1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics

Athletics at the 1928 Olympic Games
information
venue	Olympic Stadium
Competition venue	Amsterdam
date	July 29 to August 5, 1928
decisions	27
← Paris 1924 Los Angeles 1932 →

Olympic Games 1928 (athletics medal table)
space	team				Total
1	United States	9	8th	8th	25th
2	Finland	5	5	4th	14th
3	Canada	4th	2	2	8th
4th	Great Britain	2	2	1	5
5	German Empire	1	2	6th	9
6th	Sweden	1	2	4th	7th
7th	France	1	1	1	3
8th	Japan	1	1	-	2
9	Irish Free State	1	-	-	1
	Poland	1	-	-	1
	South African Union	1	-	-	1
12	Chile	-	1	-	1
	Haiti	-	1	-	1
	Netherlands	-	1	-	1
	Hungary	-	1	-	1
16	Norway	-	-	1	1

The athletics competitions at the IX. The 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam took place from July 29th to August 5th. For the first time women were also eligible to participate, albeit with only five disciplines. For the men there were 22 competitions on the program.

boycott

Since the women were only invited with a delay and were then only allowed to start in five disciplines in athletics, the British athletes boycotted the games, although they would have had great chances of medals. This is the only boycott in Olympic history based on gender.

Stadion

Jan Willems, the stadium's architect, received an award for his work. The systems were functional and manufactured according to the taste of the time. As it is today, the circular track was 400 meters long. But after its completion, there were considerable inadequacies that put the Olympic Games in dire straits. Cracks appeared in the surface and whole parts sagged. It was thanks to the initiative of the Swedish coach of the Dutch athletes that there was no debacle. Together with forty athletes, he set to work and managed to get the competition facility in good condition by the scheduled start of the games.

Attendees

After the German athletes were not allowed to take part in the Olympic Games twice after the First World War , they were invited back here in Amsterdam and were there. The great nations with all their stars and world-class athletes ensured exciting and high-class competitions with their performances.

Competitions

The following five disciplines were deleted from the competition for men: 3000 m team run, cross-country individual and team competition, 10,000 m walking , pentathlon . So there were no walking competitions at these games. However, this discipline came back into the Olympic program four years later. Apart from walking, the range of competitions was identical to today.
For the women who were able to take part in athletics competitions at the Olympic Games for the first time, there were three running disciplines on the program - 100 meters , 800 meters , 4 x 100 meters relay , a jumping competition - high jump and a throwing discipline - discus throw . With five competitions, the number of women was very reduced compared to that of men, which resulted in the boycott of British athletes described above . It then grew slowly and successively in the decades to come, until it was the same as that of men, apart from small differences.

Weather

Unfortunately, the weather did not always play along as those involved would have liked. It was usually cooler than expected and sometimes it rained so heavily that the organization of the competitions was in question. The decathlon was particularly affected , in which the athletes hid themselves as best they could under waterproof tarpaulin during their breaks. The judges actually did not want to run the final 1500 meter run in the evening because of the rain and the resulting dripping wet track. It was only through encouraging the athletes, who absolutely wanted to finish their competition, that this run took place.

Sporting successes

This major event also brought numerous records with it. There were eight world records in total . Of these, four fell in the five disciplines of women's athletics, which was still in its infancy and had some catching up to do. In addition, eight Olympic records were set, including one in the remaining women's discipline.
As always, the United States led the medal table. They won nine gold medals. However, the balance of power had shifted. The former strengths of the Americans in the sprint and middle distance as well as in the hurdles did not come into play at all. In the individual running competitions, there was only one gold medal that Ray Barbuti won over 400 meters . Instead, the US athletes achieved their greatest successes in pushing / throwing and jumping. The next strongest nation was again Finland with five Olympic victories. The gap between the USA and Finland had widened again compared to the last two games. Canada won four gold medals and Great Britain two. And then already followed in the medals table Germany with just one win though. But there were eight other medals and Lina Radke won Germany's first ever gold medal in athletics in the 800 meter run .
When it came to athletes, there weren't the all-over-top athletes like four years ago. The medals spread out a little more. The most successful men were:

• Percy Williams , Canada - 2 gold medals: 100 m , 200 m
• Ray Barbuti , USA - 2 times gold: 400 meters , 4 times 400 meters relay
• Paavo Nurmi , Finland - 1 gold: 10,000 m , 2 silver: 5000 m , 3000 m obstacle
• Ville Ritola , Finland - 1 gold medal: 5000 m , 1 silver medal: 10,000 m .

There were two women athletes who each won a gold and a silver medal:

• Betty Robinson , USA - Gold: 100 meters , Silver: 4 x 100 meters relay
• Fanny Rosenfeld , Canada - gold: 4 x 100 meter relay , silver: 100 m .

Percy Williams after winning the 100-meter race

Results men

100 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 100 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Percy Williams	CAN	10.8
2	Jack London	GBR	10.9
3	Georg Lammers	GER	10.9
4th	Frank Wykoff	United States	11.0
5	Wilfred Legg	RSA	11.0
6th	Robert McAllister	United States	11.0

Finale: July 30th

The race started without any favorites, and no one particularly emerged in the preliminary and intermediate runs. In the final, the Canadian Percy Williams was just ahead. With his trainer Bob Granger in his hotel room in Amsterdam, with a mattress leaning against the wall, he had worked on his not yet perfect start and, in Granger's eyes, created the finishing touches as the basis for his first gold medal.

The bronze medal for Georg Lammers came as a surprise. Lammers was only third in the German athletics championships in the Olympic year, so no one expected him here.

200 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 200 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Percy Williams	CAN	21.8
2	Walter Rangeley	GBR	21.9
3	Helmut Körnig	GER	21.9
4th	Jackson Scholz	United States	21.9
5	John Fitzpatrick	CAN	22.1
6th	Jakob Schüller	GER	22.2

Final: August 1st

Because of his preliminary work, the favorite of this race was Helmut Körnig. In the intermediate run, he had equalized the Olympic record with 21.6 s and beat the 100-meter Olympic champion Percy Williams. In the semifinals, Körnig defeated the 1924 Olympic champion Jackson Scholz in 21.8 s . In the final, Körnig was in front halfway through the track, but cramped a little on the home straight and so Williams and Walter Rangeley were able to overtake him. Percy Williams had won his second gold medal at these games and he was the first double winner of the two sprint courses that did not come from the USA.

400 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 400 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Ray Barbuti	United States	47.8
2	James Ball	CAN	47.9
3	Joachim Büchner	GER	48.1
4th	John Rinkel	GBR	48.4
5	Harry Werner Storz	GER	48.8
6th	Hermon Phillips	United States	49.0

Final: August 3rd

Due to a mistake, the world record holder Emerson Spencer was not at the start over 400 meters . He had held the final of the US Olympic eliminations for a run-up and had only run for the place. So he didn't make it into the top three and only qualified for the 4 x 400 meter relay . His compatriot Raymond Barbuti ensured that the gold medal came back to the USA - it should remain the only one for the Americans in the individual runs at these games. Raymond Barbuti became Olympic champion with a tenth of a second ahead of Canadian James Ball and two more tenths ahead of German Joachim Büchner.

800 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 800 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Douglas Lowe	GBR	1: 51.8 OR
2	Erik Byléhn	SWE	1: 52.8
3	Hermann Engelhard	GER	1: 53.2
4th	Phil Edwards	CAN	1: 54.0
5	Lloyd Hahn	United States	1: 54.2
6th	Séra Martin	FRA	1: 54.6
7th	Earl Fuller	United States	1: 55.0
8th	Jean Keller	FRA	1: 57.0

Finale: July 31

Two co-favorites could not put themselves in the limelight as hoped. Otto Peltzer was injured in a handball game and was eliminated in the interim. Séra Martin, who set a new world record with 1: 50.6 minutes shortly before the games , had to be content with fifth place. Douglas Lowe, on the other hand, presented himself very strongly, who was the first runner to ever repeat an Olympic victory over 800 meters , divided the race very well, was always informed about the situation and at the decisive moment defeated his competitors Lloyd Hahn and Phil Exit Edwards. In the end, Erik Byléhn and Hermann Engelhard sprinted past Hahn and Edwards to the silver and bronze medals respectively.

