The men's
100 metre freestyle was one of the four
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
events on the
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The 100 metre freestyle race was the first of the swimming events. Ten swimmers entered the race. The two competitors from
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
finished in the top two places, though no record distinguishes the places of the other eight competitors. The names of four of the Greek swimmers are not known.
Alfréd Hajós
Alfréd Hajós (1 February 1878 – 12 November 1955) was a Hungarian swimmer, football player and manager, and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. No other swimmer ever won s ...
of Hungary beat
Otto Herschmann
Dr. Otto Herschmann (4 January 1877 – 17 June 1942) was an Austrian Jewish swimmer, fencer, lawyer, and sports official. He is one of only a few athletes who have won Olympic medals in multiple sports, having received a silver medal in swi ...
of Austria by less than a body length, with the other swimmers far behind. The Hungarian flag was hoisted, but the band began to play the Austrian anthem (
Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser
"" (; ) was a personal anthem to Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of the Austrian Empire, with lyrics by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749–1827) and music by Joseph Haydn. It is sometimes called the "Kaiserhymne" (; Emperor's ...
) until the Hungarian team sang the Hungarian anthem (
Himnusz
"" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844, ...
).
[
]
Background
This was the first appearance of the men's 100 metre freestyle. The event has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1900 (when the shortest freestyle was the 200 metres), though the 1904 version was measured in yards rather than metres.Alfréd Hajós
Alfréd Hajós (1 February 1878 – 12 November 1955) was a Hungarian swimmer, football player and manager, and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. No other swimmer ever won s ...
was the 1895 European champion.[
]
Competition format
The competition involved a single race, with all swimmers competing at the same time. The swimmers were taken out by ship into the bay, where they would swim toward shore. Buoys marked the starting line, hollow pumpkins (which tended to move) marked the course, and a red flag marked the finish line.[Official Report, part 2, p. 96.]
Records
There were no recognized records in the 100 metre freestyle before this competition. World records would not be recognized until 1905. Alfréd Hajós
Alfréd Hajós (1 February 1878 – 12 November 1955) was a Hungarian swimmer, football player and manager, and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. No other swimmer ever won s ...
's winning time of 1:22.2 was the initial Olympic record.
Schedule
The 100 metres freestyle was the first of the swimming events.[
]
Results
References
* (Digitally available a
* (Excerpt available a
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics, Men's freestyle 0100