Charles Sands

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games • Competed in Olympic Games (non-medal events)
SexMale
Full nameCharles Edward•Sands
Used nameCharles•Sands
Born22 December 1865 in New York, New York (USA)
Died9 August 1945 in Brookville, New York (USA)
Measurements181 cm
AffiliationsSt. Andrew's Golf Club, New York (USA) / Tennis Club de Puteaux, Puteaux (FRA)
NOC France United States
Nationality United States
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Charles Sands is one of only two American men to have competed in three different Olympic sports (The other is Frank Kugler in athletics, weightlifting, and wrestling – Sheila Taormina also accomplished this in swimming, triathlon, and modern pentathlon). In October 1900, Sands shot rounds of 81-84 to win the first Olympic golf championship. He probably didn’t care as golf was not his favorite, or best, sport, even though he had finished second in the first U.S. Amateur ever held – in 1895.

Charles Sands was primarily a court tennis player. He was the only American to win the Racquette d’Or, which he received at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris in 1899 and 1900. In 1905 he won his only American championship in court tennis, although by then he was a three-time winner of the Racquette d’Or. In 1908, court tennis was an Olympic sport, under the original French name of jeu de paume. Sands played, but lost in the first round. It was not his first appearance in Olympic tennis. In 1900, while he had been in Paris for the Racquette d’Or competition, he had played in the Olympic lawn tennis event, but lost in the early rounds. Sands only other lawn tennis result of note was making the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at the 1894 US Championships.

Sands was a US national in 1900 but entered the tennis events while representing Tennis Club de Puteaux of France. In golf he played out of the St. Andrews Golf Club in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal Nationality As
1900 Summer Olympics Golf USA Charles Sands
Individual, Men (Olympic) 1 Gold
Individual, Handicap, Men (Olympic (non-medal)) =8
Tennis FRA USA Charles Sands
Singles, Men (Olympic) =8
Doubles, Mixed (Olympic) Georgina Jones =5
Doubles, Men (Olympic) Archibald Warden =5
Doubles, Handicap, Mixed (Olympic (non-medal)) Suzanne Girod =3
Doubles, Handicap, Men (Olympic (non-medal)) Harold Mahony =5
Tennis USA Charles Sands
Singles, Handicap, Men (Olympic (non-medal)) =17
1908 Summer Olympics Jeu De Paume USA Charles Sands
Singles, Men (Olympic) =9