Australia competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896.One athlete from Victoria, a British colony which later formed part of Australia, competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Edwin Flack was born in England and was resident in London in 1896, but spent most of his life in Australia and so is considered an Australian athlete by the International Olympic Committee.[1]
| Australia at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | AUS |
| NOC | Australian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Athens, Greece April 6, 1896 – April 15, 1896 | |
| Competitors | 1 in 2 sports and 6 events |
| Medals Ranked 8th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games ––––  Australasia (1908–1912) | |
The Union Flag was used as the flag for the Australian colonies as well as Great Britain and Ireland at the 1896 Summer Olympics.
At the end of these Olympics, Australia was ranked in eighth position on the medal table with a total of 2 medals (2 gold).
Flack was the only competitor from an Australian colony. He entered five events, winning medals in three. The bronze medal in tennis, however, was part of a mixed team and therefore is not counted for Australia.
Medalists
The following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics. These medals are not counted towards the individual NOC medal tally.
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Edwin Flack | Athletics | Men's 800 metres | April 9 |
| Gold | Edwin Flack | Athletics | Men's 1500 metres | April 7 |
 Bronze | Edwin Flack | Tennis | Men's doubles | April 9 |
| Medals by sport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | |  | | Total |
| Athletics | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Multiple medalists
The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1896 Olympic Games.
| Name | Medal | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Flack | Gold Gold | Athletics | Men's 800 metres Men's 1500 metres |
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Medals by day | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Date | | | | Total |
| 1 | 6 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 7 April | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 8 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 9 April | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | 10 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 11 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 12 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 13 April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Athletics
Both of Flack's gold medals came in the athletics competitions as he won both of his track races.
Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Edwin Flack | 400 m | DNS | Did not advance | ||
| Edwin Flack | 800 m | 2:10.0 OR | 1 Q | 2:11.0 | |
| Edwin Flack | 1500 m | — | 4:33.2 OR | | |
| Edwin Flack | Marathon | — | DNF | ||
Tennis
In the singles tournament, Flack lost the only match he competed in. His loss in the semifinals of the doubles competition, while carrying no prize at the time, earned him a retroactive bronze medal from the International Olympic Committee. This medal is counted for mixed team rather than Australia, however.
| Athlete | Event | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | ||
| Edwin Flack | Singles |  Akratopoulos (GRE)L | Did not advance | =8 | ||
 Edwin Flack (AUS) George S. Robertson (GBR) | Doubles | — | Marshall / Marshall (GBR) W WO | Kasdaglis / Petrokokkinos (GRE) L | Did not advance | |
Notes
References
- 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 [2])
- 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 [3])
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
External links
