Great Britain at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Ten athletes from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland competed in seven sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Great Britain athletes were the fifth most successful in terms of overall medals (7) and tied for fifth in gold medals (2). The 7 medals came on 23 entries in 14 events.

Two tennis players (one English, one Irish) also played in mixed team squads, contributing to a gold and a bronze medal. These medals are not counted as part of the Great Britain total.

Medallists

The following competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded. Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics. These medals are not counted towards the individual NOC medal tally.

Multiple medalists

The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1896 Olympic Games.

Competitors

Athletics

Track & road events

Field events

Cycling

Track

Road

Gymnastics

Individual

Fencing

Shooting

Merlin and Machonet were unable to win any medals in the shooting events.

Swimming

Tennis

Boland (later best known as an Irish nationalist politician) was by far the best player in the tennis competition, amassing a 6-0 record over both events and two gold medals, though one of them was as part of a mixed team. He defeated Traun in the first round of the singles competition, then teamed up with him for the doubles competition. Robertson was much less successful, losing both of the matches he played, though he was awarded a retroactive bronze medal by the International Olympic Committee as his bye in the doubles quarterfinals put him in third place in that event. Like Boland's doubles gold medal, Robertson's bronze is not counted as part of the British total because the two played on mixed teams. Some sources include George Marshall and his brother Frank; the two were entered but appear to have not competed.

Weightlifting

Elliot (born in British India of Scottish ancestry) lifted the same amount as Viggo Jensen in the two handed lift, but was declared by Prince George of Greece to have taken second place based on lifting form. In the one handed lift, he easily defeated Jensen, who lifted only 57 kilograms.

Wrestling

Elliot was defeated by eventual champion Carl Schuhmann in the first round of the wrestling competition, tying for 4th and last place.

References

• Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at [1])
• Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at [2])
• Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.

1. Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics
2. Great Britain at the Olympics
3. Cricket at the Summer Olympics
4. Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics
5. Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics
6. 1896 Summer Olympics
7. Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics
8. Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics
9. Great Britain at the 2000 Summer Olympics
10. Great Britain at the 2004 Summer Olympics
11. Australia at the 1896 Summer Olympics
12. Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
13. Great Britain at the 1924 Summer Olympics
14. Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics
15. Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics
16. Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics
17. Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics
18. Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics
19. Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics
20. Wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics