The men's

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

was one of the five track

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

events on the

Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, six cycling events were contested at the Neo Phaliron Velodrome. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Cycling. Events were held on 8 April, 11 April, 12 April and 13 April 1896. Nineteen cycl ...

programme. It was held on 11 April as the second event on the schedule. It was held over the distance of 2 kilometres, or six laps of the track. The event was won by

Paul Masson Paul Masson (1859 – October 22, 1940) was an early pioneer of California viticulture known for his brand of Californian sparkling wine. Biography Masson emigrated from the Burgundy region of France in 1878 (at the age of 19) to Californi ...

of France, with his teammate

Léon Flameng Marie Léon Flameng (30 April 1877 – 2 January 1917) was a French cyclist and a World War I pilot. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning three medals including one gold. Olympics Flameng competed in four cycling t ...

earning bronze.

Stamatios Nikolopoulos Stamatios Nikolopoulos was a Greek racing cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens winning two silver medals. Nikolopoulos competed in the 333 metres and the 2 kilometres races, placing second in each to Frenchman Paul ...

of Greece took silver

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1904 and 1912.

Competition format

The event featured a single race, with all four competitors starting together. The distance was 2 kilometres, or six laps around the kilometre track.Official Report, p. 98.

Schedule

The exact time of the event is not known; the cycling events began shortly after 2 p.m. and the sprint was the first event.

Results

Four athletes entered the race. Rosemeyer of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

had mechanical problems during the race and left the course without finishing. The

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

cyclists took 1st and 3rd places, while Nikolopoulos of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

finished second. The race was very slow and tactical, with Masson breaking away late to win easily.

References

* (Digitally available a

* (Excerpt available a

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sprint Track cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics Cycling at the Summer Olympics – Men's sprint