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1920 Olympic Games Antwerpen, Belgium - Men's 110 m Hurdles

 

 

Host City: Antwerpen, Belgium Format: Top three in each heat advanced to the final.
Date Started: August 17, 1920 Format: Top two in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Date Finished: August 18, 1920  
(Competitors: 24; Countries: 15; Finalists: 6)  
    Venue(s): Olympic Stadium, Antwerpen
Overview by IAAF    Olympisch-Stadion-Antwerp.png
Thomson had won the IC4A title in May in a world record 14.4, and was a clear favourite, but was beaten by Barron by 2m in 15.2 in the first round. The two men then won their semi-finals in 15.0, equalling the Olympic record. In the final Barron was drawn in lane 1 with Thomson in the outside lane. Thomson, using his double arm shift whereby both arms were thrust forward as he crossed the hurdle, was the first man to rise at the first obstacle, inches ahead of Wilson and Barron. He was threatened by the American for the first half of the race, and then the strength of the big (1.90/84Kg) Canadian began to tell. He won by just under 2m in a metric world record of 14.8, with Barron an equal distance clear of Murray and Wilson. Though a world record, this time was 0.4 seconds slower than his best over 120 yards (109.73m).
       
Summary by Sports-reference.com      
Tommy Thomson was a Canadian born in Birch Hills, near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, but he had grown up in California, near Pasadena and Long Beach. He attended Dartmouth College and trained with the Americans, winning the 1920 AAU Championship, which had served as the U.S. Olympic Trials. Thomson also competed at the 1920 Canadian Trials, making the team in the high hurdles, the 400 hurdles, and the high jump. Thomson was a heavy favorite in this event and won easily, setting a world record in the finals. His time of 14.8 was a world record for the metric distance, but he had recently won the U.S. intercollegiate championships (IC4A) in 14.4 seconds over 120 yards, a far superior performance. At the victory ceremony, the Belgian officials found that they had no Canadian flag to display, so they raised the British flag instead.
Tommy Thomson’s victory marked a dramatic return from a near fatal accident in 1914. When 14 years old, he stepped off a buggy onto a loaded shotgun, which discharged into the left side of his chest. He underwent a four-hour emergency surgery, but survived. After the Olympics, Thomson retired from competition, but he later became well known as a coach, first at Dartmouth, and then at West Virginia and the U.S. Naval Academy.
 

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1920 Summer Olympics.

World Record 15.0 United States Forrest Smithson London (GBR) July 25, 1908
Olympic Record 15.0 United States Forrest Smithson London (GBR) July 25, 1908

In the two semi-final runs Harold Barron and Earl Thomson equalized the standing world and Olympic record with 15.0 seconds. In the final Earl Thomson set a new world record with 14.8 seconds.

 
 
        Results        
 
110 m Hurdles Men     Final 18 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 14.8     Tommy Thomson Canada CAN 25  
2 15.1     Hal Barron United States USA 25 15.1est / 2 m. bh1
3 15.1     Fred Murray United States USA 25 15.1est / chest bh2
4 15.2     Harry Wilson New Zealand NZL 23 15.2est / ½ m. bh3
5 15.3     Walker Smith United States USA 23 15.3est / chest bh3
6 15.3     Carl-Axel Christiernsson Sweden SWE 22 15.3est / 50 cm. bh5
110 m Hurdles Men     Semi-Finals Heat One 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.0   Q Hal Barron United States USA 25  
2 15.2   Q Walker Smith United States USA 23 15.2est / 1 m. bh1
3 15.3   Q Harry Wilson New Zealand NZL 23 15.3est / 1 m. bh2
4       Henri Thorsen Denmark DEN 26  
5       William Hunter Great Britain GBR 27  
6       Göran Hultin Sweden SWE 22  
110 m Hurdles Men     Semi-Finals Heat Two 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.0   Q Tommy Thomson Canada CAN 25  
2 15.2   Q Fred Murray United States USA 25 15.2est / 1 m. bh1
3 15.2   Q Carl-Axel Christiernsson Sweden SWE 22 15.2est / close bh2
4       George Gray Great Britain GBR    
5       William Yount United States USA 20  
6       Daciano Colbachini Italy ITA 26  
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat One 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.6   Q Daciano Colbachini Italy ITA 26  
2 15.8   Q Harry Wilson New Zealand NZL 23 15.8est / 1 m. bh1
3 15.9     Georg Lindström Sweden SWE 21 15.9est / 1 m. bh2
4       Wilfred Kent-Hughes Australia AUS 24  
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat Two 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.2   Q Hal Barron United States USA 25  
2 15.4   Q Tommy Thomson Canada CAN 25 15.4est / 1 m. bh1
3       Gösta Holmér Sweden SWE 28  
4       Harry Marek Czechoslovakia TCH    
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat Three 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.8   Q Fred Murray United States USA 25  
2     Q George Gray Great Britain GBR    
3       Henri Bernard France FRA 19  
4       René Joannes-Powell Belgium BEL 24  
5       James Andromedas Greece GRE    
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat Four 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 16.8   Q Henri Thorsen Denmark DEN 26  
2     Q William Hunter Great Britain GBR 27  
AC DNF     Willi Moser Switzerland SUI 26  
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat Five 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.6   Q William Yount United States USA 20  
2     Q Göran Hultin Sweden SWE 22  
3       Harold Jeppe South Africa RSA 21  
4       Adolf Reich Czechoslovakia TCH 18  
110 m Hurdles Men     Round One Heat Six 17 August      
                 
Rank Mark     Athlete Country NOC Age Notes
1 15.8   Q Walker Smith United States USA 23  
2     Q Carl-Axel Christiernsson Sweden SWE 22  
3       Oscar, Ridder van Rappard Netherlands NED 24  
4       Eric Dunbar Great Britain GBR 22  
 
 
 

 

 

 

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