Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's rope climbing

The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame. Time and style were considered in placing the competitors who reached the top and distance climbed separating those who did not make it all the way up. Five competitors entered, with the two Greeks taking top honors by being the only two to complete the climb. The German Fritz Hofmann won the bronze medal, while the weightlifting champions Viggo Jensen and Launceston Elliot finished fourth and fifth.[1]

Men's rope climbing
at the Games of the I Olympiad
Rope climbing event during 1896 Summer Olympics
VenuePanathinaiko Stadium
DateApril 10
Competitors5 from 4 nations
Medalists
Nikolaos Andriakopoulos
 Greece
Thomas Xenakis
 Greece
Fritz Hofmann
 Germany
Gymnastics at the
1896 Summer Olympics
Vaultmen
Pommel horsemen
Ringsmen
Parallel barsmen
Horizontal barmen
Rope climbingmen
Team parallel barsmen
Team horizontal barmen

Background

This was the first appearance of the event, which was held four times. The event appeared again in 1904, 1924, and 1932.[2]

Competition format

The rope climb was 14 metres in height with a smooth, unknotted rope. Those who completed the climb were ranked on time and style points, with those not reaching the top ranked on height climbed.[2][3]

Schedule

The men's rope climbing was held in the morning of the fifth day of events. The gymnastics programme was intended to be completed on the fourth day, but after six of the eight events had finished it was too late to continue and the final two were moved to the fifth day. The rope climbing was the second of the two that day, the last gymnastics event held.[3]

Date Time Round
Gregorian Julian
Friday, 10 April 1896Friday, 29 March 189610:00Final

Results

The heights climbed by Jensen and Elliot are not known, though Jensen climbed higher than Elliot and both were under 12.5 metres. The style points for the finishers are not known. Andriakopoulos finished in 23.4 seconds, quicker than Xenakis, though Xenakis' time is not known beyond that.[2]

RankGymnastNationHeight (m)
Nikolaos Andriakopoulos Greece 14.0
Thomas Xenakis Greece 14.0
Fritz Hofmann Germany 12.5
4 Viggo Jensen Denmark Unknown
5 Launceston Elliot Great Britain Unknown

References
  1. "Gymnastics at the 1896 Athina Summer Games: Men's Rope Climbing". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. "Rope Climbing, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  3. Official Report, part 2, p. 83.

Sources
  • Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at )
  • Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at )
  • Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
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