Figure skating at the Olympics
| Pairs figure skating at the Games of the IV Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 29 October | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 6 from 2 nations | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| 1920 → | |||||||||||||
| Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Singles | men | ladies |
| Special figures | men | |
| Pairs | mixed | |
The mixed pairs was one of four events in figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Each nation could enter up to 3 pairs (6 skaters). Twelve years later, silver medalist Phyllis Johnson would capture a bronze medal with a new partner at the 1920 Olympics.
Competition format
Each skater performed a five-minute free skate. Scores from 0 to 6 were given for each figure for both (a) content (difficulty and variety) and (b) performance. The total possible score was therefore 12. Each judge would then arrange the pairs in order of total score by that judge; these ordinal rankings were used to provide final placement for the pairs, using a "majority rule"--if a majority of the judges ranked a pair first, the pair won. If there was no majority, the total ordinals controlled. Ties were broken by total points.
Results
The judges were unanimous in ranking the German pair first. For second place, two judges scored a tie between the Johnsons and the Syerses, while three judges put the Johnsons clearly in second; this being a majority, the Johnsons received the silver medal.
| Rank | Skaters | Nation | Points (Rank) | Average score | Total ordinals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HW |
 GH |
 HT |
 HF |
 GS
| |||||
|
 Germany |
10 (1) |
12 (1) |
11 (1) |
12 (1) |
11 (1) |
11.20 | 5 | |
|
 Great Britain |
9 (2) |
11.5 (2) |
10.5 (2) |
10.5 (2) |
10 (2) |
10.30 | 10 | |
|
Great Britain |
9 (2) |
11.5 (2) |
10 (3) |
8 (3) |
9.5 (3) |
9.60 | 13 | |
Referee:
Judges:
References
- Official Report, p. 39.
- "Figure Skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics: Pairs, Mixed". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Official Report, p. 558.
- Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
- The Official Report gives the total ordinals for the silver medal pair as 10 and for the bronze medal pair as 13, in each case counting the two judges who awarded a tie for 2nd as being 2 ordinals. Other sources give both pairs a 2.5 for those ties, resulting in total ordinals of 11 and 14.
Sources
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
- De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Figure skating 1908". Accessed 2 May 2006. Available electronically at Archived 3 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
