Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres


The men's 100 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. 11 athletes from 3 nations participated. The competition was held on September 3, 1904. The event was won by Archie Hahn of the United States, completing his sprint trifecta and marking the third straight gold medal in the event by an American. Hahn would later repeat his win in the now-unofficial 1906 Intercalated Games. The United States swept the medals.

Background

This was the third time the event was held. None of the previous runners competed in 1904. American Archie Hahn, had won the 1903 U.S. and Canadian championships; he had also taken the 60 metres and 200 metres titles earlier in the 1904 Olympics. He was heavily favored.
The 1904 competition was one of only two Olympic Games where the men's 100 metres was not the shortest sprint, with the 60 metres being held in those two years.
Canada was represented in the event for the first time. Hungary was the only other country, aside from the host, to send a runner; this made the United States and Hungary the only two nations to have appeared at each of the first three Olympic men's 100 metres events.

Competition format

With fewer entrants than in 1900, the event was reduced from four rounds to two: heats and a final. The top two runners in each heat advanced to the final.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1904 Summer Olympics.
World Record10.8' Luther CaryParis July 4, 1891
World Record10.8' Cecil LeeBrussels September 25, 1892
World Record10.8' Etienne De ReBrussels August 4, 1893
World Record10.8' L. AtcherleyFrankfurt/Main April 13, 1895
World Record10.8' Harry BeatonRotterdam August 28, 1895
World Record10.8' Harald Anderson-ArbinHelsingborg August 9, 1896
World Record10.8' Isaac WestergrenGävle September 11, 1898
World Record10.8' Isaac WestergrenGävle September 10, 1899
World Record10.8' Frank JarvisParis July 14, 1900
World Record10.8' Walter TewksburyParis July 14, 1900
World Record10.8' Carl LjungStockholm September 23, 1900
World Record10.8' Walter TewksburyPhiladelphia October 6, 1900
World Record10.8' André PassatBordeaux June 14, 1903
World Record10.8' Louis KuhnBordeaux June 14, 1903
World Record10.8' Harald GrønfeldtAarhus July 5, 1903
World Record10.8' Eric FrickJönköping August 9, 1903
Olympic Record10.8 Frank JarvisParis July 14, 1900
Olympic Record10.8 Walter TewksburyParis July 14, 1900

unofficial

Results

Heats

The top two finishers in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Archie Hahn11.4
2Lawson Robertson
3Béla Mező

Heat 2

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1William Hogenson11.6
2Frederick Heckwolf
3Robert Kerr
4Myer Prinstein

Heat 3

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1Nathaniel Cartmell11.4
2Fay Moulton
3Clyde Blair
4Frank Castleman

Final

RankAthleteNationTime
Archie Hahn11.0
Nathaniel Cartmell11.2
William Hogenson11.2
4Fay Moulton
5Frederick Heckwolf
6Lawson Robertson