Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's rope climbing

Men's rope climbing at the Games of the I Olympiad
Rope climbing event during 1896 Summer Olympics
Venue	Panathinaiko Stadium
Date	April 10
Competitors	5 from 4 nations
Medalists
Nikolaos Andriakopoulos Greece   Thomas Xenakis Greece   Fritz Hofmann Germany

Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Parallel bars		men
Horizontal bar		men
Vault		men
Pommel horse		men
Rings		men
Rope climbing		men
Team parallel bars		men
Team horizontal bar		men

The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame. Time and style were considered in placing the competitors who reached the top and distance climbed separating those who did not make it all the way up. Five competitors entered, with the two Greeks taking top honors by being the only two to complete the climb. The German Fritz Hofmann won the bronze medal, while the weightlifting champions Viggo Jensen and Launceston Elliot finished fourth and fifth.

Results

Place	Athlete	Height
1	Nikolaos Andriakopoulos (GRE)	14.0 m
2	Thomas Xenakis (GRE)	14.0 m
3	Fritz Hofmann (GER)	12.5 m
4	Viggo Jensen (DEN)	Unknown
5	Launceston Elliot (GBR)	Unknown

References

• Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at )
• Mallon, Bill; & Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at )
• Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.