Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres team race


The men's 5000 metres team race was the final track and field event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was the first time that a team race was held at the Olympics. It was held on July 22, 1900. Two teams, from France and a Mixed Team, of five athletes each competed. Stan Rowley of Australia completed an otherwise British team.
The event consisted of a single heat in which each of the ten runners completed ten laps of the 500 metre track. Runners scored points for their team equal to their place in the race, with the team with the lowest number of points winning.

Medallists

Results

Individual standings

PlaceAthleteTimePoints
115:29.21
2Unknown2
3Unknown3
4Unknown4
5Unknown5
6Unknown6
7Unknown7
8Unknown8
9Unknown9
10retired at 3,500 metres10

Team standings

PlaceNationPoints
126
229

Rimmer and Bennett led the entire way, followed by the first three Frenchmen not far behind. Tysoe and Robinson kept pace with Castanet and Champoudry in the third bunch of runners, while Rowley had been injured and began walking after completing the first lap.
Bennett pulled away from Rimmer in the final sprint, followed by three Frenchmen. Champoudry crossed the finish line in ninth, leaving the injured Rowley as the only athlete still running, though he was clearly in pain and had been lapped thrice.
While the rules of the event stated all team five members had to finish for the team to score, race officials agreed it would be pointless for Rowley to walk the final 1500 metres and allowed him to retire at the end of his seventh lap.