The men's 200 metres was a

sprinting Sprinting is running over a short distance at the top-most speed of the body in a limited period of time. It is used in many sports that incorporate running, typically as a way of quickly reaching a target or goal, or avoiding or catching an op ...

event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. It was held on July 22, 1900, well after most of the rest of the athletics events. The 1900 Games were the first time the 200 metres was contested. The races were held on a track of 500 metres in circumference. Eight athletes from seven nations competed. The event was won by

Walter Tewksbury Walter Beardsley Tewksbury (March 21, 1876 – April 24, 1968) was an American track and field athlete. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, he won five medals, including two golds. Biography Born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, Tewksbury studied for a dental ...

of the United States.

Norman Pritchard Norman Gilbert Pritchard (23 June 1875 – 30 October 1929), also known by his stage name Norman Trevor, was a British-Indian athlete and actor who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in ...

of India took silver while Australian

Stan Rowley Stanley Rupert Rowley (11 September 1876 – 1 April 1924) was an Australian sprinter who won four medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was born in Young, New South Wales and died in Manly, New South Wales. Biography In 1900 he ...

earned bronze.

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Olympics in 1896 but has been on the program ever since. American

had taken silver in the shorter sprint events in 1900 (the 60 metres and 100 metres), but the winners of those events did not compete in the 200 metres; he had also won the 400 metres hurdles.

of Australia had finished third in both of those events as well.

of India had finished second in the 200 metres hurdles, beating Tewksbury who finished third. The seven nations that contested the first 200 metres race were Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Norway, and the United States.

Competition format

There were two rounds, semifinals and a final. The top two runners in each of the two semifinals advanced to the final. The "track" was a grass field with a 500 metre long course winding through trees.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics. ^* unofficial

Bill Holland Willard Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 19, 1984)) was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948 and 1950. He also was runner up in the 1947 American ...

set the first Olympic record when he won the first heat of the first round in 24.0 seconds. In the final

set a new Olympic record with 22.2 seconds.

Schedule

Results

Semifinals

In the semifinals, there were two heats. The top two runners in each advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

The first heat was an easy win for Holland.

Semifinal 2

Rowley beat Tewksbury by about a foot, and neither of the other two runners were close.

Final

Tewksbury passed Pritchard in the second half of the race and crossed the finish line 2½ yards clear of the field, with Pritchard half a yard ahead of Rowley, and Rowley six inches ahead of Holland, who was the slowest in the final despite improving upon his time by over a second.

Sources

International Olympic Committee
* De Wael, Herman. ''Herman's Full Olympians'': "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically a

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres Men's 0200 metres 200 metres at the Olympics