Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

Men's discus throw
at the Games of the VII Olympiad
Elmer Niklander (1912)
VenueOlympisch Stadion
DatesAugust 21–22
Competitors17 from 8 nations
Winning distance44.685
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Elmer Niklander
 Finland
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Armas Taipale
 Finland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gus Pope
 United States
← 1912
1924 →

The men's discus throw event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Saturday, August 21, 1920, and on Sunday, August 22, 1920. 17 discus throwers from eight nations competed.[1] No nation had more than 4 athletes, suggesting the limit had been reduced from the 12 maximum in force in 1908 and 1912. The event was won by Elmer Niklander of Finland, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's discus throw. Armas Taipale, the winner in 1912, took silver to become the second man to win multiple medals in the event. Gus Pope took bronze, continuing the American streak of podium appearances at all six discus competitions to date.

Background

This was the sixth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning competitors from 1912 included defending champion Armas Taipale and fourth-place finisher Elmer Niklander, both of Finland. Taipale had twice beaten the world record, though the IAAF did not acknowledge those throws.[2]

Belgium and Czechoslovakia each made their debut in the men's discus throw. The United States made its sixth appearance, having competed in every edition of the Olympic men's discus throw to date. Greece missed the event for the first time.

Competition format

The competition continued to use the single, divided-final format in use since 1896. Each athlete received three throws, with the top six receiving an additional three throws.[3][2]

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1920 Summer Olympics.

World record  James Duncan (USA) 47.58 New York, United States 27 May 1912
Olympic record  Armas Taipale (FIN) 45.21 Stockholm, Sweden 12 July 1912

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

Date Time Round
Saturday, 21 August 1920 15:45 Qualifying
Sunday, 22 August 1920 10:00 Final

Results

The best six discus throwers qualified for the final.

Rank Athlete Nation Qualifying Final Distance
1st place, gold medalist(s) Elmer Niklander  Finland 44.685 Unknown 44.685
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Armas Taipale  Finland 44.19 Unknown 44.19
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gus Pope  United States 42.13 Unknown 42.13
4 Oscar Zallhagen  Sweden 40.16 41.07 41.07
5 William Bartlett  United States 40.875 Unknown 40.875
6 Allan Eriksson  Sweden 39.41 Unknown 39.41
7 Valther Jensen  Denmark 38.23 Did not advance 38.23
8 Ville Pörhölä  Finland 38.19 Did not advance 38.19
9 Aurelio Lenzi  Italy 37.75 Did not advance 37.75
10 Kenneth Wilson  United States 37.58 Did not advance 37.58
11 André Tison  France 37.35 Did not advance 37.35
12 Jonni Myyrä  Finland 37.00 Did not advance 37.00
13 František Hoplíček  Czechoslovakia 36.75 Did not advance 36.75
14 Émile Ecuyer  France 36.10 Did not advance 36.10
15 Daniel Pierre  France 35.53 Did not advance 35.53
16 Arthur Delaender  Belgium 32.00 Did not advance 32.00
AC Hans Granfelt  Sweden Unknown Did not advance Unknown

References

  1. ^ "Athletics at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Discus Throw, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  3. ^ Official Report, p. 115.

Sources

  • Belgium Olympic Committee (1957). Olympic Games Antwerp 1920: Official Report (in French).
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Retrieved 24 August 2007.