1500 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 1500 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Harri Larva	FIN	3: 53.2 OR
2	Jules Ladoumègue	FRA	3: 53.8
3	Eino Purje	FIN	3: 56.4
4th	Hans Wichmann	GER	3: 56.8
5	Cyril Ellis	GBR	3: 57.6
6th	Paul Martin	SUI	3: 58.4
7th	Helmuth Krause	GER	3: 59.0
8th	Adolf Kittel	TCH	4: 00.4

Final: August 2nd

Also over 1500 meters difference Otto Peltzer , who was injured in a handball game with 1: 51.0 min world record holder since 19126, already in the run-off. At the beginning of the race, the three German finalists took the lead and were replaced by Eino Purje after one lap. Jules Ladoumègue stepped up the pace with the stroke of the bell at the final lap. Only Harri Larva could follow. On the home stretch there was an exciting final between these two, which Larva won. With a new Olympic record , he won the gold medal before Ladoumègue. Bronze went to Larva's compatriot Eino Purje, the German champion Hans Wichmann came fourth.

5000 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 5000 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Ville Ritola	FIN	14: 38.0
2	Paavo Nurmi	FIN	14: 40.0
3	Edvin Wide	SWE	14: 41.2
4th	Leo Lermond	United States	14: 50.0
5	Ragnar Magnusson	SWE	14: 59.6
6th	Arma's chin	FIN	15: 02.0
7th	Staņislavs Petkēvičs	LAT	k. A.
8th	Herbert Johnston	GBR	k. A.

Final: August 3rd

Nothing seemed to have changed from the situation in the last few games . The two Finns Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola as well as the Swede Edvin Wide separated from the rest of the field after approx. 3000 meters and won the medals among themselves. On the penultimate lap, Nurmi and Ritola were also able to leave the Swedes behind and fought for the gold medal. But then it turned out differently than expected. In contrast to 1924 and unlike here five days before over 10,000 meters , Ritola prevailed and defeated his famous compatriot. Afterwards, there were even skeptical voices, which led to the assumption that the Finnish team management had directed this and influenced the result. But there was not the slightest evidence for this, apart from assumptions. The sports journalist Willy Meisl , who was very well known at the time, confirms this impression after a conversation with Nurmi and Ritola.

10,000 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 10,000 m (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Paavo Nurmi	FIN	30: 18.8 OR
2	Ville Ritola	FIN	30: 19.4
3	Edvin Wide	SWE	31: 00.8
4th	Jean-Gunnar Lindgren	SWE	31: 26.0
5	Arthur Muggridge	GBR	31: 31.8
6th	Ragnar Magnusson	SWE	31: 37.2
7th	Toivo Loukola	FIN	31: 39.0
8th	Kalle Matilainen	FIN	31: 45.0

29th of July

In this race Paavo Nurmi showed his usual side: fast-paced and extremely strong. Initially, Briton Wally Beavers , who finished ninth, set the pace alone and worked out a smaller lead for himself. But after five laps the three favorites Nurmi, Ville Ritola and Edvin Wide had taken command and increased the distance to the rest of the field lap by lap. With 3,000 meters to go, Wide could not follow either. Ritola was the first to accelerate, Nurmi followed him without any effort, forced his way down the home straight and won his ninth and last gold medal with a lead of six tenths of a second and an Olympic record .

The top eight runners included, besides Arthur Muggridge from Britain, only Swedes and Finns.

marathon

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - marathon (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (h)
1	Boughera El-Ouafi	FRA	2:32:57
2	Manuel Plaza	CHI	2:33:23
3	Martti Marttelin	FIN	2:35:02
4th	Kanematsu Yamada	JPN	2:35:29
5	Joie Ray	United States	2:36:04
6th	Seiichiro Tsuda	JPN	2:36:20
7th	Yrjö Korholin-Koski	FIN	2:36:40
8th	Sam Ferris	GBR	2:37:41

Date: August 5th

On the first sections of the route, there were always changing leadership groups with different runners who hit a high pace with the tailwind. After a while Kanematsu Yamada took over the lead, who was provided with information about the status of the race by various attendants on the track. It was completely different with the Algerian Boughera El-Ouafi , who started for France - Algeria was a French colony at the time . He passed the Japanese but did not know that he was now the leader of the race. The Chilean Manuel Plaza soon followed him in sight . Ouafi, still feeling fresh enough, accelerated again. But it wasn't until he reached the target range that he knew he was an Olympic champion. With 2:32:57 h he narrowly missed the Olympic record of the Finn Hannes Kolehmainen . Behind Plaza Kolehmainen's compatriot Martti Marttelin won the bronze medal.

110 m hurdles

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 110 m hurdles (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Sidney Atkinson	RSA	14.8
2	Stephen Anderson	United States	14.8
3	John Collier	United States	14.9
4th	Leighton Dye	United States	15.0
5	George Weightman-Smith	RSA	15.0
6th	Fred Gaby	GBR	15.2

Final: August 1st

As in the sprints , there were no clear favorites over the 110 meter hurdles . In the interim, the South African George Weightman-Smith had set a new world record with 14.6 seconds . However, this one had bad luck with the track distribution. Normally the inner lane, softened by rain and numerous races on the medium and long distances, was released during the races with lane distribution. For this competition, however, the helpers inadvertently placed hurdles on the inner lane. Weightman-Smith was given the drawing of all places. So he started the race at a considerable disadvantage, ultimately had no chance and reached fifth place with 15.0 s. The winner was his compatriot Sidney Atkinson, who had already won the silver medal in Paris four years earlier . Shortly behind, the two Americans Stephen Anderson and John Collier took second and third place.

400 m hurdles

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 400 m hurdles (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Lord Burghley	GBR	53.4 ORe
2	Frank Cuhel	United States	53.6
3	Morgan Taylor	United States	53.6
4th	Sten Pettersson	SWE	53.8
5	Tom Livingstone-Learmonth	GBR	54.2
6th	Luigi Facelli	ITA	55.8

Finale: July 30th

The clear favorite was the Olympic champion of the last games, Morgan F. Taylor. In July he had set the world record with 52.0 seconds at the US Olympic qualifications . Here in Amsterdam he had defeated his compatriot Frank Cuhel and the British Lord Burghley in the interim. In the final this Lord Burghley set the fastest starting pace, but at the end of the last corner he had lost his lead, Taylor, Cuhel and Lord Burghley were pretty much even. Everyone was counting on Taylor's finish. But the Briton did not give up, was the fastest on the home stretch and became Olympic champion. Taylor resigned himself in the last few meters and dropped back to third behind Cuhel.

3000 m obstacle

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 3000 m obstacle (men)

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Toivo Loukola	FIN	9: 21.8 WBL
2	Paavo Nurmi	FIN	9: 31.2
3	Ove Andersen	FIN	9: 35.6
4th	Nils Eklöf	SWE	9: 38.0
5	Henri Dartigues	FRA	9: 40.0
6th	Lucien Duquesne	FRA	9: 40.5
7th	Melvin Dalton	United States	k. A.
8th	William Spencer	United States	k. A.

Final: August 4th

One day after the final over 5000 meters , Ville Ritola and Paavo Nurmi , who were victorious there, also started over 3000 meters obstacle . Ritola looked tired and had to give up the race. Nurmi, on the other hand, had no obstacle technique at all. Already in the run-up he fell into the moat, but was able to qualify for the finals dripping wet due to his running superiority. Here, too, he approached the obstacles more like a high jumper and, like in the run-up, fell lengthways into the moat. Nurmi had no chance against his compatriot Toivo Loukola, who was an outspoken obstacle course specialist. With 9: 21.8 min Loukola set a new world record - official world records were not yet held over this distance at that time. However, Nurmi won the silver medal, his twelfth and final Olympic medal, almost ten seconds behind. Bronze went to Ove Andersen, so there was a triple success for the Finns.

4 × 100 m relay

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 4 × 100 m (men)

space	country	Athletes	Time (s)
1	United States	Frank Wykoff James Quinn Charles Borah Henry Russell	41.0 WRe
2	German Empire	Georg Lammers Richard Corts Hubert Houben Helmut Körnig	41.2
3	Great Britain	Cyril Gill Edward Smouha Walter Rangeley Jack London	41.8
4th	France	André Cerbonney Gilbert Auvergne André Dufau André Mourlon	42.0
5	Switzerland	Emmanuel Goldsmith Willy Weibel Willy Tschopp Hans Niggl	42.6
	Canada	Ralph Adams John Fitzpatrick George Hester Percy Williams	DSQ

Final: August 5th

There was an exciting duel between Germany and the USA. The first three German runners had gained a clear lead with excellent individual performances and good to very good changes. The last change from Hubert Houben to Helmut Körnig, however, failed. Kornig started a little too early and had to stop in order not to overrun the change mark. This is how the USA came up and overtook the German quartet. Körnig was able to make up ground on the home stretch against Henry Russell, but it wasn't enough to win. The USA set the existing world record with 41.0 s , Germany was two tenths of a second behind and bronze went to the British with 41.8 s.

4 × 400 m relay

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 4 × 400 m (men)

space	country	Athletes	Time (min)
1	United States	George Baird Emerson Spencer Fred Alderman Ray Barbuti	3: 14.2 WR
2	German Empire	Otto Neumann Richard Krebs Harry Werner Storz Hermann Engelhard	3: 14.8
3	Canada	Alex Wilson Phil Edwards Stanley Glover James Ball	3: 15.4
4th	Sweden	Björn Kugelberg Bertil von Wachenfeldt Erik Byléhn Sten Pettersson	3: 15.8
5	Great Britain	Roger Leigh-Wood William Craner John Rinkel Douglas Lowe	3: 16.4
6th	France	Georges Krotoff Joseph Jackson Georges Dupont René Féger	3: 19.4

Final: August 5th

Over 4 times 400 meters there was the same result in places one and two as already over 4 times 100 meters . However, the course of the race was very different. The Americans were the dominant season from the start and left no doubt as to who would win here. There was a duel for the silver medal between Germany and Canada. Starting runner Otto Neumann switched to second place just before the Canadian Alex Wilson. Phil Edwards then passed Richard Krebs, who was able to regain second position shortly before the move. Harry Storz defended this position against Stanley Glover before the German final runner Hermann Engelhard, Olympic knight over 800 meters , broke away from the Canadian Olympic runner-up over 400 meters James Ball at the end of the race . Engelhard even seemed to be able to attack the US final runner Raymond Barbuti again. But this accelerated again pretty easily and so the medals were distributed. With 3: 14.2 min there was a new world record for the USA, the first four seasons undercut the previous world record of 3: 14.0 min.

high jump

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - high jump (men)

space	athlete	country	Height (m)
1	Bob King	United States	1.94
2	Benjamin Hedges	United States	1.91
3	Claude Ménard	FRA	1.91
4th	Simeon Toribio	PHI	1.91
5	Harold Osborn	United States	1.91
6th	Kazuo Kimura	JPN	1.88
7th	André Cherrier	FRA	1.88
	Pierre Lewden	FRA	1.88
	Charles McGinnis	United States	1.88
	Mikio Oda	JPN	1.88

Finale: July 29th

The general conditions in Amsterdam were too bad for top performances , the run-up had become very soft due to the rain. The American Bob King was the only one to jump over the height of 1.94 m. This time that was enough to win gold. His predecessor Harold Osborn was also there, but it was no longer in the shape of four years ago. Since there was still no multiple / failed attempt rule, Osborn went into a jump-off with three other athletes who had all skipped 1.91m and finished fifth. Silver went to the American Benjamin Hedges, bronze went to the French Claude Ménard.

Pole vault

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - pole vault (men)

space	athlete	country	Height (m)
1	Sabin Carr	United States	4.20 OR
2	William Droegemueller	United States	4.10
3	Charles McGinnis	United States	3.95
4th	Victor Pickard	CAN	3.95
5	Lee Barnes	United States	3.95
6th	Yonetaro Nakazawa	JPN	3.90
7th	Henry Lindblad	SWE	3.90
8th	János Karlovits	HUN	3.80

Final: August 1st

In the pole vault , a duel was expected between the two Americans Lee Barnes, who competed as Olympic champion in Paris and world record holder with 4.30 m, and Sabin Carr, who had already reached 4.29 m in the hall . Barnes jumped 3.95 m, as in his Olympic victory four years ago. With that he only got a jump-off for the bronze medal with Charles McGinnis and Victor Pickard. McGinnis eventually won that bronze medal, Pickard fourth, Barnes fifth. Sabin Carr lived up to expectations and became Olympic champion with the new Olympic record of 4.20 m, ahead of his compatriot William Droegemueller, who mastered a strong 4.10 m.

Long jump

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - long jump (men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Ed Hamm	United States	7.73
2	Silvio Cator	HAI	7.58
3	Al Bates	United States	7.40
4th	Willi Meier	GER	7.39
5	Erich Kochermann	GER	7.35
6th	Hannes de Boer	NED	7.32
7th	Ed Gordon	United States	7.32
8th	Eric Svensson	SWE	7.29

Finale: July 31

The 1924 Olympic champion William DeHart Hubbard also competed in this competition, but was injured and barely survived qualification. His successor was Ed Hamm, who held the world record with 7.90 m and achieved 7.73 m here. Silvio Cator from Haiti came in second with 7.58 m, while US-American Alfred Bates came third. Only one and five centimeters behind, the two Germans Willi Meier and Erich Köchermann finished fourth and fifth.

