The men's triple jump was one of six jumping 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 London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The competition was held on 25 July 1908. Twenty athletes from eight nations competed. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.Official report, p. 32. The event was won by

Tim Ahearne Timothy Joseph Ahearne (17 August 1885 – 12 December 1968) was an Irish track and field athlete who competed for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the 1908 Summer Olympics. He was born in Dirreen, Athea, Limerick and was the ...

of Great Britain, breaking a streak of three American victories in the triple jump. All three medal-winning nations were on the podium for the first time.

Background

This was the fourth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. No athletes from the 1904 Games returned. The triple jump was still "rarely contested at national meets in this era" and once again there was no favorite in the Olympic event. Canada, Finland, Norway, and South Africa each made their first appearance in the event. The United States competed for the fourth time, having competed at each of the Games so far.

Competition format

The competition was described as two rounds at the time, but was more similar to the modern divided final. All athletes received three jumps initially. The top three after that received an additional three jumps to improve their distance, but the initial jumps would still count if no improvement was made. The jump format was codified: "The competitor shall first land upon the same foot with which he shall have taken off. The reverse foot shall be used for the second landing, and both feet shall be used for the third landing."Official Report, p. 87.

Records

These are the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics. ''(*)'' unofficial At first

set a new Olympic record with 14.72 metres. Then

Garfield MacDonald James Abram Garfield MacDonald (August 8, 1881 – November 6, 1951) was a Canadian athlete who competed mainly in the triple jump. He was born in Lower South River, Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces an ...

improved the record to 14.76 metres and finally Ahearne took the new Olympic record with 14.92 metres.

Schedule

Results

All jumpers performed three jumps. The best three made another three attempts to improve their marks. Best marks are known for the top seventeen jumpers, but no information about marks or placement for the bottom three.

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 triple jump Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics Triple jump at the Olympics