ST LOUIS 1904

ST LOUIS 1904
Games of the III Olympiad

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics organizers repeated all of the mistakes of 1900. The Olympic competitions, spread out over four and a half months, were lost in the chaos of a World's Fair. Of the 94 events generally considered to have been part of the Olympic program, only 42 included athletes who were not from the United States . The 1904 Olympics did have a few highlights. They were the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place. Boxing and freestyle wrestling made their debuts. Marathon runners Len Tau and Jan Mashiani, Tswana tribesmen who were in St. Louis as part of the Boer War exhibit at the World's Fair, became the first Africans to compete in the Olympics. One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood. Chicago runner James Lightbody won the steeplechase and the 800m and then set a world record in the 1,500m.

Participating Nations

12

Participants

651 athletes (6 women, 645 men)

Events

91

The top three winners were: United States of America, Germany and Cuba

Medal Tally of 3rd Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	78	82	79	239
2	Germany	4	4	5	13
3	Cuba	4	2	3	9
4	Canada	4	1	1	6
5	Hungary	2	1	1	4
=6	Great Britain	1	1	0	2
=6	Mixed team	1	1	0	2
=8	Greece	1	0	1	2
=8	Switzerland	1	0	1	2
10	Austria	0	0	1	1
Total		96	92	92	280