The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It was the second appearance of Britain after having participated in the inaugural 1896 Games. In Olympic competition, the nation has always shortened its official name to Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom seen elsewhere.
Medallists Medal Name Sport Event Date Sailing Open class Sailing .5 to 1 ton Sailing 3 to 10 ton Sailing 20+ ton Foxhunters Hurlingham PoloMen's Polo Tennis Women's singles Tennis Men's singles Tennis Men's doubles Tennis Mixed doubles Athletics Men's 1500 m Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase Athletics Men's 800 m Amateur Athletic Association of England Athletics 5000 metres team race Swimming Men's 200 metre freestyle Swimming Men's 200 metre obstacle Swimming Men's 1000 m freestyle Swimming Men's 4000 m freestyle Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester Water poloMen's Water polo Devon and Somerset Wanderers Cricket Team Cricket2-day, 12 men Upton Park F.C. FootballMen's Football BLO Polo Club Rugby PoloMen's Polo Tennis Men's singles Athletics Men's 2500 m steeplechase Athletics Men's high jump Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase Sailing 20+ ton Golf Men's individual Moseley Wanderers Rugby UnionRugby Union Tennis Men's singles Tennis Men's singles Tennis Men's doubles Athletics Men's long jump Athletics Men's 4000 m steeplechase Sailing 10 to 20 ton Swimming Men's 200 m obstacle Rowing Men's single sculls Golf Men's individual
Reallocated medal
British Lloyd Hildebrand won a silver medal in the 25 km cycling event. As a representative of a French club, his participation and medal were attributed to France. MedalNameSportEventDateReallocated to Cycling Men's 25 kilometres France
Medals by British athletes for non-British teams
Additionally, British competitors won two gold medals, two silver medals, and five bronze medals in team events while competing for a mixed team or non-British clubs. In accordance with the IOC's attribution for the 1896–1904 Olympics, these medals were credited to the country with which the respective team was affiliated. Medal Team Sport Event France Sailing 2-3 ton (race 1) France Sailing 2-3 ton (race 2) France Cricket Men's Cricket Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles (first bronze pair) Mixed Team Tennis Mixed doubles (second bronze pair) Belgium Football Men's Football France Polo Men's Polo France Water Polo Men's Water Polo
Results by event
Swimming
Great Britain made its Olympic swimming debut in 1900. Jarvis won gold medals in each of the two long distance freestyle events; as neither distance was used again, he is the only Olympic champion ever in both the 1000 metres and 4000 metres. Kemp added a bronze in the obstacle event, another one-time-only competition. This put Great Britain at the top of the leaderboard by gold-silver-bronze (Australia and Germany also had 2 gold medals, but neither won any other medals) though France (1 gold, 2 silvers, 2 bronzes) and Austria (3 silvers, 1 bronze) had more total medals.
Swimmer Event Semifinals Final Result Rank Result Rank Robert Crawshaw Men's 200 metre freestyle 2:40.0 2 q 2:45.6 4 Peter Kemp 2:51.0 2 did not advance F. Stapleton 2:47.0 2 q 2:55.0 6 Bill Burgess Men's 1000 metre freestyle 16:54.0 2 q 10 John Arthur Jarvis 14:28.6 1 Q 13:40.2 Bill Burgess Men's 4000 metre freestyle 1:15:04.8 2 q 1:15:07.6 4 William Henry 1:22:58.4 3 q 8 John Arthur Jarvis 1:01:48.4 1 Q 58:24.0 E. T. Jones – did not advance Bill Burgess Men's 200 metre backstroke 3:50.4 3 q 3:12.0 5 Robert Crawshaw 3:15.0 2 q 9 William Henry Men's 200 metre obstacle event 3:14.4 2 Q 2:58.0 6 Peter Kemp 3:12.0 1 Q 2:47.4 F. Stapleton 3:18.4 3 q 2:55.0 5
Water polo
The British water polo team won gold easily. The roster listed is that credited with gold medals by the IOC, but not by OlympediaSports-Reference The roster for the Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester as listed by the International Olympic Committee is Thomas Coe, John Henry Derbyshire, Peter Kemp, William Lister, Arthur G. Robertson, Eric Robinson, and George Wilkinson. Lister, however, had died two weeks prior to the Games, while Derbyshire, Robinson, and Wilkinson all played water polo matches in England either during the tournament or too soon after it to have traveled back from Paris in time. A list of players contemporary to the match does not include Robertson, but does list Coe and Kemp in addition to Robert Crawshaw, William Henry, John Arthur Jarvis, Victor Lindberg, and Frederick Stapleton. Lindberg has been considered the first New Zealand Olympian, although he "was born in Fiji to Swedish and Irish parents, lived in New Zealand from a young age and, in Paris, represented a British club."
One British player (Thomas William Burgess) played on a French team that won a bronze medal, as well, but the IOC credits that appearance to France and not Great Britain or a mixed team.
Team Event Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Rank Opposition Result Opposition Result Opposition Result Osborne Swimming Club Men's water polo W 12-0 W 10-1 W 7-2
Athletics
Great Britain took 4 gold medals in athletics, including one as part of a mixed team (with 4 British athletes and one Australian). This put them second on the leaderboard for that sport, behind the dominant United States as the two nations to win multiple gold medals in the sport. The British team won a total of 9 athletics medals including a sweep of the 4000 metre steeplechase event. 9 athletes competed in 10 events.
