Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
The athletics events at the Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games were held at the newly built Stockholm Olympic Stadium between 6 and 15 July, featuring 556 athletes from 27 nations across 30 events. Widely regarded as one of the best organised Olympic Games of the early modern era, Stockholm 1912 introduced new technologies and expanded the athletics programme, helping establish higher international standards for competition and officiating.
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Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games (Games of V Olympiad) marked a major step forward in the technical and competitive development of athletics. The Games introduced electronic timing for track events for the first time, while the programme expanded with the addition of the 5000m, 10,000m and cross-country events. The decathlon also returned to the Olympic schedule, contributing to the growing prestige of combined events competition.
Several outstanding performances produced world record-level marks during the Games. American athletes Charles Reidpath (48.2) and Ted Meredith (1:51.9) set world records in the 400m and 800m respectively, while the United States also equalled global standards in the relays. Finland emerged as a new distance-running power through Hannes Kolehmainen, whose victories in the 5000m, 10,000m and cross-country helped establish the beginning of the famous “Flying Finns” era in Olympic athletics.
The Stockholm Games also featured numerous Olympic records across the field events, reflecting the rapid progression of athletics performances during the early twentieth century. South African runner Ken McArthur won the marathon in Olympic record time, while athletes such as Ralph Craig, Alma Richards and Harry Babcock delivered memorable victories in the sprints and jumps. Stockholm 1912 is often considered the final great Olympic festival of the pre-World War I era and one of the foundational editions in the evolution of modern international athletics.
Men’s 100m final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Ralph Craig | USA | 10.8 | 10.6 in the 1st qualif. round |
| 2 | Alvah Meyer | USA | 10.9 | |
| 3 | Donald Lippincott | USA | 10.9e | 16th heat, 10 3/5 WR 1st record ratified by the IAAF (World Athletics 2024) |
| 4 | Frank Beloit | USA | 10.9e |
Men’s 200m final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Ralph Craig | USA | 21.7 | |
| 2 | Donald Lippincott | USA | 21.8 | |
| 3 | Willie Applegarth | USA | 22.0 | |
| 4 | Richard Rau | GER | 22.2e | |
| 5 | Charles Reidpath | USA | 22.2e | |
| 6 | Donnell Young | USA | 22.3e |
Men’s 400m final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Charles Reidpath | USA | 48.2 OR | |
| 2 | Hanns Braun | GER | 48.3 | |
| 3 | Edward Lindberg | USA | 48.4 | |
| 4 | Ted Meredith | USA | 49.2e | |
| 5 | Carroll Haff | USA | 49.5e |
Men’s 800m final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Ted Meredith | USA | 1.51.9 WR | |
| 2 | Mel Sheppard | USA | 1:52.0 | |
| 3 | Ira Davenport | USA | 1:52.0 | |
| 4 | Melville Brock | CAN | 1:52.7e | |
| 5 | David Caldwell | USA | 1:52.8e | |
| 6 | Hanns Braun | GER | 1:53.1e | |
| 7 | Claence Edmunson | USA | 1:53.8e | |
| 8 | Herbert Putnam | USA | uknown performance |
Men’s 1500m final- Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Arnold Jackson | GBR | 3:56.8 OR | |
| 2 | Abel Kiviat | USA | 3:56.9 | |
| 3 | Norman Taber | USA | 3:56.9 | |
| 4 | John Paul Jones | USA | 3:57.2 | |
| 5 | Ernst Wide | SWE | 3:57.6 | |
| 6 | Phillip Baker | GBR | 4:01.0e | |
| 7 | John Zander | SWE | 4:02.0e | |
| 8 | Henri Arnaud | FRA | 4:02.2e |
5,000m. final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Hannes Kolehmainen | FIN | 14:36.6 WR | He had run three races in three days prior to the final, a heat and the final over 10,000m and a 5000m heat (World Athletics 2020) |
| 2 | Jean Bouin | FRA | 14:36.7 | |
| 3 | George Hutson | GBR | 15:07.6 | |
| 4 | George Bonhag | USA | 15:09.8 | |
| 5 | Tell Berna | USA | 15:10.0 | |
| 6 | Mauritz Karlsson | SWE | 15:18.6 | |
| 7 | Henry Scott | USA | uknown performance | |
| 8 | Alex Decoteau | CAN | uknown performance |
10,000 m. final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Hannes Kolehmainen | FIN | 31:20.8 OR | set also OR 33:49.0 in the 1st heat |
| 2 | Lewis Tewanima | USA | 32:06.6 | |
| 3 | Albin Stenroos | FIN | 32:21.8 | |
| 4 | Joseph Keeper | CAN | 32:36.2 | |
| 5 | Alfonso Orlando | ITA | 33:31.2 |
Juho Pietari “Hannes” Kolehmainen, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and a world record holder in middle and longdistance running, was the first in a generation of great Finnish long-distance runners.
