Germany_at_the_1896_Summer_Olympics
Germany at the 1896 Summer Olympics
Sporting event delegation
Germany competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Germans were the third most successful nation in terms of both gold medals (6 plus 1 as part of a mixed team) and total medals (13). Gymnastics was the sport in which Germany excelled. The German team had 19 athletes. The Germans had 75 entries in 26 events (of which 48 entries were in the 8 gymnastics events), taking 13 medals.
| Germany at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
Flag of the German Empire | |
| IOC code | GER |
| NOC | German Olympic Sports Confederation |
| Website | www |
| in Athens, Greece April 6, 1896 – April 15, 1896 | |
| Competitors | 19 in 6 sports and 24 events |
| Medals Ranked 3rd |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games ––––  Saar (1952) United Team of Germany (1956–1964) East Germany (1968–1988) West Germany (1968–1988) | |
The following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded. Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics. These medals are not counted towards the individual NOC medal tally.
| Medals by sport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport |  |
 |
 |
Total |
| Gymnastics | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Wrestling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Athletics | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cycling | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
Multiple medalists
The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1896 Olympic Games.
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The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
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Hofmann's silver medal in the 100 metres was the only medal earned by the German athletes, though they finished 4th or 5th an additional 4 times. Alfred Flatow was entered in the 100 metres but did not start.[2][3][4]
Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Kurt Doerry | 100 m | Unknown | 4 | Did not advance | |
| Alfred Flatow | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Fritz Hofmann | 12.6 | 2 Q | 12.2 | | |
| Friedrich Traun | 13.5 | 3 | Did not advance | ||
| Kurt Doerry | 400 m | Unknown | 3-4 | Did not advance | |
| Fritz Hofmann | 58.6 | 2 Q | 56.7 | 4 | |
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Kurt Doerry | 800 m | DNS | Did not advance | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Friedrich Traun | 2:13.4 | 3 | Did not advance | ||
| Carl Galle | 1500 m | — | 4:39.0 | 4 | |
| Kurt Doerry | 110 m hurdles | Unknown | 3-4 | Did not advance | |
| Fritz Hofmann | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | Did not advance | |||
| Carl Galle | Marathon | — | DNS | ||
Field events
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | ||
| Conrad Böcker | High jump | DNS | |
| Kurt Doerry | DNS | ||
| Alfred Flatow | DNS | ||
| Gustav Flatow | DNS | ||
| Carl Galle | DNS | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | 1.55 | 5 | |
| Fritz Manteuffel | DNS | ||
| Gustav Schuft | DNS | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | DNS | ||
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | ||
| Kurt Doerry | Pole vault | DNS | |
| Alfred Flatow | DNS | ||
| Gustav Flatow | DNS | ||
| Carl Galle | DNS | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | DNS | ||
| Fritz Manteuffel | DNS | ||
| Karl Neukirch | DNS | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | DNS | ||
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | ||
| Hermann Weingärtner | DNS | ||
| Kurt Doerry | Long jump | DNS | |
| Alfred Flatow | DNS | ||
| Carl Galle | DNS | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | DNS | ||
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | 5.70 | 8 | |
| Hermann Weingärtner | DNS | ||
| Alfred Flatow | Triple jump | DNS | |
| Fritz Hofmann | Unknown | 6-7 | |
| Carl Schuhmann | Unknown | 5 | |
| Friedrich Traun | DNS | ||
| Conrad Böcker | Shot put | DNS | |
| Alfred Flatow | DNS | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | 10.00 | 5-7 | |
| Carl Schuhmann | Unknown | 5-7 | |
| Hermann Weingärtner | DNS | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | Discus throw | DNS | |
Track
| Athlete | Event | Time / Distance | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theodor Leupold | Men's time trial | 27.0 | 5 |
| Joseph Rosemeyer | 27.2 | 8 | |
| Joseph Rosemeyer | Men's sprint | DNF | |
| Joseph Rosemeyer | 10 km | Unknown | 4 |
| Bernard Knubel | 100 km | DNF | |
| Theodor Leupold | DNF | ||
| Joseph Rosemeyer | DNF | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | DNF | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | Men's 12 hour race | DNF | |
Road
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| August von Gödrich | Men's road race | 3:42:18 | |
| Bernard Knubel | DNS | ||
| Theodor Leupold | DNS | ||
| Fritz Manteuffel | DNS | ||
| Joseph Rosemeyer | DNS | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | DNS | ||
Germany dominated the gymnastics program, taking 5 of the 8 gold medals and medalling in each event.
- Team
- Individual
Traun was defeated by Boland in the first round of the singles tournament. The two entered the doubles tournament as a pair, winning the gold medal in that competition as part of a mixed team; that medal is not counted for Germany.
| Athlete | Event | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Opposition Score |
Rank | ||
| Friedrich Traun | Singles |  Boland (GBR)L 0–6, 6–2, 2–6 |
Did not advance | =8 | ||
 Friedrich Traun (GER) John Boland (GBR) |
Doubles | — |  Akratopoulos /Akratopoulos (GRE) W |
Bye | Kasdaglis / Petrokokkinos (GRE) W 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 |
|
Schuhmann's lift was equal to that of the bronze medallist, but lifting form was used as a tie-breaker in the event.
| Athlete | Event | Weight | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Schuhmann | Two hand lift | 90.0 | 4 |
Schuhmann first faced Launceston Elliot, the one-handed lift weightlifting champion, defeating him fairly easily. He received a bye in the semifinals, to face Georgios Tsitas in the final match. That contest took two days, after it had been postponed on account of darkness 40 minutes into the first day. Schuhmann quickly won on the second morning.
| Athlete | Event | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | Men's Greco-Roman | Elliot (GBR) W |
Bye | Tsitas (GRE) W |
|
- Fritz Hofmann competed in athletics and gymnastics while Carl Schuhmann competed in athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting and wrestling, and Friedrich Traun competed in athletics and tennis
- Butler, Maynard. The Olympic Games. In Mallon & Widlund, pp. 37–41.
- Ekkehard zur Megede : The history of Olympic athletics. Volume 1: 1896-1936. Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG, Berlin, 2nd edition 1970.
- "100 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at )
- Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at )
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.