Triple jump

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Triple Jump (Men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Mikio Oda	JPN	15.21
2	Levi Casey	United States	15.17
3	Vilho Tuulos	FIN	15.11
4th	Chuhei Nambu	JPN	15.01
5	Toimi Tulikoura	FIN	14.70
6th	Erkki Järvinen	FIN	14.65
7th	Willem Peters	NED	14.55
8th	Väinö Rainio	FIN	14.41

Final: August 2nd

Here in Amsterdam , Oda Mikio established the Japanese dominance in the triple jump for three Olympic Games. He won with 15.21 m, just ahead of the American Levi Casey, who jumped 15.17 m. With 15.11 m, the now 33-year-old Olympic champion of 1920 Vilho Tuulos won the bronze medal. Nick Winter , Olympic champion from 1924 also took part in this competition, but no longer had the form of 1924 and ended up in eleventh place.

Shot put

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Shot Put (Men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	John Kuck	United States	15.87 WR
2	Herman Brix	United States	15.75
3	Emil Hirschfeld	GER	15.72
4th	Eric Krenz	United States	14.99
5	Armas Wahlstedt	FIN	14.69
6th	Wilhelm Uebler	GER	14.69
7th	Harlow Rothert	United States	14.68
8th	József Darányi	HUN	14.35

Finale: July 29th

A few weeks before these games, Emil Hirschfeld had improved the long-standing world record of the former Olympic champion Ralph Rose to 15.79 m and thus drove to Amsterdam as one of the favorites . When he reached 15.72 m in the first attempt, it looked very much like a medal for him. The Americans turned out to be very nervous. Initially, Herman Brix took the lead with 15.75 m in his first attempt. In the penultimate run, John Kuck climbed to the new world record of 15.87 m and won the gold medal. Otherwise, the order among the medal winners from the first attempt remained unchanged. Brix later went to film and worked under the stage name Bruce Bennett to avoid confusion with the Austrian actor Hermann Brix . Shortly after the games in Amsterdam, Emil Hirschfeld was the first athlete to exceed the 16-meter mark with 16.045 m.

Discus throw

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Discus throw (men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Bud Houser	United States	47.32 OR
2	Antero Kivi	FIN	47.23
3	James Corson	United States	47.10
4th	Harald Stenerud	NOR	45.80
5	John Anderson	United States	44.87
6th	Eino Kenttä	FIN	44.17
7th	Ernst Paul	GER	44.15
8th	Johan Trandem	NOR	43.97

Final: August 1st

The outcome of this discus throwing competition was extremely close and very high-class . Three throwers exceeded the 47-meter mark. The gold medal went to Bud Houser, who was Olympic champion in 1924 . With 47.32 m, Houser, whose real first name was Lemuel Clarence, achieved a new Olympic record . The other medals went to the Finn Antero Kivi - silver - and the American James Corson - bronze. The German participants disappointed in this competition. Hans Hoffmeister , who achieved an officially unrecognized world record with 48.77 m at the beginning of July , was eliminated in the qualification. Ernst Paulus, German champion with 47.35 m, came in seventh.

Hammer throw

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - hammer throw (men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Pat O'Callaghan	IRL	51.39
2	Ossian Skiold	SWE	51.29
3	Edmund Black	United States	49.03
4th	Armando Poggioli	ITA	48.37
5	Donald Gwinn	United States	47.15
6th	Frank Conner	United States	46.75
7th	Federico Kleger	ARG	46.60
8th	Ricardo Bayer	CHI	46.34

Finale: July 30th

It was not until June 1927 that Patrick O'Callaghan had contested a hammer throw competition for the first time in his life and achieved 41.49 m. A year later, in his last test before these games, he exceeded the 50-meter mark for the first time with 50.88 m. In Amsterdam , the Swede Ossian Skiöld led with 51.29 m until the penultimate round. With his last attempt, O'Callaghan improved from third place to first place and won the gold medal with 51.39 m. Bronze went to Edmund Black from the USA. The level of this competition was not as high as previous Olympic Games. All of the victories since 1908 were higher than the Olympic champion of 1928.

