Australia at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Australia at the Olympic Games
Flag of Australia IOC code  AUS NOC Australian Olympic Committee
At the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris
Competitors	2 in 2 sports
Medals	Gold 2	Silver 0	Bronze 3	Total 5
Olympic history (summary)
Summer Games
1896 1900 1904 1908* 1912* 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 * with New Zealand as Australasia
Winter Games
1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014
Intercalated Games
1906

Australia competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Most Olympic historians keep Australian records at early Olympics separate from those of the United Kingdom despite Australia's lack of independence at the time.

Australia was represented by two athletes, both of whom won a medal in each event in which they competed. Frederick Lane won two gold medals in swimming and Stan Rowley won a gold medal (as part of a mixed team with Great Britain) and three bronze medals in athletics.

Medalists

Gold

• Frederick Lane — swimming, men's 200 metre freestyle
• Frederick Lane — swimming, men's 200 metre obstacle event

Stan Rowley also won a gold medal as part of a mixed team — athletics, 5000 metre team race

Bronze

• Stan Rowley — athletics, 60 metres
• Stan Rowley — athletics, 100 metres
• Stan Rowley — athletics, 200 metres

Results by event

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Rowley was Australia's only competitor in athletics. He entered the three sprint events, taking the bronze medal in each of the three. Rowley also joined the Great Britain team in the 5-man team race, as the British squad had only 4 members. The 5 kilometres of the race was much further than Rowley was used to racing. After the first lap of the track, he injured his foot and began to walk. When the last of the other nine competitors (the United Kingdom and France were the only nations to send teams) finished, Rowley was still 1500 metres from the finish; officials allowed him to retire and claim 10th place at that point.

Rowley's four medals put him, and Australia, in third place on the athletics leaderboard.

Event	Place	Athlete	Heat	Semifinal	Repechage	Final
60 metres	3rd	Stan Rowley	Unknown 2nd, heat 2	None held		7.2 seconds
100 metres	3rd	Stan Rowley	Unknown 2nd, heat 3	Unknown 2nd, semifinal 1	11.0 seconds 1st	11.2 seconds
200 metres	3rd	Stan Rowley	25.0 seconds 1st, heat 2	None held		22.9 seconds

Event	Place	Team / Athlete	Score / Time
5000 metre team race	1st	Great Britain / Australia	26 points
	1st	Charles Bennett (GBR)	1 point 15:29.2
	2nd	John Rimmer (GBR)	2 points Unknown
	6th	Sidney Robinson (GBR)	6 points Unknown
	7th	Alfred Tysoe (GBR)	7 points Unknown
	10th	Stan Rowley	10 points Did not finish

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Lane won the 200 metre freestyle and obstacle races, both on the same day. He did not receive gold medals, but instead received bronze sculptures of a horse and peasant girl respectively. He was also the favourite for the 100 metre freestyle, but this event was cancelled.

Event	Place	Swimmer	Semifinals	Final
Men's 200 metre freestyle	1st	Frederick Lane	2:59.0 1st, semifinal 3	2:25.2
Men's 200 metre obstacle event	1st	Frederick Lane	3:04.0 1st, semifinal 1	2:38.4

Non-Olympic events

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Donald Mackintosh was a professional shooter from Melbourne. He was travelling through Europe competing in a series of traditional competitions. He won the live game shooting (Prix Centenaire de Paris) with 22 consecutive kills of live pigeons, one more than Marquis de Villancosa of Spain. He finished in the joint third position alongside Crittenden Robinson of the United States in the live pigeon shooting (Grand Prix d'Exposition) with 18, behind the winner Leon de Lunden, who scored 21. Mackintosh' status has often been confused, as some historians were under the impression that game-shooting was an archery contest. The International Olympic Committee does not consider either event Olympic.

References

• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "1900 Olympians from Australia". Accessed 11 March 2006. Available electronically at [1].