Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles


The men's 110 metres hurdles was the first of the track and field events on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14, 1900. Nine athletes from three nations competed in the shortest of the hurdling events.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics.
World Record15.2' Alvin KraenzleinChicago June 18, 1898
Olympic Record17.6 Thomas CurtisAthens April 10, 1896

' unofficial 120 yards
At first Alvin Kraenzlein set a new unofficial world record in the first heat of the first round with 15.6 seconds. In the final he improved this to 15.4 seconds.

Competition format

There were three rounds: heats, repechages, and a final. The top runners in each of the 3 heats advanced to the final, while all other finishers in the heats moved to the repechages. Two repechage heats were held, with the winner of each advancing to the final.

Results

First round

In the first round, there were three heats. The top runners in each advanced to the finals, with the other runners competing in repechage heats.

Heat 1

Kraenzlein set a new world record and won by three yards, though he was slower than his previous mark of 15.2 seconds in the slightly shorter 120 yard hurdles.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
115.6,
2
3

Heat 2

Klingelhoefer pulled up lame, leaving Pritchard to win by a yard and a half.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
116.6
2
3Unknown

Heat 3

There was no competition in this heat, with the only hurdler advancing automatically.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
1

Repechage

The two repechage heats consisted of all the hurdlers that had not qualified in the first round, except for the injured Adolphe Klingelhoefer, who withdrew. The winner of each heat joined the three top finishers of the first round in the final.

Repechage heat 1

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
117.0
2
3Unknown

Repechage heat 2

McLean won the second repechage heat easily to become the third person from the first preliminary heat to qualify for the final.
RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
117.0
2Unknown

Final

RankAthleteNationTimeNotes
15.4
4Unknown

McLean had a lead early, due in part to the error of the starter; even so, Kraenzlein was able to catch and pass him to win the first athletics competition of the 1900 Games, and Moloney, a better hurdler than McLean, nearly caught him as well. All three of the American hurdlers had come from the first preliminary heat. Pritchard, the winner of the second heat, pulled up lame.