Javelin throw

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Javelin Throw (Men)

space	athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Erik Lundqvist	SWE	66.60 OR
2	Béla Szepes	HUN	65.26
3	Olav Sunde	NOR	63.97
4th	Paavo Liettu	FIN	63.86
5	Bruno Schlokat	GER	63.40
6th	Eino Penttila	FIN	63.20
7th	Stanley Lay	NZL	62.89
8th	Johan Meimer	EST	61.46

Final: August 2nd

World record holder Eino Penttilä, who had achieved the width of 69.88 m in October 1927, had to compete in the Olympic Games with a foot injury. He threw 63.20 m almost from a standing start, which is still enough for sixth place. But the Olympic champion was the Swede Erik Lundqvist. His 66.60 m from the preliminary fight also meant an Olympic record . The Hungarian Béla Szepes came second with a good 65.26 m. Bronze went to the Norwegian Olav Sunde with 63.97 m.

Decathlon

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Decathlon (men)

space	athlete	country	P - official value.	P - 85 value.
1	Paavo Yrjölä	FIN	8053,290 WR	6587
2	Akilles Jarvinen	FIN	7931,500	6645
3	Ken Doherty	United States	7706,650	6428
4th	James Stewart	United States	7624,135	6310
5	Thomas Churchill	United States	7417.115	6165
6th	Helge Jansson	SWE	7286,285	6111
7th	Ludwig Vesely	AUT	7274,850	6227
8th	Albert Andersson	SWE	7108,435	6031

Date: 3rd / 4th August

In the decathlon there was a Finnish double victory. Olympic champion Paavo Yrjölä was the first athlete to exceed the 8,000 point mark after the then valid rating of 1920, setting a new world record . The silver medalist Akilles Järvinen was also very strong. Ken Doherty from the United States came third.

For a better classification of the performance, the points converted according to the current rating system from 1985 are also given. According to this table, which is valid today, Järvinen would have been the Olympic champion. But these comparisons are only indicative, because the different standards of the time must apply as a basis. This is most noticeable in the pole vault , where people jumped with completely different poles than they do today.

Results women

100 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 100 m (women)

space	Athlete	country	Time (s)
1	Betty Robinson	United States	12.2 OR
2	Fanny Rosenfeld	CAN	12.3
3	Ethel Smith	CAN	12.3
4th	Erna Steinberg	GER	12.4
	Myrtle Cook	CAN	DSQ
	Leni Schmidt	GER	DSQ

Finale: July 31

The Canadian Myrtle Cook came to Amsterdam as a world record holder and co-favorite . After two false starts caused by her, she was disqualified. Leni Schmidt got infected by Cook's nervousness and the same thing happened to her. Only four female sprinters fought for the first Olympic medals in the women's 100-meter run . Betty Robinson from the USA won the race in the Olympic record time of 12.2 seconds. Silver and bronze went to the two Canadians Fanny Rosenfeld and Ethel Smith. Fourth place remained for the German Erna Steinberg. It was a close race, Steinberg was only two tenths of a second behind the Olympic champion.

800 m

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 800 m (women)

space	Athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Lina Radke	GER	2: 16.8 WR
2	Kinue Hitomi	JPN	2: 17.6
3	Inga Gentzel	SWE	2: 17.8
4th	Jean Thompson	CAN	2: 21.4
5	Fanny Rosenfeld	CAN	2: 22.4
6th	Florence MacDonald	United States	2: 22.6
7th	Marie Dollinger	GER	2: 23.0
8th	Gertruda Kilosovna	POLE	2: 28.0

Final: August 2nd

Shortly after the start, the two Germans Elfriede Wever and Marie Dollinger took the lead. The Swede Inga Gentzel, who ran a non-officially recognized world record with 2: 19.2 minutes at the beginning of July , was halfway ahead with a transit time of 64.2 seconds. 300 meters from the finish, Lina Radke put on a long final sprint that Gentzel was not up to. The Japanese Kinue Hitomi came up from behind and pulled past the Swede to the silver medal. All medal winners stayed below the old world record.

Heavily exaggerated press reports about allegedly exhausted female athletes were used as an excuse to remove the women's 800 meter run from the Olympic program. It was only reintroduced in 1960.

