The men's sprint event was part of the track cycling programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. There were 37 competitors from 11 nations, with each nation apparently limited to four cyclists (down from 12 the last time the event was held, in 1908). The event was won by Maurice Peeters of the Netherlands, the nation's first victory in the men's sprint. Two British cyclists, Thomas Johnson and Harry Ryan, were in the final as well, taking silver and bronze.

Summary

One day before the Olympic tournament, Peeters had become amateur world champion in track cycling. One day later he rode the Olympic 1000 m sprint, and of course he was considered a favourite. He lost in the first round, but his second place was enough to progress to the next round. He then won the quarter final and the semi-final. In the final, he rode against two British cyclists, Harry Ryan and Tiny Johnson. They tried to make use of their numerical advantage, and Ryan attacked, so that Peeters had to get him back. In the final corner, Johnson tried to come around the corner to win the race, but Peeters was ahead and kept his lead. The British team protested the race, arguing that Peeters had obstructed Johnson by forcing him up the bank, but the protest was denied.

Background

This was the fourth appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1904 and 1912. None of the finalists from 1908 returned. Peeters was the favorite.

Australia, Denmark, and Luxembourg each made their debut in the men's sprint. France made its fourth appearance, the only nation to have competed at every appearance of the event. For the first time, Germany did not compete in the men's sprint, having been excluded from the 1920 Games after World War I.

Competition format

Unlike modern sprint events (which use a flying 200 metre time trial to cut down and seed the field, followed by one-on-one matches), the 1920 sprint used a competition format featuring four main rounds and a two-round repechage.

There were 12 first-round heats, mostly with three cyclists each but one with four. The top two in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals. The 24 quarterfinalists were divided into eight heats of three cyclists each; the winner of each quarterfinal advanced directly to the semifinals while the other two cyclists competed in the repechage. There were four repechage semifinals of four cyclists each, with the winner of each heat advancing to the repechage final. The four repechage finalists competed in a single heat, with the winner joining the eight quarterfinal winners in the semifinals. There were three semifinals of three cyclists each, with the winners advancing to the three-man final.

Records

The records for the sprint are 200 metre flying time trial records, kept for the qualifying round in later Games as well as for the finish of races.

* World records were not tracked by the UCI until 1954.

Thomas Johnson matched the Olympic record in heat 6, as did Gerald Halpin in heat 12. Halpin matched it again in quarterfinal 2. Johnson broke the record in the fifth quarterfinal, recording 11.8 seconds for the final 200 metres.

Albert White, Harry Ryan (cyclist), and Maurice Peeters also tied the old record, but after Johnson had set a new one.

Schedule

Date Time Round Monday, 9 August 1920 14:55 Round 1QuarterfinalsRepechage semifinalsRepechage finalSemifinalsFinal

Results

Round 1

Heat 1

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Henri Bellivier 13.2 2 Christopher Dotterweich 3 William Taylor

Heat 2

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Anthony Young 13.2 2 Maurice Peeters 3 Pietro Martinelli

Heat 3

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Thomas Lance 13.2 2 Binard 3 Jack King

Heat 4

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Léonard Daghelinckx 13.2 2 Norman Webster 3 Tjabel Boonstra

Heat 5

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Harry Ryan 13.2 2 L'Empereur 3 Jean Majérus

Heat 6

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Thomas Johnson 12.6 , 2 Piet Ikelaar 3 Sammy Goosen

Heat 7

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 James Walker 13.6 2 Georges Paillard 3 Vittorio Cavalotti

Heat 8

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Henry Andersen 13.6 2 George Thursfield 3 William Beck 4 Herbert McDonald

Heat 9

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Charles Lanusse 13.0 2 Albert White 3 Axel Hansen

Heat 10

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Fred Taylor 13.2 2 Georges Perrin 3 Armido Rizzetto

Heat 11

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 John Verhoeven 13.2 2 Franco Giorgetti 3 William Smith

Heat 12

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Gerald Halpin 12.6 , 2 Harold Bounsall 3 Frans de Vreng

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal 1

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Fred Taylor 13.0 2 Henri Bellivier 3 Norman Webster

Quarterfinal 2

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Gerald Halpin 12.6 , 2 Anthony Young 3 L'Empereur

Quarterfinal 3

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 George Thursfield 13.2 2 Christopher Dotterweich 3 Thomas Lance

Quarterfinal 4

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Maurice Peeters 13.2 2 Harold Bounsall 3 John Verhoeven

Quarterfinal 5

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Thomas Johnson 11.8 , 2 Charles Lanusse 3 Piet Ikelaar

Quarterfinal 6

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 James Walker 13.6 2 Georges Perrin 3 Léonard Daghelinckx

Quarterfinal 7

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Albert White 12.6 2 Henry Andersen 3 Georges Paillard

Quarterfinal 8

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Harry Ryan 12.8 2 Franco Giorgetti 3 Binard

Repechage

Repechage semifinals

Repechage semifinal 1

Young finished first, but had cut off Bellivier and was penalized by dropping him to second place, eliminating him and allowing Bellivier to advance.

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Henri Bellivier 2 Anthony Young 13.2 3 L'Empereur 4 Norman Webster

Repechage semifinal 2

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Charles Lanusse 13.0 2 Henry Andersen 3 Georges Paillard 4 Piet Ikelaar

Repechage semifinal 3

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Georges Perrin 12.8 2 Léonard Daghelinckx 3 Binard — Franco Giorgetti

Repechage semifinal 4

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Harold Bounsall 13.4 2 Christopher Dotterweich 3 John Verhoeven 4 Thomas Lance

Repechage final

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Pierre Lanousse 13.0 2 Harold Bounsall 3 Georges Perrin 4 Henri Bellivier

Semifinals

Semifinal 1

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Thomas Johnson 14.8 2 George Thursfield 15.2 3 Albert White 15.3

Semifinal 2

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Harry Ryan 12.6 2 Fred Taylor 15.2 3 Gerald Halpin 15.2

Semifinal 3

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Notes 1 Maurice Peeters 12.6 2 Pierre Lanousse 15.2 3 James Walker 15.2

Final

Rank Cyclist Nation Time Maurice Peeters 13.0 Thomas Johnson 15.1 Harry Ryan 15.1

References

Notes