten yards.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.8 Q Forrest Smithson United States USA 23
2 17.2 Nándor Kovács Hungary HUN 26 17.2est / at 10 yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Eleven 23 July
Blijstad fell, allowing Hussey to win with a jog.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 16.8 Q Eric Hussey Great Britain GBR 23
AC DNF Wilhelm Blystad Norway NOR 26
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Twelve 23 July
Kinahan had an easy win by ten yards.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 16.8 Q Cecil Kinahan Great Britain GBR 29
2 18.2 Oscar Guttormsen Norway NOR 24 18.2est / at 10 yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Thirteen 23 July
Howe and Leader were even over the hurdles, but Howe edged out Leader in the straight.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 15.8 Q Leonard Howe United States USA 21
2 16.1 Edward Leader Great Britain GBR 25 16.1est / at 1½ yds
110 m Hurdles Men Round One Heat Fourteen 23 July
Shaw won without a contest.
Rank Mark Athlete Country NOC Age Records Notes
1 Q Art Shaw United States USA 21 walkover
 
 
 

 

 

 

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