The men's

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

was one of six throwing events on the

Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics At the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London, England, 26 athletics events were contested, all for men only. A total of 79 medals (27 gold, 27 silver, 25 bronze) were awarded. Each nation was allowed to enter up to 12 competitors in most of the eve ...

programme in London. The competition was held on July 16, 1908. 42 throwers from eleven nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.Official report, p. 32. The event was won by

Martin Sheridan Martin John Sheridan (March 28, 1881 – March 27, 1918) was a three time Olympic Games gold medallist. He was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland, and died in St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, New York, the day before his 37th birthda ...

of the United States, his second consecutive victory in the event (third if the 1906 Intercalated Games are included). The Americans completed their first sweep in the discus throw, with Merritt Giffin taking silver and Bill Horr bronze.

Background

This was the fourth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The returning competitors from 1904 were defending champion

of the United States, bronze medalist

Nikolaos Georgantas Nikolaos Georgantas ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαντάς, February 27, 1880 ( OS)/March 12, 1880 ( NS) – November 23, 1958) was a Greek athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. Biography He was born in Steno, Arcadia. He comp ...

of Greece, and fourth-place finisher (and 1900 competitor) John Flanagan of the United States. Sheridan, who had also won the 1906 Intercalated Games discus throw, was heavily favored, "unequaled as a discus thrower." Finland, Germany, Italy, and Norway each made their debut in the men's discus throw. Greece and the United States each made their fourth appearance, having competed in every edition of the Olympic men's discus throw to date.

Competition format

The competition continued to use the single, divided-final format in use since 1896. Each athlete received three throws, with the top three receiving an additional three throws. This event was one of two discus throwing events in 1908 and was referred to as the "free style" throw; the other was throwing the discus "as at Athens." For this event, the athletes threw the discus from inside a 2.5 metre diameter circle. There were no rules on form ("The method of throwing is at the absolute discretion of each competitor"), though the thrower had to remain in the circle until the discus hit the ground. The landing area was a 45 degree sector, broader than the modern 34.92 degrees.Official Report, p. 95.Official Report, p. 409.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics. ^* unofficial The top four men all threw beyond the old Olympic record in the qualifying throws.

finished with the best throw and the new record, at 40.89 metres.

Results

Giffin's first throw (40.70 metres) was his best and gave him the lead until the final round. Sheridan threw 40.89 metres on his final attempt to win. 23 athletes did not start.

References

Sources

* Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908). * De Wael, Herman. ''Herman's Full Olympians'': "Athletics 1908". Accessed 7 April 2006. Available electronically a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's discus throw Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics Discus throw at the Olympics