He was one of the stars of the Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games, winning three gold medals. In the 5000 m. he ran a heroic duel with Jean Bouin. After leading the field together for most of the race, Bouin was defeated by him in the final metres, in world record time. He won, also, the 10,000m and the now-discontinued cross country event. With the Finnish team, he obtained a silver place in the cross country team event.
His career was interrupted by the First World War, but he remained a top-level athlete, although his specialty shifted to the longer distances, especially the marathon, where he won the gold medal at the first post-war Olympics in Antwerp.
Men’s Marathon1 – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Ken McArthur | RSA | 2:36:54.8 | |
| 2 | Chritopher Gitsham | RSA | 2:37:52.0 | |
| 3 | Gaston Strobino | USA | 2:38.42.4 | |
| 4 | Andrew Sockalexis | USA | 2:42:07.9 | |
| 5 | James Duffy | CAN | 2:42:18.8 | |
| 6 | Sigge Jacobsson | SWE | 2:43:24.9 | |
| 7 | John Gallagher | USA | 2:44:19.4 | |
| 8 | Joseph Erxleben | USA | 2:45:47.4 |
1 Note: 40.2 kilometres
Men’s 110m hurdles final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Fred Kelly | USA | 15.1 | |
| 2 | James Wendell | USA | 15.2 | |
| 3 | Martin Hawkins | USA | 15.3 | |
| 4 | John Case | USA | 15.3 | |
| 5 | Kenneth Powell | GBR | 15.5 | |
| John Nicholson | USA | DNF |
Men’s High Jump final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Alma Richards | USA | 1.93 OR | |
| 2 | Hans Liesche | GER | 1.91 | |
| 3 | George Horine | USA | 1.89 | The first man to clear 2m ( May 1912, US Western Olympic Trials) |
| 4 | Egon Erickson | USA | 1.87 | |
| =4 | Jim Thorpe | USA | 1.87 | |
| 6 | Harry Grumpelt | USA | 1.85 | |
| =6 | John Johnstone | USA | 1.85 | |
| 8 | Krl-Axel Kullerstrand | SWE | 1.83 |
Men’s Pole Vault final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Harry Babcock | USA | 3.95 OR | |
| 2 | Frank Nelson | USA | 3.85 | |
| =2 | Marc Wright | USA | 3.85 | |
| 4 | Bertil Uggla | SWE | 3.80 | |
| =4 | William Happenny | CAN | 3.80 | |
| =4 | Frank Murphy | USA | 3.80 | |
| 7 | Samuel Bellah | USA | 3.75 | |
| 8 | Frank Coyle | USA | 3.65 | |
| =8 | Gordon Dukes | USA | 3.65 | |
| =8 | Bill Fritz | USA | 3.65 |
Men’s Long Jump final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Albert Gutterson | USA | 7.60 OR | |
| 2 | Calvin Bricker | CAN | 7.21 | |
| 3 | Georg Åberg | SWE | 7.18 | |
| 4 | Harry Worthington | USA | 7.03 | |
| 5 | Eugene Mercer | USA | 6.97 | |
| 6 | Fred Allen | USA | 6.94 | |
| 7 | Jim Thorpe | USA | 6.89 | |
| 8 | Robert Pasemann | GER | 6.82 |
Men’s Triple Jump final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Gustaf Lindblom | SWE | 14.76 | |
| 2 | Georg Åberg | SWE | 14.51 | |
| 3 | Eric Almlof | SWE | 14.17 | |
| 4 | Erling VinneBricker | NOR | 14.14 | |
| 5 | Platt Adams | USA | 14.09 | |
| 6 | Edvard Larsen | NOR | 14.06 | |
| 7 | Hjalmar Ohlsson | SWE | 14.01 | |
| 8 | Nils Fixdal | NOR | 13.96 |
Men’s Shot Put final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Pat McDonald | USA | 15.34 OR | |
| 2 | Ralph Rose | USA | 15.25 | |
| 3 | Lawrence Whitney | USA | 13.93 | |
| 4 | Elmer Niklander | FIN | 13.65 | |
| 5 | George Philbrook | USA | 13.13 | |
