At the 1904 Summer Olympics, twenty-five athletics events were contested. A total of 74 medals (25 gold, 25 silver and 24 bronze) were awarded.
Multi-event competitions, the all-around and triathlon, were introduced, along with a 56-pound weight throw, while the short steeplechase was lengthened slightly from 2500 to 2590 metres, the team race was lengthened from 5000 meters to 4 miles (), and the long steeplechase was dropped.
In all, the 25 events featured in 1904 were two more than were held in 1900.
A track was built specifically for the Games on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. It was a cinder track mile (536.448m) in length, with one long straightaway.
Medal summary 60 metres7.0 7.27.2100 metres11.011.211.2200 metres21.6 21.9Unknown400 metres49.2 49.950.0800 metres1:56.0 1:56.31:56.41500 metres4:05.4 4:06.8Unknown Marathon3:28:533:34:523:47:33110 metres hurdles16.016.316.4200 metres hurdles24.624.9Unknown400 metres hurdles53.0 53.256.82590 metres steeplechase7:39.67:40.67:45.64 miles team race New York ACArthur Newton George Underwood Paul Pilgrim Howard Valentine David Munson27 pts Chicago AAJames Lightbody Frank Verner Lacey Hearn Albert Corey (FRA) Sidney Hatch28 ptsnone awardedLong jump 7.34 m 6.89 m 6.88 mTriple jump 14.32 m 13.90 m 13.36 mHigh jump 1.80 m 1.77 m 1.77 mPole vault 3.50 m 3.35 m 3.35 mStanding long jump 3.47 m 3.27 m 3.25 mStanding triple jump 10.54 m 10.16 m 9.60 mStanding high jump 1.60 m 1.44 m 1.44 mShot put 14.81 m 14.40 m 13.37 mDiscus throw 39.28 m 39.28 m 37.68 mHammer throw 51.23 m 50.26 m 45.73 m56 pound weight throw 10.46 m 10.16 m 10.13 mTriathlon 35.7 pts 34.0 pts 32.9 ptsAll-around Kiely represented Ireland in this event, but the IOC lists him as competing for Great Britain, which Ireland was part of at the time.6036 pts 5907 pts 5813 pts
Medal table
Participating nations
233 athletes from 11 nations competed. This figure includes the athletic triathlon event, which some sources exclude.
Marathon
The marathon is widely regarded as one of the most bizarre events of the Games. It was run in brutally hot weather, over dusty roads, with horses and automobiles clearing the way and creating dust clouds.
The first to arrive at the finish line was Frederick Lorz, who had dropped out after nine miles, and actually rode the rest of the way in a car to retrieve his clothes, but after the car broke down at the 20th mile, he re-entered the race and jogged back to the finish line.
As officials and fans believed he had won the race, Lorz played along with his practical joke until he was found out shortly before the medal ceremony. He admitted the ruse, and was banned for life by the AAU; however, after Lorz apologized for this stunt and it was found he had no intention to defraud, he was reinstated, and won the 1905 Boston Marathon.
Thomas Hicks was the first to the finish legally, after having received from his trainers several doses of strychnine sulfate (a common rat poison, which stimulates the nervous system in small doses) mixed with egg whites and brandy. While he was supported by his trainers when he crossed the finish line, he is still considered the winner: Hicks had to be carried off the track on a stretcher, and possibly would have died in the stadium had he not been treated by several doctors. He lost eight pounds during the course of the marathon.
A Cuban postman named Felix Carvajal joined the marathon, arriving at the last minute. He had to run in street clothes that a fellow runner cut around the legs to make them look like shorts. He stopped off in an orchard en route to have a snack on some apples which turned out to be rotten, and caused him to have to lie down and take a nap. Despite falling ill from the apples, he finished in fourth place.
References
External links International Olympic Committee results database