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| Event type

High Jump, Men

Date7 – 8 July 1912
StatusOlympic
LocationStockholms Olympiastadion, Stockholm
Participants35 from 10 countries

Based on recent results, the favorite was definitely George Horine of the United States, although there were several top American jumpers. Horine had set a world record on 29 March 1912, clearing 1.985 (6-6 1/8) at Stanford to break Mike Sweeney’s record of 1.97 (6-5 5/8) which had stood since 1895. And at the western Olympic Trial, held on 18 May, he set another world record, clearing 6-7, the first person to jump two metres (6-7 = 2.007). Horine was a pioneer of a new high jumping style, which later became termed the Western Roll, somewhat similar to the straddle roll, the standard jumping style until Dick Fosbury pioneered the Fosbury flop. The other top Americans were Egon Erickson, who had won the AAU title in 1909 and the eastern Olympic Trial in 1912, and Alma Richards, who had recently won the central Olympic Trial.

The competition initially went about as expected, with Horine, Richards and Erickson lasting until the final five jumpers, joined by Germany’s Hans Liesche, and Jim Thorpe. Erickson and Thorpe went out first, failing to clear 1.89 metres. At 1.91, Liesche cleared on his second attempt, Richards on his last attempt, and Horine failed, leaving him with the bronze medal. When the bar was raised to 1.93 (6-4), Richards cleared easily on his first attempt. David Wallechinsky, in his The Complete Book of the Olympics, has described the problems that then ensued for Liesche, “Liesche was completely unnerved. He failed twice. Then, just as he had composed himself for his final attempt, a gun went off to signal the start of a race. Liesche waited for the race to end and then composed himself once more. This time the band began to play. After nine minutes, a Swedish official approached him and asked him to hurry up. This was the final blow. Liesche ran at the bar, but missed completely.” In the final results, other than Liesche, Americans took 6 of the top 7 places.

PosNrAthleteNOCQualifying RoundFinal Round
1Alma RichardsUSA1.83 (NP)1.93 (1)GoldOR
2Hans LiescheGER1.83 (NP)1.91 (2)SilverOR
3George HorineUSA1.83 (NP)1.89 (3)Bronze
=4Egon EricksonUSA1.83 (NP)1.87 (=4)
=4Jim ThorpeUSA1.83 (NP)1.87 (=4)
=6Harry GrumpeltUSA1.83 (NP)1.85 (=6)
=6John JohnstoneUSA1.83 (NP)1.85 (=6)
8Karl-Axel KullerstrandSWE1.83 (NP)1.83 (8)
=9Timothy CarrollGBR1.83 (NP)1.80 (=9)
=9Iván, Báró WardenerHUN1.83 (NP)1.80 (=9)
11Howard BakerGBR1.83 (NP)1.75 (11)
NP r1/2Rodolfo HammersleyCHI1.60 (NP)
NP r1/2Arvo LaineFIN1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2André LabatFRA1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Géo AndréFRA1.70 (NP)
NP r1/2Michel MéertFRA1.60 (NP)
NP r1/2Marius DelabyFRA– (NP)
NP r1/2Armand EstangFRA– (NP)
NP r1/2Thomas O'DonohueGBR1.70 (NP)
NP r1/2Otto RöhrGER1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Alfredo PaganiITA1.60 (NP)
NP r1/2Angelo ToniniITA– (NP)
NP r1/2Otto MonsenNOR1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Gerhard OlsenNOR1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Olav AarnesNOR1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Gösta HallbergSWE1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Richard SjöbergSWE1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Ragnar MattsonSWE1.70 (NP)
NP r1/2Paulus af UhrSWE1.70 (NP)
NP r1/2Gösta HolmérSWE1.60 (NP)
NP r1/2Jervis BurdickUSA1.80 (NP)
NP r1/2Harold EnrightUSA1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Wesley OlerUSA1.75 (NP)
NP r1/2Platt AdamsUSA1.70 (NP)
NP r1/2John NicholsonUSA– (NP)
DNSDaniel CampbellGBR
DNSAndrás SomodiHUN
DNSMiklós NagyHUN
DNSGéza VadonHUN
DNSLajos LudinszkyHUN1
DNSFélix MatheyFRA
DNSGeorg HolmqvistSWE
DNSMaurice MeunierFRA
DNSGiulio AlvisiITA
DNSBéla SzabóHUN
DNSClive TaylorGBR
DNSVictor DoréFRA
DNSEd BeesonUSA
DNSFurio BiniITA
DNSFritz WeinzingerAUT
DNSRené LabatFRA
DNSKostas TsiklitirasGRE
DNSIstván SomodiHUN
DNSCarlo ButtiITA
DNSManlio LegatITA
DNSFolke HellstedtSWE
DNSCharles LombergSWE
DNSEinar NilssonSWE
DNSTage BrauerSWE

Qualifying Round (7 July 1912 — 9:00)

Qualifiers were separated into three groups. All those clearing 1.83 metres qualified for the final.