| 6 | Imre Mudin | HUN | 12.81 | |
| 7 | Einar Nilsson | SWE | 12.62 | |
| 8 | Patrick Quinn | GBR | 12.53 |
Men’s Discus Throw final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Armas Taipale | FIN | 45.21 OR | |
| 2 | Richard Byrd | USA | 42.32 | |
| 3 | James Duncan | USA | 42.28 | he had set a WR 47.58 less than two months before the Games |
| 4 | Elmer Niklander | FIN | 42.09 | |
| 5 | Hans Tronner | AUT | 41.24 | |
| 6 | Arlie Mucks | USA | 40.93 | |
| 7 | George Philbrook | USA | 40.92 | |
| 8 | Emil Magnussonn | SWE | 39.91 |
Men’s Hammer Throw final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Matt McGrath | USA | 54.74 OR | all six throws beyond 54m |
| 2 | Duncan Gillis | CAN | 48.39 | |
| 3 | Clarence Childs | USA | 48.17 | |
| 4 | Robert Olsson | SWE | 46.50 | |
| 5 | Carl-Johan Lind | SWE | 45.61 | |
| 6 | Denis Carey | GBR | 43.78 | |
| 7 | Nils Linde | SWE | 43.32 | |
| 8 | Carl Jahnzon | SWE | 42.58 |
Men’s Javelin Throw final – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Eric Lemming | SWE | 60.64 OR | |
| 2 | “Juho” Saaristo | FIN | 58.66 | |
| 3 | Mór Kóczán | HUN | 55.50 | |
| 4 | Juho Halme | FIN | 54.65 | |
| 5 | Väinö Villiam Siikaniemi | FIN | 52.43 | |
| 6 | Richard Åbrink | SWE | 52.20 | |
| 7 | Arne Halse | NOR | 51.98 | |
| 8 | “Jonni” Myyrä | FIN | 51.33 |
Decathlon – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Jim Thorpe2 | USA | 8412.955 WR (6564)3 | 100m 11.2 / LJ 6.79 / SP 12.89 / HJ 1.87 / 400m 52.2 / 110mH 15.6 / DT 36.98 / PV 3.25 / JT 45.70 / 1500m 4:40.1 |
| 1 | Hugo Wieslander2 | SWE | 7724.495 (5966) | 11.8 – 6.42 – 12.14 – 1.75 – 53.6 – 17.2 – 36.29 – 3.10 – 50.40 – 4:45.0 |
| 2 | Charles Lomberg | SWE | 7413.501 (5722) | 11.8 – 6.87 – 11.67 – 1.80 – 55.0 – 17.6 – 35.35 – 3.25 – 41.83 – 5.12.2 |
| 3 | “Gösta” Holmér | SWE | 7347.855 (5748) | 11.4 – 5.98 – 10.98 – 1.70 – 53.2 – 17.0 – 31.78 – 3.20 – 46.28 – 4:41.9 |
| 4 | James Donahue | USA | 7083.450 (5701) | 11.8 – 6.48 – 9.67 – 1.65 – 51.6 – 16.2 – 29.95 – 3.40 – 37.09 – 4:44.0 |
| 5 | Eugene Mercer | USA | 7074.995 (5825) | 11.0 – 6.95 – 9.76 – 1.65 – 49.9 – 16.4 – 21.95 – 3.60 – 32.32 – 4:46.3 |
| 6 | Valdemar Wickholm | FIN | 7058.795 (5676) | 11.5 – 5.95 – 11.09 -1.60 – 52.3 – 17.0 – 29.78 – 3.25 – 42.58 – 4:33.9 |
| 7 | Erik Kugelberg | SWE | 6758.780 (5346) | 12.3 – 6.20 – 9.99 – 1.65 – 55.7 – 17.2 – 31.48 – 3.00 – 45.67 – 4:43.5 |
| 8 | Karl Halt | GER | 6682.445 (5286) | 12-1 – 6.08 – 11.12 – 1.70- 54.2 – 17.7 – 35.46 – 2.70 – 39.82 – 5:02.8 |
1 Thorpe dominated the event in a world record, but had his medals stripped from him a few months later when it was discovered that he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910. The gold was awarded to Wieslander and the bronze went to Holmer. Following years of lobbying the IOC posthumously reinstated Thorpe as an amateur in 1982 and declared the American and Wieslander as c0-champions. Thorpe’s children received duplicate medals. In 2020, a further campaign was launched urging the IOC to “resore the record of Tim Thorpe as the sole champion in pentathlon and decathlon events at the 1912 Olympic Games (World Athletics, 2020)
2 All marks have been re-scored on 1984/1998 tables, which take account the “odd” centimeter measurement for long throws.
4X100m. relay – Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Great Britain & Ireland | GBR/IRL | 42.4 | David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Victor d’ Arcy, Willie Applegarth |
| 2 | Sweden | SWE | 42.6 | Ivan Möller, Charles Luther, Thure Person, Knul Lindberg |
| 3 | France | GRE | DQ | Otto Röhr, Max Herrmann, Erwin Kern, Richard Rau (TR 24.7)(42.4) |
4x400m relay, Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | United States | USA | 3:16.6 WR | Mel Sheppard, Edward Lindberg, Ted eredith, Charles Reidpath |
| 2 | France | FRA | 3:20.7 | Charles LeLong, Robert Shurrer, Pierre Failliot, Charles Poulenard |
| 3 | Great Britain & Ireland | GBR/IRL | 3:23.2 | George Nicol, Ernest Henley, James Soutler, Cyril Seedhouse |
Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games – Discontinued events
Cross Country (12 Km)
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Hannes Kolehmainen | FIN | 45:11.6 | |
| 2 | Hjalmar Andersson | SWE | 45:44.8 | |
| 3 | John Eke | SWE | 46:37.6 | |
| 4 | Jaimari “Lauri” Eskola | FIN | 46:54.8 | |
| 5 | Carl Josef Ternström | SWE | 47:07.1 | |
| 6 | Albin Steroos | FIN | 47:23.4 | |
| 7 | Ville Kyronen | FIN | 47:32.0 | |
| 8 | Leonard Richardson | RSA | 47:33.5 |
Cross Country – Team Race
| Position | Athlete | Country | Points | Notes |
| 1 | Finland | FIN | 10 | Paavo Nurmi (1/1), Heiki Liimatainen (3/3), Teodor Koskenniemi (6/6) |
| 2 | Great Britain & Ireland | GBR/IRL | 21 | Jim Wilson (4/4), Anton Hegarty IRL (5/5), Alfred Nichols (12/12) |
| 3 | Sweden | SWE | 23 | Eric Backman (2/2), Gustal Matsson (10/10), Hiding Ekman (11/11) |
| 4 | United States | USA | 36 | Patrick Flynn (9/9), Fred Faller (13/15), Max Bohland (14/16) |
| 5 | France | FRA | 40 | Gaston Heyet (8/8), Gustave Lauvaux (15/17), Joseph Servella (17/21) |
| 6 | Belgium | BEL | 48 | Julien Van Campenhout (7/7), Henri Smets (20/33), Aimé Proot (21/36) |
| 7 | Denmark | DEN | 55 | Albert Andersen (16/20), Henrik Sørensen (19/27) Jón Jónsen (20/28) |
Standing High Jump
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Platt Adams | USA | 1.63 | |
| 2 | Ben Adams | USA | 1.60 | Adams brothers were the first set of siblings to win Olympic medals in the same competition |
| 3 | Kostas Tsiklitiras | GRE | 1.55 | |
| 4 | Richard Byrd | USA | 1.50 | |
| =4 | Leo Goening | USA | 1.50 | |
| =4 | Edvin Möller | SWE | 1.50 | |
| =8 | Svend Langkjær | DEN | 1.42 |
Standing Long Jump
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Kostas Tsiklitiras | GRE | 3.37 | |
| 2 | Platt Adams | USA | 3.36 | all marks besides Platt Adams’ achieved in the qualif. round |
| 3 | Ben Adams | USA | 3.28 | |
| 4 | Gustav Malmsten | SWE | 3.20 | |
| 5 | Leo Goering | USA | 3.14 | |
| 6 | Edvin Möller | SWE | 3.14 | |
| 7 | András Baronyi | HUN | 3.13 | |
| 8 | Richard Byrd | USA | 3.12 |
Shot Put, both arms
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Ralph Rose | USA | 27.70 | 15.23/12.47 |
| 2 | Pat McDonald | USA | 27.53 | 15.08/12.45 |
| 3 | Elmer Niklander | FIN | 27.14 | 14.71/12.43 |
| 4 | Lawrence Whitney | USA | 24.09 | 13.48/10.61 |
| 5 | Einar Nilsson | SWE | 23.37 | 12.52/10.85 |
| 6 | Paavo Aho | FIN | 23.30 | 12/72/10.58 |
| 7 | Megerdich Magherian | TUR | 19.78 | 10.58/8.93 |
