1912 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 3000 m team (men)

sport	athletics
discipline	3000 meter team run
gender	Men
Attendees	24 athletes from 5 countries
Competition location	Stockholm Olympic Stadium
Competition phase	July 12, 1912 (preliminary round) July 13, 1912 (final)
Medalist  United States  SWE  GBR

The men's 3,000-meter team run at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm was held on July 12th and 13th, 1912 in the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. 24 athletes took part. The team run was held for the fourth time, but the first time over the distance of 3000 meters. In 1900 it was over 5000 meters, in 1904 over 4 miles and in 1908 over 3 miles.

The US team won the gold medal, Sweden went silver and Great Britain bronze.

Existing records

• World record on the 3,000 meter individual distance : 8: 56.8 min - Edvard Dahl ( Sweden ), September 22, 1907
• Olympic record : This route length was not previously on the Olympic program, so there was no existing Olympic record.

Conducting the competition

Five nations took part. Each country could start with up to five participants. As in the team runs of the previous games, the pure placement of the best three in each country was rated. These placements were added up and the order resulted from the lowest sums.

On July 12th, two preliminary rounds were held. The two winning teams qualified for the final, which was held on July 13th.

As with other competitions, the procedure today hardly seems understandable. There were actually three preliminary runs to eliminate two out of five teams. In the third heat, Great Britain started without any opponents and was qualified from the start if at least three runners crossed the finish line. Such an organization must be seen against the background of the time.

Note: The teams that qualify for the final are highlighted in light blue.

Preliminary round

Date: July 12, 1912

Run 1

Single results

space	Surname	nation	time	Points
1	Hannes Kolehmainen	Grand Duchy of Finland	8: 36.9 min WR	1
2	Abel Kiviat	United States	8: 46.3 min	2
3	Tell Berna	United States	8: 50.2 min	3
4th	Norman Taber	United States	8: 51.1 min	4th
5	George Bonhag	United States	8: 52.2 min	-
6th	Louis Scott	United States	8: 53.4 min	-
7th	Albin Stenroos	Grand Duchy of Finland	8: 54.1 min	5
8th	Viljam Johansson	Grand Duchy of Finland	8: 57.2 min	6th
9	Aarne Lindholm	Grand Duchy of Finland	9: 46.4 min	-
10	Ephraim Harju	Grand Duchy of Finland	10: 10.6 min	-

The Finn Hannes Kolehmainen, who dominated the long distances at these games , won the individual race in a new world record time . But his teammates were too weak to reach the final as a team.

Team ranking

space	team	space	space	space	Points	annotation
1	United States	2	3	4th	9
2	Grand Duchy of Finland	1	5	6th	12

Run 2

Single results

space	Surname	nation	time	Points
1	Erwin von Sigel	German Empire	9: 06.8 min	1
2	Bror Fock	Sweden	9: 14.7 min	2
	Nils Frykberg	Sweden		3
	Ernst Wide	Sweden		4th
	Thorild Olsson	Sweden		-
	John Zander	Sweden		-
7th	Georg Amberger	German Empire	9: 32.5 min	5
8th	Gregor Vietz	German Empire	9: 34.2 min	6th
DNF	Georg Mickler	German Empire		-

The German team started with only four runners, three of which reached the finish.

All five Swedish runners crossed the finish line side by side.

Team ranking

space	team	space	space	space	Points	annotation
1	Sweden	2	3	4th	9
2	German Empire	1	5	6th	12

Run 3

Single results

space	Surname	nation	time	Points
1	Cyril Porter	Great Britain	10: 21.6 min	1
	Edward Owen	Great Britain		2
	William Moore	Great Britain		3
	George Hutson	Great Britain		-
	Joe Cottrill	Great Britain		-

The British team could not be drawn from an opponent because there was none. All runners completed the course and crossed the finish line side by side.

Team ranking

space	team	space	space	space	Points	annotation
1	Great Britain	1	2	3	6th

final

Single results

The starting field of the final shortly after the starting gun

Crossing the finish line in the final: Berna in front of Olsson and Taber, behind Wide and Bonhag.

Date: July 13, 1912

space	Surname	nation	time	Points
1	Tell Berna	United States	8: 44.6 min	1
2	Thorild Olsson	Sweden	8: 44.6 min	2
3	Norman Taber	United States	8: 45.2 min	3
4th	Ernst Wide	Sweden	8: 46.2 min	4th
5	George Bonhag	United States	8: 46.6 min	5
6th	Joe Cottrill	Great Britain	8: 46.8 min	6th
7th	Bror Fock	Sweden	8: 47.2 min	7th
8th	George Hutson	Great Britain	8: 47.2 min	8th
9	Cyril Porter	Great Britain	8: 48.0 min	9
10	John Zander	Sweden	8: 48.9 min	-
11	Nils Frykberg	Sweden	8: 49.0 min	-
12	Edward Owen	Great Britain	k. A.	-
DNF	Abel Kiviat	United States		-
	William Moore	Great Britain		-
	Louis Scott	United States		-

Team ranking

space	team	space	space	space	Points	annotation
1	United States	1	3	5	9
2	Sweden	2	4th	7th	13
3	Great Britain	6th	8th	9	23

literature

• Ekkehard zur Megede , The History of Olympic Athletics, Volume 1: 1896-1936, Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG, Berlin, 2nd edition 1970, p. 107

Web links

• SportsReference 3000 meter team , accessed August 27, 2017
• Official report , engl. (PDF), accessed on August 27, 2017

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The development of athletics - world records (PDF) on Leichtathletik.de, accessed on August 27, 2017