Track events
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankAlfred Tysoe800 m1:59.42 Qalign="center" colspan=2 2:01.2Charles Bennett1500 malign="center" rowspan=2 colspan=4 4:06.2John Rimmer Unknown UnknownSidney Robinson2500 m steeplechasealign="center" colspan=4 7:38.0John Rimmer4000 m steeplechasealign="center" colspan=4 rowspan=3 12:58.4Charles Bennett12:58.6Sidney Robinson12:58.6Ernest Ion Poolmarathonalign="center" colspan=4 rowspan=4 did not finishFrederick Randalldid not finishWilliam Sawarddid not finishWilliam Taylordid not finish
Field events
AthleteEventQualifyingFinalResultRankResultRankPatrick Leahyhigh jumpalign="center" colspan=2 1.78long jump6.715 Q6.95triple jumpalign="center" colspan=2 Unknown4Launceston Elliotdiscus throw31.011did not advance
Cricket
Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers in cricket in 1900. The team won the only match, a 2-day 12-man contest, by 158 runs.
Cricketers Event Final Place Opposition Result Devon and Somerset Wanderers 2-day 12-man W by 158 runs
Cycling
Athlete Event Place Lloyd Hildebrand Men's 25 kilometres
Note - Recorded as Great Britain and Ireland until 2024, the IOC Executive Board approved the change of Lloyd Hildebrand's silver medal at Paris 1900 Olympics from Great Britain to France.
Fencing
Great Britain send fencers to the Olympics for the first time in 1900. None of the 3 British men reached the final in their event.
FencerEventRound 1QuarterfinalRepechageSemifinalFinal Eugène PlissonMen's masters foilNot advanced by jurydid not advanceJosiah BowdenMen's épée2 Q Unknowndid not advanceCharles Robinson Unknowndid not advance
Football
Upton Park F.C. represented Great Britain in the football competition. The club squad won its only match, against Club Française, 4-0.
Summary
Team Event Match 1 Match 2 Rank Opposition Result Opposition Result Upton Park F.C. Men's football W 4–0
Match 1
Golf
Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic golf events. The British golfers took the silver and bronze medals in the men's competition, making Great Britain the only nation other than the United States to win a golfing medal that year.
Golfer Event Score Rank William Bathurst Dove Men's individual 186 7 David Donaldson Robertson 175 Walter Rutherford 168 George Thorne 185 6 John Daunt 184 5
Gymnastics Artistic
Great Britain's second Olympic gymnastics appearance was no more successful than the nation's first, resulting in no medals.
Gymnast Event Score Rank William Connor 250 31 Henry Hiatt 172 124 Pearce 238 54 William Lloyd Phillips 222 73
Polo
Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the first Olympic polo event. British athletes played on three of the five teams, two of which included either American or French players, while the third included both American and French. The mixed British/American combination took the top place, the British/American/French team secured the silver medal, while the British/French team reached third place.
Team Event Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Rank Opposition Result Opposition Result Opposition Result Foxhunters Hurlingham Men's polo W 10–0 W 6–4 W 3–1 BLO Polo Club Rugby W 8–0 L 3–1 Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris L 6–4 Did not advance
Rowing
Britain had a single rower present at the first Olympic rowing contests, winning the bronze medal in the single sculls event.
RowerEventFirst roundSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankSaint-George AsheMen's single sculls6:38.8 1 Q8:37.2 3 q8:15.6
Rugby
Britain was one of three teams to compete in the first Olympic rugby games. Britain lost its only game, against France. The game against Germany was cancelled due to travel plans.
Summary
Team Event Match 1 Match 2 Rank Opposition Result Opposition Result Moseley Wanderers L 27–8
Match 2
Roster
Sailing
Great Britain was second to France in gold medals at the 1900 sailing events with 4, but took only 1 other medal, a bronze. France took 5 golds, 9 silvers, and 10 bronzes for a total of 24 medals to Britain's 6. However, even a perfect performance by the British athletes would have earned only a total of 8 medals—Great Britain failed to medal in only 2 of its attempts. The crew members listed are those listed by the IOC in their database. The Olympic historian Ian Buchanan in his book "British Olympians" (1991) states that "reports on many aspects of the 1900 regatta are inconclusive and the crew members of the British entry "Scotia" has never been positively settled. The records of the British Olympic Association give the crew as Lorne Currie, John Gretton and Linton Hope, but it has been established that Linton Hope was in England at the time of the races and his name only appears in the Olympic records as he was the designer of the "Scotia". Similarly the names of Currie and Gretton are probably only listed as the owners of the boat but as it is possible that they sailed their boat, they are listed as Olympic champions, although the participation of Lorne Currie, in particular, is in doubt. The one crew member whose participation has been established is Algernon Maudslay, whose name does not appear in any Olympic records, but from contemporary press reports it is clear that he was the helmsman of the "Scotia"".
Single race events
Sailors Event Time Rank ½–1 ton class race 1 3:29:45 ½–1 ton class race 2 3:45:46 4 2–3 ton class race 1 2:17:30 2–3 ton class race 2 4:17:34 3–10 ton class race 1 Unknown 7 3–10 ton class race 2 4:14:58 4:38.49 Cecil Quentin 20+ ton class 5:29:46 Selwin Calverley 5:30:06 Open class 5:56:17 –
Regatta events
Sailors Event Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Overall Time Rank (points) Time Rank (points) Time Rank (points) Score Rank Edward Hore 10–20 ton class 4:20:18 3rd, 8 points 3:41:49 1st, 10 points –, 5 points 23 points Salusbury Mellor 4:25:48 5th, 6 points 3:53:17 5th, 6 points 3:36:02 4th, 7 points 19 points 5
Shooting
Great Britain was represented by one shooter in its second appearance. Merlin, who had competed for Great Britain four years earlier, competed again. He tied for 7th in the trap shooting event.
Shooter Event Score Rank Sidney Merlin Men's trap 12 7
Tennis