This Day in Track & Field, August 20, Paavo Nurmi wins his first Olympic gold (1920), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com)

This Day in Track & Field–August 20

1920–The U.S. was shut out of the medals in the Men’s 400-meters at the Antwerp Olympics. Other than the 1980 boycott year, this would be the last time the Americans would suffer such an embarrassment until the 2012  Olympics in London, when the U.S. didn’t even have a finalist!

Winning the medals were South Africa’s Bevil Rudd (49.6), Great Britain’s Guy Butler (49.9-estimated), and Sweden’s Nils Engdahl (50.0e). Rudd won a full set of medals in Antwerp, getting silver in the 4×400 and bronze in the 800.

Syracuse’s Allen Woodring (22.0)  edged Charley Paddock(22.0e), the gold medalist in the 100, to win the Men’s 200-meters. The bronze medal went to Great Britain’s Harry Edward (22.2e).

Woodring was only 5^th at the U.S. Olympic Trials, but was added to the Olympic team at the last minute when 4^th-placer George Massengale was forced to withdraw due to illness (4 qualified for the team at the time).

American Frank Foss, only 5’-8”(1.73) tall, set a World Record of 13-9 (4.19) in the Pole Vault. finishing 2nd and 3rd were Denmark’s Henry Peterson (12-1  ½ [3.70]) and American Edwin Myers (11-9  ¾ [3.60]).

The Steeplechase was contested for the first time at the now common distance of 3000-meters and was won by Great Britain’s Percy Hodge (10:00.4), followed by American Patrick Flynn (10:21.0) and Italy’s Ernesto Ambrosini (10:32.0).

Finland’s Paavo Nurmi took the lead at the bell in the Men’s 10,000-Meters, but was passed on the backstretch by France’s Joseph Guillemot, who had beaten Nurmi in the 5000 three days earlier. Nurmi retook the lead coming off the final turn and won going away in 31:45.8. Guillemot (31:47.2), who had eaten not long before the race began after thinking it would start later than scheduled, held on for 2nd, “…spectacularly losing his lunch just after crossing the finish”. (From the IAAF Athletics Stats Book”). Winning the bronze medal was Great Britain’s James Wilson (31:50.8).

Nurmi’s win earned him the first of his eventual nine gold medals over the span of 3 Olympics (1920-1924-1928).

Results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics

Olympedia Reports: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/7/sports/ATH

http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympics1920.htm

Woodring: