1906 Olympics
Athens
After disappointing receptions in Paris and St. Louis, the Olympic movement returned to Athens for the Intercalated Games of 1906.
The mutual desire of Greece and Baron de Coubertin to recapture the spirit of the 1896 Games led to an understanding that the Greeks would host an interim games every four years between Olympics.
Nearly 900 athletes from 20 countries came to Athens, including, for the first time, an official American team picked by the USOC.
As usual, the U.S. dominated track and field, taking 11 of 21 events, including double wins by Martin Sheridan (shot put and freestyle discus), Ray Ewry (standing high and long jumps) and Paul Pilgrim (400 and 800 meters). The previously unknown Pilgrim had been an 11th-hour addition to the team.
Verner Järvinen, the first Finn to compete in the Olympics, won the Greek-style discus throw and placed second in the freestyle discus. He returned home a national hero and inspired Finland to become a future Olympic power.
The Intercalated Games were cancelled due to political unrest in 1910 and never reappeared. Medals won are considered unofficial by the IOC.
Top 10 Standings
National medal standings are not recognized by the IOC. The unofficial point totals are based on 3 points for a gold medal, 2 for a silver and 1 for a bronze.
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 15 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 79 |
| 2 | Greece | 8 | 13 | 12 | 33 | 62 |
| 3 | USA | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 54 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 8 | 11 | 5 | 24 | 51 |
| 5 | Italy | 7 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 36 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 5 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 31 |
| 7 | Germany | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 29 |
| 8 | Sweden | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 23 |
| 9 | Hungary | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 19 |
| 10 | Austria | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 17 |
| Norway | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 17 |
Leading Medal Winners
Number of individual medals won on the left; gold, silver and bronze breakdown to the right.
Men
| No | Sport | G-S-B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Louis Richardet, SWI | Shooting | 4-2-0 |
| 5 | Martin Sheridan, USA | Track/Field | 2-3-0 |
| 5 | Konrad Stäheli, SWI | Shooting | 2-2-1 |
| 5 | Léon Moreaux, FRA | Shooting | 2-1-2 |
| 5 | Jean Reich, SWI | Shooting | 1-1-3 |
| 4 | Gudbrand Skatteboe, NOR | Shooting | 3-1-0 |
| 4 | Gustav Casmir, GER | Fencing | 2-2-0 |
| 4 | Eric Lemming, SWE | Track/Field & Tug of War | 1-0-3 |
| 3 | Francesco Verri, ITA | Cycling | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Enrico Bruna, ITA | Rowing | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Georgio Cesana, ITA | Rowing | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Max Decugis, FRA | Tennis | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Emilio Fontanella, ITA | Rowing | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Georges Dillon-Cavanaugh, FRA | Fencing | 2-1-0 |
| 3 | Henry Taylor, GBR | Swimming | 1-1-1 |
| 3 | Fernand Vast, FRA | Cycling | 1-0-2 |
| 3 | Raoul de Boigne, FRA | Shooting | 0-1-2 |
| 3 | John Jarvis, GBR | Swimming | 0-1-2 |
Women
| No | Sport | G-S-B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sophia Marinou, GRE | Tennis | 0-2-0 |
Track & Field
| Event | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 100m | Archie Hahn, USA | 11.2 |
| 400m | Paul Pilgrim, USA | 53.2 |
| 800m | Paul Pilgrim, USA | 2:01.5 |
| 1500m | Jim Lightbody, USA | 4:12.0 |
| 5 Miles | Henry Hawtrey, GBR | 26:11.8 |
| Marathon | Billy Sherring, CAN | 2:51:23.6 |
| 110m H | Robert Leavitt, USA | 16.2 |
| 500m Walk | George Bonhag, USA | 7:12.6 |
| 3000m Walk | György Sztantics, HUN | 15:13.2 |
| Event | Mark | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| High Jump | Con Leahy, GBR/IRE | 5- 10 | |
| Pole Vault | Fernand Gonder, FRA | 11- 53/4 | |
| Long Jump | Meyer Prinstein, USA | 23- 71/2 | |
| Triple Jump | Peter O'Connor, GBR/IRE | 46- 21/4 | |
| Shot Put | Martin Sheridan, USA | 40- 51/4 | |
| Stone Throw | Nicolaos Georgantas, GRE | 65- 41/2 | |
| Discus | Martin Sheridan, USA | 136- 0 | |
| Greek Discus | Verner Järvinen, FIN | 115- 41/2 | |
| Freestyle Javelin | Eric Lemming, SWE | 176-10 | WR |
| Pentathlon | Hjalmar Mellander, SWE | 24 pts |
| Standing | Mark | |
|---|---|---|
| High Jump | Ray Ewry, USA | 5- 11/4 |
| Long Jump | Ray Ewry, USA | 10-10 |
Swimming
| Event | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 100m Free | Charles Daniels, USA | 1:13.4 |
| 400m Free | Otto Scheff, AUT | 6:23.8 |
| Mile Free | Henry Taylor, GBR | 28:28.0 |
| 4x250m Free | HUN (József Ónody, Henrik Hajós, Geza Kiss, Zoltán Halmay) | 16:52.4 |
| Diving | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Gottlob Walz, GER | 156.0 |
Team Sports
| Sport | Champion |
|---|---|
| Soccer | Denmark |
| Tug-of-War | Germany |
Also Contested
Canoeing, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Rowing, Shooting, Tennis, Weightlifting and Greco-Roman Wrestling.
