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1908 Olympic Games London, Great Britain - Men's Pole Vault

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Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1908 Olympic Games London, Great Britain - (Athletics); Last Updated: 16 April 2016; Hits: 920

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Host City: London, Great Britain

Format: The eight leading competitors from the qualifying round advanced to the final. The six scheduled qualifying sections were consolidated into three pools. Qualifying marks were carried through to the final.

Date Started: July 24, 1908

Date Finished: July 24, 1908

(Competitors: 15; Countries: 7; Finalists: 8)

Venue(s): White City Stadium, London

Overview by IAAF

Gonder, having won an Olympic title, turned to rugby in 1908 and so missed the London Games, leaving Alfred Gilbert, winner of the US Eastern Trials with a national record 3.855, as favourite. Another to miss London was Walter Dray, who placed second in the US Trials but then cleared 3.90 in a minor meeting before being injured. The qualifying competition was held on the morning of 24 July in three sections, with Söderström winning the first section with 3.58 from Jacobs – 3.50. Cooke won the next section with an Olympic record 3.71 ahead of Gilbert – 3.66 – andArchibald 3.58. Bellah won the last section with 3.43. Performances were carried forward to the final, and Gilbert outjumped Cook 3.71 to 3.66 in a competition disrupted by the excitement surrounding the finish of the marathon. The two shared the gold medal on the basis of Cook’s earlier 3.71, with Archibald, Jacobs and Söderström sharing third place after all three cleared 3.58.

Summary by Sports-reference.com

The world record was 12-9 (3.90), which had recently been set by Walter Dray (USA) on 13 June 1908. The Olympic record had been set by Charles Dvorak at St. Louis in 1904, with 11-6 (3.50). Neither Dvorak nor Dray competed, although Dray had finished in a four-way tie for first at the 1908 IC4A Meet on 30 May. Dray had tied with A. C. Gilbert, Frank Nelson, and Charles Campbell, and all four competed for Yale University's track team. Dray withdrew because his mother was concerned that he might be injured if he competed. Gilbert had also won the Eastern Olympic Trial with Dray and Nelson tieing for second. Among other nations, the top vaulters were Sweden's Bruno Söderström, 1907 AAA champion and silver medalist in 1906, and Canada's Ed Archibald, who had cleared 12-5 (3.80) in Canada earlier in the season and three weeks before the Games had won the British title at 12-0 (3.66).

Five competitors broke the Olympic record, and two more equalled the former record. The Americans, Alfred "A. C." Gilbert and Ed Cook shared first place at 12-2 (3.71) with Archibald and Söderström tieing with Charles Jacobs (USA) for third. The closing stages of the competition were considerably delayed as they coincided with the dramatic happenings at the finish of the marathon. Because of the time factor, the officials decided against holding jump-offs for first and third places and, in an unusual decision, two gold and three bronze medals were awarded.

For the last time in Olympic competition, the "climbing" technique was permitted although it remained legal in England until 1920. Among their numerous protests, the Americans argued about the fact that there was no pit or hole in which to plant the pole and also that there was no sandpit or bales of straw to break the competitors falls. This protest was understandable as the organizers were definitely behind the times in these matters as these facilities had been provided at the two previous Olympic Games.

Edward Cook was a fine all-around jumper and hurdler. He won the IC4A long jump in 1908 and 1909, the AAU pole vault in 1907 and tied for first in the AAU pole vault in 1911. Gilbert spread his athletic talents even farther, winning the 1905 Yale gymnastics championship and was intercollegiate wrestling champion in 1906. Gilbert earned an M.D. degree from Yale but never practiced medicine. He later made a fortune as president of the toy company that bore his name and manufactured Erector Sets, American Flyer electric trains, and other popular toys.

			Results
Both Edward Cook and Alfred Carlton Gilbert set a new Olympic record with 3.71 metres.
*Pole Vault*	Men		Final	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	3.71		A. C. Gilbert	United States	USA	24	(=)OR
2	3.66		Ed Cook	United States	USA	18
3T	3.58		Clare Jacobs	United States	USA	22
3T	3.58		Bruno Söderström	Sweden	SWE	26
3T	3.58		Ed Archibald	Canada	CAN	24
6T	3.50		Georgios Banikas	Greece	GRE	19
6T	3.50		Sam Bellah	United States	USA	20
8	3.35		Kálmán Szathmáry	Hungary	HUN	18
*Pole Vault*	Men		Qualifying Round	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	3.71	Q	Ed Cook	United States	USA	18	OR
2	3.66	Q	A. C. Gilbert	United States	USA	24	OR
3T	3.58	Q	Bruno Söderström	Sweden	SWE	26	OR
3T	3.58	Q	Ed Archibald	Canada	CAN	24	OR
5	3.50	Q	Clare Jacobs	United States	USA	22
6T	3.43	Q	Georgios Banikas	Greece	GRE	19
6T	3.43	Q	Sam Bellah	United States	USA	20
8	3.35	Q	Kálmán Szathmáry	Hungary	HUN	18
9	3.27		Stefanos Kountouriotis	Greece	GRE
10T	3.20		Robert Pascarel	France	FRA
10T	3.20		Carl Silfverstrand	Sweden	SWE	22
12T	3.05		Thomas Jackson	United States	USA	24
12T	3.05		Gaston Koëger	France	FRA	20
14	2.89		Coen van Veenhuijsen	Netherlands	NED	21
15	2.82		Bram Evers	Netherlands	NED	21
*Pole Vault*	Men		Qualifying Round Group A	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	3.58		Bruno Söderström	Sweden	SWE	26	OR
2	3.50		Clare Jacobs	United States	USA	22
3	3.27		Stefanos Kountouriotis	Greece	GRE
4	2.82		Bram Evers	Netherlands	NED	21
*Pole Vault*	Men		Qualifying Round Group B	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	3.71		Ed Cook	United States	USA	18	OR
2	3.66		A. C. Gilbert	United States	USA	24	OR
3	3.58		Ed Archibald	Canada	CAN	24	OR
4	3.43		Georgios Banikas	Greece	GRE	19
5	3.20		Robert Pascarel	France	FRA
*Pole Vault*	Men		Qualifying Round Group C	24 July

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	3.43		Sam Bellah	United States	USA	20
2	3.35		Kálmán Szathmáry	Hungary	HUN	18
3	3.20		Carl Silfverstrand	Sweden	SWE	22
4T	3.05		Thomas Jackson	United States	USA	24
4T	3.05		Gaston Koëger	France	FRA	20
5	2.89		Coen van Veenhuijsen	Netherlands	NED	21