Discus Throw, both arms
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Armas Taipale | FIN | 82.86 | 44.68/38.18 |
| 2 | Elmer Niklander | FIN | 77.96 | 40.28/37.68 |
| 3 | Emil Magnusson | SWE | 77.37 | 40.58/36.79 |
| 4 | Einar Nilsson | SWE | 71.40 | 40.99/30.41 |
| 5 | James Duncan | USA | 71.13 | 39.78/31.35 |
| 6 | Emil Muller | USA | 69.56 | 39.83/29.73 |
| 7 | Folke Fleetwood | SWE | 68.22 | 34.20/33.82 |
| 8 | Carl Johan Lind | SWE | 68.02 | 34.98/32.12 |
Javelin Throw, both arms
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | Juho Saaristo | FIN | 109.42 | 61.00/48.42 |
| 2 | Väinö Villiam Siikaniemi | FIN | 101.13 | 54.09/47.04 |
| 3 | Urho Peltonen | FIN | 100.24 | 53.58/46.66 |
| 4 | Eric Lemming | SWE | 98.59 | 58.33/40.26 |
| 5 | Arne Halse | NOR | 96.92 | 55.05/41.87 |
| 6 | Richard Åbrink | SWE | 93.12 | 50.04/43.08 |
| 7 | Daniel Johansen | NOR | 92.82 | 48.78/44.04 |
| 8 | Otto Nilson | SWE | 88.90 | 50.21/38.69 |
Pentathlon4
| Position | Athlete | Country | Places (1912 tables) | Notes |
| 1 | Jim Thorpe | USA | 7 (3887.555) | LJ 7.07/1 – JT 46.71/3 – 200m 22.9/1 – DT 35.57/1 – 1500m 4:44.8/1 |
| 1 | Ferdinand Bie | NOR | 21 (3271.165) | 6.85/2 – 46.45/4 -23.5/5 – 31.79/4 – 5:07.8/6 |
| 2 | James Donahue | USA | 29 (3396.975) | 6.83/3 – 38.28/10 – 23.0/2 – 29.64/11 – 4:51.2/3 |
| 3 | Frank Lukeman | CAN | 29 (3396.975) | 6.45/6 – 36.02/11 – 23.2/4 – 33.76/3 5:00.2/5 |
| 4 | Austin Menaul | USA | 30 (3016.855) | 6.40/8 – 35.83/12 – 23.0/2 – 31.38/6 4:49.6/2 |
| 5 | Avery Brundage | USA | 31 (2556.355) | 6.58/4 – 42.85/7 – 24.2/11 – 34.72/2 – DNF/7 |
| 6 | Hugo Wieslander | SWE | 32 (3196.89) | 6.27/10 – 49.56/1 – 24/1/10 – 30.74/7 – 4:53.1/4 |
| 7 | Inge Lindholm | SWE | – | 6.32/9 – 41.94/8 – 23.5/5 – 30.48/8 – – |
| “Gösta” Holmér | SWE | 6682.445 (5286) | 6.02/12 – 45.46/5 – 24.0/8 – 31.78/5 – – |
4 The event was scored on a points place basis with low score winning. The top 12 after three events competed in the 4th discipline, with the top six advancing to compete in the final event. Ties on points were decided by using the coring on the 1912 decathlon tables, and so determined third place, but the scores shown are otherwise unofficial. Menaul and Lindblom were tied with 28 points after the discus, so both advanced to the final event. Thorpe’s dominance was almost absolute; only in the javelin did he not take the first place. The result is presented in the same way as the 1912 decathlon – the re-instated Thorpe and Bie are both regarded as winners.
10,000m Walk
| Position | Athlete | Country | Performance | Notes |
| 1 | George Goulding | CAN | 46:28.4 WR | |
| 2 | Ernest Webb | GBR | 45:50.4 | |
| 3 | Fernando Altimani | ITA | 47:37.6 | |
| 4 | Åge Rasmussen | DEN | 48:00.0 |
References
- International Olympic Committee, Stockholm 1912 Legacy
- World Athletics (2020), Tokyo 2020 Statistics Handbook. Produced in Collaboration with ATFS, edited by Mark Butller
- World Athletics, (2016) IAAF Statistics Handbook (Special Edition), Games of the XXXI Olympiad – Rio 2016. Produced in Collaboration with ATFS, edited by Mark Butller.
- World Athletics, (2024), Progression of Athletics World Records (edition 2024)
See also: [Paris 1900 Olympic Games][London 1908 Olympic Games]