The men's
sprint
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
* Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automobiles
*Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...
was one of the five track
cycling
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
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 (February 14, 1859 – October 22, 1940) was a French-born American winemaker. He is considered an early pioneer of California viticulture known for his brand of Californian sparkling wine.
Biography
Masson was born as the seco ...
of France, with his teammate
Léon Flameng
Marie Léon Flameng (30 April 1877 – 2 January 1917) was a French cycle sport, 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 f ...
earning bronze.
Stamatios Nikolopoulos 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
The race was very slow and tactical, with no pacemakers: Rosemeyer was forced to retire after having mechanical problems.
Masson broke away late to beat Nikolopoulos by 15 meters, and Flameng finished well back in third.
References
* (Digitally available a
* (Excerpt available a
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{{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