Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics

At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, 27 athletics events were contested. The competition was held on a 400-meter track and would become the standard for athletics tracks in the future. For the first time, women's events in athletics were included in the Olympic Games program. There was a total of 706 participants from 40 countries competing.

Medal summary

Men 100 metres 10.8 10.9 10.9 200 metres 21.8 21.9 21.9 400 metres 47.8 48.0 48.2 800 metres 1:51.8 1:52.8 1:53.2 1500 metres 3:53.2 3:53.8 3:56.4 5000 metres 14:38.0 14:40.0 14:41.2 10,000 metres 30:18.8 30:19.4 31:00.8 110 metres hurdles 14.8 14.8 14.9 400 metres hurdles 53.4 53.6 53.6 3000 metres steeplechase 9:21.8 9:31.2 9:35.6 4 × 100 metres relay Frank WykoffJames QuinnCharles BorahHenry Russell41.0 Georg LammersRichard CortsHubert HoubenHelmut Körnig41.2 Cyril GillEdward SmouhaWalter RangeleyJack London41.8 4 × 400 metres relay George BairdFred AldermanEmerson SpencerRay Barbuti3:14.2 Otto NeumannHarry Werner StorzRichard KrebsHermann Engelhard3:14.8 James BallStanley GloverPhil EdwardsAlex Wilson3:15.4 Marathon 2:32:57 2:33:23 2:35:02 High jump 1.94 m 1.91 m 1.91 m Pole vault 4.20 m 4.10 m 3.95 m Long jump 7.73 m 7.58 m 7.40 m Triple jump 15.21 m 15.17 m 15.11 m Shot put 15.87 m 15.75 m 15.72 m Discus throw 47.32 m 47.23 m 47.10 m Hammer throw 51.39 m 51.29 m 49.03 m Javelin throw 66.60 m 65.26 m 63.97 m Decathlon 8053.290 pts 7931.500 pts 7706.650 pts

Women 100 metres 12.2 12.3 12.3 800 metres 2:16.8 2:17.6 2:17.8 4 × 100 metres relay Myrtle CookEthel SmithBobbie RosenfeldJane Bell48.4 Jessie CrossLoretta McNeilBetty RobinsonMary Washburn48.8 Anni HoldmannLeni JunkerRosa KellnerLeni Schmidt49.0 High jump 1.595 m 1.56 m 1.56 m Discus throw 39.62 m 37.08 m 35.92 m

Records broken During the 1928 Summer Olympic Games 9 new world records were set in the athletics events. New Olympic records were set in 16 of the 27 events.

Men's world records

Event Date Round Name Nationality Result 110 metres hurdles July 31 Semifinal George Weightman-Smith 14.6 3000 metres steeplechase August 4 Final Toivo Loukola 9:21.8 4 × 400 metres relay August 5 Final George BairdFred AldermanEmerson SpencerRay Barbuti 3:14.2 Shot put July 29 Final John Kuck 15.87 m Decathlon August 5 Final Paavo Yrjölä 8,053.290

Women's world records

Event Date Round Name Nationality Result 800 metres August 2 Final Lina Radke 2:16.8 4 × 100 metres relay August 5 Final Myrtle CookEthel SmithBobbie RosenfeldJane Bell 48.4 High jump August 5 Final Ethel Catherwood 1.595 m Discus throw July 31 Final Halina Konopacka 39.62 m

Participating nations 706 athletes from 40 nations competed. Lithuania and Romania competed in athletics for the first time. Bulgaria, Egypt, Malta, Panama, Rhodesia, and Uruguay were the only six nations not to compete in athletics.

References 1928 Summer Olympics results: athletics, from https://www.sports-reference.com/; retrieved 2010-03-01. Official Olympic Report