Germany at the 1896 Summer Olympics
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 | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp) Flag of the German Empire | |
| IOC code | GER |
| NOC | German Olympic Sports Confederation |
| Website | www |
| in Athens, Greece 6 – 15 April 1896 | |
| Competitors | 19 in 6 sports and 24 events |
| Medals Ranked 3rd |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games –––– .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Saar (1952).svg.png.webp){kind=small} United Team of Germany (1956–1964) East Germany (1968–1988) West Germany (1968–1988) | |
Medalists
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.
Competitors
|
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
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Athletics
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.[1][2][3]
Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Kurt Doerry | 100 m | Unknown | 4 | Did not advance | |
| Alfred Flatow | Did not start | ||||
| 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 | Did not start | ||||
| Kurt Doerry | 800 m | Did not start | |||
| Fritz Hofmann | Did not start | ||||
| 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 | Did not start | ||||
| Friedrich Traun | Did not start | ||||
| Carl Galle | Marathon | Did not start | |||
Field events
| Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | ||
| Conrad Böcker | High jump | Did not start | |
| Kurt Doerry | Did not start | ||
| Alfred Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Gustav Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Carl Galle | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | 1.55 | 5 | |
| Fritz Manteuffel | Did not start | ||
| Gustav Schuft | Did not start | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | Did not start | ||
| Friedrich Traun | Did not start | ||
| Kurt Doerry | Pole vault | Did not start | |
| Alfred Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Gustav Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Carl Galle | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Manteuffel | Did not start | ||
| Karl Neukirch | Did not start | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | Did not start | ||
| Friedrich Traun | Did not start | ||
| Hermann Weingärtner | Did not start | ||
| Kurt Doerry | Long jump | Did not start | |
| Alfred Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Carl Galle | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | Did not start | ||
| Friedrich Traun | Did not start | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | 5.70 | 8 | |
| Hermann Weingärtner | Did not start | ||
| Alfred Flatow | Triple jump | Did not start | |
| Fritz Hofmann | Unknown | 6-7 | |
| Carl Schuhmann | Unknown | 5 | |
| Friedrich Traun | Did not start | ||
| Conrad Böcker | Shot put | Did not start | |
| Alfred Flatow | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Hofmann | 10.00 | 5-7 | |
| Carl Schuhmann | Unknown | 5-7 | |
| Hermann Weingärtner | Did not start | ||
| Carl Schuhmann | Discus throw | Did not start | |
Cycling
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 | Did not finished | |
| Joseph Rosemeyer | 10 km | Unknown | 4 |
| Bernard Knubel | 100 km | Did not finished | |
| Theodor Leupold | Did not finished | ||
| Joseph Rosemeyer | Did not finished | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | Did not finished | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | Men's 12 hour race | Did not finished | |
Road
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| August von Gödrich | Men's road race | 3:42:18 | |
| Bernard Knubel | Did not start | ||
| Theodor Leupold | Did not start | ||
| Fritz Manteuffel | Did not start | ||
| Joseph Rosemeyer | Did not start | ||
| Joseph Welzenbacher | Did not start | ||
Gymnastics
Germany dominated the gymnastics program, taking 5 of the 8 gold medals and medalling in each event.
- Team
- Individual
Tennis
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 | — | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Akratopoulos /Akratopoulos (GRE) W |
Bye | Kasdaglis / Petrokokkinos (GRE) W 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 |
|
Weightlifting
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 |
Wrestling
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 |
|
References
- 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.
