The men's triple jump was one of six jumping events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on 25 July 1908. Twenty athletes from eight nations competed.[1] NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes.[2] The event was won by Tim Ahearne of Great Britain, breaking a streak of three American victories in the triple jump. All three medal-winning nations were on the podium for the first time.
| Men's triple jump at the Games of the IV Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Athletics pictogram | ||||||||||
| Venue | White City Stadium | |||||||||
| Date | 25 July | |||||||||
| Competitors | 20 from 8 nations | |||||||||
| Winning distance | 14.92 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
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Background
This was the fourth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. No athletes from the 1904 Games returned. The triple jump was still "rarely contested at national meets in this era" and once again there was no favorite in the Olympic event.[3]
Canada, Finland, Norway, and South Africa each made their first appearance in the event. The United States competed for the fourth time, having competed at each of the Games so far.
Competition format
The competition was described as two rounds at the time, but was more similar to the modern divided final. All athletes received three jumps initially. The top three after that received an additional three jumps to improve their distance, but the initial jumps would still count if no improvement was made. The jump format was codified: "The competitor shall first land upon the same foot with which he shall have taken off. The reverse foot shall be used for the second landing, and both feet shall be used for the third landing."[3][4]
Records
These are the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1908 Summer Olympics.
| World record |  John Breshnihan (GBR) | 15.35(*) | Bandon, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | 26 August 1906 |
| Olympic record |  Myer Prinstein (USA) | 14.47 | Paris, France | 16 July 1900 |
(*) unofficial
At first Tim Ahearne set a new Olympic record with 14.72 metres. Then Garfield MacDonald improved the record to 14.76 metres and finally Ahearne took the new Olympic record with 14.92 metres.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 25 July 1908 | 10:00 | Qualifying Final |
Results
All jumpers performed three jumps. The best three made another three attempts to improve their marks. Best marks are known for the top seventeen jumpers, but no information about marks or placement for the bottom three.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Qualifying | Final | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tim Ahearne |  Great Britain | 14.72 | 14.92 | OR |
 | Garfield MacDonald |  Canada | 14.12 | 14.76 | |
 | Edvard Larsen |  Norway | 14.37 | 14.39 | |
| 4 | Calvin Bricker | Canada | 14.10 | Did not advance | |
| 5 | Platt Adams | United States | 14.07 | Did not advance | |
| 6 | Frank Mount Pleasant | United States | 13.97 | Did not advance | |
| 7 | Karl Fryksdal |  Sweden | 13.65 | Did not advance | |
| 8 | John Brennan | United States | 13.59 | Did not advance | |
| 9 | Martin Sheridan | United States | 13.42 | Did not advance | |
| 10 | Doug Stupart | South Africa | 13.40 | Did not advance | |
| 11 | Cyril Dugmore | Great Britain | 13.31 | Did not advance | |
| 12 | Michael Dineen | Great Britain | 13.23 | Did not advance | |
| 13 | Henry Olsen | Norway | 13.17 | Did not advance | |
| 14 | Oscar Guttormsen | Norway | 13.16 | Did not advance | |
| 15 | Dimitrios Muller |  Greece | 13.09 | Did not advance | |
| 16 | Frank Irons | United States | 12.67 | Did not advance | |
| 17 | Sam Bellah | United States | 12.55 | Did not advance | |
| 18–20 | Nathaniel Sherman | United States | Unknown | Did not advance | |
| George Mayberry | Great Britain | Unknown | Did not advance | ||
| Juho Halme |  Finland | Unknown | Did not advance | ||
| — | 21 nonstarters | Various | DNS | Did not advance |
References
Sources
- Official Report of the Games of the IV Olympiad (1908).
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Athletics 1908". Accessed 7 April 2006. Available electronically at [1] Archived 2006-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.