4 × 100 m relay

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - 4 × 100 m (women)

space	country	Athletes	Time (s)
1	Canada	Fanny Rosenfeld Ethel Smith Florence Bell Myrtle Cook	48.4 WR
2	United States	Mary Washburn Jessie Cross Loretta McNeil Betty Robinson	48.8
3	German Empire	Pink waiter Leni Schmidt Anni Holdmann Leni Junker	49.0
4th	France	Georgette Gagneux Yolande Plancke Marguerite Radideau Lucienne Velu	49.6
5	Netherlands	Read Aengenendt Rie Briejer Nettie Grooss Bets ter Horst	49.8
6th	Italy	Luigia Bonfanti Giannina Marchini Derna Polazzo Vittorina Vivenza	53.6

Final: August 5th

The world record set by the TSV 1860 Munich relay with 49.7 seconds at this year's German championships was already set in advance . In the final, the Canadian relay with the silver and bronze medalists over 100 meters Fanny Rosenfeld and Ethel Smith was even faster and won the gold medal in the new world record time of 48.3 seconds. The US women won the silver medal with 100-meter Olympic champion Betty Robinson as the final runner in 48.8 seconds. With 49.0 s, the German runners were just behind and won the bronze medal.

high jump

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - high jump (women)

space	Athlete	country	Height (m)
1	Ethel Catherwood	CAN	1.595 OR
2	Lien Gisolf	NED	1,560
3	Mildred Wiley	United States	1,560
4th	Jean Shiley	United States	1.510
5	Helma Notte	GER	1,480
6th	Marjorie Clark	RSA	1,480
7th	Inge Braumüller	GER	1,480
8th	Catherine Maguire	United States	1,480

5th of August

In the high jump , Carolina Gisolf secured the only athletics medal for the host country. Like the American Mildred Wiley, she crossed 1.56 m and won silver in front of Wiley. The gold medal went to the Canadian Ethel Catherwood with 1,595 m. Catherwood was an athlete who valued her appearance and always had a lipstick with her when she competed.

Discus throw

→ Main article : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics - Discus throw (women)

space	Athlete	country	Width (m)
1	Halina Konopacka	POLE	39.62 WR
2	Lillian Copeland	United States	37.08
3	Ruth Svedberg	SWE	35.92
4th	Milly Reuter	GER	35.86
5	Grete Heublein	GER	35.56
6th	Lisl Perkaus	AUT	33.54
7th	Maybelle Reichardt	United States	33.52
8th	Genowefa Kobielska	POLE	32.72

July 31

In the discus throw , there was a new world record for the Olympic champion as in the 4 x 100 meter relay . With 39.62 m, the Polish Halina Konopacka stayed just below the 40-meter mark. Lillian Copeland from the United States won the silver medal, while the bronze went to Ruth Svedberg from Sweden. Only six centimeters and 36 centimeters behind, the two Germans Milly Reuter and Grete Heublein took fourth and fifth place.

literature

• Ekkehard zur Megede : The History of Olympic Athletics. Volume 1: 1896-1936. 2nd Edition. Bartels & Wernitz publishing house, Berlin 1970.

Web links

Commons : 1928 Summer Olympics / Athletics  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• IOC website on athletics at the 1928 Olympic Games on olympic.org, accessed August 4, 2017
• That was the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam on sportschau.de, accessed on August 4, 2017
• Jeux olympiques d'étéAmsterdam 9 (1928), publication officielle library.olympic.org, accessed on August 4, 2017
• Athletics history: Ernst Paulus led the German Olympic team in 1928 , Gießener Anzeiger May 20, 2017, accessed on August 4, 2017
• Olympic Summer Games Amsterdam 1928 from Wissen-digital.de, accessed on August 4, 2017
• 3000m obstacle course 1928 on sportunterricht.de, accessed on August 4, 2017
• From exclusion to integration? Women and the Olympic Games from dosb.de, accessed on August 4, 2017
• Lina Radke "showed the men" , Leichtathletik.de October 18, 2003, accessed on August 4, 2017
• Biography Hermann Engelhard on munzinger.de, accessed on August 4, 2017

Videos

• An eventful history: Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam (May 17, 1928) , published May 16, 2012 on youtube.com, accessed August 4, 2017
• (1928) De Olympiade te Amsterdam , published November 14, 2014 on youtube.com, accessed August 4, 2017

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matthew P. Llewellyn: Rule Britannia: Nationalism, Identity and the Modern Olympic Games. 2012, p. 184 , accessed December 10, 2014 (English). 
2. ^ Jean Williams: A Contemporary History of Women's Sport, Part One: Sporting Women, 1850-1960. 2014, accessed December 10, 2014 . 
3. ↑ Ekkehard to Megede : The history of Olympic athletics. Volume 1: 1896-1936. 2nd Edition. Verlag Bartels & Wernitz, Berlin 1970, p. 197.