Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's pole vault

Men's pole vault
at the Games of the II Olympiad
VenueBois de Boulogne
DateJuly 15
Competitors8 from 5 nations
Medalists
 
 
 
Athletics at the
1900 Summer Olympics
Track events
60 m   men
100 m men
200 m men
400 m men
800 m men
1500 m men
110 m hurdles men
200 m hurdles men
400 m hurdles men
2500 m steeplechase men
4000 m steeplechase men
5000 m team race men
Road events
Marathon men
Field events
Long jump men
Triple jump men
High jump men
Pole vault men
Standing long jump men
Standing triple jump men
Standing high jump men
Shot put men
Discus throw men
Hammer throw men

The men's pole vault was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 15, 1900. Eight athletes from five nations competed in the pole vault.

This event was heavily protested by the United States team, as it was held on a Sunday and three of the top American vaulters had been told that they could vault on the following day and have the results count. The French organizers, however, ruled on July 14 that the results of Sunday competitions would be final. The American vaulters did not learn of that decision until after the event. The two that did compete were not regularly vaultersBaxter had just finished winning the high jump when the pole vault began and decided to join the competition.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.

World Record 3.62(*) United States Raymond Clapp Chicago (USA) June 16, 1898
Olympic Record 3.30 United States William Hoyt Athens (GRE) April 10, 1896 (NS)

(*) unofficial

Irving Baxter equalized the Olympic record with 3.30 metres.

Results

Place Athlete Height
1  Irving Baxter (USA) 3.30 m
2  Meredith Colket (USA) 3.25 m
3  Carl Albert Andersen (NOR) 3.20 m
4  Émile Gontier (FRA) 3.10 m
 Jakab Kauser (HUN) 3.10 m
 Erik Lemming (SWE) 3.10 m
7  Karl Staaf (SWE) 2.80 m
8  August Nilsson (SWE) 2.60 m

Baxter, despite being a high jumper who had little experience in pole vaulting and having just finished the high jump competition, was the top vaulter. Along with the other medallists, he cleared 3.10 metres first, then 3.20 metres. Andersen could not clear 3.25 while both the Americans did. That was the highest vault that Colket could accomplish, however, and Baxter's 3.30 was enough to win.

Sources

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