South Africa competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. At the time, South Africa consisted of four separate British colonies — the Cape Colony, Natal Colony, the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal Colony; they would form the Union of South Africa in 1910. At the 1908 Olympics, the South African team competed under a flag described as "the Red Ensign with a springbok in the corner."Goldblatt, D. (2016:77). The Games: A Global History of the Olympics. United Kingdom: Pan Macmillan.Jenkins, R. (2011). The First London Olympics: 1908. United Kingdom: Little, Brown Book Group.
Hurdler Doug Stupart carried the flag at the opening ceremony.
Medalists
MedalNameSportEventDate Athletics Men's 100 m Athletics Men's marathon
Results by event
Athletics
South Africa was one of 5 nations to win at least one gold medal in athletics, taking the gold medal in the short sprint. Reggie Walker was the 100 metres champion, setting a new Olympic record in the semifinals and matching it in the final. Charles Hefferon added a silver medal in the marathon.
Event Place Athlete Heats Semifinals Final Men's 100 metres 1st Reggie Walker 11.0 seconds 1st, heat 4 10.8 seconds (OR) 1st, semifinal 1 10.8 seconds (=OR) Semi-finalist Edward Duffy 11.6 seconds 1st, heat 1 Unknown 3rd, semifinal 3 Did not advance — Herbert Phillips Did not finish —, heat 11 Did not advance Men's 200 metres Heats Edward Duffy Unknown 2nd, heat 2 Did not advance Men's 110 metre hurdles Heats Douglas Stupart Unknown 3rd, heat 1 Did not advance Men's 5 miles 4th Charles Hefferon None held Unknown 2nd, semifinal 1 25:44.0 Men's marathon 2nd Charles Hefferon None held 2:56:06.0 — J. N. Mitchell-Baker Did not finish A. B. Mole Did not start C. E. Stevens Did not start Vincent Did not start
Event Place Athlete Distance Men's triple jump 10th Douglas Stupart 13.40 metres
Cycling
Event Place Cyclist Heats Semifinals Final Men's 660 yards Semi-finalist Floris Venter 1:03.2 1st, heat 10 Unknown 4th, semifinal 2 Did not advance Heats T. H. E. Passmore Unknown 2nd, heat 9 Did not advance Philipus Frylink Unknown 3rd, heat 16 — Frank Shore Time limit exceeded —, heat 5 Men's 5000 metres Semi-finalist Philipus Frylink None held Unknown 3rd, semifinal 3 Did not advance T. H. E. Passmore Unknown 4th, semifinal 4 Floris Venter Unknown 4-7, semifinal 7 Frank Shore Unknown 4-9, semifinal 5 Men's 20 kilometres Semi-finalist Floris Venter None held 32:34.4 3rd, semifinal 2 Did not advance T. H. E. Passmore 32:39.4 3rd, semifinal 4 Frank Shore 33:40.0 2nd, semifinal 3 Men's 100 kilometres — T. H. E. Passmore None held Did not finish —, semifinal 2 Did not advance Men's sprint Semi-finalist Floris Venter 1:33.2 1st, heat 2 Unknown 3rd, semifinal 1 Did not advance Heats Philipus Frylink Unknown 2nd, heat 8 Did not advance — Frank Shore Time limit exceeded —, heat 16 Men's tandem Heats Philipus Frylink Floris Venter Unknown 2nd, heat 5 Did not finish
Fencing
Event Place Fencer First round Second round Semi-final Final Men's épée First round Walter Gates 3-5 (6th in B) Did not advance Men's sabre First round Walter Gates 0-5 (6th in H) Did not advance
Tennis
Event Place Name Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final Men's singles 4th John Richardson Bye Bye Defeated Foulkes Defeated Brown Lost to Froitzheim Did not advance 16th Vincent Gauntlett Bye Lost to Ritchie Did not advance Harold Kitson Bye Lost to Caridia Men's doubles 4th Vincent Gauntlett Harold Kitson None held Bye Defeated Hykš/Slíva Defeated Froitzheim/Schomburgk Lost to Cazalet/Dixon Did not advance
Opponent nation Wins Losses Percent Bohemia 1 0 1.000 Canada 2 0 1.000 Germany 1 1 .500 Great Britain 0 3 .000 Total 4 4 .500
References