Sidney Robinson

athletics
gold	1900	5000 m team
silver	1900	2500 m obstacle course
bronze	1900	4000 m obstacle course

Sidney Robinson ( Sidney John "Sid" Robinson ; born August 1, 1876 in Denton , Northamptonshire , † February 3, 1959 in Long Sutton , Lincolnshire ) was a British long-distance and obstacle runner who was 1900 Olympic champion .

Life

Sidney Robinson was the son of the carpenter William Robinson, who was also the manager of the post office in Denton. Sidney had one older and three younger sisters. Like his father, he also learned the trade of carpenter, which he practiced throughout his life.

His interest in sport led Robinson to the Northampton Cycling & Athletic Club . Here he clearly developed coordinative skills that predestined him for the obstacle course and cross-country run . In the obstacle course athletics discipline, which has only been competitive since 1864, there were no specific standards for obstacles, terrain and route length at that time. Every run, including the championship run, presented new challenges. In 1896 Robinson scored his first victory in the English obstacle course championships. In 1897 and 1898 he won the championships of the English Cross Country Union (ECCU). Robinson also had excellent endurance, which he demonstrated in 1898 with his victory in the championships of the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA), which corresponded to the British championships, over ten miles .

The year 1900 was undoubtedly the climax of Sidney Robinson's sporting career. A week before the athletics competitions at the Paris Olympics began, the British Championships were held in London , with many athletes from the United States preparing for the Games participated. Robinson convinced again with a victory over 10 miles. He scored his second victory in the obstacle course over two miles (3218 meters) and 12 obstacles, at that time still without a moat. The time of 11: 18.8 minutes was of historical significance because it was the first performance in this athletics discipline to be described as a world record.

The obstacle course was on the program of the Olympic Games for the first time in 1900, and the interest in this still young discipline was so great that two runs were carried out at the same time. The first run over 2500 meters, in which a hurdle, a wall and a moat had to be overcome in every lap of 500 meters, was finished second by Sidney Robinson, without ever being able to endanger the winner George Orton from Canada. The second run over 4000 meters took place the following day and was much more exciting. Orton, unlike Robinson, exhausted from the previous day's course, played no role in the decision this time. For this Robinson had got competition from his compatriots John Rimmer and Charles Bennett , who had not started the day before. Robinson only had to admit defeat to them and sank to the ground as third at the finish, completely exhausted.

In the further course of the games Sidney Robinson finally won a gold medal in a joint British-Australian team in the 5,000-meter team run, together with his teammates John Rimmer , Charles Bennett , Alfred Tysoe and the Australian Stan Rowley , in front of the team from France . In this run, in which all runners of a team started together and the team ranking was decided on the number of places, Robinson finished sixth.

Even after the games, Robinson had some sporting successes to show. With two more victories in the obstacle course at the British Championships in 1901 and 1903, he won a total of four titles and thus confirmed his superiority in this discipline. As a cross-country runner, he took part in national competitions between England and France, which were the forerunners of the later Cross of Nations .

Placements at the Olympic Games

• II. Olympic Games 1900, Paris
  • 5000 m team - gold in the mixed team (silver to France )
  • 2500 m obstacle course - silver with 7: 35.8 min (gold to George Orton from Canada with 7: 34.4 min; bronze to Jean Chastanié from France with 7: 42.0 min)
  • 4000 m obstacle course - bronze with 12: 58.8 min (gold to John Rimmer from the United Kingdom, with 12: 58.4 min; silver to Charles Bennett from the United Kingdom, with 12: 58.6 min.)

Note: With the exception of the time of the winner, the running times are estimated as there was no time measurement for those placed. With them, the gap to the winner or the first place was determined with a length specification.

Even if the first three places were not awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in their current form at the 1900 Games, reaching one of the first three places by today's standards means winning a so-called set of medals and is viewed as an exceptional achievement in terms of sport. Seen in this light, Sidney Robinson is one of the outstanding athletes at the Olympic Games.

Web links

• Sidney Robinson in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )