1900 Paris Summer Games
1330 Athletes, 21 Countries, 85 Events
The 1900 Games became part of the World's Fair concurrently
occurring in Paris at the suggestion of the International Olympic
Committee president, French baron Pierre de
Coubertin. Fair organizers played a prominent role in the
Games, and with more emphasis placed on the fair, the Olympics were
held over the course of five months.
In Paris, 22 track and field athletes, 13 of whom were from
Penn, represented the Ancient Eight. The group returned stateside
with 16 gold, 10 silver, and nine bronze medals. The United States
finished with 20 gold, 14 silver, and 14 bronze medals overall.
Remarkably, only four track and field events did not have a Leaguer
in the top three. The reason for this is not a poor performance,
but rather that many American athletes refused to compete on
Sunday.
Out of the 22 Ivies in Paris, many came home with two, three,
four, or five medals. Irving K. Baxter (Penn '01)
won gold medals in the high jump and pole vault competitions, and
silver medals in the standing high jump, standing long jump, and
standing triple jump. Legend has it that a year after the Paris
Games, at a 1901 British competition, Baxter used a flagpole to
compete in the pole vault competition.
Truxtun Hare (Penn '01) came back with only a
silver medal in the hammer throw which paled in comparison to
Baxter's five medals. Hare's home, however, was the gridiron, where
he was a four-time All-American. Only four football players have
ever achieved that feat. More remarkable is the fact that he played
every minute of every game in all four years of his college
career.
Just as remarkable as Hare's football accolades was the Paris
performance of Alvin C. Kraenzlein (Penn '01). His
four gold medals in individual events in one Games remains a track
and field record. Kraenzlein was victorious in the 60-meter dash,
110-meter hurdles, 200-meter hurdles, and the long jump. Along the
way, he set world or Olympic records in all except the 200-meter
hurdles competition. He is credited with inventing the legextended
style of hurdling used today. Despite having earned a dental
degree, Kraenzlein would remain in the sport, coaching at the
University of Michigan and then internationally.
Dr. J. Walter B. Tewksbury (Penn '00) beat
Kraenzlein in the medal count. He returned to Philadelphia with two
gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze. Tewksbury won the
400-meter hurdles and 200-meter race. He placed second in the 60
and 100-meter dashes, and third in the 200-meter hurdles.
Yale's Sheldon brothers (Lewis '96 and Richard '98) also won
three gold and three bronze medals between them in men's track and
field.
Please note, while we refer to gold, silver and bronze medals
being won at the 1900 Games for recordkeeping purposes, most of the
winners received cups and trophies instead of medals.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| David Connolly Hall |
Brown University |
Men's Athletics |
| Maxwell Long |
Columbia University |
Men's Athletics |
| James B. Connolly |
Harvard University |
Men's Athletics |
| Irving K. Baxter |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Edward R. Bushnell |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Meredith B. Colket |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| W.E. Drumheller |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Alexander Grant |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| T. Truxton Hare |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Alvin C. Kraenzlein |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Thaddeus B. McClain |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Josiah C. McCracken |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Edward A. Mechling |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Dr. George W. Orto |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| William P. Remington |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| Dr. J. Walter B. Tewksbury |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| John Cregan |
Princeton University |
Men's Athletics |
| Robert Garrett, Jr. |
Princeton University |
Men's Athletics |
| Frank W. Jarvis |
Princeton University |
Men's Athletics |
| Dixon Boardman |
Yale University |
Men's Athletics |
| Lewis Sheldon |
Yale University |
Men's Athletics |
| Richard Sheldon |
Yale University |
Men's Athletics |