Edwin Flack

Edwin Flack medal table
Middle distance running , tennis
Australia
Olympic games
gold	1896 Athens	800 m
gold	1896 Athens	1500 m
bronze	1896 Athens	Tennis doubles

Edwin Flack ( Edwin Harold "Teddy" Flack ; born November 5, 1873 in London , † January 10, 1935 in Berwick , Melbourne ) was an Australian middle-distance runner and tennis player . In 1896 he became a two-time Olympic champion .

Flack was born in London and moved to Australia with his parents when he was five . There he finished his schooling at the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School in 1892 and studied Greek history . He started running when he was a student and won over a mile in New South Wales and Victoria . In 1894 he went back to England to become a salesman. At the same time he joined the London Athletic Club and was preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games.

At the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 he was the winner in the 800-meter run in front of the Hungarian Nándor Dáni (2nd place) and the Greek Dimitrios Golemis (3rd place). He also took 1st place in the 1,500 meter run ahead of the American Arthur Blake (2nd place) and the French Albin Lermusiaux (3rd place). Flack also competed in the marathon but was disqualified when he collapsed 4 km from the finish. In his confusion he struck down a Greek who hurried to his aid. In tennis competition he competed in both singles and doubles. He was eliminated from the singles in the first round. In doubles, he reached the semi-finals together with his friend George Stuart Robertson and took 3rd place. But he did not get a medal, as only the first two places were rewarded with a medal at that time.

With his two victories over 800 and 1500 meters, he won the first medals for Australia. In 1898 he went back to Australia, but never represented his country again at international sporting events.

He died in 1935 at the age of 62 after an operation due to heart problems.

Web links

Commons : Edwin Flack  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Edwin Flack in the database of Athletics Australia (English)
• Edwin Flack in the database of Olympedia.org (English)