PosAthleteNOCHeight
NPTimothy CarrollGBR1.83Q
NPHoward BakerGBR1.83Q
NPJohn JohnstoneUSA1.83Q
NPHans LiescheGER1.83Q
NPIván, Báró WardenerHUN1.83Q
NPEgon EricksonUSA1.83Q
NPHarry GrumpeltUSA1.83Q
NPGeorge HorineUSA1.83Q
NPKarl-Axel KullerstrandSWE1.83Q
NPAlma RichardsUSA1.83Q
NPJim ThorpeUSA1.83Q
NPJervis BurdickUSA1.80
NPGösta HallbergSWE1.75
NPOtto MonsenNOR1.75
NPGerhard OlsenNOR1.75
NPHarold EnrightUSA1.75
NPRichard SjöbergSWE1.75
NPOtto RöhrGER1.75
NPArvo LaineFIN1.75
NPAndré LabatFRA1.75
NPWesley OlerUSA1.75
NPOlav AarnesNOR1.75
NPRagnar MattsonSWE1.70
NPPaulus af UhrSWE1.70
NPThomas O'DonohueGBR1.70
NPPlatt AdamsUSA1.70
NPGéo AndréFRA1.70
NPGösta HolmérSWE1.60
NPRodolfo HammersleyCHI1.60
NPMichel MéertFRA1.60
NPAlfredo PaganiITA1.60
NPMarius DelabyFRA
NPAngelo ToniniITA
NPJohn NicholsonUSA
NPArmand EstangFRA

Qualifying Round, Group A (7 July 1912 — 9:00)

PosAthleteNOCHeight1.60 m1.70 m1.75 m1.80 m1.83 m
=1Timothy CarrollGBR1.83xooxxooxo
=1Howard BakerGBR1.83xooooo
=1John JohnstoneUSA1.83ooxoxo
=4Gösta HallbergSWE1.75xoxoxxx
=4Otto MonsenNOR1.75-xoxoxxx
=4Gerhard OlsenNOR1.75-xoxxoxxx
=7Ragnar MattsonSWE1.70xxoxxx
=7Paulus af UhrSWE1.70xxoxxx
=7Thomas O'DonohueGBR1.70o
=7Platt AdamsUSA1.70oo
=11Gösta HolmérSWE1.60ox--
=11Rodolfo HammersleyCHI1.60ox--
=11Michel MéertFRA1.60ox--
NHMarius DelabyFRAx--
NHAngelo ToniniITAxxxx
NHJohn NicholsonUSAxxx
NHArmand EstangFRAx--

Qualifying Round, Group B (7 July 1912 — 9:00)

PosAthleteNOCHeight1.60 m1.70 m1.75 m1.80 m1.83 m
=1Hans LiescheGER1.83ooooo
=1Iván, Báró WardenerHUN1.83ooooo
=1Egon EricksonUSA1.83oooxoo
=1Harry GrumpeltUSA1.83ooxooo
=1George HorineUSA1.83ooooxo
6Jervis BurdickUSA1.80oooxoxxx
=7Harold EnrightUSA1.75ooxoxxx
=7Richard SjöbergSWE1.75oooxxx
=7Otto RöhrGER1.75oxoxxoxxx
=7Arvo LaineFIN1.75oxooxxx

Qualifying Round, Group C (7 July 1912 — 9:00)

PosAthleteNOCHeight1.60 m1.70 m1.75 m1.80 m1.83 m
=1Karl-Axel KullerstrandSWE1.83ooooo
=1Alma RichardsUSA1.83oooxoo
=1Jim ThorpeUSA1.83ooxooxxo
=4André LabatFRA1.75oxoxxoxxx
=4Wesley OlerUSA1.75oooxxx
=4Olav AarnesNOR1.75oxoxxoxxx
7Géo AndréFRA1.70xoxoxxx
8Alfredo PaganiITA1.60oxxx

Final Round (8 July 1912)

PosAthleteNOCHeight1.60 m1.70 m1.75 m1.80 m1.83 m1.85 m1.87 m1.89 m1.91 m1.93 m
1Alma RichardsUSA1.93oooxoxxooxxoxxoxxooOR
2Hans LiescheGER1.91oooooooxoxoxxxOR
3George HorineUSA1.89ooooxoooxoxxx
=4Egon EricksonUSA1.87oooooxoxoxxx
=4Jim ThorpeUSA1.87xoooooooxxx
=6Harry GrumpeltUSA1.85oooxooxxoxxx
=6John JohnstoneUSA1.85ooooxxoxoxxx
8Karl-Axel KullerstrandSWE1.83oooxooxxx
=9Iván, Báró WardenerHUN1.80oooxoxxx
=9Timothy CarrollGBR1.80oooxoxxx
11Howard BakerGBR1.75oooxxx