Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw
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The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event (and the second final) held. It was contested on 6 April. 9 athletes competed, including one each from France, Sweden, the United States, and Great Britain as well as three Greeks and two Danes.[1][2]
Men's discus throw at the Games of the I Olympiad | ||||||||||
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Venue | Panathinaiko Stadium | |||||||||
Dates | 6 April 1896 | |||||||||
Competitors | 9 from 6 nations | |||||||||
Winning distance | 29.15 WR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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Many of the competitors had never thrown a discus before, as the event had never been held at an international competition. Robert Garrett of the United States was the last foreigner in the competition, and eventually defeated the famed Greek competitors to win the second modern Olympic gold medal. Garrett had practiced with a 10 kilogram discus, resulting in disappointing marks and his deciding not to compete in Athens (and competing only in the shot put, which he would win the next day); upon arrival, he learned that the actual discus weighed two kilograms and decided to compete.[2] Greece took the second (Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos) and third (Sotirios Versis) places.