800 metres, Men

The heats of the 800 metres were held on Saturday, and the only real surprise was the dismal showing of Alex Grant, AAU champ in the mile in 1899, who would win the 1900 AAU 800. However, in his heat, he failed to crack the top five.

The final was held two days later, and the favorite was the Englishman Alfred Tysoe, 1897 AAA mile and 10-mile champion, although Brown’s Dave Hall had posted the fastest qualifying time, an Olympic record 1:59.0. Henri Deloge (FRA) took the early lead, taking the field through a slow 440 yards in 65.0. At the head of the final straight, both Tysoe and John Cregan moved out ahead, and Tysoe pulled away to a comfortable victory. Cregan got second, but Deloge faltered in the stretch and was passed for third by Hall. Tysoe’s race was certainly one of the most amazing examples of negative splitting the 800, as his splits were approximately 65.2-56.0.