| World Record: 3.90m - | Walter Dray, - Danbury (USA), June 13, 1908. |
| Olympic Record: 3.50m - Charles Dvorak, - St. Louis, (USA), September 3, 1904. |
Gonder, having won an Olympic title, turned to rugby in 1908 and so
missed the London Games, leaving Alfred “A. C.” Gilbert, winner of
the US Eastern Trials with a national record 3.855, as favourite.
Another to miss London was Walter Dray, who placed second in the US
Trials but then cleared 3.90 in a minor meeting before being injured.
The qualifying competition was held on the morning of 24 July in three
sections, with Söderström winning the first section with 3.58 from
Jacobs – 3.50. Cooke won the next section with an Olympic record
3.71 ahead of Gilbert – 3.66 – and Archibald 3.58. Bellah won the last
section with 3.43.
Performances were carried forward to the final, and Gilbert out-
jumped Cook 3.71 to 3.66 in a competition disrupted by the excitement
surrounding the finish of the marathon. The two shared the gold medal
on the basis of Cook’s earlier 3.71, with Archibald, Jacobs and
Söderström sharing third place after all three cleared 3.58.
Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev
todor1966@yahoo.com
Last updated: 21 Sep 2020
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